The rumour mill continues to turn in North Queensland, as Cowboys superstar Jason Taumalolo is reportedly being head-hunted by up to six NRL clubs.
Reports from The Daily Telegraph are suggesting that up to two Sydney teams and two interstate teams, as well as the Dolphins, have already contacted Taumalolo's manager, Chris Orr, about a potential switch from the club he's expected to call home until the end of 2027.
While both the club and Taumalolo have made no indication the relationship is souring, other teams can smell blood in the water and have begun reaching out to the star forwards representation to check the temperature.
“There have been five or six clubs ringing me instantly asking if he‘s available because of the speculation,’’ Orr told news corp.
So what's the smoke?
Taumalolo, who has been well regarded as one of the most dominant players in the NRL since joining the Cowboys in 2010, has suffered several injuries over the course of the last 12 months, including multiple broken hands, injured ribs and a slight hamstring tear in the pre-season.
During this time Taumalolo has struggled to find much consistency in his play and coach Todd Payten has controversially chosen to taper his minutes throughout the backend of 2021 and leading into the 2022 season.
Some have posed that a separation from the club would be beneficial for both sides, with the enforcer taking up ample cap space each year following his signing of a 10 year $10 million dollar deal in 2017.
Despite these rumours, both sides have adamantly denied any tension between the two. Orr has also defended Taumalolo's form and reiterated his current status with the club.
“Jason has given me no indication he wants out," Orr said.
“If he went onto the open market tomorrow, I would have all 16 clubs chasing them.
“To suggest he is past it, is ridiculous. He is only 28, he has another five years in the game easily and he is still one of the best forwards in the game.
“I’ve had the conversation with my client in the last few days and Jason is not unhappy.
“I’m not sure where this constant talk is coming from, but it’s not the case that Jason and the coach don’t see eye-to-eye.
“It was his first game back on the weekend after injury in the pre-season and he said he was out of breath at times. He is still getting back to full fitness, but he said he can‘t wait to get on the field this year."
Payten elected to have Taumalolo start in the front-row for the Cowboys season opener against the Bulldogs and not his native position of lock after his return from injury during the pre-season.
Losing to the Bulldogs in that game, many questioned Payten's use of Taumalolo, only playing the star forward for 51 minutes. However, the coach has reiterated that this tapered approach will be taken throughout the season until Taumalolo's match fitness is back up to scratch.
“I can tell you now, we won’t be releasing Jase,” Payten said to News Corp.
“People have to understand Jason had to start the season over four times last year. He broke his hand three times and had a two-week suspension, so it was frustrating for him.
“Jase‘s minutes were not cut that dramatically last year, but all rugby league players play their best when they have continuity from a week-to-week point of view.’’
The forward saw a stark improvement in both his involvement and performance during the Cowboys Round 2 stunner against the Canberra Raiders.
Taumalolo returned to his natural position of lock and played 55 minutes, posting 141 run metres and leading the team in post-contact metres with 70, while also not missing a tackle in his 25 attempts.
Lock
Tackles Made
Tackle Breaks
All Run Metres
Taumalolo, speaking to Fox League, admitted that with all the rumours surrounding his future with the club he showed up to last night's clash with a "point to prove".
“Last week was all about blowing out the cobwebs and trying to get the motor going again. Tonight I felt a lot better,” Taumalolo said in the post-game press conference.
“Obviously with the outside noise it was a bit of a poke the bear moment for me, so I’m just happy to be out there and running freely again.”
The Cowboys and Taumalolo would have been ecstatic to have gotten their first win of the season last night, as nothing settles rumoured tension more than winning.
