Former NRL centre Joey Leilua has taken to social media to take a swipe at his former head coach, Michael Maguire, following potential revelations on his playing future.
Leilua, who wasn’t re-signed by the Wests Tigers, has denied rumours that he knocked back a train-and-trial with the club, and used the post as an opportunity to have one final dig at his former mentor.
“Well this is another lie! Never got offered to go there for a train and trial...” the former Dally M Centre of the Year wrote in the post, before finishing on a vicious note.
“Btw (by the way) I wouldn’t play for someone that blames the team all the time! And not once himself! #Madge”.
Ex @WestsTigers centre Joey Leilua has taken to Instagram and had a swipe at his former coach Michael Maguire.
Will this be the last we hear of it, or is there a saga brewing at Concord?#NRL pic.twitter.com/gjGeUAIhMm
— Jack Blyth (@jblesfooty224) October 19, 2021
The pair have had a rocky relationship at times, Maguire signed the Samoan international on a two-year deal, only for form and fitness to limit Leilua to 21 games across the last two seasons.
He featured in just seven games this year, dropped twice from first-grade before being left out of the Wests Tigers bubble when the competition moved to Queensland in July. Even a shift to the back-row in NSW Cup couldn’t get the former Raider back into the 17.
It isn’t the first time Maguire had copped criticism in recent months, with the premiership-winning coach only narrowly avoiding the sack last month. The whispers of disharmony at Concord will only grow after the post, and heap pressure onto ‘Madge’ to start 2022 well.
This isn’t the first time Joey Leilua has come under fire for something social media related either, using Samoan teammate Frank Pritchard’s Instagram to announce his mid-season move to Canberra from Newcastle in 2015.
Neither the Knights or Raiders had confirmed his release or signing, but were forced into it after Pritchard posted a video of himself and Leilua on Instagram en route to the nation’s capital.
Still without a contract for 2022, it appears Joey will take a rugby union opportunity in America for 2022 while brother Luciano, who publicly backed Maguire in September, remains at Concord.
