MACKAY, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 27: Matt Lodge of the Warriors is tackled during the round 24 NRL match between the New Zealand Warriors and the Canberra Raiders at BB Print Stadium, on August 27, 2021, in Mackay, Australia. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
New Zealand Warriors owner Mark Robinson has come out in support of Matt Lodge, despite forking out a whopping $700,000 for the fiery front-rower to play elsewhere.
Lodge has been one of the mid-year signings of the season, forming a deadly combination with Jared Warea-Hargreaves up front, so much so that Buzz Rothfield has labelled the prop as a 'Kangaroos bolter' ahead of this years Rugby League World Cup.
Robinson and Lodge had a public falling out prior to his early release, following news that the pair got into a heated argument at a pub before Christmas, though it appears the owner has no regrets.
"There was no push and shove or yelling and screaming; two days later we shook hands and moved on, but it never came right," Robinson told The Sydney Morning Herald.
"Plus, he didn't want to come back to New Zealand next year. He was unhappy, so I bought him out of his option for next year and we parted ways."
One man's trash is another man's treasure, and that's certainly been the case for Roosters coach Trent Robinson, who has picked up one of the game's form front-rowers for just $100,000.
"We never really fell out, I wish him all the best, he's a good bloke and a good player," Robinson said to The Sydney Morning Herald.
"Everyone gets a break every now and then. All the best to him.
"If he wins a comp with the Roosters, I will think that's fantastic.
"Someone has given him an opportunity, he's proving to them he deserves it, and I think that's great.
There are no regrets either way. He's a good bloke. It just didn't work for us."
The front-rower's role will increase through the coming weeks, with Lindsay Collins accepting the early guilty plea following a hip drop tackle on Tom Eisenhuth, ruled out until the Grand Final following the ban.
Lodge is still without a deal for 2023, and while the Dolphins were widely tipped to snare his signature, the Roosters remain in the hunt for the bargain-priced prop.