In an attempt to boost their halves for next season, the Wests Tigers have reportedly reached out to Broncos halfback Jock Madden.
As reported byย News Corp, future Tigers coach and current assistant Benji Marshall apparently personally contacted Madden.
While there has been no confirmation on what was said during the conversation, News Corpย reports it was to gauge his interest in returning to his former club.
Although he has played two games this season, the halfback is currently behind Ezra Mann and Adam Reynolds at the club for one of the two half positions.
The decisive factor for Madden's return back to the Tigers could be a starting spot in the halves, which he doesn't have at the Broncos. However, he does have another year remaining on his contract, meaning the club would need to grant him a release.
In the two appearances for the Broncos this season, he wasn't able to set up any tries but made 57 tackles, 108 running metres and 267.4 average kicking metres per game.
As Luke Brooks recently rejected a two-year extension with the club worth upwards of $1 million and Brandon Wakeham is off-contract, it leaves Adam Doueihi as the only halves player under contract.
Doueihi is likely to be sidelined for the majority of next season after undergoing surgery on his knee.
Tim Sheens has recently stated that the club is actively looking around for playmakers around Australia and overseas.
LMAO. Honestly, as a Tiger’s supporter, it’s hard to not be in a constant state of frustration. Last year I was urging the Tigers to allow Brooks to leave for the Knights and to keep Madden. I also thought that kicking Jackson Hasting out so we could pay John Bateman $800000 a season to come here was both morally wrong and tactically reckless. I like Bateman as a player, but i think $800000 is too much, and kicking a current squad member out that he disliked to get him to come was grubby too. Not to mention that Hasting was probably the Tigers best player last year and a valuable halve. So anyway, now we find ourselves trying to buy back the player we just got rid of last year, because the obvious path of Brooks leaving when off contract has come true. We got rid of good 2 halves and then brought a sub standard one in Wakeham? We find oursleves short on halves this season as well. Why didnt we do right by the players who wanted to be there when it also made tactical sense as opposed to keeping the $1000000 Brooks who wanted to go?