The North Queensland Cowboys are set to continue their pursuit of improvement in 2022 but formally requesting Luciano Leilua be released by the Tigers for 2022.
The Cowboys recently signed Leilua to a mammoth three-year deal, believed to be worth around $2.1 million - around $700,000 per year which will see the star second-rower move to Townsville ahead of the 2023 season.
Leilua's future came under the microscope early in November when he reportedly rejected a move by the Tigers to re-sign him on around $600,000 per year, a value which was only made trickier to justify from Leilua's point of view once Isaiah Papali'i was officially signed by the club from the Parramatta Eels.
It means Papali'i will virtually replace Leilua in the Tigers' set up for 2023, but the Cowboys haven't given up hope of dragging their new recruit to Townsville a year early, according to a Daily Telegraph report.
The report suggests the Tigers baulked at the deal outright, but did counter with a possible player swap.
The Tigers would have asked for Jeremiah Nanai and Heilum Luki in return for the early release of Leilua. Both players play on the edge and were rising stars during the second half of 2021, however, it would appear for that reason alone the Cowboys rejected that request.
It's understood the Tigers and Leilua are both of the view that a release won't be granted at this stage, but that could all change if Nick Cotric lands at Concord. That, however, seems unlikely given the Bulldogs' winger is linked with a move back to Canberra, which would see Bailey Simonsson move to the Parramatta Eels in an apparent good move for all three involved clubs.
The Tigers are believed to be still weighing things up given Leilua's increasing contract value for 2022, but his exit would leave the club short a second-rower for the 2022 campaign, and without a player swap, it would appear unlikely at best.
