Sydney Roosters head coach Trent Robinson has addressed rumours that New Zealand international Joseph Manu could sensationally return to the NRL during the 2025 season.
A mainstay of the Sydney Roosters and New Zealand Kiwis line-up over the past nine seasons, the two-time premiership winner decided to exit the 13-man code after 181 appearances and 17 international Tests.
Linking up with Toyota Verblitz in the Japanese rugby union competition, reports emerged that he was thinking about making a return to the NRL after he decided to finish his stint with the Japanese club at the end of the season.
However, Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson has shut down the rumours, confirming that he will make the move to the Top 14 rugby union competition in France after spending the beginning of this year with Toyota Verblitz in Japan.
This comes after it was revealed that the 2023 Golden Boot winner had an option in his deal to allow him to remain in Japan for an extra season, but reports indicate that he has decided not to take up the option.
"We were resigned to that a long time ago," Robinson said.
"I don't know who [reported it] โฆ that was never the case. I've known probably for probably about six to nine months what his next move is and it wasn't back here.
"That was never the case, I don't know whether it's come out where he's going next.
"You guys [the media] know stuff before I know it, but there's some bits there that we try and keep from you as long as possible."
Last year, former NRL Great and Immortal Andrew Johns believed that Manu would not return to the NRL game after taking a similar route to that of Sonny Bill Williams.
"I don't think he will (comeback)," Johns said on Immortal Behaviour last year.
"I'd imagine that the All Blacks would be watching this really closely. He has a similar skillset to Sonny when Sonny Bill changed over (to rugby union).
"Sonny's skill set changed in the way he played, with the one arm offloads. Joey Manu is that sort of player.
"So I'd say that the All Blacks will be watching closely."
Robinson has also addressed links to retired front-rower Jared Waerea-Hargreaves who announced his retirement last season, ending his stint as one of the Bondi-based club's longest-tenured players.
Although he is contracted at Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League until the end of 2025, this hasn't stopped Waerea-Hargreaves from being linked with a potential return to the Sydney Roosters after the team has nearly $600,000 available worth of funds free in its salary cap.
RELATED >> Hull KR comment on Jared Waerea-Hargreaves rumours
โI heard that one this morning,โ Robinson added.
โCan we make sure there's multiple sources on these (rumours)? We love Jared and he'll walk back through these doors as a greying father doing some other job, but not playing.โ
A New Zealand representative prop with 33 Tests under his belt, Waerea-Hargreaves spent 16 seasons in the NRL (15 of them with the Sydney Roosters) where he amassed 316 first-grade appearances and won three premierships in 2013, 2018 and 2019.
