The Sydney Rooster gave Matt Lodge the green light to leave after his agents asked the club for an early release of their client. Lodge was not included in the Roosters’ line-up last week, and it is now evident he wasn’t in Sydney’s plans for the rest of the season.
The Roosters previously rejected two requests for the player to be released with a year on his contract remaining but changed their stance on the third try by Lodge’s management team.
Lodge’s Performances Dropped after Contract Renewal Failed
The Roosters were reportedly dismayed with Lodge’s attitude and efforts after he found out his contract won’t be extended. Sydney signed prop forward Jared Waerea-Hargreaves for a year and will also acquire Spencer Leniu next year.
So, the club didn’t want to add to the expenses by extending Lodge’s contract, even though his release won’t affect the Roosters’ salary cap too much. The front rower is on a contract worth $300,000 this season.
Not Happy with Reduced Deal
The Sydney Roosters were delighted with Lodge after he signed for the club, but have also made it clear that if they had to choose, they would continue with Waerea-Hargreaves and prioritise that move over retaining Lodge.
According to News Corp, Lodge met with Cameron Ciraldo recently, the Bulldogs coach, but nothing concrete came out of that meeting.
Earlier this month, Lodge spoke about his intention to continue playing at the same level but didn’t say whether he would stay with the Roosters or go somewhere else. The prop forward said that he was happy to play his role regardless of how long he stayed with the Roosters.
He added that he enjoyed his time in Sydney, but that the reduced deal he was on wasn’t something that could go on forever and that the situation had changed from when he signed the deal.
