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Australian rugby union player Lote Tuqiri stretches at a team practice session in Sydney on Tuesday, June 23, 2009. AAP Image/Paul Miller)
I’ve been a little edgy these past few months. Ever since my beloved Wests Tigers said they had entered into negotiations with Lote Tuqiri, I’ve been praying to any greater power that would listen that the Little Club that Could might just pull off the signing of their eleven year history.
This was quite the roller coaster ride.
First, everyone was saying the deal was done, everyone except David Gallop who poured cold water on the idea from the get go, stating publicly that he would want more information on what exactly went down over at the ARU, and ultimately led to Tuqiri’s unceremonious parting of ways with the Wallabies.
Then, when the media started to get into a bit of a frenzy and the NRL started to assert their authority on the whole situation, both sides seemed to scatter and peep out from behind some drab press releases that seemed to put the thing to bed.
But not for me.
Since then I have been like a hawk, crossed with a meerkat, who mated with an owl that had somehow mixed its DNA with my fourth grader Teacher, Mrs Vernon.
Ok, let’s just say I had this story COVERED, scanning the net, New Idea and Fox Sports news for any inkling that one L.Tuqiri had put pen to paper and would be turning out for The People’s Champion in 2010.
Lote himself had done a good job of keeping people off the scent with some rather diplomatic Twitter banter.
But I wasn’t fooled.
The whole thing was as transparent as the bike pants on that guy that rides his bicycle to the Coffee Club on Sunday morning (you know the one, the generously proportioned gent you just want to walk up to with a picture of Cadel Evans and say ‘YOU’RE DOING SOMETHING WRONG’).
In his excitement at the prospect of playing alongside the Flying Falafel, Tuqiri even managed to sign on the dotted line with the wrong club, committing to a guest stint with English Rugby Club Leicester Tigers, who had also been pursuing his services.
Being a man of his word, Lote decided against letting the good people of Leicester down and pledged to see out his time with the club. Bless him.
But it was just a matter of time before the REAL Tigers got their man.
And yesterday was the day.
There have already been many, and there will no doubt be more, of the naysayers who think that the signing of Tuqiri is bad news for the club: that he is too old, that his biceps are too big for the Tigers’ jersey, he has been out of the NRL for too long, that the spot would have been better spent on one of the plethora of talented Tigers coming through the ranks.
I’m not saying any or all of those statements are right or wrong. People are entitled to their opinions. But for any Tigers fans thinking that this might not be a great idea, you need to look at this:
Tuqiri
Tuiaki
Lawrence
Ayshford
Ryan
Marshall
Moltzen
This is what I think will be the Wests Tigers backline for the majority of the 2010 NRL season. Now, if you don’t look at that line up and want to party like it’s 2005, read it again.
I’m excited! Can you tell?
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