Here is what the Warriors Owner, Mark Robinson said about the Lodge exit:
“We had an argument in a hotel, two alpha males in a pub last December,” Robinson said.
“Two days later we shook hands and moved on but it never came right.
“Plus he didn’t want to come back to New Zealand next year.
“He was unhappy so I bought him out of his option for next year and we parted ways.
“He didn’t like the club and he obviously didn’t like playing for Mark Robinson.
“I got over it, but I can’t answer for Matt Lodge.
“The argument was man on man. Then on Monday morning I didn’t think there was anything wrong.
“Then he came in and spoke to Cameron (George, Warriors CEO) and we moved forward.”
Asked what the row was about, Robinson said: “Just two men and attitude and whatever. It’s seven months ago.
“There’s no bad blood with Matt Lodge at all.
“It was a simple business transaction. He had an option for next season so he was entitled to a severance package, as would any employee out there who has a contract with their employer.
“Guys like Matt Lodge and Euan Aitken didn’t want to come back to New Zealand and that’s fine, it gives us a chance to focus on Kiwi youth and not flood the Australian market.
“It’s time to start giving our young Kiwi boys opportunities when we return home.”
Asked about Lodger playing rugby union in Brisbane
“I didn’t even know Matt Lodge played rugby until you told me,” Robinson said.
“If he is playing rugby to keep fit while he isn’t in the NRL, it doesn’t bother me because he is no longer contracted to us.”
Asked about the salary cap implications from the Lodge payout
“We have no issues with our salary cap. We have never been in trouble with our cap and we play by the rules, so paying out Matt doesn’t cause us a problem, because if it did, we wouldn’t have done it.
“We would have asked Matt to honour his deal, but because our cap is in such good shape, this is an opportunity to do the right thing by bringing through our younger Kiwi players who have missed two years of football with Covid.
“We have a number of young guys who haven’t been able to play football because of Covid, so it’s time to blood them now and give them a chance so we are a better chance of success next year.”
talks about the relocation to Australia
“I challenge any other club in the NRL to do what we have done over the past three years,” he fired.
“I’d like to see the Broncos or Manly move their operations to New Zealand and promote the game and see how long they last in the NRL? Tell the Broncos to live in Auckland for three years and let’s see how many players they have left.
“We have done a remarkable job promoting the game over here and keeping the NRL intact.
“I bought into this club to make the Warriors great and hopefully one day we can win a premiership. Rugby league is in my DNA.
“Rugby league people should be applauding the Warriors for what we have done the past three years, not attacking us at every opportunity.”