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Leicester Tigers statement: The departure of Nemani Nadolo
By Liam Heagney
Gallagher Premiership champions Leicester have issued a statement after it emerged overnight from Australia that Fijian winger Nemani Nadolo has agreed to an early release from his contract midway through the upcoming 2022/23 season in order to play for the NSW Waratahs in the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific tournament.
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Nadolo has been an essential asset in the Tigers’ rebuild under Steve Borthwick, joining the club at the same time as the head coach during the 2020 lockdown and going on to make 37 appearances and score 16 tries.
However, he now only has a few months left to add to that tally as he won’t see the new club season through to its finish in England ahead of the 2023 World Cup in France, Nadolo deciding with his family to opt for a Super Rugby build-up towards trying to gain squad selection for those finals.
A Tigers statement read: “Leicester can confirm that Nemani Nadolo will leave the club midway through the 2022/23 season to join Australian Super Rugby side the NSW Waratahs ahead of their 2023 campaign on a one-year deal.
“Nadolo’s departure comes after mutual agreement between the player and club for an early release of his contract with Leicester. The 34-year-old has made 37 appearances for Leicester Tigers since his debut in August 2020 and scored 16 tries, including ten tries to sit atop the club’s try-scorers list during the Gallagher Premiership winning 2021/22 season.
Coach Borthwick said: “It has been a great privilege to work with Nemani and, on behalf of everybody at the club, I thank him for his contribution to Leicester Tigers. His decision to return home to Australia is one he has made with his family and one that we – as a club – support him.
“There are plenty of games still to be played between now and Nemani’s departure and he is fully committed to finishing his time at Leicester Tigers in the same professional and strong manner he has displayed throughout his time at the club.”
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Nadolo added: “I’ll forever be grateful to the club for understanding my situation and allowing my family and me to move back to Australia. Even though I’m not done yet, I’m still 100 per cent committed to the cause. There is a lot of rugby to be played from now until I leave and I look forward to hopefully making many more memories in the Tigers jersey.”
Except that Nadolo is not going 'home' to Queensland but to NSW. So, what's the real reason?