NRL news 2024: Gus Gould leaks Cowboys’ Heilum Luki signing news, Foran backs Fifita to stay with Titans | Market Watch
By
TRAVIS MEYN
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA SPORTS NEWSROOM
6:18PM FEBRUARY 28, 2024
The Cowboys have been blindsided by reports from Canterbury supremo
Phil Gould that rising backrower Heilum Luki has inked a contract extension with North Queensland.
Luki is one of the NRL’s hottest free agents and being targeted by multiple rival clubs, including the Dragons and Dolphins, beyond 2024.
The Cowboys are fighting to retain Luki, who has a one-year option with the Cowboys in his favour, and last week released Luciano Leilua to the Dragons, freeing up salary cap space.
The Cowboys had a glut of edge back row talent with Maroons star Jeremiah Nanai, rising weapon Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, Luki and Leilua creating a salary cap squeeze.
In his podcast Six Tackles With Gus on Wednesday, Bulldogs football chief Gould declared Luki had taken up the one-year option with the Cowboys.
The Cowboys have been blindsided by reports that Heilum Luki has inked a contract extension with North Queensland. Picture: Getty Images
“They’ve had to make some salary cap decisions there,” Gould said.
“Heilum Luki, it was kind of expected he’d take a big offer to go elsewhere to the Dragons or Dolphins. He had an option in his favour to stay with the club and has elected to stay. I don’t think they thought that was going to happen.
“That will put a lot of pressure on (retaining) Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, who is an outstanding young talent and probably on a much smaller contract than he can get somewhere else.
“They’d have to upgrade him to keep him, but they didn’t have that sort of money available, particularly after Heilum Luki took up his option to stay.
“That has meant they’ve had to move Luciano Leilua, who was one of their big money purchases a couple of years ago.”
While Gould was emphatic in stating Luki had committed to North Queensland, Cowboys football boss
Micheal Luck said that was not the case.
Bulldogs football chief Gould declared Luki had taken up the one-year option with the Cowboys … much to the surprise of North Queensland. Picture: Julian Andrews
“We are continuing to work through it with Heilum’s management,” he said.
“He’s a priority signing for us and we’ll keep working through that process.”
The Cowboys have assembled a red hot engine stacked with talent including Jason Taumalolo, Reuben Cotter and Griffin Neame to go with their edge forwards.
After a preliminary finals appearance in 2022, the Cowboys failed to make the finals last year, but Gould is tipping them to bounce back into the top eight this season.
“It’s a hell of a side,” Gould said.
“It’s a powerful looking roster and I think they’ve got a great chance.
“If they start on the right leg this year they’ve got the player talent to be a top eight contender.
“I don’t know if they’ve got the premiership x-factor at the moment.
“I think they’ll play finals football but I’m not suggesting premiership at this stage.”
