‘It’s best for all parties to move on’: Former NRL player says it’s time for David Nofoaluma and the Wests Tigers to go separate ways

Former NRL player Justin Horo says David Nofoaluma’s ongoing struggles with the Wests Tigers can be traced back to a stint with the Melbourne Storm in 2022 and that it’s time for the winger and the club to go their separate ways.

Nofoaluma, 30, is the club’s all-time leading try-scorer, but his future with the Tigers is unclear despite having two years left to run on his deal.

The veteran winger has reportedly been sanctioned by the club after he was late to a training session having earlier taken some time off after he complained to the RLPA that he was being treated unfairly.

The club is said to be unhappy with his efforts at training, with outgoing Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis conceding Nofoaluma hasn’t been “toeing the line” this pre-season.

“He’s found himself in a very challenging and difficult place, there’s no doubt,” Hagipantelis told SEN on Wednesday.

“I think the boy is lost at the moment. I think he has all the talent and ability in the world, but I think he just needs to focus.”

Nofoaluma is coming off a modest 2023 that saw him score just five tries from 17 games following a mid-season move to the Storm in 2022 that saw him play finals footy for the first time in his career.

According to Horo, that six-game stint is where all the trouble started, and he says it’s time for the Tigers to offload the winger.

“The beginning of the end was around 12-18 months ago when he spent some time down at the Melbourne Storm,” Horo said on SEN.

“They loaned him to Melbourne for a finals run because the Tigers were out of contention as they have been for a number of years.

“He has State of Origin potential, he carries the ball really well, but defensively he has had a lot of issues like most wingers.

“He goes down to Melbourne and he immerses himself in a great system, everyone buys in and everyone does their job.

“He then plays finals footy which he hadn’t done ever.

“He comes back to the Tigers and there’s just been issues ever since and Benji Marshall would have a really good relationship with David.

“The last thing you need is one player not buying in and David Nofoaluma is clearly not happy.

“I think it might be time for Nofoaluma to move on and it really coincides with his time down in Melbourne.

“He is looking for a fresh start and he was really happy down there.

“I think it’s best for all parties to move on.”

It’ll be interesting to see what the Tigers do with so much going on off the field, with new coach Benji Marshall keen to set an early standard for a club that has been starved of success.

As for Nofoaluma, he has all the talent in the world and showed during his short time in Melbourne that a change of scenery might be a good thing for him.

“It was one of the best things in my career,” Nofoaluma said earlier this year.

“After 10 years of not being able to play finals, it kind of felt like a promotion to be able to do that with such a quality side like Melbourne.

“I’ve got so much respect for everyone at that organisation, and I think they helped me out more than I helped them. They reminded me how much I love this game from the second I got there.

“When you’re younger, you’re buzzing because you get the chance to do something you’ve dreamed about since you were a kid. Once you establish yourself in your career, you then want to enjoy some success.

“So for me not being able to play finals, that took a huge toll on me and affected me mentally.

“I’d say I’ve found it difficult to take on everything that’s happened in the past two years. That’s why I think going down there was the best thing for me.

“I think they (the Tigers) just knew where my head was at the time, and unfortunately it wasn’t really here.”