‘The boy is lost at the moment’: Lee Hagipantelis vows to help David Nofoaluma and the Tigers work things out

Outgoing Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis has vowed to do everything in his power to ensure disgruntled winger David Nofoaluma remains with the club following reports he made complaints to the RLPA about unfair treatment at training. Nofoaluma, 30, is the club’s all-time leading tryscorer and was named player of the year in 2020, but things have soured in recent days with the veteran winger unhappy with the club’s new training methods. There are reports he walked out of the club but has since returned, with no guarantees he’ll see out the final two years of his deal. Hagipantelis is close with Nofoaluma but may be powerless to intervene following a dramatic call to sack the entire board on Tuesday that also caused chief executive Justin Pascoe to resign. “My friendship with David goes well beyond my chairmanship or any playing contract,” Hagipantelis said on SEN. “When my daughter was in hospital with leukaemia in 2014, David came and visited her a number of times and became very, very good friends with my children. “That remains the case to this day and I took him out for his 30th birthday last week. “He’s found himself in a very challenging and difficult place, there’s no doubt. “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.” Hagipantelis concedes Nofoaluma is to blame for some of the drama but hopes he can work it out with new coach Benji Marshall. “At the moment, he’s not toeing the line. At the moment, he has proven somewhat difficult to manage,” he said. “There has been some miscommunication, but Benji is instilling a benchmark and a standard that he wants to enforce. David just has to come on-board, there are no two ways about it. “He’s got it in him to do it. I know the kid and he still has the ability because he’s just turned 30 years of age. “He’s got two years left on his contract with the Wests Tigers and there’s no reason why David can’t turn it around. “I’ll be doing everything I can to help him in that regard.” Interim chief executive Shane Richardson hasn’t been at the club long enough to know what’s going on, but will work with the winger on a resolution. “I haven’t met David, I don’t know him from a bar of soap and I’m not up to date with the situation, so I don’t want to pre-empt what’s going on,” he said. “All I know is that the way I work is very simple: firm, fair and polite. “That’s the way I’ll treat David.”