Kiwi league legend Graham Lowe has called on the Warriors to give their beleaguered fans an explanation of the bizarre $700,000 pay-out to controversial prop Matt Lodge, after he walked away with a season and a half remaining on his contract.
The greatest coach in Kiwi history and a living legend in the game, Lowe has been stunned by the pay-out.
He said the fans deserved to know why the club would pay Lodge in full for a mutual split, leaving the Warriors to carry the burden on their salary cap until the end of the 2023 season.
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“Fans over here are a lot of things but they are league savvy,” Lowe told Wide World of Sports from Auckland.
“They can smell a rat and there is something very strange about this.
“The fact the club gives a guy a $700,000 golden handshake when he walks out mid-season – there’s obviously something more to it.
“From what I know about Lodge he is a fiery character and I can guarantee he’s had a confrontation with either the owner (Mark Robinson) or the CEO (Cameron George).
“But how that entitles him to a massive pay-out that will impact on the Warriors’ salary cap for next season is beyond me.”
The club isn’t saying anything about it which makes it even more mysterious.
“The fans deserve an answer,” Lowe added.
“They are disenchanted with the club and the direction it has been heading for some time and little wonder when you see things like this happen.”
Wide World of Sports reached out to the NRL to ask if the Lodge pay-out would be investigated by salary cap auditors but did not get a response.
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