There’s set to be “fireworks” in the Roosters and Sea Eagles’ finals clash, with enforcer Matt Lodge preparing to “upstage” his former teammates after an ugly departure.
Lodge, 29, left the Tricolours for Manly after the 2023 season despite reports surfacing he was set to sign a three-year deal to remain under Trent Robinson for the foreseeable future.
Following the news veteran prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was playing for a further season, Lodge and Robinson’s relationship broke down before he was granted an early release.
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The former Warriors and Broncos prop then landed in Brookvale, but will now be out for blood in a sudden-death finals clash according to Fox League’s James Hooper.
“100 per cent I think there will be fireworks, Matt Lodge, this will be really personal for him,” Hooper said on NRL360.
“When he left the Roosters, he didn’t leave on good terms at all. There was some texts exchanged… the truth is it wasn’t all hunky dory when it left.
“He left because of some texts exchanged with Trent Robinson, from that point he was told to go and train with North Sydney, ‘don’t report to Sydney headquarters again’.
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“You’re now with the North Sydney, NSW Cup side so that then paved the way for his transition for Manly, so Matt would love nothing more to upstage the Roosters.”
What’s more, is Waerea-Hargreaves returns from a four-game suspension after an ugly high shot on Dragons flyer Max Feagai.
The Kiwi international will be hellbent on inspiring the Roosters to victory, with his time in the NRL coming to an end ahead of a move to the Super League in 2025.
“Matt Lodge is a fiery player, he’s playing well at the moment and comes up against Jared Waerea-Hargreaves who has been suspended nearly all of this year,” Braith Anasta said.
“Comes back for this game and they are going toe-to-toe and there’s bad blood.”
Meanwhile, The Daily Telegraph’s Michael Carayannis was of the belief Lodge’s performance could have an impact on his own future.
Lodge is without a contract for the 2025 season, and AAP has previously reported Sea Eagles bosses are unlikely to table a deal longer than a single year.
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“He’s playing for a contract as well, that was his best performance as a Manly player last week. I thought it was his best performance for a while,” Carayannis said.
“Off-contract at the end of the season and there’s some uncertainty around where he will be next season.”
Lodge himself admitted he’s eyeing a longer-term contract, with his future in Brookvale being thrown into further doubt following the signing of Warriors forward Jazz Tevaga.
“Best-case scenario someone believes in me and does a couple-of-year deal,” Lodge said.
“It’s up in the air (where I end up) because I am not signed and the club (Manly) was talking about trying to make some room.
“(But) at the end of the day people have got to understand I have four kids and have to pay the bills.”
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