It is upsetting’: Leilua lifts lid on Tigers exit and Madge ahead of ‘last ride’ at Concord

Outgoing star Luciano Leilua has opened up on his emotional exit from the Tigers and his relationship with Michael Maguire ahead of his switch to the Cowboys in 2023.

Despite the club’s struggles in 2021, the 25-year-old is coming off his best season in the NRL, which saw his stocks rise and enabled him to ink a three-year deal with Cowboys from next season.

Leilua has scored 20 tries in 87 NRL games since his debut for the Dragons in 2016, including 12 in 44 games for the Tigers over the last two years and he admits he found it hard to leave the club.

“First thing is first it is upsetting,” Leilua told Foxsports.com.au.

“But at the end of the day I feel like it was something I had to do.

“It is my last year here now and I just want to finish on a high. Make the finals and just make sure it is a great year.

“It is sort of a last ride with the boys. I’m really looking forward to going up there, but I want to focus on this year first.”

The security of a three-year deal no doubt influenced Leilua’s decision to head north, however a chat with Cowboys coach Todd Payten sealed his decision to make the move.

“I was impressed with their team and the depth they are building there,” Leilua said.

“I spoke to Todd Payten on the phone and he seems like a great coach and one I want to play under.”

However that does not diminish his gratitude for his current coach Maguire, who has overseen two of Leilua’s most consistent years in first grade.

Maguire has been the centre point of some off-field drama surrounding his future last season, but Leilua commended him for never letting it affect the goals of his players and the team.

“I have loved playing under Madge as well,” Leilua said.

“Like I said it is upsetting me leaving, but at the end of the day it is what I had to do.

“Madge has been straight forward from the beginning.

“Ever since he came here he doesn’t let the off-field dramas effect the team.

“It doesn’t matter how bad or how good we are going, he still stays 100 per cent committed.

“He is the best coach I’ve been under. He is always 100 per cent up front and he has been great for me.”

The knock on Leilua throughout his career is that he can sometimes struggle for consistency and the gap between his best game and worst can be quite stark.

Leilua has heard the outside noise, but remains focused on his own goals ahead of his last season with the club.

“I think I say it every year, but I need to be more consistent,” Leilua said.

“I need to be more competitive for the full 80 minutes and do the little things right and the effort plays.

“Once I get that right I can take my game to the next level.”

What will help the Tigers’ pack this season is their recruitment and Leilua is excited to play alongside former Titans utility Tyrone Peachey.

“Peachey has been really good,” Leilua said.

“He gives us that ball playing lock that we haven’t had. We have good locks, but that ball playing lock in the middle gives us something different to take the pressure off the other forwards and the halves.

“He can also play in the halves so I think that versatility is going to be really good for us.

“He has been training the house down.

“Jackson Hastings has been great as well. He has come here and worked his ass off and that’s all we can ask for.”

Leilua also flagged a change of style for the team this season, which hopefully for long-suffering Tigers fans will put an end to the blowout losses they suffered last season as they aim to end the longest finals drought in the NRL stretching back to 2011.

“I can’t wait for the season to start,” Leilua said.

“We are going to bring a different style of footy this year and I think it is going to work for us.

“Our goal is to play finals footy this season.”