AlexM
Gotta feel for Ken though.
Player Ken Maumalo
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Billyspleen75
Similar story on Newshub worded differently...
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/spor...-maumalo-out-of-the-club-says-management.html
"They said Ken asked for a release. That's not how it happened.
"He didn't want to leave. I was told Ken wouldn't be there next year, so we went and found a club and then asked for a release.
Sooooooo Ken asked for a release. Can we get rid of the other players signed by this shit-stirrer?
bruce
Stan Martin knows how it goes, he seems to be putting Ken's side of the story and strangely enough admitting speed is the problem.
bruce
WTF? You ever played the game, people get dropped, take the heat or get out of the kitchen.
Last edited:
Afakasi247
Yep - and it makes sense regarding speed.
End of the day his manage pretty much confirmed what we all knew. The club was done with Ken, and while it sucks that’s business.
matiunz
Hiku had the same but rejoined the team later
matiunz
Yep the entitlement of getting picked and looking elsewhere when dropped speaks volumes to me
AlexM
Funnily enough I work in a kitchen.
You still gotta feel for him though..
Mr Dragon
Them 3 tries he scored was tries any winger with his experience would of scored. His big role for us was always playing as a extra forward for hit ups, he was getting paid more than what he brought to the team, then again you could say the same for a lot of players on our team.
Miket12
Sad to see him go, as a person, I like the guy but as a player, he’s no longer what the club needs. TBH, I like the fact that the club is being honest with players and giving them the chance to look elsewhere if they are no longer within the club‘s future plans.
Vancent
Contributor
My poor eyesight is assisting with one issue. I’ve convinced myself my Avatar is in fact Ken and is currently on display for a week or so as an ode to his time here. All is well and the people are happy….
Miket12
And here's the Heralds take on Ken's leaving:
After more than a decade in the Warriors' system – he started as a 15-year-old in the development grades – the popular winger was weighing up a long term offer from the Tigers.
He had never really considered going anywhere else, despite serious interest from the Dragons a few years ago, and many felt the Papatoetoe Panthers product would be a Warrior for life.
But things changed in 2021, and he was no longer one of the first picked, as the coaches wanted more mobile players on the flanks.
That led to the interest from the Tigers, then a whirlwind couple of weeks of negotiations. It left Maumalo with a big call, as he sat with his family during the bye weekend.
"It's going to be tough," Maumalo told the Herald. "I sat down last week trying to get things through my head and that was the hardest part for me, trying to process everything. I've spent most of my life here so for me to make that decision was a pretty tough one."
Maumalo is "at ease" with the decision now, but the emotion of the process was evident on Sunday, as he broke down in tears at the final whistle.
"It was pretty emotional, as you could tell after the game, it was a tough one to take," admitted Maumalo. "I'd been at the club for [a long time]...all those years have been really special for me. Every one was bottled up and it just came out."
After playing the first 10 games this year, Maumalo missed the round 11 win over the Tigers, apparently due to a "slight calf strain". When he was overlooked the following week – with Marcelo Montoya preferred – it started the chain of events that led to his surprise release.
"Madge (Michael Maguire) called up my manager and asked why I am not playing," said Maumalo. "I've known Madge for ages now and he has always wanted me to go over."
Maguire had a big impact on Maumalo during the 2018 Kiwis' tour of England, and the presence of the Kiwis mentor at the Tigers was a pivotal factor.
"The one that got me across the line was Madge," said Maumalo. "The relationship I have with [him] is very special."
The other reason was the security for his young family, with the Warriors unwilling to match the Tigers extended deal.
And maybe Maumalo saw the writing on the wall. The team had been built around his powerful charges in 2018 and 2019, but Brown wasn't completely sold on the former Dally M winger of the year.
"He wanted me to work on my defence and my movements, wanted me to lose weight," said Maumalo. "I understood why they didn't play me. I'm not angry about it, I understood what I needed to work on."
Maumalo insists there is no bad blood.
"I'm grateful for this club and no doubt wherever I go I'll always have this club close to me," said Maumalo. "It's done everything for my family and has helped me develop my game and get to where I am today so I am always grateful for that.
"I'm at an age now where I understand this is all a business and they have other things that they want and it's not me, so I wasn't angry at all. We were on good terms, came to an agreement that we would part ways."
Maumalo got to make a surprise farewell appearance against the Storm, after Rocco Berry tweaked his hamstring on Saturday.
"I think he (Brown) had no intentions of me playing," said Maumalo. "But I said 'look I want to play; it's my last game and it's meant to be, because our back got injured and we only had Jazz [Tevaga] as 18th man. It was a bit of a fairytale story."
Maumalo made 107 appearances for the Warriors. He only scored two tries across his first two seasons, but has managed 42 since then. He was often regarded as an extra forward and in 2019 recorded a staggering 190 metres a game.
Maumalo nominated his 2015 NRL debut as the most special memory. Other standouts were playing alongside Simon Mannering and Manu Vatuvei in their milestone games, as well as the 2019 season when he was honoured as the Dally M winger of the year and scored 17 tries.
www.nzherald.co.nz
Rugby league: New Zealand Warriors wing Ken Maumalo reveals the reasons behind his shock departure
Last Sunday Ken Maumalo made the most difficult decision of his career.After more than a decade in the Warriors' system – he started as a 15-year-old in the development grades – the popular winger was weighing up a long term offer from the Tigers.
He had never really considered going anywhere else, despite serious interest from the Dragons a few years ago, and many felt the Papatoetoe Panthers product would be a Warrior for life.
But things changed in 2021, and he was no longer one of the first picked, as the coaches wanted more mobile players on the flanks.
That led to the interest from the Tigers, then a whirlwind couple of weeks of negotiations. It left Maumalo with a big call, as he sat with his family during the bye weekend.
"It's going to be tough," Maumalo told the Herald. "I sat down last week trying to get things through my head and that was the hardest part for me, trying to process everything. I've spent most of my life here so for me to make that decision was a pretty tough one."
Maumalo is "at ease" with the decision now, but the emotion of the process was evident on Sunday, as he broke down in tears at the final whistle.
"It was pretty emotional, as you could tell after the game, it was a tough one to take," admitted Maumalo. "I'd been at the club for [a long time]...all those years have been really special for me. Every one was bottled up and it just came out."
After playing the first 10 games this year, Maumalo missed the round 11 win over the Tigers, apparently due to a "slight calf strain". When he was overlooked the following week – with Marcelo Montoya preferred – it started the chain of events that led to his surprise release.
"Madge (Michael Maguire) called up my manager and asked why I am not playing," said Maumalo. "I've known Madge for ages now and he has always wanted me to go over."
Maguire had a big impact on Maumalo during the 2018 Kiwis' tour of England, and the presence of the Kiwis mentor at the Tigers was a pivotal factor.
"The one that got me across the line was Madge," said Maumalo. "The relationship I have with [him] is very special."
The other reason was the security for his young family, with the Warriors unwilling to match the Tigers extended deal.
And maybe Maumalo saw the writing on the wall. The team had been built around his powerful charges in 2018 and 2019, but Brown wasn't completely sold on the former Dally M winger of the year.
"He wanted me to work on my defence and my movements, wanted me to lose weight," said Maumalo. "I understood why they didn't play me. I'm not angry about it, I understood what I needed to work on."
Maumalo insists there is no bad blood.
"I'm grateful for this club and no doubt wherever I go I'll always have this club close to me," said Maumalo. "It's done everything for my family and has helped me develop my game and get to where I am today so I am always grateful for that.
"I'm at an age now where I understand this is all a business and they have other things that they want and it's not me, so I wasn't angry at all. We were on good terms, came to an agreement that we would part ways."
Maumalo got to make a surprise farewell appearance against the Storm, after Rocco Berry tweaked his hamstring on Saturday.
"I think he (Brown) had no intentions of me playing," said Maumalo. "But I said 'look I want to play; it's my last game and it's meant to be, because our back got injured and we only had Jazz [Tevaga] as 18th man. It was a bit of a fairytale story."
Maumalo made 107 appearances for the Warriors. He only scored two tries across his first two seasons, but has managed 42 since then. He was often regarded as an extra forward and in 2019 recorded a staggering 190 metres a game.
Maumalo nominated his 2015 NRL debut as the most special memory. Other standouts were playing alongside Simon Mannering and Manu Vatuvei in their milestone games, as well as the 2019 season when he was honoured as the Dally M winger of the year and scored 17 tries.
Warriors star reveals reasons behind shock departure
He says he's "at ease" with the decision now, but the emotion of the process was evident.
Hardyman's Yugo
I’ll put my tin hat on but I can’t help feeling there are more pressing matters than a winger who the coach doesn’t think is quite fast enough, he’s still a decent finisher.
If the coach doesn’t put a better option into Ken’s position straight away it will look like a really bad decision. Sounds to me like the coach has fallen out with a few and Ken is one of the first to get the backlash.
If the coach doesn’t put a better option into Ken’s position straight away it will look like a really bad decision. Sounds to me like the coach has fallen out with a few and Ken is one of the first to get the backlash.
Mr Dragon
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will replace him on wing is what coach Einstein said 🤣
wizards rage
- Ken wasn’t firing under Kearney at the start of last year.
- Ken wasn’t firing under Payton before going home last year.
- Ken wasn’t fired under Brown this year.
Ken needed a change of scenery. If he starts firing under Maguire then it’s been a win all around, but I won’t blame Brown…
Sad or not, good riddance. Too slow, soft and makes dumb decisions, literally a prop playing on the wing. The game has moved on and he's not good enough.
Sup42
Kens comments reveal a lot about Browns awareness of what he is working with.
The call to lose weight, work on agility, and improve defence is all things the fans have been banging on about for years.
I find that part reasssuring about the article and I am pleased we signed Brown as a transition coach.
The call to lose weight, work on agility, and improve defence is all things the fans have been banging on about for years.
I find that part reasssuring about the article and I am pleased we signed Brown as a transition coach.
Beastmode
Just another day in paradise
Contributor
Sup42
Not really no.
Kearney and the coach he is headed to will be focussed on the kick return "Look at those meters".
I doubt we will see a leaner Ken at the Tigers.
They already stocked up on chubby centres.
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