South Sydney centre Kirisome Auvaa is effectively a free agent after triggering a clause in his contract that allows him to test his market value. Auvaa is one of the seasons most unlikely success stories, picking up a minimum-wage contract with the Rabbitohs after being deemed surplus to requirements at Cronulla. At one point Auvaa - who can bench press 150 kilograms - considered a career as a professional bodybuilder until the Rabbitohs offered him a lifeline. Instead, he won a premiership in his rookie NRL year, scoring the match-clinching try in his sides breakthrough grand final win against Canterbury. In the process he played his 21st NRL game, activating a clause in his Bunnies deal allowing him to exercise his options if he made more than 20 first-grade appearances. The 22-year-old retains the right to see out his two-year deal at Redfern, which will guarantee him a pay increase but is still understood to be below his market worth. Hes really enjoyed his time at Souths and we do have another year there, said Auvaas manager, Andrew Purcell. The clause was put in to ensure he is paid his market value. Weve fielded a little bit of interest. Souths have been great about the whole thing. Theyre in a difficult situation and are doing their best to help the young fella out by upgrading him and keeping him. Auvaa was born in Samoa and had the opportunity to represent his country of birth, but instead pledged his allegiance to New Zealand. His omission from the Kiwis Four Nations squad was considered a surprise and prompted the nations former skipper, Hugh McGahan, to describe him as unlucky. Auvaa feared he would not ever get a look in when he signed for the Rabbitohs and was overlooked for the opening five rounds. However, he ended up scoring nine tries and averaging 105 run metres per game in an unforgettable start to his NRL career. When I didnt get named in that round-one team I had a lot of head noise going on, Auvaa said after his grand final heroics. [Coach Michael Maguire said] I believe in you, keep chipping at it and when you get a chance, dont look back. When I got my chance in round six, well its all history now. Im speechless, I cant put into words how Im feeling. To win a ring in the first year along with the other rookies in our team is something special. It takes a lot of work, a lot of sacrifices and a lot of pain. And its all worth it when you get there. A lot of belief has been put into me by Madge and the coaching staff and you cant let them down when they put that much faith in you. I tried to perform every week to keep my spot. Veteran three-quarter Lote Tuqiri is yet to decide whether to play on, while Souths will begin their premiership defence without Ben Teo, Beau Champion, Apisai Koroisau and Nathan Merritt. The Rabbitohs will also be without chief financial controller Joe Kelly, who replaced David Perry as the boss at Manly.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 20:24:20 +0000
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