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Farah told he faces reserve grade in 2016

Getty

Getty

Unwanted Wests Tigers skipper Robbie Farah says he’s been told he’ll be playing reserve grade next NRL season if he chooses to stay after being granted permission to look for another club.

Farah, who has been at the Tigers since debuting in 2003, expressed his disappointment in being informed by coach Jason Taylor he was free to play elsewhere in 2016.

But the 2005 premiership-winning hooker said he won’t leave without a fight.

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“It has to be on my terms as well,” Farah said on Wednesday.

However the 31-year-old conceded fans might have to watch him play at Henson Park next season should he decide to stay and serve the final two years of his current contract.

“Whether they mean it or not (playing reserve grade), I’m not too sure. Whether it’s just trying to get me to go, I’m not too sure. But if I stay, I guess we’ll find out.”

Farah admitted he felt a tap on the shoulder was coming over the past few weeks due to the club’s well-publicised salary cap issues.

But the NSW vice-captain said he was still dismayed at Tuesday’s announcement, which has left him little time to find a suitor with the available room in the salary cap.

One possible landing spot is with defending premiers South Sydney, where brother Eddie works with the medical staff.

“South Sydney is a great club, great history, they’re premiers at the moment. A massive club with a great roster,” Farah said.

“I won’t rule anything out at the moment, but it’s disrespectful for me to be talking about other clubs at the moment while I’m wearing the Wests Tigers colours.”

Coach Jason Taylor also fronted the media in an awkward interview, repeating the club’s official line on the matter a total nine times.

“What the position of the club is at this stage is that we’ve given Robbie permission to negotiate with other clubs,” he said.

“Basically that’s all we’ve got to say about it. We’ll talk about it again when something develops.”

Asked whether he had told Farah he would be playing NSW Cup next year, Taylor said: “So the position of the club is that we’ll talk more about it once something develops more.”

Farah, who plays his final home game against the Warriors at Campbelltown on Sunday before finishing the season against St George-Illawarra at ANZ Stadium, said he was heartbroken to have been denied a farewell at Leichhardt Oval.

 

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