Tino Fa’asuamaleaui‘s manager has denied a “little whisper” raised by Brandon Smith, insisting he’s had no contact with the Melbourne Storm, nor any other club, regarding his superstar client’s playing future.
The agent of the Titans, Maroons and Kangaroos middle forward, Simon Mammino, was also dismissive of a News Corp report which stated Fa’asuamaleaui was leaning toward committing to Australia for the Ashes this year before defecting to Samoa for next year’s World Cup.
Smith and Fa’asuamaleaui played in the Melbourne side that beat Penrith in the 2020 NRL grand final.
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And Smith, who’s now at the Rabbitohs after a brief stint at the Roosters, fed the rumour mill with a comment about Fa’asuamaleaui’s playing future on James Graham’s The Bye Round podcast this week.
“I heard a little whisper … I heard something about Melbourne,” Smith said, suggesting the Fa’asuamaleaui camp and the Storm were in talks about a possible reunion.
“Nelson’s [Storm prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona] contract is coming up. That’s all I’m saying. And he is on big money.”
Tino Fa’asuamaleaui of the Gold Coast Titans. Getty
Fa’asuamaleaui is contracted with the Titans until the end of 2033 but a string of get-out clauses are embedded in the deal.
One clause means the big-money Gold Coast captain is set to become a free agent on November 1, meaning the Fa’asuamaleaui camp will then be allowed to negotiate with rivals about potentially changing clubs for 2027.
Adding to the intrigue is the looming NRL entry of the Perth Bears, who in 2027 will become the league’s 18th franchise.
But Fa’asuamaleaui’s manager denied the “whisper” raised by Smith when contacted by Wide World of Sports on Thursday.
“I’m not sure where he got it from but we’ve had no contact from the Melbourne Storm in any shape or form,” Mammino told WWOS.
“To the best of my knowledge, there’s no interest from the Melbourne Storm.
“And we’re quite a while away from November 1. We’ve got to get through the season, take a deep breath, look at the international calendar and see what’s going on in that space. We don’t have to make a decision on that [Fa’asuamaleaui’s NRL contract] until the middle of next year.
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“To be talking about this now is premature, and even trying to discuss it with clubs when they can’t put offers in is pointless.
“Tino just wants to focus on getting through the season with the Titans, try and chalk up a win, and then deal with all this stuff they’re talking about at a later date.
“As for the Melbourne Storm or any other club, we haven’t spoken to anyone.
“And no third party has contacted me on behalf of any club.”
Asked how Fa’asuamaleaui was finding his time at the Titans, Mammino said: “He likes it there, he’s been there a while and he’s invested in it.”
It was announced on Wednesday that Fa’asuamaleaui’s younger brother, 23-year-old middle forward Iszac, would join the France-based Catalans Dragons in the Super League on a two-year deal after this season.
“He [Tino] is happy for him. He thinks it’s a good opportunity where he can grow as a player,” Mammino said.
“He’ll go over to the Super League and hopefully start there and play good minutes and develop his game. He’s at a point in his career where he needs to be playing some more minutes, and he’ll get that opportunity in Catalans in a decent competition. It’s about opportunity, development and growth; that was the basis of his decision.”
Mammino also said Tino hadn’t yet made a decision on his international playing future, despite a News Corp report claiming he was leaning toward playing for Australia in the three-Test series against England in October and November before switching to represent Samoa at next year’s World Cup.
Payne Haas confirmed last week that he would represent Samoa, not Australia, going forward.
