As Daniel Ricciardo fights to keep his place on the Formula 1 grid, pop music icon Harry Styles has thrown his support behind the Australian driver.
Ricciardo became embroiled in F1’s mid-year silly season following reports he will be replaced by young compatriot Oscar Piastri at McLaren next year.
The news erupted last week after Fernando Alonso blindsided the F1 world when he jumped into Sebastian Vettel’s vacated seat at Aston Martin for 2023.
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Alpine then announced Piastri would be the man to replace Alonso, only for the Melburnian to reject the seat — a bold move for a man who is yet to drive in F1.
Now Ricciardo, who has one year remaining on his contract, has reportedly asked for a $21 million payout from McLaren for the early termination of his contract. The eight-figure payout would clear the way for McLaren to sign Piastri.
Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren teammate Lando Norris. Photo by Jure Makovec / AFPSource: AFP
Nothing has gone right for Ricciardo this season – the Perth driver accumulated just 19 points before the mid-season break while McLaren teammate Lando Norris has managed 76.
However, Ricciardo has some high-profile celebrities in his corner.
On Sunday, an image of Styles donning a Daniel Ricciardo shirt circulated social media channels, inevitably sending the F1 community into a frenzy.
According to internet sleuths, the Ricciardo shirt went on sale during last October’s United States Grand Prix in Austin.
Earlier this year, Styles released his third full-length solo album “Harry’s House” to critical acclaim. He will also appear in Olivia Wilde’s upcoming psychological thriller “Don’t Worry Darling” alongside Florence Pugh.
Ricciardo has remained tight-lipped about his future in the sport and doesn’t appear bothered by the ongoing saga.
He is clearly enjoying his mid-season break, posting a photo of himself to Instagram smiling in a swimming pool.
If Piastri does indeed take his place at McLaren, Ricciardo’s most likely landing spot would be Alpine, the French team formerly known as Renault where he spent two seasons in 2019 and 2020.
The FIA has finally broken its silence on the Oscar Piastri contract saga, confirming the ongoing dispute between McLaren and Alpine will be resolved without having to go to court.
Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo became embroiled in F1’s mid-year silly season following reports he will be replaced by young compatriot Piastri at McLaren next year.
The news erupted last week after two-time world champion Fernando Alonso blindsided the F1 world and jumped into Sebastian Vettel’s vacated seat at Aston Martin.
Watch Every Practice, Qualifying & Race of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship™ Live on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Alpine then announced Piastri would be the man to replace Alonso, only for the 21-year-old Melburnian to reject the seat — a bold move for someone who is yet to drive in F1.
Alpine believes that Piastri should respect the contract, but the Victorian believes the commitment is not valid.
The French team threatened to file a civil lawsuit to recover the millions of dollars in training it has spent on Piastri this season.
“Going to the High Court is over 90 per cent certain that’s what we’ll do,” Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer told Reuters.
“If the CRB (Contract Recognition Board) says, ‘Your license is only valid at Alpine’, and then he (Piastri) says, ‘That’s great, but I’m never driving for them, I’ll just sit out a year ‘, then you’ve got to go to the High Court for compensation.”
McLaren Chief Executive Officer Zak Brown and Otmar Szafnauer. Photo by Andy Hone/Pool via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
On Friday, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem claimed the issue would be solved through their own means instead of in the courtroom.
“The FIA’s Driver Contract Recognition Board (CRB) was set up to deal with contract priority issues between drivers and F1 teams,” he tweeted.
“That’s why we rely on their decision to resolve any conflict.”
According to French publication Auto Hebdothe CRB has found that both Piastri’s Alpine and McLaren contracts are valid.
The CRB, a group made up of independent lawyers, was set up to determine the legality of driver contracts and settle disputes between teams.
The body was founded in 1991 after seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher signed for Benetton despite having agreed to discuss a contract with Jordan.
Oscar Piastri of Australia. Photo by Clive Mason/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Szafnauer also hinted at a potential collusion between Piastri’s manager Mark Webber, Alonso and his manager Flavio Briatore.
Webber and Alonso are close friends after their time in F1, while Briatore, who was a former team boss at Bennetton and Renault, has been Alonso’s long-term manager.
“Look, I have no record of it, but this is Formula 1 and maybe in a couple of years someone says that they have evidence of shared information, I would not be surprised,” Szafnauer said.
“I always tell everyone that in Formula 1 you have to act as if everyone knows everything. That there are no secrets in these things. When you ask someone not to say anything, they act like everyone knows.
“That’s how I’ve run my business in Formula 1 for 25 years. And if this (information sharing) has happened, you should not be surprised.”
Meanwhile, former F1 driver turned pundit Christian Danner said Piastri’s tactics “clearly has the handwriting” of Briatore.
The FIA has finally broken its silence on the Oscar Piastri contract saga, confirming the ongoing dispute between McLaren and Alpine will be resolved without having to go to court.
Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo became embroiled in F1’s mid-year silly season following reports he will be replaced by young compatriot Piastri at McLaren next year.
The news erupted last week after two-time world champion Fernando Alonso blindsided the F1 world and jumped into Sebastian Vettel’s vacated seat at Aston Martin.
Watch Every Practice, Qualifying & Race of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship™ Live on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Alpine then announced Piastri would be the man to replace Alonso, only for the 21-year-old Melburnian to reject the seat — a bold move for someone who is yet to drive in F1.
Alpine believes that Piastri should respect the contract, but the Victorian believes the commitment is not valid.
The French team threatened to file a civil lawsuit to recover the millions of dollars in training it has spent on Piastri this season.
“Going to the High Court is over 90 per cent certain that’s what we’ll do,” Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer told Reuters.
“If the CRB (Contract Recognition Board) says, ‘Your license is only valid at Alpine’, and then he (Piastri) says, ‘That’s great, but I’m never driving for them, I’ll just sit out a year ‘, then you’ve got to go to the High Court for compensation.”
On Friday, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem claimed the issue would be solved through their own means instead of in the courtroom.
“The FIA’s Driver Contract Recognition Board (CRB) was set up to deal with contract priority issues between drivers and F1 teams,” he tweeted.
“That’s why we rely on their decision to resolve any conflict.”
According to French publication Auto Hebdothe CRB has found that both Piastri’s Alpine and McLaren contracts are valid.
The CRB, a group made up of independent lawyers, was set up to determine the legality of driver contracts and settle disputes between teams.
The body was founded in 1991 after seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher signed for Benetton despite having agreed to discuss a contract with Jordan.
Szafnauer also hinted at a potential collusion between Piastri’s manager Mark Webber, Alonso and his manager Flavio Briatore.
Webber and Alonso are close friends after their time in F1, while Briatore, who was a former team boss at Bennetton and Renault, has been Alonso’s long-term manager.
“Look, I have no record of it, but this is Formula 1 and maybe in a couple of years someone says that they have evidence of shared information, I would not be surprised,” Szafnauer said.
“I always tell everyone that in Formula 1 you have to act as if everyone knows everything. That there are no secrets in these things. When you ask someone not to say anything, they act like everyone knows.
“That’s how I’ve run my business in Formula 1 for 25 years. And if this (information sharing) has happened, you should not be surprised.”
Meanwhile, former F1 driver turned pundit Christian Danner said Piastri’s tactics “clearly has the handwriting” of Briatore.
McLaren boss Zak Brown is copping backlash from his own network of reserve drivers as the Daniel Ricciardo and Oscar Piastri contract saga rages.
Australian F1 driver Ricciardo became embroiled in F1’s mid-year silly season following reports he will be replaced by young compatriot Piastri at McLaren in 2023.
The news erupted last week after Fernando Alonso blindsided the F1 world and jumped into Sebastian Vettel’s vacated seat at Aston Martin.
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McLaren boss Zak Brown. Photo by Clive Mason/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Alpine then announced Piastri would be the man to replace Alonso, only for the Melburnian to reject the seat — a bold move for a man who is yet to drive in F1.
Now Ricciardo has asked for a $21 million payout from McLaren for the early termination of his contract, according to Speedcafe.com.
But as the drama unfolds, the fallout has extended all the way to the United States.
IndyCar drivers Pato O’Ward, Colton Herta and Alex Palou were each targeting the vacant Alpine seat, but the trio have seemingly been sidelined by Brown.
According to leading IndyCar driver O’Ward, Brown dangled the F1 carrot in front of the Americans before going all in on Piastri.
“It’s not good for me to have that illusion. It’s a dream that’s very far away, because although I’m racing at a very high level, it’s still not enough to convince them,” O’Ward told ESPN.
“There are many things that come into play that are beyond me.
“I found it laughable. I saw it and I laughed.
“The same prize has been put in front of many other drivers by Brown. In the end, there is only one seat and not five.”
Australian F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo. Photo by Francois Nel/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
If Piastri does indeed take his place at McLaren, Ricciardo’s most likely landing spot would be Alpine, the French team formerly known as Renault where he spent two seasons in 2019 and 2020.
Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer slammed Piastri for his apparent betrayal in a blistering spray over the weekend.
“I expected more loyalty from Oscar than he is showing,” the Alpine team principal told Spanish publication The confidential.
“I started in 1989 in Formula 1 and I’ve never seen anything like this. And it’s not about Formula 1, it’s about integrity as a human being.
Oscar Piastri of Australia. Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
“It could happen in ice hockey or soccer, it doesn’t matter. But you don’t do that. He signed a piece of paper, a document, saying he would do something different.
“For me, the way I grew up, I don’t need to sign a piece of paper and then have someone say, ‘You’re lying, because you signed this.’ For me, if you say, ‘Hey, help me, I’ll help you tomorrow,’ there’s no way I would go back on my word. No way.”
“He should (drive with the) team that has taken care of him, that has taken him to the world championship and, above all, that during the last year has put him in a Formula 1 car so that he would be ready, so that he would know the circuits,” Szafnauer added.
“He should (drive with the) team that has taken care of him, that has taken him to the world championship and, above all, that during the last year has put him in a Formula 1 car so that he would be ready, so that he would know the circuits,” Szafnauer added.
“You did everything I asked you to do (from Alpine to Piastri) and now I promise you that if you do this, I will do this. I don’t need a piece of paper where it says, ‘With a clause, I can get out of here’.
“There should be some loyalty to the fact that we have invested literally millions and millions of euros to prepare him. So I don’t understand it either, you should ask him.”
McLaren boss Zak Brown is copping backlash from his own network of reserve drivers as the Daniel Ricciardo and Oscar Piastri contract saga rages.
Australian F1 driver Ricciardo became embroiled in F1’s mid-year silly season following reports he will be replaced by young compatriot Piastri at McLaren in 2023.
The news erupted last week after Fernando Alonso blindsided the F1 world and jumped into Sebastian Vettel’s vacated seat at Aston Martin.
Watch Every Practice, Qualifying & Race of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship™ Live on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Alpine then announced Piastri would be the man to replace Alonso, only for the Melburnian to reject the seat — a bold move for a man who is yet to drive in F1.
Now Ricciardo has asked for a $21 million payout from McLaren for the early termination of his contract, according to Speedcafe.com.
But as the drama unfolds, the fallout has extended all the way to the United States.
IndyCar drivers Pato O’Ward, Colton Herta and Alex Palou were each targeting the vacant Alpine seat, but the trio have seemingly been sidelined by Brown.
According to leading IndyCar driver O’Ward, Brown dangled the F1 carrot in front of the Americans before going all in on Piastri.
“It’s not good for me to have that illusion. It’s a dream that’s very far away, because although I’m racing at a very high level, it’s still not enough to convince them,” O’Ward told ESPN.
“There are many things that come into play that are beyond me.
“I found it laughable. I saw it and I laughed.
“The same prize has been put in front of many other drivers by Brown. In the end, there is only one seat and not five.”
If Piastri does indeed take his place at McLaren, Ricciardo’s most likely landing spot would be Alpine, the French team formerly known as Renault where he spent two seasons in 2019 and 2020.
Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer slammed Piastri for his apparent betrayal in a blistering spray over the weekend.
“I expected more loyalty from Oscar than he is showing,” the Alpine team principal told Spanish publication The confidential.
“I started in 1989 in Formula 1 and I’ve never seen anything like this. And it’s not about Formula 1, it’s about integrity as a human being.
“It could happen in ice hockey or soccer, it doesn’t matter. But you don’t do that. He signed a piece of paper, a document, saying he would do something different.
“For me, the way I grew up, I don’t need to sign a piece of paper and then have someone say, ‘You’re lying, because you signed this.’ For me, if you say, ‘Hey, help me, I’ll help you tomorrow,’ there’s no way I would go back on my word. No way.”
“He should (drive with the) team that has taken care of him, that has taken him to the world championship and, above all, that during the last year has put him in a Formula 1 car so that he would be ready, so that he would know the circuits,” Szafnauer added.
“You did everything I asked you to do (from Alpine to Piastri) and now I promise you that if you do this, I will do this. I don’t need a piece of paper where it says, ‘With a clause, I can get out of here’.
“There should be some loyalty to the fact that we have invested literally millions and millions of euros to prepare him. So I don’t understand it either, you should ask him.”
An infamous F1 villain has been called out over possible collusion in the ongoing Oscar Piastri contract saga at Alpine.
Piastri’s future is up in the air after Fernando Alonso declared he would be leaving Alpine for Aston Martin next season. Alpine quickly announced that their long-time junior prospect Piastri would replace Alonso for 2023 – only for Piastri to reject their statement about him in a public bombshell.
Alpine believe their contract with Piastri will force him to race for them next year, though the young Aussie has also signed a deal to replace Daniel Ricciardo McLaren next season.
F1’s Contract Recognition Board this week reportedly found both Piastri’s Alpine and McLaren contracts are valid, according to Auto Hebdo of France.
Alpine is now threatening to take Piastri and McLaren to court to seek compensation for their huge investment in Piastri’s years of training – and Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer’s bold claims didn’t stop there.
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‘Expected more loyalty… it’s about integrity’: Alpine boss shreds Piastri in brutal spray
Fernando Alonso (l) and Nelson Piquet Jr (r) with team boss Flavio Briatore (c) ahead of the 2008 F1 season… a year that would end in dramatic controversy.Source: News Limited
“Going to the High Court is over 90 per cent certain that’s what we’ll do,” Szafnauer told Reuters.
“If the CRB (Contract Recognition Board) says ‘Your license is only valid at Alpine’, and then he (Piastri) says ‘That’s great, but I’m never driving for them, I’ll just sit out a year’, then you’ve got to go to the High Court for compensation.”
The Alpine boss also hinted at potential collusion between Piastri’s manager Mark Webber, Alonso and his manager Flavio Briatore.
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Briatore is one of the most controversial figures in F1, due to his renegade management of the Enstone squad now known as Alpine, having spent years overseeing the team in its former guises as Benetton and Renault. He also managed Mark Webber at one point and remains close to his former charge from him, while he continues to manage Alonso.
“Look, I have no record of it, but this is Formula 1 and maybe in a couple of years someone says that they have evidence of shared information, I would not be surprised,” Szafnauer said.
“I always tell everyone that in Formula 1 you have to act as if everyone knows everything. That there are no secrets in these things. When you ask someone not to say anything, they act like everyone knows.
“That’s how I’ve run my business in Formula 1 for 25 years. And if this (information sharing) has happened, you should not be surprised.”
Mark Webber and his then-manager Flavio Briatore at the Australian GP in 2007.Source: News Corp Australia
Christian Danner, a German F1 driver from the late-1980s who is now a pundit in his native country, also declared Piastri’s actions bear Briatore’s trademark.
“It’s classic Flavio. There was certainly a (Alpine) contract for Piastri that Flavio has skimmed over … there was definitely a clause,” Danner told Motorsport Magazine.
“When he believes in someone, he has the foresight to plan in a positive sense – and not just ruthlessly, which is logically the case in this business.
“I could imagine Piastri (using Briatore) to free himself from Alpine’s grip, so that he can hopefully drive for McLaren for the next two years and then be free for a big deal.
“That definitely has Briatore’s signature.
“It can all go wrong, of course, but if it works out, then he (Briatore) has done everything right.”
Ricciardo set to be replaced by Piastri | 00:32
72-year-old Briatore’s Renault team was charged with race fixing in 2008 at the Singapore Grand Prix, after their driver Nelson Piquet Jr. claimed he had been ordered to deliberately crash his car. Teammate Fernando Alonso had just pitted, and the resulting safety car helped him go on to win the race.
Briatore and Renault engineering chief Pat Symonds were both indefinitely banned from all elite motorsport categories before a French court later overruled the ruling.
It wasn’t the only Briatore scandal, with his Benetton team in 1991 remarkably sacking driver Roberto Moreno in order to sign Michael Schumacher after his debut race.
Moreno successfully appealed to a court – which found his contract was valid – but was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to leave the team and allow Schumacher to join.
The young Schumacher would subsequently win his maiden title at the Benetton franchise.
Kangaroos great David King believes Buddy Franklin will eventually decide to remain at Sydney as his contract saga with the Swans drags on.
The star forward’s deal with the Swans expires at the end of the season and he has put contract talks on hold.
“At this stage conversations have been paused around my contract so I can put all my focus on playing footy,” Franklin said through his management last weekend.
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“No further comment will be made until the season is done and I have decided about my future.
“I am still undecided and need time after the season to make a family decision about whether I continue to play next year.”
The 35-year-old has been linked with a move north to the Brisbane Lions, while retirement is not out of the question either.
But King believes Franklin will agree to stay at the Swans once the contractual “arm wrestle” is finalized.
“I don’t see Buddy really desiring to go to another football club and having to prove himself over again regarding training standards, having to gather a group, getting to know a whole new club again,” the Fox Footy commentator told news.com .au.
“I don’t see him doing that all over again.
“I think he’s got a pretty good set-up in Sydney for what will probably be the last 1-2 years of his football journey.
“He’s been an outstanding person and player for our code so whatever he decides, I think we all just give him the grace that he’ll make the right decision.”
Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd said last month the Swans should be prepared to “let Buddy walk” to hold onto promising young players in a salary cap squeeze.
King agreed, saying the Swans are simply doing their due diligence and ensuring Franklin’s new contract doesn’t hurt them in the long-term.
“It is a business at the end of the day,” the dual premiership-winner said.
“Each player needs to run their contractual arrangements as a business. That’s just where we’re at.
“I don’t begrudge Buddy doing what he’s doing, I don’t begrudge Sydney doing what they’re doing. They’ve got to justify what they’re doing in building that next premiership opportunity. “They’ve got to look at life after Franklin even though he’s still there. It would be counter productive for them to set up a salary cap that would cost them a player somewhere down the track.
“We all understand what’s happening. It’s a contractual arm-wrestle, I’m sure it’ll sort itself out.”
Another out of contract player is Collingwood’s Jordan De Goey, who is in good form but has had several off-field indiscretions including a Bali nightclub video scandal which saw him issues a suspended $25,000 fine.
King believes the Magpies will be desperate to re-sign De Goey but any new deal will be “on Collingwood’s terms”.
“I think (Collingwood coach) Craig McRae’s handled it perfectly,” he said.
“They love Jordan De Goey the player and we see what he does with his ability to influence games, keep that scoreboard ticking over. Whether you like him or not personally, he’s a star of our competition.
“Do Collingwood want to keep him? I’m sure they do, 100 per cent. We’ve heard Craig McRae say that countless times.
“But at the end of the day it’s on Collingwood’s terms. The off-field has outweighed the on-field over the last 24 months. That’s become a concern for him. It will impact the contract tensions no doubt, but they clearly need Jordan De Goey to stay at Collingwood.”
Eels star Isaiah Papali’i’s push for a backflip from his $1.9 million Tigers deal has taken a fresh twist with reports he is also angling for a return to the Warriors.
Papali’i raised concerns about his Tigers deal after they sacked Michael Maguire, while the Eels have upped their offer in a bid to retain his services, but a potential return to the Warriors is the latest development in his contract saga.
“Isaiah Papali’i signed a contract with Michael Maguire at the helm at the Tigers and now with Madge not there he is certainly not committing to it,” Braith Anasta said on NRL 360.
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“There is speculation about whether he will go or stay. I have not been convincing.”
Paul Kent believes the link to a return to the Warriors is a sign Papali’i is trying to make sure he does not end up at the Tigers at all costs.
“He hasn’t been convincing,” Kent said.
“Not only has he floated earlier in the year that he wants to stay at Parramatta, but it has also come out now that he is looking at a return to the Warriors, which is interesting.”
However, The Daily Telegraph’s Dave Riccio believes the links to the Warriors deny the reason he wanted to backflip on the Tigers in the first place.
“That won’t eventuate because the Warriors are the only club that provides wriggle room for Papali’i to get out of the contract because it is the only feasible reason he could use, which is for personal reasons because his girlfriend still lives in New Zealand,” Riccio said.
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Isaiah Papali’I wants to get out of his deal with the Tigers.Source: Getty Images
“That’s not the reason he wants to leave the Tigers. The reason he wants to leave the Tigers is because he wants to stay at Parramatta.
“His angst isn’t with . . . it is not about going home to the Warriors and New Zealand. It is about staying at Parramatta.”
However, Kent believes if the Warriors were able to meet his financial demands, then he could also return to the Warriors for family reasons and leave both the Eels and the Tigers in the lurch.
“That is true but if the Warriors now do come in with a late offer?” Kent questioned.
“Or is it about not going to the Tigers?”
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Isaiah Papali’I wants to stay at the Eels.Source: News Corp Australia
Paul Crawley believes Papali’i can only blame himself for signing with the Tigers, who have a history of sacking coaches.
“If he has any angst it should be with himself and his management,” Crawley said.
“I have signed with the Tigers. I have signed with a club that changes coaches almost annually.
“He took the big money on offer. Yes Michael Maguire was the coach, but the Tigers have gone through four coaches in the last 10 years. It shouldn’t come as any great surprise.
“The Tigers have got to hold their ground on this.”
However, Paul Kent and Braith Anasta pointed out that sometimes the coach is the main reason for players signing with clubs.
“Players sign with coaches,” Kent said.
“My take on this is different because when I first heard this I thought, I have not got to honor his contract,” Anasta said.
Stuart given 1 week ban, 25K fine! | 07:40
“Then I had to think about it myself and I was in a very similar situation.
“It was the Tigers, but it could have been any club, where I signed at that club and Tim Sheens was the coach.
“He signed me for a specific reason. He wanted a certain something out of me in terms of leadership and direction with a few players there and he made the sell to me.
“He was the coach and the Australian coach and I wanted to play under Tim Sheens. That was the only reason I signed. The sole reason I signed.
“Then he got sacked a few weeks later. I honored the contract, but now I look back at it and I think it was a poor decision from me.
“If I had my time over it would have been in the best interests of me and the club not to go there because it wasn’t the right fit.
“I was taking hit ups off taps, which is one thing, but what I’m trying to say is if he doesn’t want to go there and he only went there because a coach wanted him for a specific role to play his part in that team.
“Sometimes motivation is solely because of the coach.
TEASER: Payten sits down with Matty | 00:46
“But if he has got the Warriors involved that is taking the piss because that to me is him just saying, I don’t want to go to the Tigers.”
Kent believes the Tigers are being hypocritical of Papali’i breaking his contract when they broke Michael Maguire’s in sacking him.
“The flip side for the Tigers is when they signed him (Papali’i), they had Michael Maguire as their contracted coach,” Kent said.
“They are happy to sack Maguire and break that contract, which then breaks the terms or understanding that was there with Papali’i.”
Regardless, Kent believes Papali’i’s inability to commit fully to the Tigers means the club needs to act fast to ensure their own best interests.
“Even yesterday when he spoke and he was very noncommittal and at one point he said, look I’ll just wait until November and sort it out then,” Kent said.
Wests Tigers opt not to take legal action | 00:47
“Now the Tigers have got every right to say hang on, you have got to figure out what is going on.
“They have got a salary cap to manage. They can’t sit there and wait for this guy until November.”
Riccio believes the Tigers are better off cutting their losses with Papali’i because he clearly isn’t committed to the club’s new vision for the future under Tim Sheens and Benji Marshall.
“That’s why the Tigers should move on now and use Papali’i’s money before it gets too late,” Riccio said.
“If they wait until November they won’t be able to use their money.
“The Tigers are at a critical point in their history. This is a turning point for the Wests Tigers club under Tim Sheens and the future under Benji Marshall.
“What do we stand for? What is our culture? Who do we want here? That’s all I’ve heard about what it is going to be like under Sheens and Marshall. We want players who want to represent the Wests Tigers and who want to be there.
“Have we heard Isaiah Papali’i say once, I cannot wait to get to the Wests Tigers?”
Former Port Adelaide star Kane Cornes has accused Sydney Swans forward Lance Franklin of selfishness, suggesting the eight-time All-Australian’s contract saga is distracting his teammates ahead of the finals.
Earlier this week, Nine journalist Michael Atkinson reported that Franklin was considering turning his back on the Swans for a deal with the Brisbane Lions.
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But on Saturday, Franklin’s management released a statement confirming the 35-year-old was still “undecided” about his future in the sport, officially putting contract talks on hold and hinting at a possible retirement.
“At this stage conversations have been paused around my contract so I can put all my focus on playing footy,” Franklin said.
“No further comment will be made until the season is done and I have decided about my future.
“I am still undecided and need time after the season to make a family decision about whether I continue to play next year.”
Speaking on Channel 9’s AFL Sunday Footy ShowCornes argued that Franklin’s “very strange” statement didn’t stop speculation about his future in the sport, but rather fanned the flames.
“It was a very ‘me, me, me’ thing to do, I thought, from Buddy Franklin when the Sydney Swans are flying,” he said on Sunday morning.
“They’d paid him $10 million over nine years… I’m not sure you need to release a statement prior to the game.
“What was the point of Buddy doing that?
“It didn’t alleviate any of the talk. It made the talk fester more.
“The day before a game to release a statement like that, I thought it was very strange.”
Franklin has been in excellent form this season, kicking 41 goals in 17 games for Swans. However, the ongoing contract drama has become a significant distraction for John Longmire’s side as they approach September.
Lions coach Chris Fagan believes that if Franklin is considering a move to Queensland it would be more likely to be for retirement rather than continuing his football career.
“I would have thought if they are moving to Queensland, that’s perhaps an indication that Bud’s going to retire from AFL football,” he said on Friday.
“If it came to pass down the track that they do move here, and. someone reaches out from his camp and suggests that he still wants to play, then we would be remiss as a footy club not to go and have a conversation with him.
“As far I’m concerned he’s a Sydney Swans player, and if any of that was going to happen, it would happen when the season’s all over.
“My latest communication with him was a text message I sent to him when he kicked his 1000th (AFL) goal which was four months ago.
“I don’t know what will play out in the future but the way I see it right now is if he is moving to Queensland to live, I would suggest that he’s going to retire.”
Franklin joined the Swans from the Hawthorn Hawks in 2014 on a nine-year, $10 million deal.
While he has been injured prone in recent years, the scenes of fans flooding onto the SCG when he kicked his 1000th career goal showed he is still one of the sport’s biggest drawcards.
The Swans will face North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on Sunday afternoon, with the first bounce scheduled for 1.10pm AEST.
