‘All the best to him’: Wests Tigers players hold no grudges as Stefano Utoikamanu weighs up next career move

Wests Tigers players have defended Stefano Utoikamanu’s decision to leave at the end of the season as all eyes turn to the club’s passionate supporters and how they react when he runs onto Leichhardt Oval on Thursday night.

The club confirmed on Monday that the powerhouse prop would not take up his option for the 2025 season and he’d turned down a deal worth $4m over the next five years, with the Bulldogs and Storm in the box seat to sign him.

“Wests Tigers prop Stefano Utoikamanu has decided to leave the club at the end of the 2024 NRL season,” the club statement read.

“Wests Tigers wish Stefano and his family the very best with their future endeavours.”

Utoikamanu, 24, has won just 15 of his 70 games for the Tigers since he joined the club in 2021 but was seen as the man who could carry the forward pack into the future.

The one-time State of Origin representative isn’t the only Tigers forward set to leave, with Isaiah Papali’i off to the Panthers, while John Bateman will finish the season in the Super League with no guarantees he’ll see out his contract.

“It’s disappointing because we want to keep him here, but he’s made the decision for what’s best for him and his family going forward. All the best to him,” teammate Alex Seyfarth said.

“At the end of the day, the NRL is a business and people do what’s best for them. That’s how I see it.

“He told the boys what’s going on and he said he’s committed for the rest of the season.”

Youngster Solomona Faataape also holds no grudges.

“We love Stef and we wanted him to be here, but he’s made a decision for him and his family, and we support him. That’s Stef’s journey, and I’ve got my own little journey here,” he said.

“Just because he’s moving, doesn’t mean I’m not going to like him. He’s a big boy, so if he does plan on running at me wherever he goes, I’ll make sure I’m still his friend.”

Tigers fans are some of the most passionate in the league, so it’ll be interesting to see and hear how they react when Utoikamanu takes the field on Thursday as they look to pick up a crucial win over the Cowboys as they fight to avoid the spoon.

“Who knows (how they’ll react)? That’s up to them and you can’t control what people will say and think,” Faataape replied when asked if the fans will boo given they’ve lost another star who will likely thrive at another club.

“That’s the last thing on Stef’s mind, but he knows we’re all around him and backing him, and that’s the most important thing.

“Tigers fans are really loyal and passionate and you can’t take that away from them. Whatever happens, happens.”

With Utoikamanu leaving at the end of the year, there have been calls for the Tigers to drop him to NSW Cup and promote one of their younger players to give them some experience in the NRL.

But Seyfarth says there’s no point in going down that path simply because a player has decided to move elsewhere.

“He’s part of our team, he’s been through the whole season and he’s been here previous years, so I don’t see an issue with him playing the rest of the year,” he said.

“We’ve got a lot of good young juniors here, so him leaving gives an opportunity for one of the younger boys to make their mark on this side and move forward next year because we can’t really dwell on what could have been.”