The Cowboys were reported to be hopeful of keeping the popular forward, but with Jason Taumalolo owning the lock position at the club, fulfilling Asiata’s wishes proved too steep an ask. Cowboys $10 million man Jason Taumalolo has shifted away from a battering ram role under caretaker coach Josh Hannay, rugby league great Peter Sterling says. Stream instantly! Jason Taumalolo . It's a tweak that clearly hasn't harmed his output, given that he ran for 241m - including 114m post-contact - against the Raiders on Saturday. Hannay, a 2005 Cowboys grand final centre, wants to earn the club's coaching job full-time after the departure of Paul Green. Asiata has personally held talks with incoming Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett with the latter said to be a fan of the 127-gamers style and desperate to inject talent to avoid the spoon in 2021. He is a calm voice behind the goal line and a guy who always keeps a cool head.”. The powerhouse lock also made five passes and a pair of offloads against Canberra while ripping through 24 hit-ups. But why would you have such a quality forward just running at the meat of the defence all the time? Although the Cowboys don’t have much room in the salary cap, the influence of Taumalolo could be enough for the club to open up and make a push for Fonua-Blake, according to The Daily Telegraph. I’m sure he is looking forward to playing me and get one over me before we head into camp (with Tonga) together,” Taumalolo said. Pangai has been stood down without pay by the Broncos for the remainder of the 2020 season due to COVID breaches and was expected to be let go by the club, but it appears now the Broncos will honour his contract, given good behaviour. NRL 2020: Blake Green ACL and Jason Taumalolo injuries mar Knights win over Cowboys. Or, Telstra customers get $10 off Kayo per month for 12 months. "Josh Hannay seems to have a pretty positive effect there and especially in one area. I will be into him about how he is playing.”. Clever coaching with Taumalolo is surely a step in the right direction. Said management team has also offered Asiata’s services to the Brisbane Broncos, but the Red Hill based club have placed recruitment talks on the back-burner until a permanent coach has been announced. "I think we saw signs of it on the weekend and I think we may see more of it in the second half of this season.". “We will miss John‘s leadership on the field as well. But I've always felt that there was more to his game. John Asiata set him up for a lovely try through the middle, so he's not doing it all himself. Was Clint Gutherson robbed of the 2020 Dally M? Although there has been no official word that Manly have made an offer for the star, he is seen as an ideal solution to replace the departing Fonua-Blake. Cowboys $10 million man Jason Taumalolo has shifted away from a battering ram role under caretaker coach Josh Hannay, rugby league great Peter Sterling says. Taumalolo and Fonua-Blake have become close friends because of their relationship where they represent Tonga. "You want him to be a little bit more specific in his runs and the way that he's used. Type ... Personalized your name and number Canterbury-Bankstown BullDogs Retro jersey 1935 $ 35.99 – $ 55.99. Yet Sterling told Wide World of Sports that there had been a shift in Taumalolo's game under Hannay, where he was now selectively running at fewer defenders. Vaai "Jason" Taumalolo (born 31 May 1993) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row and lock for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL. “For me and Addin, I think we will be catching up on a few other things on the field too. “John also goes out of his way to talk to the young players about their training and he shows the way in his own training and preparation. In a stunning decision Taumalolo, who was the joint-winner of the Dally M Award last year, this week pledged his allegiance to Tonga for the end-of-year campaign, with the Kiwis unaware of his intentions right up until the news broke. Watch the futuristic new series Brave New World only on Stan. Brisbane Broncos forward Tevita Pangai is a name that Manly could very well be into and could explore his options in Sydney. They gave Canberra, last season's grand finalists, a run for their money in a 14-12 defeat in Townsville. Citing a desire to play more minutes in the number 13 jersey, the 2015 premiership winner came to the conclusion that his aspirations would be best achieved elsewhere. "I haven't had a conversation with Jason, a … Josh Maguire, who is one of the higher paid players on the Cowboys and linked to St George Illawarra, could be a name the Cowboys opt to move on from. Does Taumalolo hold the key for the Cowboys to lure departing Sea... Eels star speaks out on shock transfer rumour. Comment on stories, get exclusive content and submit your own articles! Star North Queensland forward Jason Taumalolo could very well hold the key to luring Manly prop Addin Fonua-Blake to the Cowboys. Full name: Vaai Taumalolo: Born