David Nofoaluma is branded ‘pathetic’ by Reddit users following bizarre wooden spoon sledge at his former club Wests Tigers
David Nofoaluma has been criticized by fans on social media for a bizarre Instagram post in which he appeared to mock his former club, the Wests Tigers.
The 30-year-old winger was released from the remaining two years of his contract with the Tigers in January after spending a decade at the footy club and returning 100 tries in 192 appearances, making him the all-time leading try scorer of the club. .
It is understood the New South Wales club and the winger had mutually terminated his contract, with Nofoaluma accepting a $300,000 payout to end his time with the club early, the club said. Sydney Morning Herald.
The outlet adds that he would have earned approximately $525,000 per season had his contract not been terminated early.
The report also adds that tensions between the two sides were “at breaking point” by the end of his time in Sydney. Nofoaluma has received three warnings for violations in recent years, two of which were last December after he failed to show up for training.
David Nofoaluma has been criticized by fans on Reddit after appearing to take a dig at Wests Tigers
The winger, who is also the Tigers’ all-time top scorer, left the club in dire circumstances in January
Nofoaluma published this photo on his Instagram story, wearing three premiership rings, with the caption: ‘Three wooden spoons’
But it appears there is no love lost between the winger and his old club as the 30-year-old took to his Instagram Story this week to take a swipe at the Tigers, noting their unwanted wooden spoon record.
Over the past three seasons the Tigers had finished at the bottom of the NRL ladder, with Nofoaluma playing in two of those wooden spoon campaigns.
In the image, the former Tigers star appears to be holding up four fingers while smiling. Nofoaluma appears to be wearing three premiership rings on three of those fingers. It is unclear who the rings belonged to.
But it was the caption that seemed to outrage fans on Reddit, with the former NRL star writing: ‘Three wooden spoons’, which appeared to reference his old club’s poor recent form.
And social media users did not hold back in their criticism of the photo. One wrote on Reddit: ‘This might be the saddest thing I’ve ever seen.’
“He couldn’t even make it in the Super League,” said one fan.
Reports from YorkshireLive claim the winger could leave Salford early after spending just three months at the club and making just two meager appearances for Paul Rowley’s side.
‘The only funny thing is I have no idea who he’s playing for these days. Please crawl back into your unimportant hole, David,” one person wrote.
“Lol I really aspire to be as much of a hater as this guy right here and the level of contempt he has for the Tigers is truly awe-inspiring,” said another.
‘Small-minded. 10 years of your life, and prime, you look back and move on. Pretty sad. You contributed to two of the three.”
Regarding the winger’s departure from the Tigers, one wrote: ‘The worst part is that he had enough notices that the Tigers could have sacked him without pay, but (according to Chammas) Benji was concerned for his well-being and pressed Nofa for a to get a payout (he ended up getting 300k). The Tigers also offered him support after he was fired.”
Nofoaluma spent a season on loan at Melbourne before leaving the Tigers earlier this year
He had claimed he was left ‘hurt’ by his inexorable departure from the club where he had played for almost a decade
“So it’s disappointing that he behaves like that and says a lot about him as a person.”
“Can this guy be any more of a whipper?” another wrote, while one said: ‘How embarrassing to ask another player to wear his rings.’
Upon his departure, Nofoaluma told New Corp he thought it was a “good move to leave Sydney and experience what it’s like in Europe.”
He had also suffered a blow at his old club and stated that he was ‘over the loss too’.
‘It’s obviously disappointing. It hurts me personally,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
‘People often don’t realize that we are people before athletes. Instead of dealing with it on a personal level… there is no need to go to the press (to leak negative stories). I don’t think it’s fun to do.
‘It shows what kind of club you are. I don’t have to worry about that anymore, and that’s a good thing.’
Fans are eyeing the Instagram photo with one claiming it’s the ‘saddest thing I’ve ever seen’
He had also added that his former club had made it clear they did not want the winger back after his loan spell with Melbourne.
‘It actually started when I no longer attended the members’ days. I just felt an aura that they didn’t want me there. I didn’t want to come back from Melbourne and that’s where it started,” Nofoaluma told News Corp.
‘I made it clear to the club that I did not want to come back. I know it was just a loan, but I think that played a role. When I left for Melbourne I thought I was leaving for good.’