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Tigers upset Farah over Twal non-release

3 minute read

Wests Tigers veteran Robbie Farah has taken aim at his own NRL club over their refusal to release Alex Twal to play for Lebanon against Fiji.

ROBBIE FARAH passes during a South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL training session at Redfern Oval in Sydney, Australia.
ROBBIE FARAH passes during a South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL training session at Redfern Oval in Sydney, Australia. Picture: (Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

Wests Tigers veteran Robbie Farah has taken aim at his own NRL club over their refusal to release Alex Twal to turn out for Lebanon during Saturday's Test against Fiji.

Farah earlier this week criticised a handful of Cedars players and their clubs for not making them available for the clash at Leichhardt Oval.

Lebanon will be missing some of their most prominent names including Parramatta's Mitchell Moses, Penrith's Josh Mansour, South Sydney's Adam Doueihi and Twal when they take on the Bati.

After making his claims, Farah contacted the players to let them know he didn't hold a personal grudge and he was just expressing his passion for the Cedars jersey.

But Farah delivered a broadside to his club on Wednesday, claiming that if Twal had received a call up to Brad Fittler's NSW side for State of Origin II the Tigers would have released him.

"I know first-hand with Alex at the Tigers, he's had some niggles and he's struggled the last few weeks," Farah said.

"But if the Tigers were playing this week then Alex Twal would be playing for the Tigers.

"And if Alex got a call from Freddy Fittler and got a call up to the State of Origin side, he'd be playing for NSW this weekend.

"It concerns me when you're prioritising which team you should play for and when you should play for them.

"That's not how international rugby league should be treated, we need to start treating these games with respect. And I don't think we're doing it at the moment."

Farah pointed to the Cedars' two-point loss in the 2017 World Cup quarter-finals to emerging giant Tonga as proof of their potential.

And he said unless clubs treated the Cedars with respect, international rugby league would continue to remain stagnant.

"I spoke with a coach from another club of one of our other players that was omitted and he said the doctor ruled him out," Farah said.

"I said 'Would that player be playing this weekend if your team was playing?' And he said 'Yes he would'.

"I said 'Mate that's not right' and he said 'That's just the way it is'.

"It is the way it is, but it's not the way it should be."

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