FORMER South Sydney Rabbitohs and Penrith Panthers winger Josh Mansour has spoken out about his future amidst the salary cap and minimum wage war in the NRL.
Mansour has been the subject of interest from a number of clubs – as well as Super League sides – but has been unable to sign on the dotted line due to the unknown of the salary cap number in 2023.
It means clubs are nervous of bringing in new blood Down Under due to ramifications with the cap, with Mansour waiting for a potential deal – which could open the door for a Super League club to jump in.
“The desire and the fire in the belly has always been there,” Mansour told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“That’s never gone away. I will always love competing, it’s in my DNA.
“It was almost a case of losing my confidence the past couple of years, and I felt a bit lost at South Sydney. Things never panned out the way I’d imagined they would.
“Nobody was to blame, it just didn’t work out. I couldn’t find any rhythm, which was a shame.”
Mansour revealed that he had been training with some of the Lebanon World Cup squad – until they got offers with new clubs.
“I’ve been training with a few Lebanese boys, James Roumanos and Elie El-Zakhem. We all felt like we were in a bit of limbo at one stage,” he said.
“James has since picked up a train-and-trial with the Tigers, and Elie now has a train-and-trial with the Roosters, so now it’s just me training on my own.
“There’s no way I want to retire. Hopefully, when I do get a call-up, I’ll be fit and ready to go right away.”
