BACK in September last year, Wigan Warriors announced a massive piece of business, tying down Junior Nsemba to a six-year deal.
It was another important part of the Wigan jigsaw with the likes of head coach Matt Peet, assistants Tommy Leuluai and Sean O’Loughlin and fellow forward Brad O’Neill all penning long-term deals.
Nsemba’s rise has been meteoric to the point at which there was talk of NRL clubs potentially setting their sights on the back-rower.
However, the Warriors managed to tie him down and now chief executive Kris Radlinski has revealed that there was never any talk of Nsemba going to the NRL.
“It’s the cleanest contract you will see, there is no NRL clause and I will tell you how it happened,” Radlinski said on Sky Sports: The Bench podcast.
“I was in a coffee shop at 8am one morning, drew up a proposal to my owner which he approved 30 minutes later.
“I texted Junior’s manager and met him for lunch at 12 and then Junior met us at 1pm. It was done and there was no NRL talk.
“In four hours, it was all in a good place and the NRL never entered the conversation.
“Of course there is going to media and speculation and all that. He was turning heads in Australia as he would but in my conversations with him and his manager, it was never mentioned once.
“I’m not saying it’s not going to come as we don’t know that.
“We want to stop that player drain to the NRL so even if a massive offer came in, we are in a position where our owner doesn’t have to take it.”
