THERE was a period towards the back end of last year when it looked like Mikolaj Oledzki could have left Leeds Rhinos.
Here at League Express, we revealed that Castleford Tigers had launched an audacious bid to bring in the Polish-born prop with new owner Martin Jepson keen to send a statement out to the rest of Super League.
That being said, Oledzki penned a three-year deal with the Rhinos even after receiving a plethora of offers from both Super League and the NRL.
Now, Oledzki’s agent, Craig Harrison of Show Me The Money UK, has revealed the ins and outs of the negotiations.
“Mik had about six or seven offers from Super League and the NRL and we absolutely looked at every single one,” Harrison said on The Full Eighty Minutes podcast.
“Mikolaj Oledzki got the best part of Craig Harrison. We grafted and we presented, we turned up as a family and we turned up with Mik’s family.
“We did everything to ensure that this call – which was the biggest call of his life – was the right one. Did he get offered more money? 100 per cent.
“The more money wasn’t just from the NRL but two offers from Super League were mind-blowing and miles above Leeds.”
So what was the difference between Oledzki staying at Leeds and leaving?
“I’ll give Brad Arthur a real plug here – he was the difference. Mik loved Rowan Smith but I think he felt the club wasn’t going in the direction it is now.
“Brad Arthur tapped into him and gave him simple instructions to be more aggressive, fitter and faster. He believes in him and I think that swung it.
“I thought Mik had gone and that the club that were favourites, it would have been the most sensational signing for that club.
“But ultimately, his love for Leeds and the fans and Cam Smith is his best mate. He did what he thought was the right thing for him, his family, his club and his teammates.
“He wants to win something at Leeds. There is a desire to be successful.”
