Koroisau cops phone call from Tigers over jibe

”The last few years I’ve been (at Penrith) this place has turned into a family for me,” Koroisau said.

“So much young talent, and just to go out on a high like that, it’s pretty incredible.

“And we’ll probably do the same thing at the Tigers,” he added, before chuckling sarcastically.

Koroisau’s Tigers deal is worth about $2 million over three seasons.

The comments were delivered in jest but Koroisau was widely criticised for talking about a club that will start paying him handsomely in less than a month.

Koroisau and fellow grand final star Isaiah Papali’i are the gun signings joining the struggling joint venture for next season, with both signed with a view to lifting the standards at the club.

But with both expressing regret at their moves in different ways, the question must now be asked, will their new teammates be willing to follow them?

Hagipantelis said Koroisau should have handled the situation better.

“We reached out to Api Koroisau’s manager and the matter has been dealt with privately,” Hagipantelis told SEN Radio.

“Api is a thoroughly decent person and if he had his time again I think he’d re-think those comments.”

Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Panthers Group chief executive Brian Fletcher said of Koroisau’s remarks: “He couldn’t have played any better than he did here, so I don’t know how he’ll play better there to win a title.

“Good luck to them. It’s a new season next year. Everyone dreams about winning it. All I know is we’ll be competitive again.

Panthers player ignites ‘we hate Parra’ chant

“You’d love to keep Api. Who wouldn’t want him? It’s the same as Viliame Kikau. You’d love to keep him, but the figures don’t allow you to do it because their value goes up so much when you win a comp.”

The controversy came during a drama-filled aftermath to the grand final victory as the NRL opened an investigation into Jarome Luai for a deleted social media post and James Fisher Harris sparked criticism when he told fans at Penrith stadium: “I just want to say, Parra are our sons. Right here, right now, that’s fact.”

As the fans started yelling out, “We hate Parra,” Fisher-Harris added that the Panthers team was the best in the club’s history.

Parramatta great Brett Kenny told 2GB that Fisher-Harris’ comments “showed a lack of respect and a little bit of immaturity.”

As for the other grand final star joining the Tigers, Parramatta’s Papali’i, he publicly questioned honouring the contract he signed last November.

However, he confirmed after the grand final he will make the move, while acknowledging how difficult it was knowing he won’t have a chance to atone for the grand final loss with his Eels teammates.

“It’s just going to make me hungry … I definitely want to be back in this position to get the chance again to come out on top,” Papali’i told AAP.

“That’s footy, you’ve got to move on, tomorrow’s a new day.

“You’ve got to make sure you give yourself the opportunity to be here again and try our best to get out on top.

“There’s a lot of emotion, but next time I’m around here I can definitely say I’ve experienced it all before.”

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