Premier prop Stefano Utoikamanu could have been playing in Friday night’s qualifying final for Canterbury – not the Melbourne Storm – and admits he felt guilty knocking back Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould and coach Cameron Ciraldo.
Canterbury made serious attempts to lure the front-rower to Belmore a little more than 12 months ago, and now he poses a big threat to their season at AAMI Park.
Stefano Utoikamanu will play his first finals game on Friday night.Credit: Getty Images
Utoikamanu knocked back a $4 million, five-year deal with Wests Tigers to join the Storm, but not before heading to Belmore to hear what Gould and Ciraldo had to say.
“I definitely had to have a good think about it, and after meeting with ‘Gus’ and ‘Ciro’, I knew if I stayed in Sydney, the Dogs would be the team I’d go to,” Utoikamanu said.
