Utoikamanu debuted for NSW last year, was left out of the 35-man Blues squad on the weekend, but confirmed he had received a call from Maguire, who used to coach him at the Tigers.
“He gave me a call, he said he wasn’t going to include me in the squad, but he didn’t really say too much else; he said, ‘Play good footy and it will all sort itself out’,” Utoikamanu said.
The prop only needs one more game with NSW to ensure he remains with Wests Tigers in 2025.Credit: Getty Images
“It will only motivate me not being in that squad, especially because I played last year, and I want to play more this year. I’ll push for a spot in that team again.”
Tigers skipper Api Koroisau said retaining Utoikamanu beyond this season was vital to the club’s chances of success. “Stef is a valuable part of this Tigers team. Nobody wants to lose someone like Stef,” Koroisau said.
“If we can keep him, we’d love to, and there’s no way we’d let him go anywhere. It’s up to us to have a great year.”
Meanwhile, Utoikamanu said he was glad there was a coronial inquest into the death of his good friend Keith Titmuss, and at the very least hoped his family could have some closure over his 2020 death.
“It’s still so sad, I feel devastated. He was one of my best mates,” Utoikamanu said. “I feel devastated for his family. They didn’t have the answers they wanted. I miss him a lot. I think of him all the time. It’s already been a few years. It feels like it was yesterday. ”
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