Tyler Dupree sheds light on Salford Red Devils exit amid new contract revelation
Dupree has joined Wigan Warriors on a four-year contract.
Tyler Dupree has lifted the lid on his Salford Red Devils exit, revealing he had agreed to sign a contract extension less than two weeks before being sold to Wigan Warriors.
The England prop has signed a four-year contract with the Warriors after Salford accepted a club-record fee for the 23-year-old forward. That came less than two months after the Reds had informed interested parties, including Wigan and Hull KR, that he wasn't for sale.
Dupree had handed in a transfer request after Rovers had two bids rejected but stated that it was due to Salford not being willing to upgrade his contract after being given the "opportunity to explore other ventures" by the club.
However, Dupree felt the matter had been quashed and in an exclusive interview with Rugby League Live, revealed that he had agreed an extended, upgraded deal, only to be then told he was being sold.
At the start of last week I definitely didn't expect this to happen," he said. "But on Saturday I was pulled into a meeting and I was told Wigan had come in for me. As far as I was concerned the matter was dead because I'd just agreed to sign a new deal with the club.
"It was an upgraded contract and had an extra year, so it would have seen me stay there until the end of 2026. From my perspective, I wasn't going anywhere and after resolving the issue I was happy to be staying.
"But they told me they'd accepted an offer. If I'm honest, it p***** me off, not because I was being sold because I'm joining one of the biggest clubs there is but because after everything I've been through and all the aggravation I took, they've sold me anyway.
I spoke to Rowls (Paul Rowley) about it. He wanted to keep me but we've had plenty of conversations and parted on great terms. He's happy for me and wished me all the best."
After news of the transfer request came to light, Dupree was the subject of scrutiny and abuse on social media.
"Honestly, it was hard to see because I thought I'd put the effort in for the club and the fans really. Two days before the Leigh game I was in a car crash that resulted in my car being written off. People were saying my head wasn't in it but if that was the case I could have easily said I couldn't play after that, but I did. Even now I keep seeing people say my head got turned after England which is just a load of b*******.
"I didn't really speak to anyone at the club. Fans are fickle and they said they couldn't help how they were, but it felt like I was allowed to take the brunt of the situation and never had my side put over. They could have handled it better."
Dupree's focus moving forward is now on winning trophies and helping Wigan Warriors embark on a new exciting era.
"I've been in the past few days and you just see how professional it is, from the very top right to the very bottom.
"I take things in my stride but I'm so grateful for the opportunity that I can't really put that into words. I had a good conversation with Matt Peet and he said he wanted me to come in and buy into what the lads are doing but at the same time, he didn't want me to change anything about myself, which was a nice thing to hear, it made me happy.
"The big thing for me is that they're ambitious and building for the future. They're not looking to the past and what they've achieved. It's about what they can do, not what they have done, and that's something that's really stood out so far. I still want to get more caps and build towards a World Cup. But I want to experience the big games and you don't get a trophy cabinet like that without being involved in those big games year in, year out. I'm looking forward to that."
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