The golden rule of emailing -- make sure you double-check the address of the person you're sending your message to. That may have been the fatal error committed by an employee of the Manly Sea Eagles NRL club, with claims a contract for star player Martin Taupau was sent to the wrong person, and indeed the wrong hemisphere.
J. Kelly Nestruck, a theatre critic for The Globe and Mail in Canada, claimed he had been sent a contract for Taupau on Friday morning. Taupau, a New Zealand representative second-rower currently under contract for the Wests Tigers, would be a boon signing for the Maroons who are looking to rebuild their team with a new coach in Trent Barrett after a disappointing 2015 season.
Nestruck claimed the contract he had been emailed was legitimate, saying it was intended for "Joe Kelly". The CEO of the Manly Sea Eagles is named Joe Kelly.
Taupau has a year left to run on his contract with the Tigers, but reportedly asked for a release from the club in September.
On Friday afternoon, the Tigers issued a media statement confirming Taupau had been let go by the club. The statement did not mention the email controversy specifically, but quoted CEO Justin Pascoe as saying "for the story to come out in this way is disappointing and almost comical."
“While it’s disappointing for our Members and fans to see Taupau leave the Club he had made it clear that he intended on playing elsewhere from 2017 onwards," Pascoe said.
"Earlier this year the Club was negotiating with Taupau to extend his stay at Wests Tigers. We put on the table what we believed was a fair offer but ultimately he has decided to continue his playing career elsewhere."
The Huffington Post Australia has contacted the Manly Sea Eagles for comment. The staff member who answered HuffPost Australia's call on Friday morning was apparently unaware of the news circulating online.