OFFICIAL Andrew McCullough has left the building

[Smartseal]

and unless we're ready to make play for someone before the season starts I feel like this is going to hurt almost as bad.

Make a play for Granville, I'm sure we'd happily give him up

 

[Sproj]

I’d be happy to take Granville on a heavily subsidised wage as a back up hooker.

 

[pagey]

Make a play for Granville, I'm sure we'd happily give him up

That ship has definitely sailed

 

[McHunt]

Macca says it was him, not them:

“I was fighting with my heart and my head which is quite difficult. They were telling me ‘we don’t want you to go’ so telling them ‘no I have to’ was hard. I spoke with Kev (Walters) and had multiple meetings with him and other people from the Broncos. I had to put the emotion to one side. Kev understood that. When both sides say they want you and it’s up to you to make the call, that’s when it becomes difficult. I was tossing and turning over for a while. It wasn’t like the Broncos wanted me to leave and it wasn’t like I wanted out. It was one of those things that came about."

“The offer being three years and the Broncos being unable to look further down the track, I knew what was best for me and my family. I had some really hard sleepless night. Moments I was unsure about. It was really hard.”


Hard sleepless nights.

“I know Hook (Griffin) well and I know what to expect. We’ve got a relationship where he tells me straight."

“(With Hunt) it’s just an understanding. That comes off the back of knowing each other since we were 11. I know what he is doing or when he wants something. He has a big role and expectations so I want to take pressure off him and get him to play his natural game.”

“It’s more so just getting out there and having a game. I’m going to get things wrong and plays wrong. I rather do that now than in a couple of weeks and get things wrong in games. It’s a good opportunity to play and blow my lungs and legs out and make a few mistakes. Cam has been a really big part of this club and is well liked by the boys and local people. He is going to be a big loss.”

McHunt

 

[BroncsFan]

Macca says it was him, not them:

“I was fighting with my heart and my head which is quite difficult. They were telling me ‘we don’t want you to go’ so telling them ‘no I have to’ was hard. I spoke with Kev (Walters) and had multiple meetings with him and other people from the Broncos. I had to put the emotion to one side. Kev understood that. When both sides say they want you and it’s up to you to make the call, that’s when it becomes difficult. I was tossing and turning over for a while. It wasn’t like the Broncos wanted me to leave and it wasn’t like I wanted out. It was one of those things that came about."

“The offer being three years and the Broncos being unable to look further down the track, I knew what was best for me and my family. I had some really hard sleepless night. Moments I was unsure about. It was really hard.”

View attachment 11379
Sleepless nights.

“I know Hook (Griffin) well and I know what to expect. We’ve got a relationship where he tells me straight."

“(With Hunt) it’s just an understanding. That comes off the back of knowing each other since we were 11. I know what he is doing or when he wants something. He has a big role and expectations so I want to take pressure off him and get him to play his natural game.”

“It’s more so just getting out there and having a game. I’m going to get things wrong and plays wrong. I rather do that now than in a couple of weeks and get things wrong in games. It’s a good opportunity to play and blow my lungs and legs out and make a few mistakes. Cam has been a really big part of this club and is well liked by the boys and local people. He is going to be a big loss.”

McHunt

Much more positive narrative after leaving than what's occurred over the last few years, where it's "they told me I wasnt wanted".

The latter is what can hurt team morale. In Macca's case we sit on the positive side of it where we let him go to secure his future.

Even though that was the case for Kodi, Kahu, Joffa and McGuire (to an extent), the wording used by Macca is more positive than the circumstances around other exits that have occurred recently

 

[Waynesaurus]

After last years injury he needed to lock in another long term contract now or he risked his career ending after this year particularly if he had another bad injury.

We were never going to re-sign him, I'm sure we have our eye on another hooker.

Smart move for him.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

Don't feel too sorry for him. He's had 250+ games to prove himself to us, which is more chances than most get, his wife is a babe and he's landed a 3 year deal at 31 after a serious injury. The guy was born under a lucky star.

 

[The Strapper]

Don’t know why he found it so difficult to make a decision.
1yr V 3yr deal looks a no brainer to me regardless of any loyalty felt to us.

 

[Sproj]

Don’t know why he found it so difficult to make a decision.
1yr V 3yr deal looks a no brainer to me regardless of any loyalty felt to us.

Unless the second and third years, monetarily, are not that substantial.

 

[NSW stables]

Don’t know why he found it so difficult to make a decision.
1yr V 3yr deal looks a no brainer to me regardless of any loyalty felt to us.

Isnt that what we want though? The decision being difficult for the player to leave even though another team's offer is much more appealing?

I would much prefer players being invested in the club rather than one who is willing to leave without a second thought even if it were a no brainer

 

[The Strapper]

Isnt that what we want though? The decision being difficult for the player to leave even though another team's offer is much more appealing?

I would much prefer players being invested in the club rather than one who is willing to leave without a second thought even if it were a no brainer

 

[The Strapper]

Oops hit the reply button by accident.
Anyway yes we want players invested in the club but he had already gone to Newcastle and presumably would have stayed there if they made him a reasonable offer so taking the dragons offer shouldn’t have been that hard.

 

[McHunt]

Andrew McCullough admits it was all about the money:

“I guess it was a bit of a drawn-out process because it all came down to my decision if I wanted to go or not. I wasn’t getting pushed out or told to leave. Kevvie (Walters) wanted me to stay, so that is what made it so difficult with my head and my heart and what I wanted to do. But I had to put all that aside and think about a bit of security for myself and my partner."

“I had to block everything externally out and just worry about what I had to do for my family. It (joining the Dragons) wasn’t based on anyone else’s decision or circumstances."

“It is a sad one for Cameron and he has done a tremendous job here. You can see how well respected he is. But my decision didn’t have anything to do with that (McInnes) situation.”

“Making that decision makes it a little but easier there. My head and my heart were fighting about leaving my comfort zone, but that comfort zone was made a little bit easier with Hook, Norman, Jack Bird, and a few other guys that I’ve dealt with over the years. Familiar faces when you are going somewhere new helps, so certainly – no regrets. If I hadn’t made the move to Newcastle (on loan) it would have been a bit more daunting. The understanding (with Ben) won’t take long. We know each other’s wants and needs at certain parts of the time and we can have a chat on the run how certain things are going. Having that familiarity will help with Benny, Norman and Hook, who is a straight shooter in terms of my role in the team.”

Ben Hunt said:

“We’ve played well in the past and it was a good combination so hopefully we can get back to that. I think it will evolve over time and take a few matches to get going again, but it is great to have Macca back. We played a few years together at the Broncos and he brings an experienced head to the club. He has played a lot of games and he knows what it takes to win football games and train professionally.”

McHunt

 

[Kimlo]

Why do players always say the doing it for family line BS? What's wrong with just saying it was a better offer.

 

[Nashy]

Why do players always say the doing it for family line BS? What's wrong with just saying it was a better offer.

This. 9/10 when you leave a job, it's because of money in some way.

I guess, we have a lot of those fans that would look at him negatively for taking the cash, as they'd prefer he continue to stink it up here.

 

[Allo]

‘I didn’t want to leave my comfort zone so I went to a club that had a lot of people I used to play with’

 

[JAHHW]

Meanwhile; the bloke who notoriously folds like a deck chair when put under any sort of pressure has been named captain.

Don’t mind me, just getting comfortable waiting for the inevitable train wreck.


Come to think of it, other fans better not get to enjoy the same lols if Walters names Milford...

 

[kooly87]

Unless the second and third years, monetarily, are not that substantial.

Under us or just about any other club they were likely non-existent.