OFFICIAL David Fifita signs with the Titans

[Kooly87]

If the Broncs stick to their guns and he signs, they come out looking like superstars in negotiation.

If the Broncs stick to their guns and he doesn't sign, yes they will be unfairly criticised as they always are, but they come out looking like they've turned a corner.

Don't kid yourself, if we miss this one the fallout will be dire indeed.

 

[the_next]

Kent was saying last night if Fifita does say no to the Titans the NRL will have to investigate the Broncos because that’s too much money to reject.

Also it’s our fault we signed TPJ. Haas and Lodge we can’t have them all

Not at any time during the conversation could he relate to a broncos perspective what a surprise

Yet the roosters can have
Teddy
Boyd
Keary
Morris 1
Morris 2
Radley
Friend
Manu
Etc.. and not an eyebrow is raised. In fact that’s extremely good ro$ter management.
Almost forgot, they had Cronk last year also...

Yet, how dare the broncos players actually want to stick tight with one another and keep this current crop of young guys together.
Kent is a deadset joke.

 

[Waynesaurus]

Yet the roosters can have
Teddy
Boyd
Keary
Morris 1
Morris 2
Radley
Friend
Manu
Etc.. and not an eyebrow is raised. In fact that’s extremely good ro$ter management.
Almost forgot, they had Cronk last year also...

Yet, how dare the broncos players actually want to stick tight with one another and keep this current crop of young guys together.
Kent is a deadset joke.

Dont forget having the $500k left over.......

 

[IceWorks]

Ship of fools at both clubs it would seem.

The Broncos should not have let it get this far, simple.

Titans.. what on earth is going on here? Who is the genius thinking this is a good idea? The guy has already indicated he doesn't want to be at the Titans and it's the money speaking. The thing about once in a generation talents is that they come along every year or two, big transition from talent to reality in the NRL. He's not even a spine player for goodness sake and I think this marquee player idea (buy him and the rest will follow) is a load of bunk. I think players come to a club when the management is on task and the results on the field are reflecting that, not because somebody manages to sign Jarrod Hayne or whatever other player is the marquee flavour of the month. Looks like the Titans could actually be onto a good thing with their coach (lucky them!) so to appear so desperate to one up the Broncs on a guy with a recent jail stint is a wonderfully Gold Coast kind of thing.

 

[broncos4life]

Ship of fools at both clubs it would seem.

The Broncos should not have let it get this far, simple.

Titans.. what on earth is going on here? Who is the genius thinking this is a good idea? The guy has already indicated he doesn't want to be at the Titans and it's the money speaking. The thing about once in a generation talents is that they come along every year or two, big transition from talent to reality in the NRL. He's not even a spine player for goodness sake and I think this marquee player idea (buy him and the rest will follow) is a load of bunk. I think players come to a club when the management is on task and the results on the field are reflecting that, not because somebody manages to sign Jarrod Hayne or whatever other player is the marquee flavour of the month. Looks like the Titans could actually be onto a good thing with their coach (lucky them!) so to appear so desperate to one up the Broncs on a guy with a recent jail stint is a wonderfully Gold Coast kind of thing.

What exactly could the Broncos do differently?

 

[Kooly87]

Yet the roosters can have
Teddy
Boyd
Keary
Morris 1
Morris 2
Radley
Friend
Manu
Etc.. and not an eyebrow is raised. In fact that’s extremely good ro$ter management.
Almost forgot, they had Cronk last year also...

Yet, how dare the broncos players actually want to stick tight with one another and keep this current crop of young guys together.
Kent is a deadset joke.

You're only scratching the surface: Cordner, Crichton (ironically, two of the highest edge backrowers in the game) JWH, Taukeiaho, Tupou - the snapped up Flanagan from the Sharks too.

They don't have a single mediocre player in their best 17 or even their best 21 - virtually every player is a gun and almost all of them had to be purchased from other clubs.

 

[IceWorks]

What exactly could the Broncos do differently?

What exactly could the Broncos do differently?

I think this is simple. When he was rescued from Bali he is put on a deadline, want a one year deal.. no probs.. here is our offer and here is our time limit to decide. If he's so great then allow time to up your offer and lock him before you lock in loads of other players. It's basic negotiating and list management if you want to pay premium bucks for him.. do him first and make the other salaries fit around. It seems like Canberra recently demonstrated how this should work with Bateman, also the Roosters appear to do it well.

 

[Kooly87]

I know the hour is late now, but honestly if Mal is so hellbent on a marquee player for next year has anyone considered offering them Milford for a cool million?

 

[Waynesaurus]

I know the hour is late now, but honestly if Mal is so hellbent on a marquee player for next year has anyone considered offering them Milford for a cool million?

He'll be there is 2022........

 

[Volvo Driver]

I know It can happen to any player but imagine signing Fifita to $1.25m and game 1 he does his ACL.

 

[Nashy]

Has anything happened?

 

[Huge]

I'd love to earn $700K a year. Just sayin.

Yeah, it's okay. Kiddin' of course, wouldn't take the pay cut!

 

[McHunt]

If the Broncs stick to their guns and he signs, they come out looking like superstars in negotiation.

If the Broncs stick to their guns and he doesn't sign, yes they will be unfairly criticised as they always are, but they come out looking like they've turned a corner.

Bring on the corner!

 

[winslow_wong]

Offer him 700k + captaincy + company phone. I’m sure he’d stay.

 

[McHunt]

Phil Gould's advice (everyone turns and looks directly at Milford):

"If I was advising a young man like David Fifita, at the very least of his consideration is the money on offer. The money on offer should not make a decision for him right at his age and this stage of his career. That, for me, is paramount."

"I'm a little taken aback by reports of the type of money. I tend not to deal in rumours and I don't believe in all the reports I see, but that in itself can have a damaging aspect to a young player's career as well. We've already seen that a number of times. There is still a long way to go in this young man's career and his development and those around him need to make sure he is in the right environment to be the best 23-29 year-old footballer he can be."

"He needs to be relaxed and told that during the course of his career he's going to earn more than enough money and we don't have to get it all at once. It's a longer discussion about the number of quality players we have available and the manner in which we negotiate contracts, and how easily players can be lured away from clubs with big-money offers, and whether or not that helps the game and helps the market for players in our game, and whether or not it helps the individual players as well."

"I think we can sit here and name half a dozen players who have been ruined by getting too much money too early in their career and I don't know whether it helps the longevity of the player. That is the sign of the desperation from a club that's struggling and looking for a quick-fix solution."

"It's pressure on a young man like Fifita. The Titans are in a losing position and it's putting pressure on everyone at that club. This is the way out of it, to throw some money at it and see if we can secure a big-name signature. Will David Fifita come along and change the Titans fortunes? He's not a playmaker, he's not a senior player, he's not in a leadership role."

"He's certainly a very talented footballer, but at this stage of his career he needs to be around quality senior players, quality playmakers, people that can enhance his game and develop his career for the longer term. What happens too is, you go out and you pay a young player this sort of money, what they stop doing is they stop coaching him because they think if he's getting a million dollars, he knows it all."

"All of a sudden, the results are on his shoulders, the performance of the team is on his shoulders and all of a sudden he's expected to win games for them and put them into finals contention and (they're) depending on the player and his maturity and his ability to influence results. It's alright to come up with a 30 metre run and score a try, but that's not actually influencing results or making the players around you better."

"If you're spending a million dollars on a player, he's got to be someone who's regularly contributing to a 70 percent win strike ratio and he's got to make players around him better. He's got to make the $150,000 or $200,000 player far better than that and worth more money."

"This is not a good situation."

"I sincerely hope that those who are helping this young man with this decision are looking at a longer-term process and protecting what could be a stellar career from a highly-talented young man who can enjoy a great profile in our game for a long period of time. Let's not have that destroyed by adding a heap of expectation and pressure on him at this stage of his career and solely pin the fortunes of a whole club on his shoulders as the be-all and end-all or the saviour of a situation that he didn't create."

McHunt

 

[Jedhead]

Phil Gould's advice (everyone turns and looks directly at Milford):

"If I was advising a young man like David Fifita, at the very least of his consideration is the money on offer. The money on offer should not make a decision for him right at his age and this stage of his career. That, for me, is paramount."

"I'm a little taken aback by reports of the type of money. I tend not to deal in rumours and I don't believe in all the reports I see, but that in itself can have a damaging aspect to a young player's career as well. We've already seen that a number of times. There is still a long way to go in this young man's career and his development and those around him need to make sure he is in the right environment to be the best 23-29 year-old footballer he can be."

"He needs to be relaxed and told that during the course of his career he's going to earn more than enough money and we don't have to get it all at once. It's a longer discussion about the number of quality players we have available and the manner in which we negotiate contracts, and how easily players can be lured away from clubs with big-money offers, and whether or not that helps the game and helps the market for players in our game, and whether or not it helps the individual players as well."

"I think we can sit here and name half a dozen players who have been ruined by getting too much money too early in their career and I don't know whether it helps the longevity of the player. That is the sign of the desperation from a club that's struggling and looking for a quick-fix solution."

"It's pressure on a young man like Fifita. The Titans are in a losing position and it's putting pressure on everyone at that club. This is the way out of it, to throw some money at it and see if we can secure a big-name signature. Will David Fifita come along and change the Titans fortunes? He's not a playmaker, he's not a senior player, he's not in a leadership role."

"He's certainly a very talented footballer, but at this stage of his career he needs to be around quality senior players, quality playmakers, people that can enhance his game and develop his career for the longer term. What happens too is, you go out and you pay a young player this sort of money, what they stop doing is they stop coaching him because they think if he's getting a million dollars, he knows it all."

"All of a sudden, the results are on his shoulders, the performance of the team is on his shoulders and all of a sudden he's expected to win games for them and put them into finals contention and (they're) depending on the player and his maturity and his ability to influence results. It's alright to come up with a 30 metre run and score a try, but that's not actually influencing results or making the players around you better."

"If you're spending a million dollars on a player, he's got to be someone who's regularly contributing to a 70 percent win strike ratio and he's got to make players around him better. He's got to make the $150,000 or $200,000 player far better than that and worth more money."

"This is not a good situation."

"I sincerely hope that those who are helping this young man with this decision are looking at a longer-term process and protecting what could be a stellar career from a highly-talented young man who can enjoy a great profile in our game for a long period of time. Let's not have that destroyed by adding a heap of expectation and pressure on him at this stage of his career and solely pin the fortunes of a whole club on his shoulders as the be-all and end-all or the saviour of a situation that he didn't create."

McHunt

I have to agree. Sure the Titans want to compete with us, but this madness is in danger of making them look desperate and clueless even if they do get his signature. Whoever decided to up the ante to $1.25 needs a check up from the neck up. It's bordering on reckless.

 

[Culhwch]

Offer him 700k + captaincy + company phone. I’m sure he’d stay.

And exclusive use of the executive bathroom.

 

[broncos4life]

I obviously hope he stays but either way I hope David thinks long and hard about the pressure that comes with over 1 million a year. He won’t be able to have a bad game and I think that pressure has played a huge part in making Milford the shell of the player he once was.