OFFICIAL David Fifita signs with the Titans

[calsy]

Can someone explain this pedestal Fifita has been put on? Highest paid player in NRL history, What is going on?

A 20 year old who's shown flashes of brilliance in the second row. Is he going to win you a premiership? Is he going to be the anchor Titans/Broncos need to bring the team together. Whatever Fifita can get, hey go for it. These QLD clubs have lost their collective minds.

Just rattle off the great QLD players in your head, can Fifita top them? The money being thrown around says he can.

 

[Midean]

Can someone explain this pedestal Fifita has been put on? Highest paid player in NRL history, What is going on?

A 20 year old who's shown flashes of brilliance in the second row. Is he going to win you a premiership? Is he going to be the anchor Titans/Broncos need to bring the team together. Whatever Fifita can get, hey go for it. These QLD clubs have lost their collective minds.

Just rattle off the great QLD players in your head, can Fifita top them? The money being thrown around says he can.

Exactly.
The Titans have lost the plot.
I am so glad the Broncos are sticking to their guns ( even though the cap is forcing their hand).

I personally don't think there is a player in the game worth the money the Titans are pitching at Fifita, but if i had to choose, it would be Cam Smith, or maybe Tedesco.

Think about the pressure that comes with that money going to the Titans.
There would be animosity from teammates making a 3rd of that money.
If they lost a game, he would cop a huge brunt of the blame.
If they didnt make the 8, he would be labeled a massive failure.
Dropping a diamond in a pile of pig shit doesn't make the pig shit look any better.

 

[Thelmus]

Much respect to Dave if he knocks back the Titans offer and stays, it really would say a lot about his commitment and love for the club, I could certainly understand if he took the cash for a year.

I'd have to agree. A 3 year deal on that money and he he'd more than 90% of people would over their careers. You can't blame him if he took it.
That said, he would probably be expected to carry that team and the skeleton of a squad after a 1/4 of their cap gets tied up on two players.
How does anyone at the titans expect their club to function after that?

 

[Dexter]

To be fair what Karl said is one of the only cards we can play right now... and the headline is exactly what we want in Fifita's head. You go to the Titans you can expect wooden spoons more than you can expect premierships.

The only come back the Titans have is in regards to our current form, but that should be temporary... whereas gold coast organisations have almost won more spoons than we have premierships.

The only issue could be the smart aleck way that he said it, but I've not heard the actual quote to know what tone he used... but looking at the actual words he could also be seen as sticking up for the club he represents "how is it even a question to decide between us and the titans"

I don't think Fifita needs to read it in the paper to know about it and I agree Morris didn't actually say anything too bad but in the midst of a club crisis, where every journo around is looking for an angle to stir more shit, he serves up a quote that can be misrepresented .
Its dumb and coming from our chairman it displays a lack of awareness that is, to me, mindblowingly dumb.

 

[Dazza 92]

if Dave wnats to get himself out of this predicament....he can go ask the QLD half back...

DCE dotn look like hes ever regretted turning his back on the Titans...

 

[Organix]

How in the world do the Titans afford their lineup? A lot of those names are pretty big and would cost some cash. Proctor, S. Boyd, Peachy, Peats, James, Wallace, Taylor.

They're really going to have to let some guys go and fill their positions with cheaper options. The Tits aren't the recruitment powerhouse that other clubs are, having basically taken a lot of our development surplus. Then Fifi will be under a mountain of pressure. Stupid to blow everything on one player with a mentality of pass the ball to Fifi and let him score. It's not basketball, he's not MJ (yet) and they don't have a Scottie Pippen or a Dennis Rodman. Unless Fifi is to be the Pippen to Taylor's MJ.

 

[Battler]

How in the world do the Titans afford their lineup? A lot of those names are pretty big and would cost some cash. Proctor, S. Boyd, Peachy, Peats, James, Wallace, Taylor.

They're really going to have to let some guys go and fill their positions with cheaper options. The Tits aren't the recruitment powerhouse that other clubs are, having basically taken a lot of our development surplus. Then Fifi will be under a mountain of pressure. Stupid to blow everything on one player with a mentality of pass the ball to Fifi and let him score. It's not basketball, he's not MJ (yet) and they don't have a Scottie Pippen or a Dennis Rodman. Unless Fifi is to be the Pippen to Taylor's MJ.

They're going to have to try and shove Taylor out to afford it, surely. They're going to have no decent spine players, and if they unearth one a smarter club who manages their cap properly (rorters, Melb, Canberra, hopefully us when we get rid of Milf and Bird) will snap them up.

 

[johnyE]

Marquee players are a must ,and yes Gus has a point that money doesn't always get you what you want , the Milf is case in point . Experience players are essential they create an example for the young guys, a culture of being toilers of consistent effort, that solid performances need and rely on . This roster of current players I believe, do have that in them but AS can not seemingly inspire them to play with that mindset . I just see young raw talent begging to be shaped into something formidable and I was excited to see them starting to believe after 2 rounds that they can be a force in this comp. It just shits me to tears ,whatever their problems are , how this coach and coaching staff have not been able to drill that desire in these young blokes . Of course they also have a responsibility to perform , however it's vital they be kept together , just release the deadwood ,the consistently underperforming salary cap choking fucking bludgers and build on it smartly. Player recruitment and retention is what other clubs seem to be good at , so what is wrong with our process?

 

[Kenny powers]

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

didn’t Gus tell either Cartwright / Peachey to take the money at the titans as more than panthers could offer

 

[Scorchie]

I’d have encouraged Cartwright to leave too [emoji848]

 

[ivanhungryjak]

Badel story incoming saying we could have had him signed up already if we came up with an extra 50K.

 

[calsy]

Badel story incoming saying we could have had him signed up already if we came up with an extra 50K.

50K, really? Why are they stressing over such small increments. At that income the tax man is going to take near half of every dollar anyway.

Shouldn't the fact his Mum is doing the dealings be a bit of a giveaway? No knock on Fifita, it's just glaringly obvious he's still a kid. Titans are throwing out big cap space for a player that has not proven he is worth it yet, and Broncos are attempting to buy more inexperience when we already have a number of big units on contract.

 

[Brocko]

Tallis just now on Matty Johns show.

"Its better for the game if he joins the Titans. The game needs it.

 

[Old Mate]

**** I just don’t want Mal the fuckhead to get one of our players. He’s been trying so poach every ****. And **** Tallis, according to him it’d be good for the game if the Broncos spoon it every year and lose a Cameron Smith/Lockyer etc every year.

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

Tallis just now on Matty Johns show.

"Its better for the game if he joins the Titans. The game needs it.

The tv ratings, crowd numbers and membership numbers say different. I've heard Sydney NRL fans say stuff like "the game thrives when souffs/parra are doing well"...
Lol, the surface is only getting scratched with what would happen if the Broncos struggle and start losing players like this and already smart NRL people are hitting the panic button. The tv deal would HALF without us and if that happens I could see a couple of Sydney clubs folding...
Bite the hand that feeds you you fuckwits hahaha I'm loving watching the nrl burn itself and slowly watch as the Sydney media and NRL people sloooowlllly start to realise how critical we are to their money, popularity and survival. I love rugby league, not the nswrl, hope it fucking rots and dies. Fifita going to the titans would be the equivalent Manchester United losing their pin up player to a Fijian soccer team due to a salary cap and organisation regulations. The Fijian soccer team would gain a few 1000 fans but it'd mean 100,000s of man United fans are disillusioned, pissed off and ripe for the picking by other sports. Scrap the fucking cap, big teams have money because they are popular and increase the games popularity, small teams can't keep up because they HAVE NO FANS.Roosters going for a 3 peat is testimant to it not even doing what's it's meant to anyway

 

[Mister Wright]

Tallis just now on Matty Johns show.

"Its better for the game if he joins the Titans. The game needs it.

How about him almost crying when discussing Fifita joining the Titans? That’ll do me.

 

[Kooly87]

Tallis just now on Matty Johns show.

"Its better for the game if he joins the Titans. The game needs it.

SO he'd like Brisbane to act as the Draft pool for the entire NRL obviously.

 

[Fernando]

The game would probably benefit more from the Titans folding and getting a real side in than it would from the Titans going minor premiers/premiers.