OFFICIAL David Fifita signs with the Titans

[1910]

The thing is, money is literally no object in making something like this happen. The club has resources that simply dwarf every other club and there is nothing monetarily stopping them assembling the most in demand and highly proficient coaching and administration staff in the game.

Melbourne still have Bellamy because they put their money where their mouth is and paid up for the best when it mattered. That's the difference between us and them at the moment.

They took two hours to lay off 24 staff as soon as Covid hit in March. People that have been with the club since 1988 were made redundant. They had a coach looking into going back to teaching if it dragged on too long.
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This is partly true but you need to remember two things here. First, Brisbane offered Bellamy a lot But he was never leaving Melbourne, management should have known that. Second, all those extra resources are null and void because the brilliant administration known as the NRL decided to cap off-field spending in another attempt to appease the financially unsustainable anchor clubs that hold this comp back.

It saves them all because it was out of control, the fact you can sack 24 people by lunch shows you have too many staff looking after 30 adults.

 

[Sproj]

They took two hours to lay of 24 staff as soon as Covid hit in March. People that have been with the club since 1988 were made redundant. They had a coach looking into going back to teaching if it dragged on too long.
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It saves them all because it was out of control, the fact you can sack 24 people by lunch shows you have too many staff looking after 30 adults.

That isn't the issue though. Quantity of people doesn't equal quality.

 

[McHunt]

They took two hours to lay of 24 staff as soon as Covid hit in March. People that have been with the club since 1988 were made redundant. They had a coach looking into going back to teaching if it dragged on too long.

Well, I'll be pleasantly surprised if this 10,000 to games malarkey is going to be sustainable beyond the next weekend given the shitwave coming at us from the South. I expect they'll have to rejig the comp again, and if that means we have to let Seibold go back to teaching children how to tie their laces, I guess I can live with that. For the children's sake. It's a good cause.

 

[1910]

That isn't the issue though. Quantity of people doesn't equal quality.

Exactly so the cap shouldn't worry clubs, pick quality people and less staff. Covid has shown how over staffed clubs are at the moment. They've cut guys and guess what football goes on. Which means you didn't really need that guy too much anyway.

It wasn't sustainable for anyone, the fact the Broncos had to cut staff straight away proves that fact.

 

[McHunt]

Exactly so the cap shouldn't worry clubs, pick quality people and less staff.

Seems one of the enduring issues in Rugby League is providing ex-players with a safety net post retirement. Sometimes on compassionate grounds, almost like a charity. Witness Jharal Yow Yeh. It's hard not to look at bloke like Macca - who we've finished with as a player - and not think there's must be a use for him around the club.

 

[1910]

Seems one of the enduring issues in Rugby League is providing ex-players with a safety net post retirement. Sometimes on compassionate grounds, almost like a charity. Witness Jharal Yow Yeh. It's hard not to look at bloke like Macca - who we've finished with as a player - and not think there's must be a use for him around the club.

I think the model now will be consulting like Ryan is doing, two days a week and we pay you when we need you. The Roosters are doing it with Michael Cheika too.

Plenty of former players like Reed, Dyer and Hancock are doing fantastic work in the community and are needed.

 

[Foordy]

The media are fucking scum. The way Kent, Hoops and Ikin are bullshitting about how Fifita needs to go to the Titans is fucking disgusting. This talk about Ikin being our next CEO better just be rubbish because I’ll hand in my membership if that weasel **** has anything to do with our club again.

He may be interested in the position ... but every time he goes on the air, he is likely talking himself out of the job ... Imagine a potential CEO telling one of your biggest stars to leave for a rival (repeatedly)

The cap didn't exist when Bellamy was re-signed, so that was not the issue. It's only started from this year onwards.

They also didn't put a hard cap on it, they just required a 'luxury tax' for clubs who exceed the cap. It also wouldn't apply to Ribot or any CEO/Admin staff, it's purely on the football side of spending.

So let's just pay the tax then? We can absolutely afford it given how much money we have at our disposal relative to other clubs.

The Coach is probably the single most important employee in the club, it's not the position to be cutting costs on. If Melbourne could afford to do it, then there is literally not a single reason why we couldn't afford the same.

we reportedly offered Bellamy MORE than the Storm, he turned us down ... probably because he has zero interest in finding out what it is like to coach a team without Cam Smith

once he retires from coaching, that may be a different story, if we offered him a director of football style role

Problem is, the current administration seem to regard the bottom line as the most important thing by a long long way. They absolutely butchered the transition from Wayne to save a few hundred thousand. Melbourne is run to get results on the field, same as the Roosters, but we're run to make the most profit.

the Brisbane Broncos are a publicly traded company (the others are not) ... the administration has no choice in the matter

 

[Huge]

Its amazing to see the likes of Reed Mahoney and Ponga re-sign with their current teams, not to mention it sounds like Keary is about to re-sign with the Roosters, and not a word is said regarding how players like these would be great for a team like the Titans. But when it's a Broncos player, it's "best for the NRL" if we lose our best to the Titans..
The media are pathetic, there is so much bias against us, its crazy.
Have any of these "experts" stopped to think that the Broncos need to retain all the talent possible? I mean, we aren't exactly going that great and we are obviously really missing Fifiita.
He is super important to this side, we need to retain him.

I do see the point you're raising here and I will add the observation that in other cases there wasn't a 'story' attached. In Fifita's case there's the fly in the ointment, his manager so this has given ample time for journos to build conjecture.

If there was a protracted 'will he or won't he' phase in other high profile cases I'd say they would come up with similar rubbish. Truthfully we really don't need Fifita and I agree the Titans probably do but I'd like him to stay. I think he should get the maximum dollars for every second he's in the NRL. I think he would be foolish to take the enormous risk of turning down a guaranteed future. If he wants a premiership, win the fucker this year!!!
I'd say to the Titans "7 million, 5 years". At 25 he could then go on to win a premiership two or three times and when he's 50, he gets his knee's done and smokes doobies in his palace!

 

[Super Freak]

 

[jarro65]

I do see the point you're raising here and I will add the observation that in other cases there wasn't a 'story' attached. In Fifita's case there's the fly in the ointment, his manager so this has given ample time for journos to build conjecture.

If there was a protracted 'will he or won't he' phase in other high profile cases I'd say they would come up with similar rubbish. Truthfully we really don't need Fifita and I agree the Titans probably do but I'd like him to stay. I think he should get the maximum dollars for every second he's in the NRL. I think he would be foolish to take the enormous risk of turning down a guaranteed future. If he wants a premiership, win the fucker this year!!!
I'd say to the Titans "7 million, 5 years". At 25 he could then go on to win a premiership two or three times and when he's 50, he gets his knee's done and smokes doobies in his palace!

See i dont get this 'guaranteed future' at the Titans thing ?

Sure, he will earn more there, but he will hardly be a pauper after a career at the Broncos.

$700,000 per season is hardly chump change... particulalrly when you haven't really reached your full potential yet.

 

[broncos4life]

Why the **** does he need to drag this out like this. Just make your choice and tell everyone.

 

[Huge]

See i dont get this 'guaranteed future' at the Titans thing ?

Sure, he will earn more there, but he will hardly be a pauper after a career at the Broncos.

$700,000 per season is hardly chump change... particulalrly when you haven't really reached your full potential yet.

Oh I understand. I mean the 7 million guarantee that he'd have in the now. That future guarantee. Say he sacrificed $500,000 in the first year, how long would it take to pick that back up? I mean he'd never really get it would he?

I was offering the idea that the Titans would go for the longer deal at $1.4m for 5 seasons, something that I just don't think would ever be on offer. Injury could end it at any moment and history is littered with 'if only I took what was on offer at the time' stories. Even if he got my proposed deal he'd still only be 25 when it's over!! No risks involved. If he was my son and I was managing him I'd make that offer to the Titans.

 

[The Strapper]

the Brisbane Broncos are a publicly traded company (the others are not) ... the administration has no choice in the matter

Except to take the company private.
Then they could concentrate purely on football.

 

[john1420]

we reportedly offered Bellamy MORE than the Storm, he turned us down ... probably because he has zero interest in finding out what it is like to coach a team without Cam Smith

He already found that out, it was called Origin

IMO he has no desire to repeat that at club land and have his legacy tarnished and status questioned

 

[1910]

He already found that out, it was called Origin

IMO he has no desire to repeat that at club land and have his legacy tarnished and status questioned

I went to a speaking engagement and Bellamy spoke about the mistakes he made at rep level and how he was wrong to run it like a club side. But he also said he thought it was the right call because he can't utilize all that emotional coaching because he didn't play Origin. Bellamy is suited to club coaching because he has the time to make what he wants, within the context of a year or within 20 years. He's proven to be the opposite of Mal who is very good at the quick well drilled emotional camp.

I don't think it's a slight on Bellamy, it's like being a Test specialist but not suited to ODI.

 

[IceWorks]

Since he doesn't listen to his manager young David is unlikely to listen to me... so here goes..

They are both tempting offers (1.25M v 750k), I would suggest the 500k extra and return to the Broncos after 1 year or lock in a longer deal at very high wages at the Titans in the event of success would be the better course potentially. It's hard to see much change in fortunes for the Broncos over the rest of this season and while Pies remains in charge which is likely to be into next year at least, though you would expect just due to financial stability alone the Broncs are more premiership likely over a 10yr time frame which is a significant carrot.

This is an unusual negotiation window, driven by emotion and ego, that won't remain open forever or perhaps ever again for David. To paraphrase Kerry Packer... You only get one Mal Meninga (and Tallis or whoever else from the Titans thinks this is a good idea) in your life! (idea being to take advantage of a silly offer to buy even though you didn't really intend on selling).

What young David has at this moment and due to the ego of those involved a particularly strong negotiation situation with Brisbane, and Brisbane have demonstrated just how generous they can be with player options... so it's a wonderful opportunity to go full Jason Taumalolo and lock in a 10 year deal with options ramping up pay when the Broncs clear some more space, and with clauses allowing for increases if the cap improves (and in this era that's no guarantee by any means), the fearless leaders of Brisbane have shown they aren't adverse to agreeing to long contracts that are particularly favourable to the other party and this would be a huge PR win with the costs being pushed into the future for the next board to deal with.

And as to the managers pound of flesh.. it's the wrong thing to focus on.. just wear that cost and fight it later on if needed, so much can happen with the game's income and injury and so on. Anyway I'm sure that's all being taken care of :)

 

[abashii]

the Brisbane Broncos are a publicly traded company (the others are not) ... the administration has no choice in the matter

Yes they do. There's absolutely no requirement to focus on short-term profitability at the expense of anything or everything else. That's an absolute cop-out, and one typically used by management wankers to justify grossly unethical behaviour or gutting a company in search of a short-term bonus.

 

[Financeguy]

And as to the managers pound of flesh.. it's the wrong thing to focus on.. just wear that cost and fight it later on if needed, so much can happen with the game's income and injury and so on. Anyway I'm sure that's all being taken care of :)

The problem is he most likely will not be able to fight it later, his current manager/management group will reap ~6% of the deal he does this year. Managers are not stupid, i imagine the contracts to be pretty iron clad in what they owe their manager hence why so many players get in this situation when they want to change.

If he signs up to a 10 year deal like you suggest at around $1M per year he will be handing around $600k to his current manager who for whatever reason he wants to remove himself from.

It also puts him in a poor position when he appoints his next manager as for the next 10 years they will get no benefit whatsoever from his contract signed before he is on their books so will probably have to charge him ~15%+ from other endorsements to make it worth their while representing him.

I'm not sure why people keep recommending he request a longer deal when he is clearly trying to 'divorce' his current management team.

Of course all parties want a longer term contract...