Israel Folau wants out... I'll show him the door.

[Kaz]

Wonder if Hunt feels ripped off, seeing he is only getting about 1 Million a year & he has played AFL before. :P

 

[rnabokov]

I reckon Hunt was more of a marketing exercise than Folau, who will probably make a decent aerial ping ponger.

Also, the notion of "grass roots" in the business of sport is like anything else in business: a commodity to be bought and sold. As such, it's true value, like "tradition" is now only measured in $$$$.

To be fair, if the salary cap was $10M, we'd be poaching every club and code under the sun.

 

[pennywisealfie]

he got 6mil? I no longer blame Folau. That is way too much cash to pass up.

 

[Steve]

That is so surreal seeing Sheeds and Izzy at the same table. I'm gobsmacked.

Gotta hand it to Sheedy though - he is a master at promoting his code and GWS are much better off with him at the helm than anyone else.

 

[Foordy]

I reckon Hunt was more of a marketing exercise than Folau, who will probably make a decent aerial ping ponger.

Also, the notion of "grass roots" in the business of sport is like anything else in business: a commodity to be bought and sold. As such, it's true value, like "tradition" is now only measured in $$$$.

To be fair, if the salary cap was $10M, we'd be poaching every club and code under the sun.

The reality for both Hunt and Folau is in 3 years when the GWS and Gold Coast AFL clubs actually have a salary cap, they will probably have to take high 6-figure pay cuts of they want to continue to play AFL.

 

[Porthoz]

I reckon Hunt was more of a marketing exercise than Folau, who will probably make a decent aerial ping ponger.

Also, the notion of "grass roots" in the business of sport is like anything else in business: a commodity to be bought and sold. As such, it's true value, like "tradition" is now only measured in $$$$.

To be fair, if the salary cap was $10M, we'd be poaching every club and code under the sun.

The reality for both Hunt and Folau is in 3 years when the GWS and Gold Coast AFL clubs actually have a salary cap, they will probably have to take high 6-figure pay cuts of they want to continue to play AFL.

They'll go back to RL, can't imagine any of them making it to the top tier of the AFL ranks, and wanting to stay in the fumble and bounce code... :roll:

 

[Jeba]

So what's the difference between this and the Karmichael Hunt situation last year? And why isn't there a thousand page long thread directing anger-fuelled insults towards Izzy like Karmichael got?

 

[Foordy]

So what's the difference between this and the Karmichael Hunt situation last year? And why isn't there a thousand page long thread directing anger-fuelled insults towards Izzy like Karmichael got?

I think it has too do with the fact that Izzy said he the offers were very tempting and didn't try to hide the fact that the money is the reason he was leaving.

while Hunt went on about wanting to experience a different culture before signing a big money deal 100km down the road

 

[Jeba]

I still don't see the difference.

Yeh the culture thing was BS, but when he turned down a $425k offer from us that IMO is making it pretty clear that he is interested in more money he could earn elsewhere.

 

[Porthoz]

If you can't see the difference between Khunt (wasn't at all bothered leaving the code, hid that fact until Origin was over, lied about his allegiance and motives) and Folau (clearly struggled to leave the code, but resisting that kind of money was also very difficult), I would say you need to look for an optometrist to correct your shortsightedness (does that word even exist?). [icon_shru

 

[Kaz]

So what's the difference between this and the Karmichael Hunt situation last year? And why isn't there a thousand page long thread directing anger-fuelled insults towards Izzy like Karmichael got?

Because Izzy didn't screw the club.

Izzy stated he wasn't taking up the option on his contract, but with Hunt he hinted he was going to sign & the club got rid of players to keep him.

 

[Jeba]

Huh????? Hunt rejected a big offer from us, is that not a big enough hint that he isn't going to sign??

 

[OXY-351]

Wonder if Hunt feels ripped off, seeing he is only getting about 1 Million a year & he has played AFL before. :P

Maybe Izzy just prefered to say he never played AFL than admit he went to Churchie

 

[OXY-351]

Because Izzy didn't screw the club.

The club wasn't the only thing that Hunt screwed that seemed to earn the wrath of fans

 

[Dexter]

Also I think Hunt led the club down the garden path a bit and we let players go and missed possible signings thinking he would stay. Izzy has been upfront in saying he is considering leaving and the club has had the choice to wait or just say seeya and chase another signing.

As far as the AFL is concerned, make no mistake this is a strategic signing aimed at future recruitment of Islander kids into aussie rules.

 

[Jeba]

Whose fault is that??? Like I said, he turned out $425k a year from us, yet we still held hope to sign him, so that's our fault and not his. Also who exactly did we miss??

 

[Dexter]

Whose fault is that??? Like I said, he turned out $425k a year from us, yet we still held hope to sign him, so that's our fault and not his. Also who exactly did we miss??

Hannant, Boyd, Ennis, Taylor all let go because of salary cap pressures.
I agree the club should have seen it coming but Hunt didn't indicate (publicly) that he was intending to leave, he kept saying stuff like we are just sorting out the details etc. We were his fall back position if nothing better could be arranged.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Whose fault is that??? Like I said, he turned out $425k a year from us, yet we still held hope to sign him, so that's our fault and not his. Also who exactly did we miss??

Hannant, Boyd, Ennis, Taylor all let go because of salary cap pressures.
I agree the club should have seen it coming but Hunt didn't indicate (publicly) that he was intending to leave, he kept saying stuff like we are just sorting out the details etc. We were his fall back position if nothing better could be arranged.

LOL 3 of those players left in 2008 not 2009. Also Taylor wanted more money than the Broncos were willing to pay for him.