NRL Player Movements & Rumours

[Wolfie]

Let’s hope I’m wrong, I sure hope I am but so far Fifita has already gone and Staggs can’t wait.

I think Kotoni has an over inflated opinion of his ability and market value. Half his game is really elite, the other half needs a ton of work.

 

[Sproj]

I think Kotoni has an over inflated opinion of his ability and market value. Half his game is really elite, the other half needs a ton of work.

Why wouldn't you when you are young, impressionable and everyone pumps up your tyres constantly? Add to that, there is no one at the club who can pull your head in, no leadership in or outside the team and you are the only attacking weapon at the club?

 

[theshed]

I think Kotoni has an over inflated opinion of his ability and market value. Half his game is really elite, the other half needs a ton of work.

You can teach a Staggs to be less of a liability in defence but you’ll never be able to teach a safe defensive centre to attack like Staggs.

 

[Xzei]

James roberts never seemed to learn

 

[Foordy]

Let’s hope I’m wrong, I sure hope I am but so far Fifita has already gone and Staggs can’t wait.

1. Staggs hasn't gone anywhere yet ... while I agree it doesn't sound promising, a number of things could happen and sway him to stay.

2. Fifita is a terrible example of players being desperate to get away from here. yeah, we're unlikely to keep our players in the face of ridiculous Fifita-like offers, but that is actually a compliment to the club rather than a slight against it. the Titans were literally bidding against themselves at the end, eventually they found his price. here is how the negotiations went down:

MAL: We offer you $1 million a season
FIFITA: yeah, nah
MAL: how about $1.1 million a season
FIFITA: nope
MAL: Ok, ok, you drive a hard bargain $1.25 million a season
FIFITA: sold, you just bought yourself a mercenary!!!

(ok, i may have added the mercenary line)

 

[theshed]

Club politics and over inflated contracts aside, one thing I do believe is that if we lose Staggs and Coates we are in trouble. Our backline stocks are already terrible outside reliable old Herbie.

 

[Sproj]

1. Staggs hasn't gone anywhere yet ... while I agree it doesn't sound promising, a number of things could happen and sway him to stay.

2. Fifita is a terrible example of players being desperate to get away from here. yeah, we're unlikely to keep our players in the face of ridiculous Fifita-like offers, but that is actually a compliment to the club rather than a slight against it. the Titans were literally bidding against themselves at the end, eventually they found his price. here is how the negotiations went down:

MAL: We offer you $1 million a season
FIFITA: yeah, nah
MAL: how about $1.1 million a season
FIFITA: nope
MAL: Ok, ok, you drive a hard bargain $1.25 million a season
FIFITA: sold, you just bought yourself a mercenary!!!

(ok, i may have added the mercenary line)

Fifita is the perfect example, not a terrible one. I don’t care the reason they are leaving but it is most likely about money, the same as Fifita. Staggs wants the money, Coates manager wants the money, both are likely to go for money.

Our stupid club should have had these guys locked up 12-24 months ago but as usual they haven’t so now they are trying to play catch up with little money due to inflated offers from other clubs, greed on the part of players/managers and a badly mismanaged salary cap.

Why weren’t Staggs, Dearden, Fifita and Coates all locked up already? Did Melbourne leave Harry Grant sitting there waiting to be showed what he did this year and then wait for him to become a free agent and then start negotiations?

The reasons are money, it is clear as day, this is not a revelation and it is absolutely relevant to the Fifita situation. These kids should have been locked up long ago, they weren’t and here we are.

 

[Foordy]

Fifita is the perfect example, not a terrible one. I don’t care the reason they are leaving but it is most likely about money, the same as Fifita. Staggs wants the money, Coates manager wants the money, both are likely to go for money.

Our stupid club should have had these guys locked up 12-24 months ago but as usual they haven’t so now they are trying to play catch up with little money due to inflated offers from other clubs, greed on the part of players/managers and a badly mismanaged salary cap.

Why weren’t Staggs, Dearden, Fifita and Coates all locked up already? Did Melbourne leave Harry Grant sitting there waiting to be showed what he did this year and then wait for him to become a free agent and then start negotiations?

The reasons are money, it is clear as day, this is not a revelation and it is absolutely relevant to the Fifita situation. These kids should have been locked up long ago, they weren’t and here we are.

if we re-signed Dearden, Coates, Fifita, Staggs 2 years ago, we would have had to lock them up and big money before they had even played NRL ... then we would have had many, many people complaining that the club was paying big money to untried and untested players.

Melbourne and Grant are a different situation completely. Melbourne had him locked up similarly to Haas. and they got the opportunity to test him out by loaning him to the Tigers. if we were in the Storm's situation, we would have locked him up as well ... quality hookers are far rarer (and far more important) than quality outside backs/back rowers.

I also have zero doubts we will retain Dearden ... especially now that Kevvie is coach.

also on Fifita, given his form this year, what we offered was massive over, let alone what the Titans offered him

 

[Bongo]

Fifita is the perfect example, not a terrible one. I don’t care the reason they are leaving but it is most likely about money, the same as Fifita. Staggs wants the money, Coates manager wants the money, both are likely to go for money.

Our stupid club should have had these guys locked up 12-24 months ago but as usual they haven’t so now they are trying to play catch up with little money due to inflated offers from other clubs, greed on the part of players/managers and a badly mismanaged salary cap.

Why weren’t Staggs, Dearden, Fifita and Coates all locked up already? Did Melbourne leave Harry Grant sitting there waiting to be showed what he did this year and then wait for him to become a free agent and then start negotiations?

The reasons are money, it is clear as day, this is not a revelation and it is absolutely relevant to the Fifita situation. These kids should have been locked up long ago, they weren’t and here we are.

You can't lock them up if their managers aren't willing to negotiate until the contract is up for renewal. It makes sense to go to market to get the best deal than just deal with the one club

 

[Foordy]

You can't lock them up if their managers aren't willing to negotiate until the contract is up for renewal. It makes sense to go to market to get the best deal than just deal with the one club

besides the November 1 deadline is a myth perpetuated by the media (as it helps their clickbait stories) ... the NRL released information several years ago saying that there was no rule preventing clubs from talking to players at any time.

so Fifita's manager would have had a very good idea what the Titans were likely to offer

 

[Sproj]

You can't lock them up if their managers aren't willing to negotiate until the contract is up for renewal. It makes sense to go to market to get the best deal than just deal with the one club

Doesn’t hinder the Storm, Roosters, Raiders, etc. How often do they have players become ‘available’? Even if they do, they pull their offer early end don’t get shafted by looking like incompetent hacks by pleading with a player / manager through 20 meetings and still failing.

 

[Sproj]

besides the November 1 deadline is a myth perpetuated by the media (as it helps their clickbait stories) ... the NRL released information several years ago saying that there was no rule preventing clubs from talking to players at any time.

so Fifita's manager would have had a very good idea what the Titans were likely to offer

I don’t doubt this, it isn’t the point though. Of course managers know what other clubs will offer because they are grubby, greedy jerks with fingers in every club’s salary cap pie.

We managed to do it with Haas, why couldn’t we do it with Staggs / Fifita? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out these kids are going to get massive overs when they become officially available. There is still a difference between an official offer and an unofficial ‘here is what we will pay’.

I am also aware you can’t keep them all and that is an issue for development clubs for another day as there is little point in developing talent these days.

The point is, if a player wants to leave, fine that’s life but pull the offer early and stop yourselves looking like hacks. Identify the key planks moving forward and lock them down early. The club showed they could do it with Haas.

 

[broncos4life]

At the end of the day their is no point being a development club anymore. There is no reward and all you do is get shafted. For the amount we need to pay these kids based on their potential we could just sign proven players in their same position. The sooner the club stops developing players the better.

 

[BroncsFan]

Club politics and over inflated contracts aside, one thing I do believe is that if we lose Staggs and Coates we are in trouble. Our backline stocks are already terrible outside reliable old Herbie.

There's no team in the comp that will have more cap space than us when all these guys come off contract in 2022.

Storm aren't going to throw Fifita contracts at him and Bellamy wont be coach in 2022.

Coates is probably a $300k for 1-2 years signing. His manager wont want to lock him into a long deal unless it's serious cash. A shorter deal allows him to get into first grade and prove his worth for a bigger deal next time around.

Fox just went for $500k a year and could probably be considered the best winger going around at the moment.

Coates is a center or winger so $500-600k is peak earning for the position. He's not a fullback that could be earning closer to $1m at peak.

If we want to keep these guys we have the cash to do so... we also have the first grade spots available for them to cement themselves in NRL.

 

[Waynesaurus]

It would not surprise me if we do a swap for Coastes and B Smith for 2021 eventho the Storm have said they will only release Smith for 2022.

 

[Kooly87]

Wtf has this Stephen Crichton done in the game for him to think he is worth $2.25 million over 3 years. Its utter madness. He has played 26 games and looked good in a pretty dominant side. If anyone pays that for him then Manu will be looking at double that when his next contract comes up because he is twice the player Crichton is.

Manu probably does get twice the money, it just isn't on the books.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

It would not surprise me if we do a swap for Coastes and B Smith for 2021 eventho the Storm have said they will only release Smith for 2022.

That's one step forward, two steps back for us. Yes it would be nice to finally have a good hooker, but we're already desperately weak in the backline. @Wolfie will eat me alive for this, but a trade like Carrigan or TPJ for BSmith would make more sense for us.

 

[Wolfie]

That's one step forward, two steps back for us. Yes it would be nice to finally have a good hooker, but we're already desperately weak in the backline. @Wolfie will eat me alive for this, but a trade like Carrigan or TPJ for BSmith would make more sense for us.