Renegade
State of Origin Captain
Contributor
- Mar 14, 2008
- 9,255
- 11,901
At the end of the day, we failed to secure his signature when it was giftwrapped. Frame it how you like to make yourself and the club feel better, but results matter and we didn’t get it. The club that did has subsequently gone onto experience much better fortunes than we have, thanks in part to the guy we failed to deliver. I don’t see how it serves us to go, well, it was HIS fault that he didn’t sign? Oh yeah, I’m sure he’s devo about that. Meanwhile, we most certainly are, without the dripping sarcasm, and that’s a failure of the board to do their job, pure and simple. I remember this scenario very clearly (I remember arguing with Nashy about it) and the fact was, at no point did we push the boat out for him. We maintained the same nonchalant, blasé, we are the fucking Broncos so it’s upto you to come to US! Attitude that is STILL currently inhibiting us when trying to make signings.
We’re agreeing to disagreeing because I agree with a lot of what AP says, he hasn’t really done anything wrong apart from being a young dumbass that likes to drink alcohol. We’ve decided we’re going to take the moral high ground despite some of our best known sons having issues with Alcohol in public, but hey, they were our own so it doesn’t matter, right?
What is Widdop worth in a salary cap world of 5.85 million? You keep saying, not worth the money, so what would you consider a reasonable amount? 200k? 300k? I think personally you don’t really know what a reasonable amount is, you’re just shooting from the hip because it’s easy to say not worth it – you don’t have to then explain at what point he becomes valuable. And if you say, well he’s worth 450 but not 550, explain how 100k makes a difference in the grand scheme (when taking into account our current cap space)?
Agree with you there, there’s a reason I didn’t mention him. Having said that, honestly he’d still add more attacking impetus to our halves regardless of how much he is a little twerp.
Williams is neither here nor there for me, I am pretty meh around him but the point is simply these players are out there, and while we have signalled our intent to buy a half (indicating our displeasure with our current setup), we are yet to see what they have actually done. I will not buy into PR platitudes offered by our inept management on the basis of good faith because this board is yet to prove they can land any decent signing. Last decent signing was Folau/Hannant, they came under Bruno – who’ve we signed since? Prince, and he wasn’t wanted at the titans. So really, the basis of good faith is blind faith, and I don’t deal in that sort of commodity.
It does amuse me though that you’re willing to take pot shots at the Dragons who really are about our level at the moment, except, they’re willing to do something about it and have made obvious, concerted efforts to improve their squad as they know it is not good enough as it is. Compare that to us? Again, all you have is blind faith that we’ll be better than them, but their actions are speaking far louder than any pitiful offerings given to us by management.
I’m genuinely curious; tell me how we will finish stronger than the Dragons next year despite retaining the same squad and same coach that has currently led us to our current position. Don’t use faith as a reason.
The only things we do know is that he’s unhappy in Sydney and has some personal issues with his partner/kids potentially moving back to Qld. It’s basically the Inglis situation again, everything falling into Brisbanes lap. Can they do a deal? I’m not holding my breath based on past form.
At age 30, he is. At age 32, when he would start playing with the Broncos, he very well may not be. And whilst he doesn’t do the flashy, fancy stuff, he’s playing in one of the hardest positions on the field – in the thick of it for 80mins, cutting down guys twice his size. Yes, he’s been able to do it for 10 years, but everyone has a use by date and Smith is no different. He is not superman, he cannot play until he’s 40 at the same level he is now – however, he is probably going to expect similar or better money to come back to Qld, as he would be their departing captain and presumably, still the Qld and Australian captain. If people considered Thurston too expensive, mark Smith under the same category. Not to mention that, even if we did sign Smith, it doesn’t fix our halves problem – he might get quicker ball to our halves, but if they’re still useless then it doesn’t matter, they’ll just have longer to dither around with it before being tackled.
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Wasn’t he homesick at one stage? Could be wrong but remember reading something about that. If so, we have done a poor job of getting in his ear. We need to be parasites, not moral crusaders, who the **** cares who it screws over, success is paramount in this competition and we are drifting further and further away from it, regardless of how many times you, others, white, hook, gee and whomever wants to say it till they’re blue in the face – we’re not a potentially premiership winning side, we’re not a top 4 side, we are fucking dour and robotic. When that mantra is trotted out, it is the equivalent to putting our fingers in our ears and going LA LA LA, CAN’T HEAR YOU, TOO BUSY HEARING THE BRONCOS PREMIERSHIP SONG FOR YEARS 2014-2019 DROWNING YOU OUT. It is obtuse.
He’s getting a contract upgrade at the Warriors so clearly they’ve handled their eggs better than we would’ve liked.
I don’t think we can sign every single player on the market, but on the same token I don’t believe that we really gave them any serious opportunities to make them consider a potential switch – the fact is Thurston nearly made the switch to Penrith but for a last minute change of heart. Fair enough you might argue he stayed in the end anyway so what does it matter, but the simple fact Penrith of all fucking clubs, were able to sway his head with an offer and get him to the brink of joining, well, makes you wonder we actually tried to formally engage him and his agent or if we did as I suspect, asked him once and said welp can’t afford that!
I’ve no doubt some of my assumptions are probably not accurate, I don’t have inside links to the club but if I did they would be hearing about it and not you guys. However, while I may lack some correct information, I also note that actions are louder than words, and as aforementioned early on in this response the total sum of actions by the board sits slightly above zero – one player fell into their lap 100km away from them and another was released due to lack of game time. There have been no positive, no proactive moves on behalf of the club in regards to recruitment. None that can actually be tangibly measured in the form of “end result”.
In regards to your last point, they are bagged because they talk a lot and deliver nothing, even after identifying obvious deficiencies. I’d say that’s a pretty bad business practice.
The proof is in the pudding guys, the proof is zero at present. I am alongside you guys in hoping it changes, but I do not share the same level of optimism that it will be, until I see evidence otherwise.
