Player Movements / Rumours 2011/2012

[OXY-351]

It happens in pretty much every other competition in the world.

That doesn't make it right though. I would hate to see the NRL become like some of those other competitions where you have no idea if the players who start the season for your club actually end up playing out the season (barring injury etc).

I'd also hate it to get to the point where players swap mid season just because their current club isn't going that well, and hope to switch to a club that has a better chance of winning a premiership. I know that ultimately the club has to allow a player to leave, but this year at least, it doesn't seem like too many requests have been denied.

It's not that bad at the moment, but it certainly seems to have gotten worse of the recent years, and I hope there doesn't continue to be an increase in players doing it.

 

[john1420]

Signing mid-season for the following season is bad enough and i wish that could be fixed, but actually changing clubs mid-season is an absolute joke

 

[Hamm.0]

Didn't he give his ring to Price?

Yes he gave the physical ring to Price, however I wasn't being literal.

I was just adding weight to QUEENSLANDER's question to Clintos about how one could claim "JT is the type who will go to the highest bidder", when he has already won a premiership and has knocked back bulk coin to stay in NQ. JT won his ring early in his career so people often forget he has already got a premiership to his accolades.

 

[Clintos]

What do you base this on? He would've been offered more money over the years at other clubs than what the cowboys were paying but he has stayed.

Sorry - just saw this.

I don't really base it on anything. Just a personal character assessment. I think he will move on to the highest bidder.

 

[Dexter]

Signing mid-season for the following season is bad enough and i wish that could be fixed, but actually changing clubs mid-season is an absolute joke

Didn't the players union argue the players needed time and couldn't possibly do all their negotiations after the season finished.
The more players move mid season the more it diminishes this argument.

 

[Mister Wright]

That doesn't make it right though. I would hate to see the NRL become like some of those other competitions where you have no idea if the players who start the season for your club actually end up playing out the season (barring injury etc).

I'd also hate it to get to the point where players swap mid season just because their current club isn't going that well, and hope to switch to a club that has a better chance of winning a premiership. I know that ultimately the club has to allow a player to leave, but this year at least, it doesn't seem like too many requests have been denied.

It's not that bad at the moment, but it certainly seems to have gotten worse of the recent years, and I hope there doesn't continue to be an increase in players doing it.

All valid points, but I really don't have a problem with it. Who are we to say that a player can't change clubs mid season? We need to get away from the thinking that the clubs are teams and players are players. The clubs are businesses and the players are the product. Businesses want the best product and the products want to get the most money they can and ultimately be happy. Let 'em go. We've got a deadline which is great. You wouldn't want someone switching clubs two weeks out from semi-finals.

 

[Big Pete]

I can see the concern though.

The game is becoming more and more impatient. We've seen signings for 2013 happen in 2011, hell we've seen signings for 2014 happen in 2011 & as the demand grows I can see managers pressing the clubs for mid-season releases for their clients. To the point where we could very well see 10-15 high profile players switching clubs within weeks.

It'd annoy me if one week I saw Billy Slater play for Melbourne only to find out the next he's at Canterbury.

There isn't a whole lot you can do other than plant loyalty incentives inside the salary cap.

A lot of punters complain about how greedy our players are but they need to understand from the player's perspective that they're earning less money than most domestic Rugby & AFL players.

 

[Broncoman]

Has anyone heard Parra are offering a $700 000 a season for Luke Lewis. When will they learn that throwing huge amounts of money for players isn't going to do them any good?. Thought they learned their lesson with Carl Webb and Chris Sandow.

 

[Ari Gold]

Not just that either Pete but loyalty isn't really reciprocated either. Look at how Luke Lewis has been treated after his service to Penny. It's a business these days and this is hardly more evident than when it comes to recruitment and retention. Clubs show little loyalty so why should the players?

 

[Coxy]

Yeah, loyalty lasts as long as both the club and player get something out of it.

 

[Kaz]

Not just that either Pete but loyalty isn't really reciprocated either. Look at how Luke Lewis has been treated after his service to Penny.

If Lewis was so loyal he wouldn't have signed a contract a few years ago with Souths & then changed is mind.

IMO: There is more to this story than what we are being told.

 

[Big Pete]

Well with incentives in place both parties will be satisfied.

I think there's more to your specific example though.

 

[Ari Gold]

If Lewis was so loyal he wouldn't have signed a contract a few years ago with Souths & then changed is mind.

IMO: There is more to this story than what we are being told.

I'm sure there's more to it as well, but I don't really understand your point about Lewis signing with Souths and changing his mind. Petero actually did move clubs -- is he somehow not a loyal servant of our club? In fact, Petero is probably an even better example. IIRC there wasn't a huge amount of difference between what he wanted and what we were offering. Did we pay him more than we thought he was worth because he'd been so loyal up to that point?

 

[Kaz]

Petero left because his manager facked up & by the time Petero realised what was happening, we signed other players.

 

[The Brizz]

Petero left because his manager facked up & by the time Petero realised what was happening, we signed other players.

Incorrect.

Petero left because he felt Bennett and others let him down. He had the chance a couple of years earlier to go to NQ on better money which the Broncos couldn't match, Bennett at the time and this is his quoted words said "we will look after you" at the next contract. Fast forward a few years Penrith came in and offered him a bloody good deal and the Broncos refused to go near it, rightly or wrongly he felt dudded by the club. Shows you the character of the man that he has put that behind him and come back (although the people involved in that decision no longer work at Red Hill).

 

[Alec]

Losing Petero was one of the most retarded things Cullen (I guess it was him) has done. He should have just came up to him, and said "Here, just take the keys to my house". 08, 09 and 10 were the years we were without any world class props, and those were the years Petero was at his best. I reckon we wouldn't have missed the finals in 2010 if we still had him.

 

[Mr Fourex]

One of the best things Bruno Cullen did for the club was f*ck off........

 

[jarro65]

One of the best things Bruno Cullen did for the club was f*ck off........

This