OFFICIAL Xavier Coates Leaves Broncos

[Kooly87]

It would be a dream result for sure.

On another note, I’m really enjoying the conversation in this thread about loyalty, etc and honestly I agree with both sides of the debate.

I totally understand why Coates has gone and if I were him I’d make the same decision and it breaks my heart to say that but to go into that system is just too good an opportunity to pass up.

I also hate it from the club’s point of view as we did stick with him while he was raw and other options could have been used. Now he’s becoming one of the best singers in the comp (even if not there yet), he’s been poached by the best team in the comp.

It hurts because financially our hands are tied due to being held back by a salary cap and there being no benefit to developing players.

At the same time, we have only ourselves to blame, if we didn’t bring on our own demise, if we managed things so much better than we have over the last decade, Coates, Fifita, Walker, Walsh all might still be here, at least some of them.

We sacrificed experience for youth and now we’ve lost both and still have an unbalanced salary cap.

It’s a mess and while I’m gutted he has gone, I get it and hopefully after all this pain, the needed changes off field will happen and we can start to build on a foundation Kevvie is starting to build on field.

This is a near perfect post. I'm burning Coates left, but honestly, who could blame him?

If you're angry, buy shares, go to an AGM. It won't change anything but at least you'll have done literally all you could do to change it besides climbing the corporate ladder to actually run Newscorp.

I'm a recently new Dad and honestly, taking my Broncos glasses off, not a soul alive on this forum or otherwise could stand here with a straight face and tell me they wouldn't be telling their son to go and play for Melbourne and be in their system, unless perhaps Brisbane were going to make you a literal millionaire, which again, would be completely stupid and irresponsible if you're the Broncos CEO, so I don't blame us either. In fact, I actually applaud us for finally not getting into a stupid bidding war for a Winger again.

Let him go, it hurts, but I'm certain in 3-5 years from now, whether we've won a Premiership or not, it will have absolutely not come down to us retaining/not retaining a Winger/possible Centre.

 

[Kimlo]

If losing Lodge does indeed happen I can only hope Penrith is at least paying 550k or so, which we can use to buy Capewell.

It's not a perfect scenario but it's a slightly better balanced squad so I wouldn't hate the outcome.

If it's for 400k and we're covering 300k, I'll be pretty pissed off.

 

[Dexter]

@Midean I think you're rewriting history a bit. AFAIK we didnt offer dearden a contract .. Makes it hard for the kid to re sign

 

[Kooly87]

True. We are the most insufferably entitled fans in the NRL. No one else is even close. We expect to pick the eyes out of every other team, and have them grateful just to wear our jersey. We tire of our own senior players, treat like them like refuse, and mercilessly dump on others who leave.

We would be kidding ourselves if we think our club didn't rort the salary cap through third party payments during our glory years. We are like the USA of the NRL.

TBF, most of our glory years occurred outside of Salary Cap eras.

 

[Xzei]

i dont see any reason to move lodge on at all more so if it is going to cost money to do so.

 

[broncos4life]

I get that you're a passionate man, who's want to sporadic angry outbursts, but Xavier has literally done nothing wrong. He's contracted to play for the Broncos this season. He owes us nothing after that. Seriously, he owes us absolutely nothing. But he's thanked us for making him what he is today. That's it.

This notion that players are morally bound in chains to a club beyond the club's agreement to pay them is not based on any reality.

Are you livid every time the club chooses not to resign a player or worse horse trades them mid-contract? If not, you might revisit your logic.

This is a guy who off his own bat has talked about loyalty, sticking with the club and wanting to be a Bronco for life. Yet months after making these statements he ***** to our biggest rival after we have developed him to our own detriment. Don't want to be bagged for being disloyal? Don't preach loyalty at every chance.

He owed the club at least another contract now that he is starting to play ok football, what he didn't owe is to go to our rivals at a lower price than we offered.

You can cheerlead players which is your call but I will continue to support my club over entitled players which is my call.

 

[Gaz]

Umm... Why did WB entertain the Roosters again???

It's not like he was out chasing better offers? You have a guy on a handshake agreement for 20 years and then all of a sudden change it? If that was you in your employment, honestly, how the **** would you interpret that?

I would consider my employer considered I was no longer doing the job as well as I was employed to do and wanted an out. I would be right.

 

[Jedhead]

If losing Lodge does indeed happen I can only hope Penrith is at least paying 550k or so, which we can use to buy Capewell.

It's not a perfect scenario but it's a slightly better balanced squad so I wouldn't hate the outcome.

If it's for 400k and we're covering 300k, I'll be pretty pissed off.

I'd much rather lose Croft and retain Lodge. Croft's money will get you Capewell. If the Rorters can ship off Flanagan (who was under contract and supposed to be their new great white hope) to the Dogs in a matter of weeks why can't we do the same to a half we feel is surplus to requirements?

 

[Foordy]

I'd much rather lose Croft and retain Lodge. Croft's money will get you Capewell. If the Rorters can ship off Flanagan (who was under contract and supposed to be their new great white hope) to the Dogs in a matter of weeks why can't we do the same to a half we feel is surplus to requirements?

gotta have a rival wanting to take that player (and pay his whole contract) ... the Bulldogs were prepared to do that for Flanagan (although he was on less than Croft) ... not sure we'd get the same offers for Croft

 

[Midean]

I get that people have taken this personally, I really do.

Can I just offer this thought? Please, just for consideration?

Ok. What if we were premiers and the Coates situation was the same, he leaves for another team, say Melbourne? Would the feelings be the same? I mean, if you gave it a moment and thought about it?

Is the pain of him leaving made poignant by our current station? Is there any possibility that his leaving is acting as a magnifier, that we feel humiliated. Like the loyal partner who supports the other, working like a dog while the other studies only for the relationship to fail as soon as the goal's reached.

I don't believe Coates defection would matter much at all to most if we were the reigning premiers, it'd be regrettable but we'd quickly move on. We'd say he was ungrateful but the pain wouldn't be anything like what's being experienced here and now.

We're transferring our anger on to Coates for where the club is now and after reflection I think a lot of us could see this is a big part of our anger. It's not really fair either, not really.

One final thing, he's a kid and some very savvy manipulators have had access to his thoughts and feelings. His manager and external clubs have influenced his thinking and I can't blame the barely armed for succumbing to a superior force. In short, it's not all on Coates and we need to see it for what it is AND for what it isn't.

Sorry, just an old man's thoughts.

I agree with this post to an extent, however the situations are so different, they warrant a completely different and appropriate response.
If Coates played a good part in getting us a premiership, it would still suck to see him leave, but there would be no animosity, and you would thank him for his service and wish him well.
However, he contributed to our first spoon, and jumped ship for greener pastures.
So he doesnt get my well wishes, or a thanks for your service.

He gets my resentment and my disdain, and while it may seem petty and begrudged, i believe he deserves it.

I dont blame the kid for taking the best opportunities he is offered, we all would do the same, however it stings because he was a part of why we are in the situation we are in, and instead of redeeming himself and helping the club out of the mess he had a hand in delivering to us, he bails.

 

[Jedhead]

gotta have a rival wanting to take that player (and pay his whole contract) ... the Bulldogs were prepared to do that for Flanagan (although he was on less than Croft) ... not sure we'd get the same offers for Croft

Newcastle are in dire need of a half at present and Fraudbold thinks Croft is a half back worth pursuing.

 

[Midean]

Since 1988 this club has never endured any sort of sustained period of failure, I mean real failure (not the kind of failure where we just miss the 8). It's just an expectation that Brisbane will make the finals, as if it's a god given right that we do make the finals.

Some people don't really know how to deal with it.

Me, i dont know how to deal with it, and i do not like it one bit hahaha.

 

[McHunt]

This is a guy who off his own bat has talked about loyalty, sticking with the club and wanting to be a Bronco for life. Yet months after making these statements he ***** to our biggest rival after we have developed him to our own detriment. Don't want to be bagged for being disloyal? Don't preach loyalty at every chance.

He owed the club at least another contract now that he is starting to play ok football, what he didn't owe is to go to our rivals at a lower price than we offered.

You can cheerlead players which is your call but I will continue to support my club over entitled players which is my call.

You're within your rights to be the smaller man, but I don't think it's a good look for the club if we all carry on like jilted lovers.

 

[broncos4life]

You're within your rights to be the smaller man, but I don't think it's a good look for the club if we all carry on like jilted lovers.

What we have been doing doesn't work. How does being doormats and wishing guys like Fifita and Coates luck change anything? They won't come back because of it or they won't feel bad, they don't care. This generation firmly believe they can do whatever they want without consequences. They have been raised to believe that all you have to do is what makes you feel best without considering anyone else and no-one should be able to say anything bad to you about that. I am sick off being at Suncorp and seeing disloyal ***** be cheered on the field and supported without condition.

Will me be booing him when he runs out or his name is called in the pregame make him feel bad? Probably not because he is an entitled brat. Does he feel guilty at all after the club has developed him to the player he is today and leaving his team behind? Of course not. But will it make me feel a little better? probably so who gives a ****.

 

[BRONXFAN]

Rumours circling are we are targeting Reynolds, Johnson and Gagai.
Capewell and Sua Rumours were strong for a while but have seemed to drop a little anyone know if they still in the plans

 

[Jedhead]

What we have been doing doesn't work. How does being doormats and wishing guys like Fifita and Coates luck change anything? They won't come back because of it or they won't feel bad, they don't care. This generation firmly believe they can do whatever they want without consequences. They have been raised to believe that all you have to do is what makes you feel best without considering anyone else and no-one should be able to say anything bad to you about that. I am sick off being at Suncorp and seeing disloyal ***** be cheered on the field and supported without condition.

Will me be booing him when he runs out or his name is called in the pregame make him feel bad? Probably not because he is an entitled brat. Does he feel guilty at all after the club has developed him to the player he is today and leaving his team behind? Of course not. But will it make me feel a little better? probably so who gives a ****.

I see your point. It's hard to shell out your hard earned coin to SUPPORT your team when elements of that team have been angling in the background to get out of the mess (that they were in part responsible for) while openly declaring they were doing everything in their power to turn the mess around and therefore to stick by them.

Being taken for a fool by such disingenuous statements by players who know they are already leaving should never be tolerated. This has nothing to do with 'being the better or bigger man'.

If he had been upfront from the start he would have still copped flak, but it would have removed the right of Broncos supporters to claim he had let them down. Plain and simple Coates and his manager were duplicitous and Bronco supporters paying money to support them have every right to feel aggrieved and disillusioned.

 

[Tmac]

You're within your rights to be the smaller man, but I don't think it's a good look for the club if we all carry on like jilted lovers.

You make some reasonable points but attacking guys with a different view might also be described as 'smaller man' stuff. Some of points made by those unhappy with Coates are also valid. Coates is entitled to make his decision but fans are equally entitled not to be happy with a player who has effectively ditched the club and its fans.

 

[McHunt]

What we have been doing doesn't work. How does being doormats and wishing guys like Fifita and Coates luck change anything? They won't come back because of it or they won't feel bad, they don't care. This generation firmly believe they can do whatever they want without consequences. They have been raised to believe that all you have to do is what makes you feel best without considering anyone else and no-one should be able to say anything bad to you about that. I am sick off being at Suncorp and seeing disloyal ***** be cheered on the field and supported without condition.

Will me be booing him when he runs out or his name is called in the pregame make him feel bad? Probably not because he is an entitled brat. Does he feel guilty at all after the club has developed him to the player he is today and leaving his team behind? Of course not. But will it make me feel a little better? probably so who gives a ****.

The irony in calling him an entitled brat. He owes you nothing.