Recruitment and Retention for 2023

[GCRV]

One last word on Mr Ego.. read his interview this morning. No mention of doing what's best for the club, nothing about because of his greed we may lose two of our most promising juniors. It was all me me me.
The man is also deluded "I like the challenge of playing half.. I enjoy leading the players around the field." But Mr Ego you dont do that successfully, Nathan Cleary, Mitch Moses do, Cooper Cronk, Joey Johns and Peter Sterling did.. you dont. By comparison with them you are an organising bumbler...

I agree with all of that except the "greed" part. He is being offered way more money than he should be. Wouldn't you take it?

If I read his lecture about how he didn't play regular first grade until his mid 20s so that should be the case for Sullivan and Sloan as well, I might vomit.

He's a good halfback but far from one of the best. As mentioned on another thread, only the very best of the best get 1mil a year into their mid 30s. Now Hunt can join that very exclusive club. I don't have any bad feelings for Hunt because of it. Not even Griffin for that. If he had his way, Hunt would be on 1.5mil into his mid 30s. I blame Head-Knock Young.

 

[RedVHeartbeat]

Head-Knock

You read the piece by James Graham this morning. Has brain damage from 100 knocks to his noggin. All you guys denigrate one of our club greats but dismiss the fact that every time he went onto the paddock to have his head kicked was for his beloved club. He bled red and white. I dont believe anything has changed in that respect now he is in administration. The man has to juggle factional differences from his fellow board members, a disgruntled dressing room because of his unpopular coach, signing off our recruitment etc. Can not be any easy job.

 

[Eric]

One last word on Mr Ego.. read his interview this morning. No mention of doing what's best for the club, nothing about because of his greed we may lose two of our most promising juniors. It was all me me me.
The man is also deluded "I like the challenge of playing half.. I enjoy leading the players around the field." But Mr Ego you dont do that successfully, Nathan Cleary, Mitch Moses do, Cooper Cronk, Joey Johns and Peter Sterling did.. you dont. By comparison with them you are an organising bumbler...

His ego has gone into orbit over the last year in particular. Some of his ego driven comments are outright cringe-worthy. Once again, a good coach would pull his aside and tell him to STFU.

Anyway, moving on. Apparently we are looking likely to get Liam Martin from Penrith. I find it incredible! He's a good player. All effort and determination but not very talented. Once he gets a little older and/or is placed in a team which isn't going so well, his form will go off a cliff. So it makes sense that Head-Knock Young and Griffin would pay big money for him starting from 2024. Unless Penrith don't like his chances of remaining in the NRL team for next year and let him go early. I guess they'll keep him around for one more year because they lose Kikau.

 

[RedVHeartbeat]

Liam Martin or Spencer Leniu. I know who I prefer. Leniu looks like being retained by the premiers so Martin will go onto the market. Looking at his stats and they dont exactly scream 'buy me'. What they do say is pretty much your description, 'all effort and determination, but not very talented'. We can do better. In fact I reckon we have better in one of our own.. young Toby Couchman.

 

[Eric]

You read the piece by James Graham this morning. Has brain damage from 100 knocks to his noggin. All you guys denigrate one of our club greats but dismiss the fact that every time he went onto the paddock to have his head kicked was for his beloved club. he bled red and white. I dont believe anything has changed in that respect now he is in administration. The man has to juggle factional differences from his fellow board members, a disgruntled dressing room because of his unpopilar coach etc. Can not be any easy job.

This is all true but his behavior over the last year is absolutely unacceptable! He should retire! He has the final say on Hunt's almost 1mil a year extension until he's in his mid 30s. It's his job to tell Griffin something to end of: "Tony, I appreciate the relationship you have with him. He might have been a 1 mil a season halfback when he was in his prime and we had no one else to play halfback but now there is no way he's getting more than 750k a season. If you feel strongly about it, you are welcome to resign. Otherwise, this debate is over!"

 

[Eric]

Liam Martin or Spencer Leniu. I know who I prefer. Leniu looks like being retained by the premiers so Martin will go onto the market. Looking at his stats and they dont exactly say "buy me". What they say is pretty much your description, 'all effort and determination, but not very talented'. We can do better. In fact I reckon we have better in one of our own.. young Toby Couchman.

Leniu signing would be a coup. Liam Martin isn't needed.

 

[RedVHeartbeat]

1mil a year extension

Note the exact price has not been released. Last we heard it was 900k inclusive of a $100k third party top up. Still too much but not a mill. Regardless of the money from our apparent frozen salary cap, it is having him for three more years. One was acceptable. If that means three more years of club mediocrity, of not making the finals, of only adding wooden spooner quality to our roster, then FO has made one big mistake.

 

[Chris M]

You read the piece by James Graham this morning. Has brain damage from 100 knocks to his noggin. All you guys denigrate one of our club greats but dismiss the fact that every time he went onto the paddock to have his head kicked was for his beloved club. He bled red and white. I dont believe anything has changed in that respect now he is in administration. The man has to juggle factional differences from his fellow board members, a disgruntled dressing room because of his unpopular coach, signing off our recruitment etc. Can not be any easy job.

I did. When you get into the article I read, a bit of media sensationalism going on. Some damage there worse than one would expect for someone his age but not significantly worse and not particularly rare.

Craig Young is a club legend. Recently he has gone a long way toward ruining his legacy.

 

[Eric]

Note the exact price has not been released. Last we heard it was 900k inclusive of a $100k third party top up. Still too much but not a mill. Regardless of the money from our apparent frozen salary cap, it is having him for three more years. One was acceptable. If that means three more years of club mediocrity, of not making the finals, of only adding wooden spooner quality to our roster, then FO has made one big mistake.

That's true. We may all be being overly harsh. But I still think 750k including 3rd party deals is about right.

 

[Chris M]

Note the exact price has not been released. Last we heard it was 900k inclusive of a $100k third party top up. Still too much but not a mill. Regardless of the money from our apparent frozen salary cap, it is having him for three more years. One was acceptable. If that means three more years of club mediocrity, of not making the finals, of only adding wooden spooner quality to our roster, then FO has made one big mistake.

I read "just shy of 2 mil over 2 seasons".

 

[RedVHeartbeat]

If you feel strongly about it, you are welcome to resign. Otherwise, this debate is over!"

Do we know that was not the conversation. After all Young was the one that knocked back any connection to Hunt resigning with the retention of Griffin. Is still the case as Hunt made clear in his interview. Pity when Young did make that brave call that Hunt did not spit the dummy and quit on the spot. No the lure of more squillions took precedence over his ego on this occasion. You guys are too harsh on Craig Young.

 

[Chris M]

That's true. We may all be being overly harsh. But I still think 750k including 3rd party deals is about right.

750k is about right unless nothing at all was a better option....... When is his birthday? I believe he'll be 34 at the START of the first season of his new deal.

 

[RedVHeartbeat]

"just shy of 2 mil

too much ambiguity.

 

[Chris M]

too much ambiguity.

Very ambiguous but as far as I can see, that's all the info we have.

 

[Morgan]

Note the exact price has not been released. Last we heard it was 900k inclusive of a $100k third party top up. Still too much but not a mill.

If that were the case, it still wouldn't be good but a little more palatable.

 

[RedVHeartbeat]

that's all the info we have.

My point precisely. All very hush hush. I am still spewing over the amount we paid for a bloke in the dusk of his career. Hunt must think he has been handed a charmed life since coming here.

 

[RedV01]

My point precisely. All very hush hush. I am still spewing over the amount we paid for a bloke in the dusk of his career. Hunt must think he has been handed a charmed life since coming here.

All very hush hush indeed. But whatever it was, I agree with this:

750k is about right unless nothing at all was a better option....... When is his birthday? I believe he'll be 34 at the START of the first season of his new deal.

You would think they just don't like Sullivan as a halfback but if that's the case, why didn't they grant him an immediate release?

Some really bizarre stuff going on. Like they don't have any plan and are just signing/extending players here and there without knowing if they are needed.

 

[jodragon40]

As I mentioned previously not only will we re sign Hunt, he will be our cpt and 7 until retirement. Alas my predictions have come true.

 

[Ryan]

Dragons boss Ryan Webb wrote to Dragons members this week confirming that Sullivan and fellow young gun Tyrell Sloan wanted out of the club.

“It is unfortunate that we have had formal release requests from two of our young players in Tyrell Sloan and Jayden Sullivan,” Webb wrote.

“From a club perspective, we do not want to release either of these young men as the club has put years of resources towards the development of them both and see them as playing large roles in our future.

The behavior of Webb, Young and Griffin is outright boorish! Of course they want out. The club royally screwed up by recruiting highly paid but under performing imports in their place. So let them go you fucks! And face the music when they excel elsewhere!

 

[Illusion]

The behavior of Webb, Young and Griffin is outright boorish! Of course they want out. The club royally screwed up by recruiting highly paid but under performing imports in their place. So let them go you fucks! And face the music when they excel elsewhere!

This , exactly say no more ......