Fifita to Sharks

[macnaz]

Why the hell is Heighington, who is one of our most consistent performers and heart and soul of this club, being let go? How the f**k does the club find itself in this position?

And dont get me started on Fifita!

Yep what Phil said ..

 

[Magpie Tragic]

Question, is any of this (Gibbs, Fifita, Hino etc) confirmed or just speculation????

 

[Trollhammaren]

What the F*CK is going on at this club?!

 

[madunit]

Three players we should be keeping and 3 players who I'm sure all signed extension deals til past the next 2 seasons.

Why are we letting them go?

Why not dump the deadwood, keep the consistent performers.

Why dump, Fifita, Gibbs and Hino and sign, well one player. It's a massive backwards step in quality.

 

[DanOz]

Any coincidence that this mass exodus just happens to come on the back of Sheen's contract renewal? Perhaps they were all hanging out for his departure but since the club resigned this mastermind who has taken us to 1 semi final appearance in the last 5 years and thinks people like Lui, Ryan and Fitzhenry can play football, they have seen the writing on the wall and decided to get off the titanic and chase dollars.

 

[hybrid_tiger]

Would any of you honestly pay $300K + for Fifita right now? Seriously?

It is a MASSIVE loss but I will not blame the club on this one.

The place is old and stale and we are trying to reinvigorate the side. This should have happened years ago. We have all our other young guns wrapped up (BMM, Woods, Dwyer, Groat etc.)

 

[DanOz]

Would any of you honestly pay $300K + for Fifita right now? Seriously?

It is a MASSIVE loss but I will not blame the club on this one.

The place is old and stale and we are trying to reinvigorate the side. This should have happened years ago. We have all our other young guns wrapped up (BMM, Woods, Dwyer, Groat etc.)

I am beginning to think you are related to Sheens.

 

[MacDougall]

Would any of you honestly pay $300K + for Fifita right now? Seriously?

It is a MASSIVE loss but I will not blame the club on this one.

The place is old and stale and we are trying to reinvigorate the side. This should have happened years ago. We have all our other young guns wrapped up (BMM, Woods, Dwyer, Groat etc.)

I agree completely here. This is decent movements imo. Fifita is a loss but we shouldn't be matching that deal. Gibbs and Fulton for Blair is fine by me. I assume that Ayshford has been bumped up in salary and taken up what was McKinnon's salary too. Payten, Fifita + perhaps Heighington = one more signing to come at least. If Heighington stays then I'd say we're all done and that's fair. I would be awfully surprised if prodigal son Shannon McDonnell doesn't come back tbh.

 

[madunit]

Of course not, but this has more to do with Sheens chasing Balir, offerring him massive overs and consequently having to offload quality players, so that he can sign a Back rower to play in the front row.

Everything about this situation is not designed to improve the Tigers.

We lose Gibbs, Fulton, Fifita and possibly even Hino and in return we get Blair?

how does that strengthen our side? We finally get some decent depth in the forwards and then we throw it all away.

 

[DanOz]

Losing Heighington is blatant stupidy, Gibbs not far behind, and allowing Fifita to go is well beyond stupidity. Have you watched Blair play this year? Now imagine him in the front row where supercoach will play him.

 

[hybrid_tiger]

I am beginning to think you are related to Sheens.

:lol:

WTF. I have bagged Sheens more than most on here. Can you answer my question?

We are not letting Fifita go to sign Blair. We are letting Gibbs go to sign Blair, and even if we did not sign Blair, we would not match a $300K+ offer to a 21 year old front rower who has played 30 odd games.

Don't get me wrong, it is a big loss, but I don't see what else could have been done?

For years everyone (myself included) complains about our side underperforming, we finally look to sign a big player, probably the best forward in the world, and move some players on and people are up in arms about it. You can't have it both ways. The joint is stale and in need of a revamp. It should have happened years ago.

 

[madunit]

it's crazy, lets assume Gibbs, Fulton, Hino and Fifita are all gone and we sign Blair

8 - Galloway
9 - Farah
10 - Murdoch-Masila
11 - Blair
12 - Dwyer
13 - Ellis

14 - Shirnack
15 - Groat
16 - Woods
17 - Ryan

Dunno about you, but to me thats a less consistent side than what we currently have. And If Farah gets injured at all next year, our go forward will be non-existant.

 

[851]

Payten,Mckinnon,,Flanagan,Fifita,Gibbs and possibly Fulton and Heighington,to get Blair,surely there must be more than Blair coming,we should also expect Moors and Daniela not to get re-signed,we should be letting the 2 Shirnack brothers and Ryan go as well,where are we getting our players from to fill the top 25 next year?

 

[hybrid_tiger]

Losing Heighington is blatant stupidy

Again, I like him but if he was to be moved on I have no complaints. He is a step below rep quality and while he tries hard and would be a loss, it can be covered for.

Gibbs not far behind

Again, I like and have defended him for about 18 months, but he is missing more and more games through injury and does not offer much in attack.

and allowing Fifita to go is well beyond stupidity.

Even more stupid would be paying him over 350K a season.

Have you watched Blair play this year? Now imagine him in the front row where supercoach will play him.

Yes I have, and I have seen him play at prop for NZ with no worries.

We are not signing a dud here, he is one of the best forwards in the world and is a quality, quality player.

People whinge and whinge about a lack of marquee signings, we are signing one of the best forwards in the world and you still complain. Yeah, we are shedding a couple of decent first graders, and are losing a great young player (who's loss has nothing to do with Blair) but you can't keep everyone happy.

 

[BuffaloRules]

Fafita has the potential to play for Australia...

How could you get rid of him, especially after he had already agreed to terms for next year, which I am assuming were not 300K.

 

[BuffaloRules]

Also, come 2013 and the expected rise in the TV deal and salary cap ( possibly to $6.5Mil) , 300K will be cheap for Fafita...

 

[hybrid_tiger]

it's crazy, lets assume Gibbs, Fulton, Hino and Fifita are all gone and we sign Blair

8 - Galloway
9 - Farah
10 - Murdoch-Masila
11 - Blair
12 - Dwyer
13 - Ellis

14 - Shirnack
15 - Groat
16 - Woods
17 - Ryan

Dunno about you, but to me thats a less consistent side than what we currently have. And If Farah gets injured at all next year, our go forward will be non-existant.

There is another signing or two that will be made aside from Blair.

 

[hybrid_tiger]

How could you get rid of him, especially after he had already agreed to terms for next year, which I am assuming were not 300K.

Again, we did not get rid of him. The club did not want him to go, but he has obviously received an offer too good to refuse.

 

[BuffaloRules]

He had already agreed to play with the Tigers next year...

I assume that the Tigers ( Sheens) changed his mind...

I would call that getting rid of him...

 

[hybrid_tiger]

He had already agreed to play with the Tigers next year...

I assume that the Tigers ( Sheens) changed his mind...

I would call that getting rid of him...

He was already negotiating with the club beyond next year (as per the media release about his extension), but they obviously could not match the offer from the Sharks.