David Fifita Contract Saga

[Big Pete]

So to recap...

On the 7th of July, Fifita phoned Seibold, Lockyer and Paul White to tell them he accepted a $1.1 million contract to join the Gold Coast Titans for a season. The next morning, 8th of July, Fifita had a change of heart and announced his intention to stay at the club. He later phoned Holbrook to inform him of his decision and the Gold Coast came back at him with a $1.25 million deal. Fifita has yet to reject the deal.

At this stage, it appears the Broncos are still in the box seat to retain Fifita but until he officially announces it, the Gold Coast are a chance of getting their man.

Earlier in the week, the Gold Coast signed former Bronco Herman Ese'ese to a contract which fans saw as a concession that the Gold Coast had missed Fifita and tried to soften the blow by announcing Herman ahead of time.

Will he stay with the Broncos? And if so, would the reported $700K be fair money? What's the likelihood we'll see this flair up again in a few months time?

 

[Big Pete]

Personally I think it's a good sign he renegged on the 1.1 million contract, to me it suggests he was persuaded into taking it and after making the decision, had instant regrets and wanted to stick with the club.

700K is nothing to sneeze at and sounds about right. By the old salary cap, that was $280,000 which sounds fair for an Origin forward with a ton of up-side.

And yeah, it'd be amazing if he signs for the Gold Coast for next season, only to sign a longer deal with another club. It'd expose how big a circus this transfer window is.

 

[Eelectrica]

Titans are more than one player away. Fifita would be doing them a favour rejecting the deal.
Don't see what the Titans get out of signing him for one year.
I know they initially were after a 5 year contract, but it seens that's not happening.

They need to get some quality players looking to make a name for themselves mixed with a few experienced players. Experienced at winning I mean.

We've seen Parra and Newcastle rise, I'm sure the Titans can too. Just not sure blowing the budget on Fafita is the way to do it.

 

[Big Pete]

I tend to agree, the Gold Coast need to learn from Jarryd Hayne and Ash Taylor. You could see the thought process behind the signings but there were so many obvious red flags that it really came as no surprise to see them pan out the way they have. I understand why they made the play because Taylor was on his way back to Brisbane otherwise, but at a certain point you've got to think of your own roster and getting value for money.

With Fifita he's obviously a great talent, but you're throwing a lot of money under the assumption his best footy is infront of him. He could easily turn out like Coen Hess who promised so much early and has struggled to assert himself since.

Personally I find it staggering they're not throwing that kind of coin at Luke Keary. That was the blueprint that made the Gold Coast one of the teams to watch in the first place. They had a marquee half and a marquee prop forward, the rest were built around that.

Holbrook is doing a decent job out there. There's a lot of discussion around the Raiders, Sea Eagles and Broncos around their lists of injuries, but the Gold Coast have had little to no luck. If they can continue to get their balance right with a marquee signing, a few underrated players and a couple of prospects, they could turn this franchise around.

Going big on Fifita or any Bronco at this point is just a recipe for disaster. Of course pick up the odd junior Brisbane can't fit in like Jai Arrow or Tanah Boyd but don't throw ridiculous money at players who haven't proven anything on the big stage.

 

[DeeJ]

At least with Taylor and to a lesser degree Hayne, you could say that those are the players to build a team around.

You can't build a team around an edge backrower, no matter how good he is. And if the idea is to use him to attract other quality players, I doubt there would be enough money left.

I really hope he stays with us, but I couldn't be mad at him for taking up such a big offer.

 

[Big Pete]

It sounds like the Gold Coast got their man.

Terrible loss for the Broncos. It was him along with Payne Haas that were set to lead this club forward. However the price gap was just too big, especially with the state the club is in right now.

The blows just keep on coming for the Broncos.

 

[Nerd]

The Broncos have hopefully learnt their lesson and have stopped throwing big money at unproven players. Fifita has played under 40 games and at only 20 has already had a long term knee injury which on a large body like his isn't good signs for the future. Look good luck to him and the Titans but throwing big money at players that aren't established rep spine players is pretty risky. I'm just happy the Broncos management have stuck by their guns on this one and not got sucked into a bidding war.

 

[GoTheBroncs]

It's fine we didn't match the big offer. But the fact Fifita wasn't willing to stay at the Broncos for the very good offer we gave is a sign of how far this great club has fallen.

 

[axl rose]

Probably the last throw of the dice as far at the Titans franchise goes. How often can they go broke?

 

[blue bags]

somethings are cooking at the TITANS , i can smell it