2015 Team

[Rod]

Imagine the fan reaction if we'd lost Aku to another club when he signed that contract haha.

 

[aqua_duck]

Um, the fact that he was our best player and only good thing we had going for us when he signed that contract would have had a lot to do with it. People really forget just how dynamic he was at his best.

There's no way he'd be offered a contract like that on current form, but at the time he certainly deserved it. Just a shame he let himself get lazy, overweight and lose his speed after he signed it.

He only signed the contract at the beginning of last year, this was after he'd lost all his rep jerseys the previous season. It was horrendous business on our part, borderline negligent. To be honest his form drop began about half way into 2012, whilst he was still quite dynamic he wasn't as dynamic as the previous 2 seasons and at the same time his defensive deficiencies were really coming to the fore.
The scary thing is if he didn't have that drop in form at the backend of 2012, his much would we have payed him?

 

[aqua_duck]

Even at his best I don't think Uate is worth $500k, I don't think any winger is. The top teams have realised that wingers are dime a dozen these days. Look at the top 4 teams of the past few years, Manly, Roosters, Melbourne and Souths. These are their starting wingers
Sisa Waqa-plucked from Newtown Jets in NSW cup
Marika Koroibete-unwanted by the tigers
Daniel Tupou-Parra reject
RTS-youngster
Alex Johnston-rookie
Lote Tuqiri-minimum wage veteran
Jorge Taufua-Parra reject
Peta Hiku-warriors reject
The wing is the easiest position to find a diamond in the rough

 

[Noname36]

He signed that contract at the beginning of the year after he won his third consecutive Dally M award.

No he wouldn't get a contract like that at other clubs, but other most other clubs also have the luxury of a few superstars that would demand that money first. Where for us he was the only good thing we had going for us for 2-3 seasons. Most of our tries came from nothing but pure Aku brilliance or Doogs setting Aku up to do something brilliant.

His position is irrelevant. Bottom line, your best and most influential player should be your highest earner...regardless of whether they're a half, prop or winger.

What were we gonna do? Let our best player and and gate turner go off to Union? Gimme a break. It's easy for everyone to sit back now and say they knew this was gonna happen, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. At the time we had no idea his form was going to fall as far as it did. We also had no way of knowing that Sione, Chanel and Mamo were gonna come on the way they did and make us not need Aku anymore.

 

[aqua_duck]

Dally m awards aren't worth a dime, his decline began 6 months before we offered him his contract hence why he fell out of rep contention

 

[aqua_duck]

Also it's ridiculous to say position is irrelevant because it's not, name me a team that's won a premiership or even gone far into the finals on the back of a winger. The top teams have clearly shown that wingers are easy to find, we have about $800k invested in our wingers other teams have $300-400 max.

 

[Joker's Wild]

Just curious Aqua, but did you voice this opinion when Aku was offered this contract back in 2012?

Not trying to bust your balls but its easy to say in hindsight

 

[Noname36]

Also it's ridiculous to say position is irrelevant because it's not, name me a team that's won a premiership or even gone far into the finals on the back of a winger. The top teams have clearly shown that wingers are easy to find, we have about $800k invested in our wingers other teams have $300-400 max.

Name me one game we would have won in 2010-2012 if it weren't for Aku. Save for the couple of games a year during that period where Mullo was on.

No, the top sides wouldn't fork that much out for a winger. But guess what? The reason the top sides are the top sides is because they have quality players throughout most of their squad. You don't need to pay that much for wingers when you have a superstar spine and forward pack...both of which we've never had during Aku's time.

If he was the reason we were winning games then he should be paid accordingly, regardless of whatever number he has on his back. It's not his fault we had no other game plan in attack during that time than "give the ball to Aku" like an under 8 side.

 

[aqua_duck]

I didn't comment on the threads as it turned out to be more of a troll feat than anything else but I remember the game where manly demolished us 32-0 at Brooky and it really concerned me how bad Aku played, I remember the Watmough try as the worst piece of defensive cover work I'd ever seen

 

[aqua_duck]

Name me one game we would have won in 2010-2012 if it weren't for Aku. Save for the couple of games a year during that period where Mullo was on.

No, the top sides wouldn't fork that much out for a winger. But guess what? The reason the top sides are the top sides is because they have quality players throughout most of their squad. You don't need to pay that much for wingers when you have a superstar spine and forward pack...both of which we've never had during Aku's time.

If he was the reason we were winning games then he should be paid accordingly, regardless of whatever number he has on his back. It's not his fault we had no other game plan in attack during that time than "give the ball to Aku" like an under 8 side.

So you're saying we should look at what the top sides are doing and do the total opposite? Makes sense. When we re-signed Aku we still had financial security of Tinkler, we still had Bennett around to attract player, we weren't so desperate we had to pay overs to keep a winger who was DROPPED from all rep teams only a few months earlier.
People got blinded by how many tries he scored and ignored how many tries he conceded, in fact only a few weeks before we re-signed him he had out in an utterly embarrassing display against Manly.

 

[aqua_duck]

Anyways we can argue with hindsight or whatever but the fact of the matter is we invested a large percentage of our salary cap into a player who has turned out to be a horrendous investment.

 

[Whats Doing]

Anyways we can argue with hindsight or whatever but the fact of the matter is we invested a large percentage of our salary cap into a player who has turned out to be a horrendous investment.

We invested in a coach with the same result

 

[Noname36]

Anyways we can argue with hindsight or whatever but the fact of the matter is we invested a large percentage of our salary cap into a player who has turned out to be a horrendous investment.

Nobody is arguing that. However the point remains that I don't think anyone (including whoever negotiated that contract) could have predicted how far his form would fall and how much of a horrendous investment he would be. I just find the continued harping about it ridiculous when nobody could have predicted the outcome without a crystal ball.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X91Lg1fj0XQ

By the way that above was Aku at the backend of 2012 (i.e. his last string of football before he was offered that contract). Hardly visions of a player that was screaming bad investment.

 

[Noname36]

So you're saying we should look at what the top sides are doing and do the total opposite? Makes sense. When we re-signed Aku we still had financial security of Tinkler, we still had Bennett around to attract player, we weren't so desperate we had to pay overs to keep a winger who was DROPPED from all rep teams only a few months earlier.
People got blinded by how many tries he scored and ignored how many tries he conceded, in fact only a few weeks before we re-signed him he had out in an utterly embarrassing display against Manly.

That's not what I'm saying at all. We couldn't attract a decent player unless they were one of Bennett's boys. At the end of the day nobody wants to play in Newcastle, especially stars. We had some very decent players, yes, but did we have a superstar game changer? No way. Did we have another player that could win us games off the back of his own efforts as regularly as Aku had? Nope.

So we had two options:

1. Give our best player, the closest thing we had to a "star" and fan favourite a pay rise so he'd stay.

or...

2. Let him run off the Union like his mate Vuna was telling him to, probably lose fans (particularly kids that love him) and still not be able to use that money to sign anyone worth more to the club than Aku anyway because no superstars want to play in Newcastle unless they were born there.

Looking back and knowing where he's ended up (and knowing we had Sione, Mamo and Chanel coming through in 2014) sure, we'd go with option 2...but at the time the club's only option was the first one.

 

[Nuffy]

Nobody is arguing that. However the point remains that I don't think anyone (including whoever negotiated that contract) could have predicted how far his form would fall and how much of a horrendous investment he would be. I just find the continued harping about it ridiculous when nobody could have predicted the outcome without a crystal ball.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X91Lg1fj0XQ

By the way that above was Aku at the backend of 2012 (i.e. his last string of football before he was offered that contract). Hardly visions of a player that was screaming bad investment.

Seriously, where has that player gone. He looks 10kgs heavier this year and half as nimble.

There is project number one for Stone, flog Aku over the offseason and get him fit and fast again.

 

[Newie is God's Country]

what about the Japanese Rugby offer? Was that even real?

 

[Apey]

Dat tackle on Thurston at 6:20. He'd arm grab at that these days.

 

[Knight Vision]

Nobody is arguing that. However the point remains that I don't think anyone (including whoever negotiated that contract) could have predicted how far his form would fall and how much of a horrendous investment he would be. I just find the continued harping about it ridiculous when nobody could have predicted the outcome without a crystal ball.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X91Lg1fj0XQ

By the way that above was Aku at the backend of 2012 (i.e. his last string of football before he was offered that contract). Hardly visions of a player that was screaming bad investment.

A more pessimistic bunch would be hard to find. " The thriller" is as Newcastle as anyone to pull on the jersey and I wouldnt swap him for any winger in the world. On his day he is lethal , he just needs a different coach. He isnt a Bennett ball player. And at risk of stating the obvious I would say as is most of our roster

 

[aqua_duck]

I can put his lack of tries down to Bennett but certain things are down to him and him alone, his hands are just horrendous and so is his defence, people can put highlights of his attack all they want but his defence and work under the high ball were exposed before we negotiated the contract, it's the reason why he lost all his rep jumpers yet people ignore that and these areas of his game have arguably gotten even worse

 

[Joker's Wild]

His handling in recent times has been poor but his skills under the high ball have most certainly improved. His knee has been shit for a while and most certainly effecting his game