AFB requests immediate release on compassionate grounds

[Penrose Warrior]

Why did this whole saga need to be publicised, if all it took was a zoom call to convince him to stick it out another year?

Just do it behind closed doors. Who leaked this shit?

It didn't come from the Warriors, he might have told a mate who told a journo.

I reckon this will all go pear shaped and he'll be gone mid season. George and Robinson will talk a big game about how they made him stay and then they compassionately let him go.

That doesn't seem an overly fair viewpoint, given those two guys have just convinced him to stay for another 12 months when he seems adamant he wanted out. I bet he thought he'd get it. So we've done bloody well. I can't remember another time where a player indicated they wanted out, then was talked out of it.

We need time to build a plan around replacing him, which we now have.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Yeah I don’t think we can fault the club here. Their initial no comment press release indicated pretty clearly that the club wasn’t the source of the story, and Cam George has done well to get AFB to agree to a year’s grace. With any luck AFB feels differently in 12 months but if not we’ve got time to sign a gun replacement.
This all seems to have come from the player, likely an illl-thought out brain fart while on tour

 

[Blair]

...and all these grubby club 'spokespeople' from Canterbury and St George saying, 'yeah, he'll fit right in!' All before the player and his current club had a chance to thrash it out.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

...and all these grubby club 'spokespeople' from Canterbury and St George saying, 'yeah, he'll fit right in!' All before the player and his current club had a chance to thrash it out.

Tell Canterbury we’ll swap him for Kikau and The Fox otherwise no deal.

 

[Blair]

Tell Canterbury we’ll swap him for Kikau and The Fox otherwise no deal.

Those dodgy punks, they thought it'd be sweet! 'We're getting AFB! And the Warriors will pay us for the privilege!'

 

[Penrose Warrior]

...and all these grubby club 'spokespeople' from Canterbury and St George saying, 'yeah, he'll fit right in!' All before the player and his current club had a chance to thrash it out.

No surprise with a club that has Gus Gould at the helm...but yeah, I agree. It's such a grotty environment sometimes, very little place for respect or honour. Always about what is best for us.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

Tell Canterbury we’ll swap him for Kikau and The Fox otherwise no deal.

I reckon they’d hire a private jet both ways to get that swap done ASAP !

 

[Matua]

It didn't come from the Warriors, he might have told a mate who told a journo.

That doesn't seem an overly fair viewpoint, given those two guys have just convinced him to stay for another 12 months when he seems adamant he wanted out. I bet he thought he'd get it. So we've done bloody well. I can't remember another time where a player indicated they wanted out, then was talked out of it.

We need time to build a plan around replacing him, which we now have.

The simple fact is he wants to go and forcing him to stay isn't going to get the best out of him. It's only my opinion, but I don't think it will work out and it could serve to destabilise the team (if we were taking the most pessimistic view).

 

[Rich102]

I agree. But something has to be done to stop the contract breaking.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

The simple fact is he wants to go and forcing him to stay isn't going to get the best out of him. It's only my opinion, but I don't think it will work out and it could serve to destabilise the team (if we were taking the most pessimistic view).

Still no reason to bag George and Robinson over it. They didn’t create the situation and sounds like George has managed to improve it somewhat. Certainly a better outcome than “ok see you later and we’ll keep paying half your contract for your new club”.

 

[Rich102]

Surely if he requests a release we don't have to pay his contract once he leaves?

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Surely if he requests a release we don't have to pay his contract once he leaves?

No you’d think not, but somehow we did with Lodge at the chooks

 

[Matua]

Still no reason to bag George and Robinson over it. They didn’t create the situation and sounds like George has managed to improve it somewhat. Certainly a better outcome than “ok see you later and we’ll keep paying half your contract for your new club”.

I think it's going to go pear shaped so I'm bagging them for the decision. What am I basing that on? Their past record of running the club (I've just listened to the Cam George interview on the Monty podcast which confirms my belief that everything that happened this year was in spite of those two rather than because of them).

Now, I might be fully wrong and AFB might see out the season next year and cause no disruption. Fingers crossed but I'm not hopeful.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

I think it's going to go pear shaped so I'm bagging them for the decision. What am I basing that on? Their past record of running the club (I've just listened to the Cam George interview on the Monty podcast which confirms my belief that everything that happened this year was in spite of those two rather than because of them).

Now, I might be fully wrong and AFB might see out the season next year and cause no disruption. Fingers crossed but I'm not hopeful.

You could well be right that it'll go pear-shaped...but if they let him go, we are royally f**ked. We can't make the eight with a propping rotation of Barnett/Afoa/Ale/whoever. We had to make a play to keep him, and buy time to properly get into the market for replacement(s).

If it does go tits up, it isn't on George and Robinson. It's on AFB for not being a man of his word and his signature. I honestly can't see how you can blame management for a player who can't decide where he wants to live, and wants to cut his second contract in a row. It was a master stroke to sign him, we weren't getting near the top 4 without him. And we were entitled to think he'd see out his contract.

I have also been scathing of our management in the past but I won't hold it against them after a year where a lot has been done right.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

You could well be right that it'll go pear-shaped...but if they let him go, we are royally f**ked. We can't make the eight with a propping rotation of Barnett/Afoa/Ale/whoever. We had to make a play to keep him, and buy time to properly get into the market for replacement(s).

If it does go tits up, it isn't on George and Robinson. It's on AFB for not being a man of his word and his signature. I honestly can't see how you can blame management for a player who can't decide where he wants to live, and wants to cut his second contract in a row. It was a master stroke to sign him, we weren't getting near the top 4 without him. And we were entitled to think he'd see out his contract.

I have also been scathing of our management in the past but I won't hold it against them after a year where a lot has been done right.

This. Put the boot into management when they screw up. But they’re doing their best on this one, give them a break.