Benji Marshall's Manager seeking release from NRL contract

[LESStar58]

Yep. This SBW dog and pony show has certainly set a precedent to a degree.

 

[juro]

Love how the Telegraph have the picture with Benji squinting for their back page. Such a classy newspaper... :roll:

 

[Delboy]

$BW and his management team are such a good look for the code NOT

 

[Godz Illa]

Martin Tauber is only slightly less scummy than Nasser and SBW. If he pulls a Moltzen on a Japan club he might get himself nunchucked

 

[Ladmate]

No way the Tigers are dumb enough to release him, even if he wanted one (I doubt it, Tauber is scum). They aren't going to risk another team picking him up.

 

[Raiderdave]

Really can't see them (NRL) having grounds to turn down requests from other players wanting to do the same as SBW. Everyone will use the precedent rule.

Unless they come out and bluntly say only SBW can do it because he wasn't contracted to the NRL when he signed with Japanese rugby. I guess that's where the " reported release request" would come in from benjis manager or any other player who wanted to do it. Become a free agent sign the deal hope u don't get injured and re-sign back with your club. (Which would be bullshit if it ever happened)

thats why it is different and any attempt at a comparison is a long bow drawn.
SBW is not contracted to an NRL club & playing union in Japan at the same time

you can't be contracted to 2 clubs in 2 different codes at the same time
nice try Benji .... but it will be a no this time , like it was last time.

 

[ozenzud]

This is clearly related to Money Bill and whether Benji genuinely is asking for this or not, is irrelevant. He would have a point if he was pushing for it.

The way organisations bend over backwards for this bloke. I am sick of Money Bill and the bollocks that surrounds him, that I have decided, once I have finished this post, to never read an article related to him, never watch an interview or even watch a game he plays. Total boycott.

And before you say it won't work, well my boycott theory worked for me once already. In the Superleague war year, I refused to watch a single solitary game of footy. Not one. Either ARL or Superleague. I wasn't alone in the end. The ratings crash made the two sides pay attention. If noone watches Money Bill, he won't be worth a cent and we would be rid of the Pr%ck

 

[hahagold]

All the ARLC are concerned about is $$$.

The broadcasting deal was utter rubbish. Yes we have got more money but from a fan's perspective nothing has changed. Their only priority was money and matching the AFL. Taking it in the asss from channel nine.

Now they bend over backwards and cop it from SBW and his management. All because it will bring in more money and ratings. Now looks whats happened...

John Grant really needs to up his game...cos hes utter rubbish.

 

[BunniesMan]

This is the crap (if true) that the NRL has allowed by welcoming SBW back. We're now fine with our biggest stars playing the game on a part time basis. If he wants to go, tell him to f**k off and don't let him come back. Same goes for any other player who wants a big pay day playing hit and giggle in Japan.

 

[carcharias]

isn't hit and giggle golf?

 

[Silent Knight]

Just another grubby player manager trying to boost their commission. And it looks like the Money Bill/Khoder Nasser cancer is starting to spread. It won't end with Marshall.

 

[Titanic]

Gee, that's a tough call. The ARLC are proving to make the right calls after some careful deliberation.

Folau is hardly a priority, except to the Eels/Stuart and the media scrum. He'll be lucky if he's allowed to get a game. Rugby league gets more mileage out of him not signing and he certainly owes a lot of mileage. I'm no fan of Williams but at the very least he paid his dues, Folau hasn't.

And as for Marshall, if Kent hadn't had a good memory then the Japanese thing would never have raised its ugly dial.

 

[Valheru]

Players avoid one-year contracts for a reason. It is a very big risk to sign for one season and pick up an injury that will have a massive impact on your future value. Much more security to be had in signing a contract that goes over a number of seasons.

This is true for most players but the Benji Marshalls of the world are highly sort after. He would have no problem getting a job in the NRL.

This has just added to the epic meltdown by most on LU in the last couple fo days but the fact is there is a lot more money to be earned elsewhere and the NRL needs to address it. The NRL has 3 options:

- Ignore the issue and continue to lose players
- Allow them to all have 8 month contracts and play Japanese rugby in the offseason
- Find a way to increase wages and bring them more in line with other competitions (French and Japanese rugby in particular).

Obviously the 3rd is the preferred option. If we want to be viewed internationally as a top flight competition the wages need to increase.

 

[Hollywood Jesus]

Screw releasing players to play union.

If the players want to earn more money in Japan then the NRL should send someone over there to set up a summer competition.

6 Company Clubs that can sign anyone they want from the NRL, maybe with a limit of a maximum amount of players leaving per NRL team or something?

We'd get a 10 week comp that would give the NRL a bigger paycheck, the players would earn more money, wouldn't switch codes, rugby league would grow internationally (at least in profile), different rules could be trialled etc

 

[Kirky]

I have no problem with a player wanting to earn some coin during the summer, but Benji can never ever complain about there being too many games during the season if he's willing to play continuously year-round.

 

[BunniesMan]

Just another grubby player manager trying to boost their commission. And it looks like the Money Bill/Khoder Nasser cancer is starting to spread. It won't end with Marshall.

I actually completely agree with you. But the cancer is spreading because the NRL are willingly letting it spread.

Rugby League was just fine in the 5 years without SBW and it grew to be bigger than it has ever been. We didn't need him but we wanted him back so badly the NRL agreed to all these ridiculous ultimatums that basically makes a part time league player the highest paid player in an NRL club.

As soon as the NRL let that happen other player managers eyes lit up with dollar signs and now rumour is Benji is next. It's farcical. It's embarrassing. And the NRL should have put a stop to it in the first place.

I don't care how big the star is. I don't care if its SBW or Benji or GI or Thurston. If anyone wants to be a part time NRL player and if anyone has the nerve to be travelling around Japan in 5 star hotels while their teammates are running up and down sand dunes in the middle of summer, they should be banned from the comp.

 

[Valheru]

I actually completely agree with you. But the cancer is spreading because the NRL are willingly letting it spread.

Rugby League was just fine in the 5 years without SBW and it grew to be bigger than it has ever been. We didn't need him but we wanted him back so badly the NRL agreed to all these ridiculous ultimatums that basically makes a part time league player the highest paid player in an NRL club.

As soon as the NRL let that happen other player managers eyes lit up with dollar signs and now rumour is Benji is next. It's farcical. It's embarrassing. And the NRL should have put a stop to it in the first place.

I don't care how big the star is. I don't care if its SBW or Benji or GI or Thurston. If anyone wants to be a part time NRL player and if anyone has the nerve to be travelling around Japan in 5 star hotels while their teammates are running up and down sand dunes in the middle of summer, they should be banned from the comp.

Here we go again, another person calling for player bands.

The NRL has no right to do that. You can?t prevent someone from being employed if an entity (a club) is willing to employ them, that obviously excludes legitimate bans due to cheating, drugs etc. The NRL could also never stop a player from having 8 month contracts their entire career if they chose to and they know it.

What they should do is work on bringing the wages in line with rugby in Japan and you wouldn?t have this problem.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

Used to happen in the old days of "guest" players. Except they were RL players playing in two different comps. And it was semi pro. Although Joey and Adrian Morley did it more recently by playing the SL finals. Shame we don't have a pro northern hemishpere comp that NRL players could go to on a "guest" basis these days. There's only the French comp and it is part-time.

 

[Delboy]

Gee, that's a tough call. The ARLC are proving to make the right calls after some careful deliberation.

Folau is hardly a priority, except to the Eels/Stuart and the media scrum. He'll be lucky if he's allowed to get a game. Rugby league gets more mileage out of him not signing and he certainly owes a lot of mileage. I'm no fan of Williams but at the very least he paid his dues, Folau hasn't.

And as for Marshall, if Kent hadn't had a good memory then the Japanese thing would never have raised its ugly dial.

WTF , did Folau walk out on a contract and bag the you know what out of his old club, give me a break. $BW is a great athlete, but if you dont thinkm that the game can make mileage in Western Sydney by the Eels signing Folau, then you are sadly mistaken. I still cant believe you made that comment

 

[carcharias]

I'm off to the TAB to put a snappy hunge on the tigers for the spoon.