Blacklock wants out of Rugby

[Willow]

Blacklock Wants Out Of Rugby
from League Unlimited
St George look set to renew their relationship with prodigal son Nathan Blacklock after Blacklock admitted he had met with Dragons coach Nathan Brown early last week to ask about a possible return to Rugby League.
Blacklock only played twenty minutes for the Waratah's in last night’s victory over the Crusaders at Aussie Stadium and is simply not interested in the 15-man game. You can hardly blame him. In league, Blacklock had a roving commission and his feats were nothing short of spectacular and many spring to mind. His chip and chase against the Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval a couple of season back to win the Dragons the game right at the death was vintage Blacklock and putting it simply, his talents are wasted in Rugby and his opportunities are very few and far between.
Blacklock was the leading tryscorer in the NRL from 1999-2001 and has scored 117 tries in his time at the Dragons and considering the Dragons average start to the year and their lack of quality outside backs, coach Nathan Brown and CEO Peter Doust will be doing all they can to ensure Blacklock is back in the red V as soon as possible.
The news of Blacklock’s ambivalence towards Rugby is a huge slap in the face and the rumours persist that both Wendell Sailor and Lote Tuqiri will return to league once their ARU contracts expire leaving Mat Rogers as the only high profile league signing happy with his surroundings.
Shocked and angry Waratah's coach Bob Dwyer dismissed the talk of Blacklock returning to league and said Blacklock would rather stay in union and is “easily disappointed” after having missed selection in the starting side for last night’s match
Bob Dwyer said: “ I seriously doubt he wants to go back. He gets disappointed easily and that is something he has to overcome. He has to learn to deal with things.”
Dwyer seems to be out in the cold as Doust has already spoken with NRL CEO David Gallop about ways of getting Nathan back to league suggesting Blacklock’s move was more calculated than Dwyer has thought and the chain of events to date confirm Blacklock’s desire to get back to league.
Dragon fans should be dancing in the streets but if the Dragons do manage to get Blacklock back in a Dragons jersey, what will be the cost? There have been suggestions that Nathan Brown will look at cutting some of the younger players in an effort to get the Dragons below the cap but that is yet to be confirmed.

 

[imported_eels fan...]

There was a thread we discussed this inbefore he admitted he was jumping ship. Blacklockwas always quick todeny when the questions of if any truth was in the rumours. Then he showed himself to be a liar.
Now he's finally realized that he wont get into the World Cup as there is to much talent in front of him so he plans on picking up his bat & ball & going home? Nice score for the Drag-ins but you have to question his committment.

And is "easily disappointed" just a nice way of saying he's a sook?

 

[legend]

Good point Eels Fanbut the only thing that concerns me about Blacklock's return is the future of some of the younger players who could be sacrificed by Nathan Brown to make way for Blacklock. Saints have some good youngsters and it's fair to say they could be without a club shortly.

I said on the Dragons forum that you shouldnever coach guys you have played with. It compromises your objectivity but it's all speculation at the moment so we will have to wait and see what pans out.

 

[Willow]

Well actually eels fan.. there's a little more to it than that.
The lead up to Blacklock's departure had a dozen twists and turns in it.

It looks like the story has some merit and hopefully its true. Tingha is such a tremendous player and crowd pleaser that I'd have him back in a moment.

 

[roostergirl]

A definite bonus in publicising the merits of our game vs Yawnion. How long 'til Lote, Wendo & Rogers follow too???

Can the Dragons fit Blacklock in to their squad?

 

[El Duque]

Whatever happens under no circumstances should there be any salary cap concessions to fit him under the Dragins cap if they can't fit him in.

He walked out on League and does not warrant any favours.

 

[imported_realraul]

It compromises your objectivity

what are you on about legend. we're talking about one of the best wingers in the game and you question coach browns' motives for chasing blacklock.

i don't know what to make of your alan jones type spiel about the young kids.

 

[legend]

RealRaul, it was actually mentioned in the Sunday Telegraph that Brown was looking at culling some of his youngsters to make room for Blacklock. I have no problem with Brown chasing Blacklock but to me it seems unfair that some of the youngsters may get shafted in the process and dare I say, a coach who had not played with Blacklock may have taken a different approach. Your spin on what I said is complete crap.

Like El said, it was Blacklock that walked out on the club.

 

[imported_realraul]

nothing in life is fair. the object of the game is to win and if sacrifices have to be made, so be it. i'm sure coach brown isn't going to cut any players he sees having a future with the club. the saints don't have a competent finisher or gamebreaker and blacklock will fix this problem straight away.

and sorry el duque, if blacklock comes back the saints should be eligible for any concessions allowed for buying a union player.

 

[El Duque]

f**k off they should!

The only concessions clubs can get for Union signings is $50,000 if the players are under 21 or something.

If your player turns traitor on League then decides to return why the f**k should you get benefits?

Blacklock is a crybaby traitor. f**k him!

 

[Jedda_B]

Couldn't have said it better myself El Duque!

He'll be expecting to walk into a NSW jersey next as well.

He made his choice, now he should stick by it and at least finish out the season in Union.

 

[Willow]

El Duque... and Jedda too... you need to get a hold of yourself here.

Firstly, no one from the NRL or St George are saying anything about concessions are they? Nor is there talk of him 'walking into aNSW jersey'.
El, You're right about the RU concession only being for younger players and I should imagine that the club is well aware of this as well.

"Blacklock is a crybaby traitor. f**k him!"
Was it allright for Ray Price to walk out on Union and join League..? Did that make hima traitor?
Youre welcome to your opinion but if Blacklock wants to return to League and a club is willing to sign him, do you think anyone is really going to care that he played Union? On the contrary, it could be viewed as coup for the NRL and open the door for others to return.

Legend, while its very touching to hear of your concerns about the goings on within St George, I dont think its timely to speculate as to which players will be invited to look elsewhere IF Blacklock comes back on board.

Nevertheless, players come and go all the time and there's nothing new about player movements like this. There's more than one player who won't be missed.

Having said that, I'm all for getting ahead of ourselves and I'm willing to speculate that Tingha won't be after a big salary. He went cheap to RU and will most likely come back to Saints for a lot less than he was getting before.

 

[legend]

Willow, I'm not speculating, it was in todays Sunday Telegraph.

 

[Broncos-fan-baller]

Here's the article:

<span> <table cellspacing=0 cellpadding=5 width=10 align=right> <tbody> <tr> <td></td></tr></tbody></table><span>Blacklock wants NRL return
</span>IN a move that will send shockwaves through Australian rugby union, league recruit Nathan Blacklock wants to quit the game and return to the Dragons once the Super 12 season is finished.
Blacklock secretly met Dragons coach Nathan Brown in a Cronulla coffee shop last week and told his former team-mate </span><span>he wanted to return to rugby league.
That led to Dragons chief executive Peter Doust organising a meeting with NRL chief executive David Gallop and salary cap auditor Ian Schubert last Thursday to discuss ways of getting the try-scoring freak back to league.
The Dragons have only $6000 to move under the cap.
Last night Brown confirmed he met with Blacklock early last week, and said he was keen to have him back at the Dragons.
"I had lunch with him the other day and he said he was enjoying rugby union but one day he hoped to come back to rugby league," Brown said.
"I passed that message onto Peter Doust telling him that 'Tingha' was keen to play league again. All I'll say is, if he is keen to play rugby league again, we are a good chance of getting him back."
The Sunday Telegraph[/B] has learned the meeting was set up after Blacklock told a friend he wanted to play league. The friend immediately spoke to Brown, who jumped at the possibility of having one of football's great attacking weapons in his arsenal.
Brown refused to divulge whether that would be as early as this season. But a source close to the Dragons said: "We are a very good chance of getting him back after the Super 12s."
Blacklock has conceded to those close to him he has virtually no chance of playing in the World Cup.
It is understood Doust told Gallop that Blacklock's return would be a massive victory for league over union if they were to lure him back to the code only months out from the World Cup. Doust refused to discuss the issue yesterday, but Gallop was open about the meeting. "The Dragons know there can't be any special exemptions or concessions for him (Blacklock), but they've gone away to consider how they can fit him under the cap," Gallop said. "I would welcome such a great player back to the Dragons if it was within the cap. We sat down with Peter and our salary cap auditors in an effort to understand the Dragons' cap position for 2003. "We've worked really hard on the salary cap and players have ended up going to rugby union because we just won't make special dispensations for anyone who gets an approach from union. That is unfair on other clubs and players." Blacklock's manager Shaun Martyn knew his client met Brown for coffee last week, but denied knowing he wanted to return to rugby league. "I don't have any knowledge of a meeting between the Dragons and the NRL and I certainly haven't talked to anybody about Nathan returning to league," Martyn said. "Nathan is happy in union and the only thing he has ever said was that he would appreciate it if he got a bit more game time rather than coming off the bench." The Sunday Telegraph has learned Brown is looking at ways to shed some of the club's younger players before the June 30 deadline in an effort to find the money required for Blacklock. The winning margin between teams is the narrowest in the six-year history of the NRL. Figures provided by NRL Stats show the average winning margin in 2003 is just 10.8 points – significantly down from last year's average of 16.8. In addition, 15 of the 21 Telstra Premiership games played before this weekend were still up for grabs inside the final 10 minutes. Among the thrillers were Penrith's one-point win over the Roosters last weekend and the amazing last-gasp win by Brisbane over Souths a fortnight ago. Just two games have seen a side notch 40 points: Canberra's 46-14 win over North Queensland in round one and Melbourne's 42-16 defeat of Penrith in round two. Over the same period in 2002 there were five games where a side scored 40 or more points, including two half-centuries. Despite running last, winless Souths have lost their three games by margins of eight, two and seven points. Hardly hammerings. </SPAN>

 

[Willow]

So the Telegraph is speculating... lol... well, that makes it better.

My point was that players being shown the door is nothing new and as I said, there are a few who won't be missed.

If something can be sorted out, I think it'll be good for League if Blacklock comes back.
But Union wont be keen to let him go so its all still a big IF.

 

[legend]

Lol, does that mean I am off the hook now Willow?Doesn't look like speculation to me but we'll see waht pans out.

I have to agree with El again, there should be no exemption for Blacklock. He walked out on the club and regardless of his reputation, he does not fit the criteria i.e under 21. This should be a deal between Saints and Blacklock and whatever he earns should count towards the cap.

And before I go Willow, it's obvious the Dragons are looking for that exemption from the NRL. Why elsewould Doust need to speak with Gallop about Blacklock's situation?

Call it a pre-meptive assumption but I have a feeling that you will raise this issue so I thought i'd get in first.

 

This message has been deleted by the manager or assistant manager.

 

[Willow]

"The Dragons know there can't be any special exemptions or concessions for him (Blacklock), but they've gone away to consider how they can fit him under the cap," Gallop said.

and...

The Sunday Telegraph has learned Brown is looking at ways to shed some of the club's younger players before the June 30 deadline in an effort to find the money required for Blacklock.

If we are to assume that the Telegraph is half right then it doesnt sound like any cap exeptions are going on.

 

[Edwahu]

If Blacklock doesnt return untill the end of the super 12 season then wont he get paid around 100k by the Warratahs for playing this year? Otherwise he could always get on a incentive contract, the kind that netted Mullins 100 grand last season at the Roosters.

I also think Union should let him go. He made a bad decision at a bad time in his life and Dwyer should cop it on the chin and do something for the player, the same way the Dragons did when the released Blacklock to leave in the first place.

 

[Willow]

Dwyer tells Blacklock: forget it
April 6, 2003
NSW rugby coach Bob Dwyer has told wayward winger Nathan Blacklock to forget about returning to rugby league any time soon because he won't be released from his Waratahs contract.
A disgruntled Blacklock has declared he wants to leave rugby union at the end of the Super 12 season and return to playing in the National Rugby League (NRL) with St George Illawarra.
The former NRL leading try-scorer quit that club last June, signing a two-year deal with the Waratahs on a standard Super 12 salary of just over $100,000 a season.
"If I could go back to the Dragons tomorrow I would," Blacklock told the Sunday Telegraph.
"I'm a Dragon through and through and I'm a rugby league player through and through.
"I'm not concerned about money or anything like that, it's all about being happy and what makes me happy is playing league and feeling like I'm wanted."
But Dwyer, who was instrumental in signing the 26-year-old, was firm about his future and said Blacklock needed to learn to cope with disappointment.
"He will stay," Dwyer said today.
"He doesn't have any options, he just needs to learn to tough it out no matter where he is."
Blacklock avoided the media at the Waratahs' recovery session today but it's believed he became disillusioned after he was overlooked for a starting jersey in last night's Super 12 clash with the Crusaders following an injury to fullback Mat Rogers.
He met Dragons coach Nathan Brown and told his former teammate he wanted to return to league.
Dragons chief executive Peter Doust then reportedly organised a meeting with NRL chief executive David Gallop and salary cap auditor Ian Schubert to discuss ways of getting him back, because the club was within $6000 of the cap.
Less than a month ago, after scoring a brilliant individual try after coming off the bench, Blacklock spoke of his satisfaction with the code switch.
"He's a bloke that seems to get very easily disappointed," Dwyer said.
"He dropped a ball that was quite crucial last week and started the week very down so he's just got to get up again."
Dwyer only found out about Blacklock's intentions late last night, after the Waratahs thrilling 34-31 win over the Crusaders at Aussie Stadium.
Blacklock came on with 16 minutes remaining in the match.
Dwyer said they had a brief conversation, and he told him he would not be released.
"He just said OK, and I said, `Do you understand that?', and he said yes."
The pair will meet tomorrow to further discuss the situation, however Dwyer said the matter was all but closed.
"As far as I'm concerned it doesn't mean anything, I'm not concerned about it.
"It didn't upset the night at all, it didn't have anything to do with it and it doesn't have anything to do with the immediate future so I'm not the slightest bit worried about it."
AAP

<hr> Looks like the wheel still has a few more turns to go. The NSWRU have to make the final decison. In any case, it looks unlikely that Dwyer will be giving Tingha much of a look in for the Super 12s now.