Blacklock wants out of Rugby

[imported_realraul]

el duque

what's your obsession with paul green ?

it was just a throw away line used with the intent of irritating you and it seems to have had that effect.

let it go.

 

[Willow]

St George Illawarra Dragons have not had any official talks with current NSW Waratahs rugby union player Nathan Blacklock, who has expressed interested in returning to the club.
Dragons Chief Executive Peter Doust said Blacklock had spoken informally with coach Nathan Brown and himself about the possibility, but there were a lot of issues to be addressed.
“We would be interested in speaking with him if the opportunity was there for him to come back,” Doust said. “He always said he would only be a Dragon if he played rugby league but there are a lot of issues to be addressed.
“The primary issue is his relationship with the Waratahs and his responsibility to them. Until the Waratahs reach a view on their position we have nothing further to say about it.”

League Unlimited

 

[Willow]

<span>Blacklock dropped </span>
<span>April 7, 2003</span>
NATHAN Blacklock's ups and downs have continued after he was omitted from the NSW Waratahs Super 12 rugby squad to face the Hurricanes in Wellington on Friday night.
NSW coach Bob Dwyer said Blacklock's exclusion from the 23-man travelling party had nothing to do with his weekend declaration that he wanted to return to rugby league. ... Meanwhile Blacklock reaffirmed his commitment to the Waratahs until at least the end of the Super 12 season. <a target=_top href="http://foxsports.news.com.au">Foxsports
</a>

 

[Willow]

OK... sorry to keep harping on but this Dwyer character is really starting to give me the shits.

He's saying that Blacklock needs to learn how to cope with dissapointment... how condenscending is that?
Since when did this dickhead corner the market on what people think? Typical friggin Union approach. 'You don't like it? Then shut up and sit in the corner... disobey and and I'll stuff you up'

When Blacklock left Saints, they gave him a number of options which included an extended holiday. He just wanted out, so they let him go. The reasoning being that no one has the right to stand in anyone's way. Moreover, no one wants unhappy player in the team.

Clearly, this is not the approach of the NSWRU.
Blacklock asked for a release and Dwyer said no way.

Apparently the matter will be resolved one way or the other in the next few days. There's a possibility that the NSWRU will let Blacklock go but the liklihood is that he will see out out his Union contract (on the outer) before re-signing with Saints and will probably play out his career in the Red V.

 

[imported_Hazy]

Without wanting to get too involved in the rights and wrongs of this situation, I think someone (namely Bob Dwyer) should tell Nathan a few facts of life.

Mainly - you cant go changing your mind every five minutes just because things arent working out.

Regardless of the union/league debate the best thing Bob Dwyer can do at the moment is keep Blacklock in rugby.

Blacklock will have to learn to live with dissapointment in the restof his life, taking the easy way out and letting him leave the 'Tahs at the moment will be doing a young man a great disservice.

 

[Willow]

Hazy, Blacklock isnt a child...regardless of what Dwyer or the NSWRU thinks.
This crap about Blacklock having to 'learn the facts of life' reeks of someone trying to control someone else.

"Blacklock will have to learn to live with dissapointment in the restof his life"
If someone said that to me or just about anyone I know, they'd be told to f*ck off. You make it sound like he is 10 years old.

"...taking the easy way out and letting him leave the 'Tahs at the moment will be doing a young man a great disservice."
Amongst a list of condescending attitudes that just about sums it up.

Dont get me wrong... all indications are that Blacklock will be staying with Union for this year at least and thats all well and good... but dont kid yourself....
This business of restraining Blacklock for 'his own good' is a complete load of garbage.

The reason why the NSWRU are tellingTingha to stay put is because they can do without the embarrassment of a player returning to League.

 

[imported_midas]

Rugby League has not done itself any favours over the years by allowing players and coaches to break contracts almost at will.Whetherb it be Smith,Reddy,whoever,it seems to me that the sort of person who doesn,t honour his obligations can,t be counted on when the chips are really down.
Blacklock has had one bad game and immediately wants to go back to League-well fine,but the NSWRU are not,as you put it ,Willow,standing in his way-they are insisting on their legal rights.
If you want to get out of a contract you have to negotiate your way out of it or buy your way out of it-not walk out on it.
Interesting the club that insisted on Tallis sitting out a year (and rightly so) didn,t apply the same rules to others.

 

This message has been deleted by the author.

 

[Willow]

"Blacklock has had one bad game and immediately wants to go back to League"
No ... more rubbish. You're falling for the Bob Dwyer line there. Blacklock has been indicating that he wants to return to League since October of last year. Its not because of one game or even 'one dropped ball' as the Dwyer-the-bullshit-artist puts it.

"If you want to get out of a contract you have to negotiate your way out of it or buy your way out of it-not walk out on it."
Now funny you should mention that because Blacklock has simply asked forto be released from his contract. How do you know that he is 'walking out'?
My understanding is that St George are going to meet with the NSWRU and try to buy out his contract. But they don't hold out much hope and Blacklock has said that he will play out his contract with the Waratahs. So where did you get your information that Blacklock is doing a runner? Or did you just make it up?

"Interesting the club that insisted on Tallis sitting out a year (and rightly so) didn,t apply the same rules to others."
Once again, you dont know this. Have you read what the club said? Apparently not.
In case you missed it, I'll say it again (From the club media release): 'The primary issue is his relationship with the Waratahs and his responsibility to them. '

Tallis, for your information, DID walk out on his contract. St George didnt accept the Broncos offer to buy out his contract and Tallis chose to sit out the season in Brisbane. Saints are not advising Blacklock to dishonour any agreement that he has has with the Waratahs. The Broncos aided and abetted Tallis in dishonouring his agreement with Saints.

The whole Blacklock issue has been blown out of proportion. Contracts are bought and sold in every sport and in every industry. Happens all the time. I wonder why its OK for some but Blacklock is accused of, dare I say, 'going walkabout'. It puzzling that hewants to leave Union and this in some way makes him disloyal and according to some, he should be 'taught a lesson'...

 

[imported_midas]

Well,someone,s misinformed then.2 weeks ago Blacklock was supposedly blissfully happy with RU so the turnaround has only come in the last 2 weeks.
Also St george have stated that they only have a very small amount of money ($20 k was the figure mentioned) left under the cap so buying out his contract is out of the question ,so who made that up?
I don,t see How you arrive at the conclusion that Dwyer is a bullshit artist.There,s nothing in the quotes and interviews I,ve seen to lead me to that conclusion anymore than to conclude that Brown,Blacklock and Doust are bullshit artists.
The point of this whole discussion (the parts that aren,t made up)is that the NSWRU have an agreement in place for which they are entitled to full payment as they have obviously honoured their end of the deal.

 

[Cronulla_Mania]

I find Dwyers approach quite condescending as well

But Blacklock should know that when he signs a contract, he is legally obligated to fulfill it. The NSWRU still probably sees a lot of value in him, he scored a try 2-3 wks ago that had everyone talking. The NSWRU would be within their rights to hold him to the contract, it just depends on their attitude. I think either way, the NSWRU will come off looking bad, with guys such as Jenkins and Dwyer already trying to twist the story. Fact is, Blacklock has spoke out against the game and he has pissed off a lot of pople in the process!

RU is having a poor year thus far. No FTA coverage, im pretty sure the head honchos at NSWRU HQ are a bit peturbed at the moment

Cheers,
Moffo

 

[imported_Tonyp]

From a PR perspective, if the ARU doesn't allow Nathan to go with a good grace, this story won't go away.
Week after week, the press will be able to write and rewrite the story of someone who was lured to by the fruity tassles of Union, only to realise he'd given up the better game.
I feel for Nathan. It's as if he has to make it hard for himself in order to perform. Whatever the code, I hope he gets to play at a level that brings out the best in him.

 

[Johnsy]

The saddest thing about this whole debacle is that theNSWRU are using him as a pawn in their little struggle with league. I can say one thing at least the dragons look after the players best interests. Why have a player at a club who does not want to be there.

Johnsy

 

[imported_E_A__]

Yes, making Tallis sit out a year of his contract really looked after him.

 

[kram]

Everlovin' Antichrist...do you know anything about the Tallis incident? If so, then that was a stupid comment (although you would already know that if you knew what actually happened).

 

[imported_midas]

Look after their players?
When Blacklock walked away from the game (not to go to RU-that came later ),one of the reasons he gave was that he "wanted some respect"
As St george was the only club he had played senior football with and the club to whom he was contractually bound-would it not be logical to assume that,s where he would gain respect?

 

[imported_E_A__]

I've got stupid comments in most threads, why should this one be any different?

Tallis sat a season out rather than play for Saints.... correct?

Could they have let him out of the contract so he could play with the Broncos?

Forget the politics of the time.

I still don't see how it helped him.

 

[Willow]

"Well,someone,s misinformed then.2 weeks ago Blacklock was supposedly blissfully happy with RU so the turnaround has only come in the last 2 weeks."
Yes,someone is misinformed but dont look at me. I've been documenting Blacklocks career for years now. What the papers report two weeks ago or two minutes ago doesnt change the fact that he's been talking to League off and on since last October.

"St george have stated that they only have a very small amount of money ($20 k was the figure mentioned) left under the cap so buying out his contract is out of the question ,so who made that up?"
The figure has ranged from $6000 up. I'm not sure how it all works but I didnt think the purchasing of contracts was part of the salary cap.
I didnt say that you made this part up. I said you made up the part up about Blacklock walking out on his NSWRU contract... at the very least, you're sadly mistaken.

"the NSWRU have an agreement in place for which they are entitled to full payment as they have obviously honoured their end of the deal."
midas, you still don't get it do you? Both Nathan Blacklock and St George are in full agreement with the NSWRU that a contact is binding. Blacklock simply asked for a release (which he is entitled to do) and the NSWRU said no. So unless something can be worked out, Blacklock will see out this year playing Union.
Not Blacklock nor StGeorge are disputing this.

The bloke has done nothing wrong. Get over it.

 

[kram]

I'm a great fan of Tallis and was disappointed to see him leave the Dragons, but Tallis was never 'made' to sit out the'96 seasonby the Dragons. It was his decision to do so, albeit brought onby the ARL and a healthy dose of Phil Gould.

When the Dragons were still deciding on the whole ARL/SL debacle, Tallis was offered no more than $100,000 by the ARL because he was seen as being only a bench player after some advice from the likes of Phil Gould. The other side of the fence offered him five times that amount...so he signed with the Broncos.

He could have played out the season (like Mundine) but he refused to have anything to do with the ARL because of the way he was treated by them...not St George.

I see Blacklock as an entirely different case, which is why he was released from his contract. The ARU won't let him go though.

 

[imported_E_A__]

Fair enough.

So his contract at that time was with the ARL, not the Dragons.