WESTS icons have savaged off-contract Tigers captain Scott Prince for parading around Sydney with Gold Coast officials - calling on Tigers coach Tim Sheens to strip the star halfback of the club captaincy.
In a heavy-handed rebuke aimed at Prince opening negotiations with the Titans prior to the start of season 2006, retired league legends Les Boyd and Tom Raudonikis have branded the Tigers skipper "disloyal". The Saturday Daily Telegraph understands four-time premiership-winning coach Sheens will seriously consider dumping Prince as Tigers leader if he snubs Wests in favour of the Gold Coast.
"I wouldn't let him be captain, I don't even think he's that great a loss, my attitude would be let him go if he wants to go," Boyd said.
"It's not like he's irreplaceable, the bloke has only had one good year on the back of a great performance by his team.
"Realistically the Tigers have made his career so let him take off if he wants to, there's no point keeping someone if they don't want to be there.
"He's shown no loyalty to the club so I'd even look at dropping him from the team and throwing other halfbacks in to see who else is out there. Let him play A-grade."
Kangaroo tourist Prince held negotiations with Gold Coast officials at upmarket Sydney restaurant Kingsleys Steak and Crabhouse in Woolloomooloo last Wednesday.
The Titans have until next Tuesday to table a formal offer to the Tigers halfback, with Prince's manager Steve Robinson pushing for a five-year package with the Gold Coast franchise.
Wests football manager Warren McDonnell will meet Robinson on the same day to present a counter offer from the Tigers. Prince will then have until Friday to make a decision, although Robinson has indicated they may seek a one-week extension.
In a signal of the potential backlash surrounding a Prince decision to depart the Tigers, former Wests and NSW Origin coach Tom Raudonikis warned a switch to the Titans may breed "disharmony" at the premiers.
Raudonikis likened the situation to when retired international hooker Jim Serdaris signed with Manly mid-1995 before finishing the season in reserve grade for Wests.
"Prince has got a year to go right but if he does decide to leave and then his form drops, the coach has got a problem," Raudonikis said.
"If a few things start to go wrong and his mind seems likes it's elsewhere maybe the coach has to think about taking the captaincy off him.
"It looks like he's going to show no loyalty to Wests, which breeds disharmony and unrest.
"It happened when I was coaching in '95 and it leaked out that Jim Serdaris had signed with Manly.
"His mind seemed like it was focused on other things and I had to drop him to reserve grade because he was no use to me."
Wests chief executive Steve Noyce suggested the Tigers were aware of the potential unrest the Prince saga may create.
But the Tigers supremo cited the Melbourne Storm-Manly imbroglio with Matt Orford last season as an example of why the premiers decided to resolve the issue before the season.
"Clearly it's a little bit unusual that your captain is involved in discussions with other clubs before the season," Noyce said.
"But given the situation we thought this was the best way to handle it and try and lay all our cards on the table before the start of the season."
Retired Balmain and Test front row icon Steve Roach was another Tigers legend dumbfounded at Prince's anticipated defection to the Titans.
"I can't believe these blokes looking to make hasty decisions about switching clubs after you've just won a premiership and you could become an icon in the Wests Tigers area," Roach said.
"What do these blokes want? If the game these days is just all about money then leave me out."
