I agree, Tedesco has been in first grade since 2012, never played finals football, has shied away from being a leader of a young team to join an "established star" team. If he was a "superstar" he would of played finals by now, even if the tigers didn't have a good team. I reckon he is only "brilliant" and "magical" in the eyes of the commentators because he is the superstar of the tigers team. Put him in at the roosters, and you will see he won't be that good. To me, until you played finals footy, until you have won a grand final, and proved yourself week in and week out over the grind of NRL footy (not 3 games with 3 week gaps SOO), then you haven't proven nothing.
In my opinion, the game of rugby league is played by everyday people, the problem is the media hype up the people they want to label "superstars". There is no doubt some players are good, but they are not "superstars" or worth $1 mil a season. Tedesco is worth nowhere near a $1 mil. He has been out for 2 full seasons since 2012 with knee reco's, you think he's knees will hold up over the coming years? He is only in SOO team because the media hype him up. They hyped Latrell Mitchell up and he fell flat on his face and in NSW cup these days. As i said these people are normal people with families.
I respect Josh Dugan, and I respect the fact that he has come out and said he wants to stay at the dragons beyond this season. At least he didn't do a Brett Morris and hold up a "Dragons4life" poster and then dog us for the bulldogs...the salary cap is more than just fitting players in based on their worth, it is about putting a team together that senior management thinks can acheive the goal of winning the premiership...that is the main priority for the players.
These players have families they have to look after, sure we can look at the figures and say "WOW, i wish i was on that much a season, why doesn't he just sign", but you have to understand there is more to it than that, he has to think about providing the best possible future for his family, for his kids, and he has to be paid what he is worth, and he has to agree to that figure with the club. In the end if he is getting underpaid, then he won't be putting 100% in on the field, because it will play on his mind. The other week he said they are sorting out "chinks" in the contract and it should be done soon... a "chink" to me isn't about the money, it may be something else... we as fans are not privy to what the "chink" is... we all just speculate and we hear rumours and gossip and we make ourselves panic.
The club has been, in my eyes, transparent and forthcoming when giving updates on recruitment, they aren't going to come flat out and say this is why this person or other hasn't signed, but at least they give regular updates on the recruitment front, and update the fans weekly on the injured players and their return date.
I would like to hear more from Peter Doust, those interviews he did last year in regards to where the team is heading gave a great insight into the club's direction and future. They were great to watch and listen to.
Thanks for reading, that is my 2c worth. Have a good day
