News George Williams quits Raiders

 

[Munky]

The Raiders should have put a clause in his contract about repaying the transfer fee if he left during the term.

My first full time job had an eighteen month clause following the passing date for course fees paid by the firm. Surely a player not fulfilling a contract is a foreseeable event and can be anticipated from a contractual point of view.

 

[AJB1102]

The difference between this case and Widdop as I see it is that Widdop had spent a long time in Australia

Yeah he moved here at 16. His "homesickness" took almost 15 years to weigh on him lol

 

[some11]

If the Canberra board is serious there should be huge pressure on Stuart and Furner.

 

[nick87]

The Raiders should have put a clause in his contract about repaying the transfer fee if he left during the term.

My first full time job had an eighteen month clause following the passing date for course fees paid by the firm. Surely a player not fulfilling a contract is a foreseeable event and can be anticipated from a contractual point of view.

They'd never agree to that sort of deal.

I want to state this as clearly as i can... no one should give a f**k about the transfer fee.
The transfer fee doesn't come out of the cap, paying it back wouldn't go on the cap.
That was paid in order to get the players contract broken, the club can afford it because like most RL clubs, it rakes money in through the scourge of poker machines.
The transfer fee isn't a big deal

 

[martielang]

I don't think NRL360 are the be all and end all of truth, but I find it amusing how quickly people believe every word a player says (eg. Williams or Bateman last year) especially when they write a sarcastic post on twitter, yet discredit everything Hooper, Kent & Co. say. In the case of Bateman (& likely Williams), Hooper was spot on.

 

[big hit!]

I've got no bias either way on this..

But the situation would not be how it is if the player - who signed a 7-figure, 3 year contract - requested to get out of it.

It all starts with him. And finishes with him.

Both Gareth Widdop & George Williams are English players who cited "homesickness" as a reason to their clubs in order return home. But that's where the similarities end for me.

The difference between this case and Widdop as I see it is that Widdop had spent a long time in Australia, and served his employer/club (the Dragons) for many seasons and added value to that team. They were better for him being there. The release, while not ideal for the Dragons, was still respectful and mutual - because of how he'd served the club.

Williams spent one season here, then wanted a release. End of season or otherwise.. One season.... A guy who the Raiders had spent transfer fees on ($200k or so??), committed to 7 figures over 3 years, with a competitive squad around him which had reached the grand final only a year before...

The team has declined since he's come to the Raiders. They are performing worse each season since he's been there. That's not all on him but for a guy who signed for a princely sum to want to quit after only 1 season says far more about him than the Raiders club.

Bring back Sezer! The Turkish connection hasn't caused them any issues!!

 

[big hit!]

If the Canberra board is serious there should be huge pressure on Stuart and Furner.

The Furner family ARE Canberra Raiders, the same way the Fulton family ARE Manly Sea-Eagles

 

[jargan83]

Or bald central.

I may be a liar, a cheat, a pig, an idiot, bald, but I am not a porn star.

 

[myrrh ken]

 

[Hull Kingston Bronco]

So the NRL bangs on about “mental health”
etc etc etc... and then when a player wrestled with a really hard situation, pregnant missus 10’s of thousands of miles from home and family, says he needs a few days of work ‘cos he’s got his priorities stress, and a club cancels his contract that day & talks shit to the media?

We’re supposed to be down with that?

 

[gUt]

I invite Raiders fans and players to come and support my far-better managed club.

 

[Mr. Shaman]

So the NRL bangs on about “mental health”
etc etc etc... and then when a player wrestled with a really hard situation, pregnant missus 10’s of thousands of miles from home and family, says he needs a few days of work ‘cos he’s got his priorities stress, and a club cancels his contract that day & talks shit to the media?

We’re supposed to be down with that?

NRL does not give a f**k about player welfare.

 

[Rugged Rigid Robust Roy]

they only care if it costs them money

 

[This Year?]

Ahem.

@This Year? @2 weeks @jargan83 @OzDragon

Could you imagine what it would be like if we were Raiders fans?

 

[SBD82]

I've got no bias either way on this..

But the situation would not be how it is if the player - who signed a 7-figure, 3 year contract - requested to get out of it.

It all starts with him. And finishes with him.

Both Gareth Widdop & George Williams are English players who cited "homesickness" as a reason to their clubs in order return home. But that's where the similarities end for me.

The difference between this case and Widdop as I see it is that Widdop had spent a long time in Australia, and served his employer/club (the Dragons) for many seasons and added value to that team. They were better for him being there. The release, while not ideal for the Dragons, was still respectful and mutual - because of how he'd served the club.

Williams spent one season here, then wanted a release. End of season or otherwise.. One season.... A guy who the Raiders had spent transfer fees on ($200k or so??), committed to 7 figures over 3 years, with a competitive squad around him which had reached the grand final only a year before...

The team has declined since he's come to the Raiders. They are performing worse each season since he's been there. That's not all on him but for a guy who signed for a princely sum to want to quit after only 1 season says far more about him than the Raiders club.

I don’t see how the Williams and Widdop situations are comparable.

Widdop moved to Oz as a teenager, played junior league here, went to school, and established a family.

When he went to super league it wasn’t a return. I repeatedly saw him say that he wanted to play there someday and play in front of family. I never saw him claim homesickness (happy to be proven wrong but I believe that only came from others). His release was negotiated with the club after years of service. There was speculation that he was sick of Mary (understandably) but they didn’t air their dirty laundry so we’ll probably never know.

Williams on the other hand came with inherent risk of breaking his contract early. Canberra may have thought that they could mitigate that risk but couldn’t have foreseen the impact of COVID. Pretty difficult to keep a player when he wants to go home during a global pandemic. But it’s amateurish the way the Raiders have dealt with it. Sticky has come out of this looking like a petulant dickhead. And he needs to stop leaking shit to his parasite mates in the Murdoch press.

They were gonna lose Williams regardless. But if I was a player watching the way the Raiders have dealt with this there’d be zero chance I’d ever sign with them.

 

[SBD82]

Could you imagine what it would be like if we were Raiders fans?

f**king hilarious would be my guess.

Also, ew.

 

[Apey]

I reckon Hoops was on the phone to Ricky to get material for his retort about 1 minute after that NRL360 ended.

How funny is Rickys "you guys will write what you're gunna write" and "I dont care what people think of me" but then he leaks shit to his media mates to defend himself and the club.

 

[Pete Cash]

If the Canberra board is serious there should be huge pressure on Stuart and Furner.

Think of the raiders more as a hillbilly property empire rather than a football team

 

[GAZF]

If the Canberra board is serious there should be huge pressure on Stuart and Furner.

Pressure to extend their tenures and raise salaries perhaps.

 

[GAZF]

So the NRL bangs on about “mental health”
etc etc etc... and then when a player wrestled with a really hard situation, pregnant missus 10’s of thousands of miles from home and family, says he needs a few days of work ‘cos he’s got his priorities stress, and a club cancels his contract that day & talks shit to the media?

We’re supposed to be down with that?

Ten of thousands of miles, not tens. There's no need for exaggerations.