Luke O'Donnell signs with unnamed English club

[Azkatro]

Luke O'Donnell is off to England, according to http://www.cowboys.com.au/default.a...&id=27904&title=odonnell-takes-english-offer:

North Queensland Toyota Cowboys back rower Luke O'Donnell has accepted an offer from an English Super League club from 2011.

Cowboys Executive Director Peter Parr spoke today about O'Donnell's decision.

"Luke informed me a short time ago that he'll accept an offer that he's received from an English Super League club," Parr said.

"Certainly he won't be here next year, he'll be playing over in the UK."

Parr went on to talk about O'Donnell's desire to not play for another NRL team against the Cowboys, the club's strong support for him and the recruitment process for next season.

Hopefully we can replace the goose with someone who can stay un-suspended for more than 12 rounds of the season ...

 

[perverse]

rumour says it's Huddersfield. Knights almost had this deal stitched up, but the Giants offer was massive apparently. pun partially intended.

 

[petetheileet]

he will be remembered for origin II 2010

 

[Spitty]

Great another player to Super League!!!!

 

[typicalfan]

Undisciplined but yet another quality player leaving the game.

 

[Liddell]

Spewing..Loved watching him play

 

[Raidersrawesome]

he will be remembered for origin II 2010

Nope the dog hit on Mick Monaghan and breaking his jaw.

 

[Ladmate]

He will be remembered for getting wish-boned.

 

[God-King Dean]

That makes NSW's decision to keep him in the side easier.

 

[Tommy Smith]

So another quality player leaves our game before his use-by-date. And yet we want to expand into Perth - with what, average U20s players?

There's only one good team under the cap in the comp as it is, so we're hardly in a position to be losing more rep standard players...

 

[Raider_69]

So another quality player leaves our game before his use-by-date. And yet we want to expand into Perth - with what, average U20s players?

There's only one good team under the cap in the comp as it is, so we're hardly in a position to be losing more rep standard players...

correct me if im wrong but if another team like say Perth comes into the comp with a 4.1 mil salary cap, doesnt that mean there is another 4.1 mil a year and another 25 roster spots available for players like LOD?
I would think expanding is the easiest way to keep quality players like LOD around longer

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

Over reaction Tommy always new players comming through.

From a Knights fan am cut, wanted him the 2nd I realised he was off contract.

 

[badav]

correct me if im wrong but if another team like say Perth comes into the comp with a 4.1 mil salary cap, doesnt that mean there is another 4.1 mil a year and another 25 roster spots available for players like LOD?
I would think expanding is the easiest way to keep quality players like LOD around longer

That is some seriously flawed logic. Roster spots aren't an issue at all when it comes to retaining players. Quality players will fill the first 5 out of 25 spots, so all more roster spots does is spread the talent thinner.

All your adding is one potential club into the market for players, which isn't going to make bugger all difference, because that club will have its own salary cap issues, if its even in the player market at all.

 

[clarency]

correct me if im wrong but if another team like say Perth comes into the comp with a 4.1 mil salary cap, doesnt that mean there is another 4.1 mil a year and another 25 roster spots available for players like LOD?
I would think expanding is the easiest way to keep quality players like LOD around longer

This.

With new teams coming in and supposedly a higher cap we can expect less players leaving... and maybe even some coming back.

 

[Johns Magic]

correct me if im wrong but if another team like say Perth comes into the comp with a 4.1 mil salary cap, doesnt that mean there is another 4.1 mil a year and another 25 roster spots available for players like LOD?
I would think expanding is the easiest way to keep quality players like LOD around longer

R69, the Knights are cashed up and went after LOD hard. He was offered a contract more than fitting of a player of his status under the cap by the Knights.

LOD wasn't squeezed out, he left because NRL clubs can't afford to offer players as much as ESL clubs can under the $4.1million cap. Bringing in another club would do nothing to prevent this situation.

 

[perverse]

R69, the Knights are cashed up and went after LOD hard. He was offered a contract more than fitting of a player of his status under the cap by the Knights.

LOD wasn't squeezed out, he left because NRL clubs can't afford to offer players as much as ESL clubs can under the $4.1million cap. Bringing in another club would do nothing to prevent this situation.

correct. this has nothing to do with spread of talent... this has everything to do with our best possible offers still not being good enough.

it's a salary cap issue... ergo it is purely an income issue as the cap is as high as it can be at any given time.

we just need more cash in the game, simple as that. if a club in england is prepared to skew the sh*t out of their salary cap to pay massive overs for a player like LOD, then what can anyone in the NRL do about it? absolutely stuff all is what.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

More clubs would help. It won't ensure we keep everyone but of course it means more players will stay. More clubs means more cash in the player market to share around.

 

[perverse]

More clubs would help. It won't ensure we keep everyone but of course it means more players will stay. More clubs means more cash in the player market to share around.

i believe it will just spread the talent thinner... with us maybe being able to hold onto an extra 3-5 top class players per club, so add 2 teams that's maybe 6-10 quality players max that stay in australia at any given moment in time. roughly the same amount after that will just continue to bleed to other competitions until we can pay all of them what they are worth on the global market.

the fact is we produce far more quality than we are financially capable of holding on to. that is just a fact that no-one seems to be able to cope with. welcome to reality.

 

[Raider_69]

R69, the Knights are cashed up and went after LOD hard. He was offered a contract more than fitting of a player of his status under the cap by the Knights.

LOD wasn't squeezed out, he left because NRL clubs can't afford to offer players as much as ESL clubs can under the $4.1million cap. Bringing in another club would do nothing to prevent this situation.

If thats the case then so be it, we'll probably never be able to match the dollars over seas so i dont think we should bother too much about trying to. Certainly not at the price of expansion. Ill take a few blokes like LOD heading o/s a few years early if it means we have a truly national comp (which btw, helps us get more $$ come FTA agreement, which in turn means more money for the clubs which means a raise in the Salary Cap which will eventually lead to players like LOD not leaving)

grow the game nationally, the rest will come
Now is not the time to resting on our laurels, or worse, culling clubs when AFL are gunning for our heartlands and Soccer is not far away from a huge cash injection on the back of an Australian WC in 2022.

 

[perverse]

expansion will help in the sense that it will increase our competitions revenue, thus increasing money to players (in theory, that is).

the IC will also free up some funds through the streamlining of administration costs across the various ridiculous levels of admin the game has held onto and allowed to fester for so long. hopefully most of that is passed straight on to the players.