Packer is Free?

[vvvrulz]

Just saw this in a few sources, apparently Russell Packer is out one year early and is seeking out an NRL contract.

Sauce

 

[Fufu Andronez]

Judge Mary Mcgregor showing his expertise on the matter too. I get it he's a good footy player and you want him on your team but some of those comments he made regarding the assault are pretty iffy

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

Glad he's no longer our worry and I was a fan of his in the early days. Sigh

 

[SpaceMonkey]

TBH if he wanted to come back on a basic cheap contract and genuinely work on his issues I'd look at him. I'm still a bit uneasy about how the club let things head south so badly with Packer, given that he apparently had long standing problems the club was aware of.

 

[ozbash]

There has been considerable speculation in relation to the St George Illawarra Dragons and Russell Packer who was released on Monday from custodial care, as a result of pleading guilty to a charge of assault.

The Club has not sought to register a playing contract with the NRL, however, it has agreed to play a part in his rehabilitation through its established programs in Education and Welfare and in particular, because of the long association Dragons Director of Recruitment and Retention, Peter Mulholland, has had with Russell and his family.

Russell has a strong desire to spend time with his fiancee and two children, continue his education and seek employment in the community, ahead of any rugby league priority.

Clearly, for Russell to return to the NRL he will need to demonstrate to the Dragons and the NRL that he is ready to have a contract registered.

The Dragons will provide further updates if and as required.

Dragons media.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Which basically tells me that the Dragons have effectively signed him- they'll help set him up with work and allow him to train and provided he keeps his shit together they'll try to register a contract down the line. I hope he puts his problems behind him and actually realises his potential- the guy should have a been a first pick Kiwi by now.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

TBH if he wanted to come back on a basic cheap contract and genuinely work on his issues I'd look at him. I'm still a bit uneasy about how the club let things head south so badly with Packer, given that he apparently had long standing problems the club was aware of.

Hard to know without being there but I'd probably agree with that. Ivan seems to have mellowed in this respect, I think he gave Idris a lot more leeway than he seemed to give people at the Warriors.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Hard to know without being there but I'd probably agree with that. Ivan seems to have mellowed in this respect, I think he gave Idris a lot more leeway than he seemed to give people at the Warriors.

From what I could tell Packer (and Locke for that matter) only really went off the rails after Ivan left, so not sure I'd put much blame at his feet.

 

[MKEB...]

Sorry to play the strawman argument spacey, but are you looking to blame someone else?

 

[Glen from the Mount]

Good luck to him. I really hope he can turn things around and it all works out for him and his family.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Sorry to play the strawman argument spacey, but are you looking to blame someone else?

No, Packer is ultimately responsible for his own actions. But the club signed him at a young age knowing he had existing problems, same with Kevin Locke. When clubs sign these kind of players its always a risk and they need to put a lot of effort into mentoring them and keeping them on the right path, on the evidence of the last few years theres been something of a failure in the Warriors organisation to do that with some of their players, particularly around the Bluey period where there really didn't seem to be any direction and the inmates were running the asylum. Both guys are huge natural talents and the club failed to get the best out of either. It's a bit of a repeat of the handling of some of the players in the early-mid 2000s who went off the rails or were poorly managed (Toopi, Faumuina, Meli Lauiti'iti).

 

[God-King Dean]

Judge Mary Mcgregor showing his expertise on the matter too. I get it he's a good footy player and you want him on your team but some of those comments he made regarding the assault are pretty iffy

Anything to draw attention to himself.

 

[Iafeta]

Bloke was very average the last 2-3 years. Compartmentalisation syndrome in the calves screwed him. I can't believe clubs are making such an effort for a fairly ordinary prop with a high risk factor.