Peter Mulholland

[grandorient]

In my view we need to re-sign Nighty and Ben for the next 2 years.

Both are playing remarkable football and should at least, for the next couple of years. Why would you let 2 of our better players leave ?

 

[Dragon in enemy territory]

Wobbygong, if you re-signed bird for 3 years and threw him into 1st grade, and he didn't perform, you can't just get rid of him. Mullholland is right, he should prove that he is worthy of a spot. I would never put him in front of widdop or marshall. He isn't god's gift to league to demand a 1st grade spot. That shows he has an ego, we don't want that at the dragons. And for him to leave a club who looked after him so well just for a 1st grade spot is very selfish on his behalf. Shows he only cares for himself and has no regard for what saints did for him.

As for nightingale and creagh, as mullholland has said, every player is a jigsaw piece in a puzzle, contract negotiations are not straight forward, it is a process, it is what is best for the team, and what is best for the player, it takes time, it is complex and detailed. It's not a "here is your contract, sign it" situation. I am not in that sort of field, I am a fan just like all of you, but you should all understand football clubs are a business, and the players that come and go should be what's best for business, and what is best for the club. If the player fits the criteria for the club on the field, but off field is not a good fit, then the club won't go after him. Mullholland does make sense with what he is saying. With all due respect, any one of us saying "sign this player or get rid of this player" would not last 2 seconds as a recruiter. There is more criteria than on-field performance to look at before signing a player.
I am sure nighty and creagh will re-sign, they bleed red and white, they are the heartbeat of our team, they love the dragons, they will not go anywhere. We have to respect the fact that there is a team of coaches and head office staff working at our club to recruit, coach and run the football department to the best interests of all stakeholders (fans, sponsors, employees etc).
In conclusion, the way mullholland spoke was in a very professional, well spoken, direct manner, he spoke the truth about contract negotiations, he is a veteran in this role, we should trust our football club to do what is right for all parties involved and not take pot shots everytime something negative happens (i.e player signs somewhere else or doesn't come to our club). Everything happens for a reason.
Thankyou for taking the time to read my comment

 

[Weipa Dragon]

Where is enemy territory for you mate?

 

[God-King Dean]

Pmsl at the suggestion of moving Nightingale and Creagh along.

Yeah let's get rid our of best winger and most consistent player. And that stupid redhead who bends the line back every hit up. They're in their late 20s - they're practically dead.

 

[Dragon in enemy territory]

Where is enemy territory for you mate?

I grew up in dragons area, now I live in bulldogs area. I wear my jersey with pride win lose or draw. I give as good and better than I get in a debate. Love the dragons.

 

[possm]

Wobbygong, if you re-signed bird for 3 years and threw him into 1st grade, and he didn't perform, you can't just get rid of him. Mullholland is right, he should prove that he is worthy of a spot. I would never put him in front of widdop or marshall. He isn't god's gift to league to demand a 1st grade spot. That shows he has an ego, we don't want that at the dragons. And for him to leave a club who looked after him so well just for a 1st grade spot is very selfish on his behalf. Shows he only cares for himself and has no regard for what saints did for him.

As for nightingale and creagh, as mullholland has said, every player is a jigsaw piece in a puzzle, contract negotiations are not straight forward, it is a process, it is what is best for the team, and what is best for the player, it takes time, it is complex and detailed. It's not a "here is your contract, sign it" situation. I am not in that sort of field, I am a fan just like all of you, but you should all understand football clubs are a business, and the players that come and go should be what's best for business, and what is best for the club. If the player fits the criteria for the club on the field, but off field is not a good fit, then the club won't go after him. Mullholland does make sense with what he is saying. With all due respect, any one of us saying "sign this player or get rid of this player" would not last 2 seconds as a recruiter. There is more criteria than on-field performance to look at before signing a player.
I am sure nighty and creagh will re-sign, they bleed red and white, they are the heartbeat of our team, they love the dragons, they will not go anywhere. We have to respect the fact that there is a team of coaches and head office staff working at our club to recruit, coach and run the football department to the best interests of all stakeholders (fans, sponsors, employees etc).
In conclusion, the way mullholland spoke was in a very professional, well spoken, direct manner, he spoke the truth about contract negotiations, he is a veteran in this role, we should trust our football club to do what is right for all parties involved and not take pot shots everytime something negative happens (i.e player signs somewhere else or doesn't come to our club). Everything happens for a reason.
Thankyou for taking the time to read my comment

Bird would have made a good left center with Aitken at right center.
The time to test Bird was in the final rounds of 2014.

 

[The Nick]

Kinda stupid and completely irrelevant... But I always assumed Mulholland was Lebanese... LOL.

 

[giboz71]

Mullholland says our money was similar to Cronulla but Bird wanted a guarantee that he would play first grade and that this is something that shouldn't be promised to such a young player. They need to earn it. He also hinted that there was interest down the track to bring him back.

Its a fair call that we shouldn't promise a FG spot to a rookie, but if this was the only point of contention, how is is that the Sharks of all teams got this right and we didn't? He was our junior, surely we were in a better position to assess his ability to play first grade?

It stinks of the safety first mentality of the Price years, The last 2 premiers (Souths and Roosters) had their sides littered with rookies who all graduated from their NYC sides.

Its a formula we should be following (like we used to).

 

[Dragon in enemy territory]

So possm, you would want someone in the team just because he demanded a first grade spot, our club doesn't need an ego like that playing for the red v, no matter how good they are. The guy hasn't proven himself, he is shining at the sharks because he is playing with a team where he can look like he acts (like a god), i would rather farrell or matautai over him any day. I don't want to see egotistic players playing for us.

 

[Elias1983]

So he wanted a guarantee of first grade hey?

The fact that we paid for the medical bills didn't suggest that we at least thought highly of him?

 

[giboz71]

So possm, you would want someone in the team just because he demanded a first grade spot, our club doesn't need an ego like that playing for the red v, no matter how good they are. The guy hasn't proven himself, he is shining at the sharks because he is playing with a team where he can look like he acts (like a god), i would rather farrell or matautai over him any day. I don't want to see egotistic players playing for us.

Mate, the guy has played less than 10 games and he's already got a City Jumper and most have him pegged for Origin likely next year.

He has single handedly transformed his club from a winless rabble to something at least resembling being competitve.

He has just turned 20 years old. Yes he has medical issues, but how many years did we persevere with Kyle Stanley and his 2 bung knees hoping he'd come good?

Anyone that doesn't think this was a monumental f**k up is kidding themselves.

 

[Slippery Morris]

I agree with Dragon in enemy territory, it sounds like he has a huge ego. To force a club to make you play first grade is pretty selfish. There is also a good point by Giboz in regards to Stanley but that was under a different coaching staff. They saw something special in Stanley which we will never know. I am sure the current coaching staff will reward the youngsters and give them a go like they have Euan Aitken. If Saints signed Bird they would of had to let go of another junior or 2 as it seems he asked for a bit more than your usual going rate for a junior (and he is showing why he is worth more).

Sharks only threw him in first Grade because they got injuries. His first game was round 4 when Barba was out. He was on the bench and Graham/Robson were the halves. Rd 5 was his first game at 5/8. If Sharks were winning and Barba did not get injured he would probably not got a run.

Hopefully he will do a Beau Scott and return to the Dragons after he serves an apprenticeship at the Sharks.

 

[Lovemedragons]

Mate, the guy has played less than 10 games and he's already got a City Jumper and most have him pegged for Origin likely next year.

He has single handedly transformed his club from a winless rabble to something at least resembling being competitve.

He has just turned 20 years old. Yes he has medical issues, but how many years did we persevere with Kyle Stanley and his 2 bung knees hoping he'd come good?

Anyone that doesn't think this was a monumental f**k up is kidding themselves.

100% agreed.
Bewildered that such a rare talent (and he is) wasn't recognised and nurtured by the Dragon family. Never would happen at some of the other successful clubs. They don't come along often but when they do they should be looked after at all costs. But he is gone now and hopefully lessons have been learnt. There are a couple of guys with lesser qualities than Bird running around in NSW Cup and U 20's for us at the moment but well worth developing and given opportunity...please don't make the same mistake with them.

 

[Wobbygong]

Bird would have made a good left center with Aitken at right center.
The time to test Bird was in the final rounds of 2014.

Exactly. I would have had him in the centres or backrow. You can promise a player a shot in NRL but you can;t promise he won;t be dropped or moved to the bench etc. He would have been perfect in the centres for us with Aitken.

 

[Slippery Morris]

100% agreed.
Never would happen at some of the other successful clubs.

Don't agree with this mate as Jonathon Thurston was let go by the Dogs to go to the Cowboys? Dogs preferred Sherwin. Now JT is a rare talent.

 

[Dragon in enemy territory]

The only reason bird is killing it is because he is playing at cronulla, they make him look good because they are a crap team, so he shines there.
As for origin, the media talk up 30 players a year, it happens every day, he is not unique, he is a rookie, yeah let's put him in origin in 3 weeks time because he's been killing it at a below average team for 5 weeks, let's leave out players who have played at 1st grade level and proven SOO players for 5-6 years, and put this egotistic rookie in.

Great call and shows how much you people suggesting this know about footy. Leave it to the experts, they know what they want. Who in the media is talking bird up? It's probably phil (cronulla supporter) rothfield, and it gets traction because he is a respected journalist.

We'll see how good he is in rd 12 when we host and smash the sharks. And if someone wants to argue that sharks are better with bird in their team because they have won more than they have lost, by my calculations, the dragons haven't lost a game since aitken made his debut in rd 3 against raiders. At least aitken is shining behind a more experienced team. Bird is only shining because he's playing in an inexperienced team of 1st year players.

 

[giboz71]

The only reason bird is killing it is because he is playing at cronulla, they make him look good because they are a crap team, so he shines there.
As for origin, the media talk up 30 players a year, it happens every day, he is not unique, he is a rookie, yeah let's put him in origin in 3 weeks time because he's been killing it at a below average team for 5 weeks, let's leave out players who have played at 1st grade level and proven SOO players for 5-6 years, and put this egotistic rookie in.

Great call and shows how much you people suggesting this know about footy. Leave it to the experts, they know what they want. Who in the media is talking bird up? It's probably phil (cronulla supporter) rothfield, and it gets traction because he is a respected journalist.

We'll see how good he is in rd 12 when we host and smash the sharks. And if someone wants to argue that sharks are better with bird in their team because they have won more than they have lost, by my calculations, the dragons haven't lost a game since aitken made his debut in rd 3 against raiders. At least aitken is shining behind a more experienced team. Bird is only shining because he's playing in an inexperienced team of 1st year players.

Guess we'll agree to disagree.

Regardless of the Origin talk, end of the day we let him walk (allegedly) as we couldn't guarantee him a spot in first grade. Yet somehow, we decided to recruit Nielsen and have Farrell both in front of him.

If you think this was a smart move...then good luck to you.

 

[Dragon in enemy territory]

We let him walk because we didn't need him. He has an ego, which we didn't want, and the dragons didn't get rid of him. Get your facts right, we offered him around the same money as the sharks, HE walked, the dragons looked after him through his junior years, did everything they could to keep him. He was selfish, he walked, we aren't going to pay overs for a untried in 1st grade rookie.

Good luck to him, and thank god we have experts recruiting for us, because the way most people comment on here, the dragons would be made up of all inexperienced juniors just so they are kept as dragons. At the moment we have a good mix of experience and youth and that's what you want in a team, experience to lead the youth, it is called succession planning.

I trust the people in the relevant positions in our club to do their job to the best of their ability because they are experienced in those roles. You have to respect that these people hold these roles because they fit into the system our club wants, e.g. doust, contrary to what everyone says on here, I respect him because he has held his position for a long time, and he is subject to football club reviews on an annual basis, if he wasn't right for the job at hand he would not be there.

Everyone has their role, in the footy team, in the coaching department, in the football department, and at boardroom level, if they are not doing their job at review time, they get let go, it is business, and I trust that the decision makers make decisions in the best interest of all stakeholders and parties.

Football is a professional sport and business, and we are lucky we do not have infighting like the eels and eagles, or DEEP financial trouble like the sharks a few years ago. Yes, we aren't profitable at the moment, but in my opinion it isn't dire and we have a direction to be profitable by 2017. Businesses are always forward thinking, and looking to improve the football club and it is done on different levels by ALL employees and managers.

Us fans have to respect that, and we have our say by being members of the football club and voting at the football club elections, that is our say in the club. The #saveoursaints movement has got the attention of our club, because these days I am seeing more videos on different departments of our football club (coaching, recruitment, doust interviews), so they are being transparent with us fans, but we have to respect the fact that while they are transparent, they cannot give us personal/confidential information to do with player contracts or football club documents that are private.

Respect the club and footy team you support, follow the dragons with pride, and comment and discuss the team with positivity and constructive criticism, that's what I do because I know the people in the various roles are doing their best to make our club the best it can be.

 

[dribble73]

'phil (cronulla supporter) rothfield, and it gets traction because he is a respected journalist.'
I hope you are being sarcastic.

 

[TheRev]

he is not unique, he is a rookie

Great call and shows how much you people suggesting this know about footy. Leave it to the experts, they know what they want. Who in the media is talking bird up? It's probably phil (cronulla supporter) rothfield

I get the feeling you havent watched the Cronulla games this year, nor did you watch the U20 games when Bird came through our system.

Bird is very much unique.. his physical size and skillset across a dozen positions, his composure under pressure was unparalleled in our junior league.. and there is noone I would put money on to absolutely make it in 1st grade apart from him.. no other dragons junior over 18... Aitken was but a shadow of a centre compared to Bird.

It was a complete and utter ****-up by Dragons Management (probably the damage done pre-mulholland, supposedly Timmins), and according to his mate, Jack still wants to be at the club which makes the ****-up infinitely worse.. whats done is done ofcourse, but the club had its pants pulled down for the world to see, and I dont like pretending that we have some miracle pool of talent just waiting to step into 1st grade.