Players pledge pay cut for Wiki

[greeneyed]

I thought you would want Boogas as the captain? :? :? :?

 

[hrundi99]

What i dont get is, we are looking to rebuild in the fourth year of a five year plan :?

The plan was for Drew to come in and be our halfback saviour.

As we all know, it didn't pan out.

 

[thickos]

Sigh.

I'm not sure what depresses me more, the news over Wiki or this forum.

Come on people, I know this is a terrible, terrible time of year but we need to stick together. Conflict of opinion is fine but without sounding like a try-hard, we the fans are the best asset the Raiders have! We need to support the club through these tough times.

As for Rube, I never thought I'd say it but we have to let him go. For the good of the club. I'm shattered but if keeping him for ONE season ruins us for the two seasons after that it is not worth it. He is priceless but we will have to learn to play without him eventually. And we cannot sacirifice others for him. Even Ruben would admit that.

 

[Purtell The Turtle]

Sigh.

I'm not sure what depresses me more, the news over Wiki or this forum.

Come on people, I know this is a terrible, terrible time of year but we need to stick together. Conflict of opinion is fine but without sounding like a try-hard, we the fans are the best asset the Raiders have! We need to support the club through these tough times.

As for Rube, I never thought I'd say it but we have to let him go. For the good of the club. I'm shattered but if keeping him for ONE season ruins us for the two seasons after that it is not worth it. He is priceless but we will have to learn to play without him eventually. And we cannot sacirifice others for him. Even Ruben would admit that.

That makes some sense, a forum full of negatives will always be depressing. Hence my outburst yesterday. I know I got (still am) sick and tired of reading rubbish like sack the coach, sack management, the sky is falling down! It's so easy to be an arm-chair critic, but being in the coal face it would be completely different. You are paid to make things happen within the budget, I deal with this fact every day at work. An example being in recent months lots of the senior players at work have had to be released because the organisation simply can't afford to keep them. It's a tough world, but it's business. The team will carry on regardless, making significant contributions to Australia, even without the old heads. Losing Joel or Ruben, the club will have to take that on the chin, and move on. If the money men at the club cannot afford to pay for a player, then so be it. Silly season is exactly what it sounds like, silly.

 

[Edwahu]

The Broncos, Roosters, Dogs, Panthers would not just "take it on the chin" if they lost their two most valuable players. In fact none of those clubs ever lose players they really want to keep (Broncos losing guys to Union is the only exception). They wouldnt take it on the chin if they were going to lose their 25th most valuable player.

I wont get hysterical untill after we see who is actually at the club but the fact is that if we continue to weaken while other clubs around us and well ahead of us strengthen then its a waste of time even playing in the comp.

 

[raiders_lover_18]

:roll: :roll: :roll: The Canberra Raiders will never be a "waste of time".. EVER

 

[raiders_lover_18]

*double post

 

[jed]

:roll: :roll: :roll: The Canberra Raiders will never be a "waste of time".. EVER

So true, it's worth saying twice.

 

[hrundi99]

I don't know if we are weakening from a long term perspective.

Wiki is in the twilight of his careeer. Drew didn't work out.

Losing Joel would be a problem, as he has another 8-9 years ahead of him (bar injury).

The club also has to have faith in the young talent they've signed and developed.

 

[Edwahu]

If we cant keep Monas then what makes you think we could keep the good young players that come through after him? Thats not even counting the fact that the Roosters buy all the best young talent in the country and all the best senior talent anyway.

If we were in the current market back in 1988 then Stuart would have a 5 year contract playing Union, Daley would be at the Roosters and if we were very lucky we might have been able to keep Clyde

Frankly I think the most negative thing I have read is the Raiders managements attitude to player recruitment. FFS, Kevin Neil managed to sign Schif, Hodgo, Ohara and Tongue in his last season and we didnt have a cent to rub together. If the current management cant do better with a shitload of cash then they must be inept.

 

[greeneyed]

For the record, I have never said we should sack the coach, or management. I have even said that such calls are not appropriate. I have been critical of decisions taken and I am frustrated by our management's capacity to think outside the square.

The Broncos keep players as they ensure their players are able to "find opportunities" with non Broncos club sponsors, so their income is supplemented significantly, but it doesn't count to the salary cap. We need to think about how we do this.

 

[greeneyed]

This is, by the way, the "Johns solution". Why aren't we trying to do it in Wiki's case??????? or Monaghan's case?

 

[Raider_69]

I agree
Surely Wiki is a more than capable spokes person/public figure for anything with integrity

 

[Bay56]

For the record I have always said "sack management and sack the coach".

Quite frankly Schif Happens with your attitude, lack of concern and apathy management would get away with anything .... we are on the slide buddy and you dont seem to be too worried about it.

If all I read and hear is correct I would like the lot of them to stand down and a team of professionals take their place. It seems that management and Elliot just wait for things to happen, wait for things to come to them.

If you are happy with the performance of this club over the past five seasons get ready for another five. I for one am not and I would hope that all other concerned Raiders supporters arent either.

All this crap about Canberra too cold, blah blah is quite frankly just that CRAP. The big problem is far more obvious and I dont need to repeat the reasons why ... when management fix up that problem our fortunes will turn.

 

[Anonymous]

Here Here Bay.

 

[greeneyed]

Bay... the problem seems to be that we don't deliver the sorts of "extra" third party payments to players that the Broncos and Roosters do. We suck up all the local sponsorship into the club.... What we need is some "Friends of the Raiders"... local businessmen who are not presently sponsors of the Raiders club, but who will come in and keep Wiki and Monas in situ.

 

[Bay56]

Greeneyed .... if its money the players are concerned with than they only need to compare the cost of real estate and the cost of living in Canberra compared with Sydney ... by golly you could purchase a property in Canberra and an investment porperty at BB and still have money left over.

And does Sydney have a Fyshwick, I ask you :lol: :lol: :lol:

Its obvious what the problem is Greeneyed .... our performances on the field are a driect reflection of that problem. Fix it and our fortunes will turn for the better. Satus Quo for much longer and it will be more than a 5 year plan thats required to get us out of the gutter.

 

[greeneyed]

But players don't adjust for the costs of living. This is reflected in the fact that they go to England, forgetting that the cost of living there is twice what it is here.

 

[Bay56]

Greeneyed I'm tellng you now the "Canberra" thing is a lot of crap.

Management has to do what is in the best interests of the club and until they do our supporter base will dwindle.

Let me just put forward an extreme scenario to explain myself .... if management was to announce that Wayne Bennet was to be our coach next season do you think players would reject an offer from the Raiders because Canberra is cold and boring ???

 

[greeneyed]

Nope. But Canberra is not boring and not cold anytime but winter... lol.