Priddis & Pritchard

[Caged Panther]

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,18816600-2722,00.html

Duo keep options open at Panthers

Brent Read
April 15, 2006

PENRITH's 'home' game against Melbourne will take place in Adelaide tonight with a sense of intrigue surrounding the future of Panthers pair Luke Priddis and Frank Pritchard, and suspended Storm five-eighth Scott Hill.


Priddis and Pritchard, two of the driving forces behind the Panthers' impressive start to the season, are yet to commit to the club beyond 2006 despite both having options in their contracts.
Penrith general manager Mick Leary has opened talks with the pair and hopes to receive a positive response from Pritchard when his manager returns from England.
If Pritchard holds out until after the June 30 anti-tampering deadline expires, the Panthers will face a mammoth fight to keep the New Zealand forward.
"We have offered Frank a contract," Leary said. "It's up to them to see whether it's going to be accepted or not."
Priddis, a member of the Australian side for last year's Anzac Test, could also shop around. The 29-year-old has until the end of the month to take up a one-year option on his existing contract.
However, Priddis is pushing for a new two-year deal, a commitment the club is unwilling to make.
"I have to safeguard the club," Leary said. "It's up to him whether he wants to stay. I'm hopeful he will. He's one of the professional players I have been associated with."
If both decide to stay, the club is likely to target one star player, most likely a five-eighth. Former New Zealand pivot Henry Paul, now playing rugby union with English club Gloucester, is an option.
Another could be Hill, who has a two-year option in his contract but must play 13 games this season before it can be enforced.
Hill, serving a two-match suspension for touching referee Jason Robinson a fortnight ago, wants to stay at Melbourne beyond this season.
His situation has already led to an approach from English club Salford, but his manager Brian Satterly made it clear the former NSW and Australian utility had his heart set on finishing his career with the Storm.
"Scott Hill wants to stay in Melbourne at this stage," Satterly said. "We have plenty of games up our sleeve to play. It's more than achievable."
Meanwhile, Newcastle has warned things are tight under the salary cap for next season as it prepares to open formal contract talks with in-form five-eighth Kurt Gidley.
The Knights want to keep Gidley but he is likely to be offered less to stay at Newcastle than he would command on the open market. Parramatta, the club Knights coach Michael Hagan will join next season, could be among those to bid for his services if he remains off contract after June 30.
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Unless Priddis is being totally unreasonable in what his asking for to re-sign then he should get what he wants. He is that valuable. I can't fathom what's in the mind of management on this front.

 

[cainen]

I don't get it either.

It's only two years, not like he's asking for a 5 year contract. There's no point letting a proven performer go to gamble on an unproven and inexperienced performer who will play for less money.

We already need a new 5/8 and the club said last year we would be going after a name centre. We don't need to create more instability by looking for a new hooker as well.

 

[jason taylor]

why not two years do they want to get there juniors to try

 

[cainen]

Our premier league hooker, Aiton, has potential but is certainly no where near in the same class as Priddo.

 

[*Sandy*]

I hope they can work something out with Priddis. If he wants two years then give it to him. And Frank Pritchard is a must keep. He is only going to get better imo.

Personally I hope the management are not trying to keep their sums low so that they can go after Henry Paul. In my opinion, although I'm not a professional in the matter, I think Henry Paul is too old. To me to buy Henry Paul is like they are looking at trying to buy a premiership and it won't work.

Even Scott Hill would not be an option to me. Too old. For gods sakes we have an established half-back and an established hooker - all they need is a young livewire ready to adapt to the ways of Gowie and Priddis.

 

[choc_soldier]

Surely, if Priddo wants a two year deal, then Penrith should be doing everything to ensure that he gets that.

This "safegaurd" stuff is rubbish.

 

[mightypanther]

If Priddis was asking for 3 or 4 years I would still be saying give it to him.

If he then chose to retire before the end of that contract for any reason, they still would not be up for any more of the contract money than the time he had actually completed.

And if the only other reason that stupid Leary is worried about is a drop in form, then he's a complete moron. There are only a handful of players in the competition that have managed to sustain constant and reliable form throughout their entire careers, and Priddo is one of those rare few. The idea of him ever having a big enough drop in form to affect the club's results is laughable.

I personally think the Penrith management are the laughing stock of the competition. Every decision they make gets more and more unbelievable and ridiculous as time goes by.

If anyone should be got rid of, or have their contracts not renewed it's management.

Matthews and his idiotic gloating over having hired someone as useless as Elliott is a joke, but then to have Leary say that he is "safeguarding" the club by giving Priddis an ultimatum to accept one year or nothing is an absolute travesty, and if Priddis walks, then Leary should be given his marching orders IMMEDIATELY, and not let the door hit him on his way out.

There is no other club in the competition that has managed consistently over a number of years to get their supporters more and more off side with every passing year.

Do they EVER think about the fact that without our hard earned dollars and our bums on seats they would have no damn team for them to destroy?

:evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

MONGRELS.........and that doesn't even come close to describing what I think of them, but I don't want to be banned from this site.

I'll stop now before I say something that will get me in major trouble.:-#

 

[Big Mick]

If Priddis was asking for 4...then i'd probably say no...if 3...i'd still probably say yes. but in reality he is only asking for a 1 year extension on the option...so 2 years.

If the club thinks so highly of Paul Aiton as back up hooker...why not put him on the bench?...he can play Lock or Hooker...why not give him a shot. Perhaps he may be that David Faimu, Dene Halatau style player that can help Priddis so he doesn't have to work his arse off every week.

 

[choc_soldier]

I can't see Aiton getting a game unless Priddo gets injured - that's how JL operates, he likes to have four forwards on the bench to rotate. Besides, Gower plays acting dummy half a fair bit too.

If we don't retain Priddo, or he at least exercises his options on the open market come July 1, then Penrith management have sunk to a new low. He is one of those special players that don't come along that often.

 

[Caged Panther]

And everyone can see that Priddo is a special player.

Everyone except the Penrith management apparently :roll:

 

[Mish]

This is one topic that just about all Penrith fans agree on. Except maybe those at PI that are trying to keep off the naughty list, lol.

 

[Catherine]

How about making a petition to keep Priddis and Pritchard stay at Penrith.

what do you guy reckon?

 

[Big Mick]

I doubt it'd make much difference Catherine. I'd sign it...about 1,000 times...but it wouldn't mean anything unfortunately.

 

[The Piper]

Priddis is pushing for a new two-year deal, a commitment the club is unwilling to make.

Unwilling! :x WHY?
Give him the pen NOW!

This makes me so mad! How can they not see he has been the most consistant player for this team since he won the bloody Clive Churchill Medal, for f's sake!

"Its up to him if he wants to stay.

He obviously does. He wants to stay longer than you're willing to sign him for!

Sometimes I wish I didn't care so much about my team. This is really upsetting me, its haunting me throughout my day :?

Hopefully if I complain more, they'll sign him!

 

[Mish]

I hear you loud and clear Waken.. it haunts me too I feel sick in my stomach whenever I think about it. Are you a member on PI? maybe you could voice it over there as well, many of us have already.

Its really awful, tears almost come to my eyes in thought about it. It feels like greiving already.

All we can do is say how we feel, and hope for the best. The power of penrith is not in our hands.

 

[League Freak™]

There is definantly a tough decision to make with Pritchard.


Think he is a great player, want to keep him for sure. But we have two test quality back rowers and a good lock....and its hard to justify paying top dollar for a bench player under the cap.


Priddis...no quaestion. He wasnt anything less than three years...I sign on the line straight away.


But Pritchard....if we keep him, we might have to get rid of a few other players.

 

[Kilkenny]

I definitely wouldn't be throwing ridiculous money at Pritchard although I desparately hope we hold onto to him. His best football is still 3-4 years away and he will improve each season. As regards Priddis I suspect the club may be prepared to sacrifice him. I sincerely hope this is not the case but if we were serious about retaining Luke we would have resigned him no problems. My gut feeling is Paul Aiton will be our number 9 for the 2007 season.

 

[The Piper]

I hear you loud and clear Waken.. it haunts me too I feel sick in my stomach whenever I think about it. Are you a member on PI? maybe you could voice it over there as well, many of us have already.

Yep, I go by Wal on PI.

And I think I will voice my opinion there, too. Can't hurt.

 

[choc_soldier]

I usually play devil's advocate on PI, and sit on the fence - unless it's an issue that I firmly believe in.

I haven't voiced my opinion over there yet re: this issue, but if Priddo ends up testing the market, well, I will be pushed... :lol:

 

[Caged Panther]

http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.a...003409,00.html

PENRITH hooker Luke Priddis's future remains in limbo, with the club still unable to grant his wish for a new deal taking him beyond 2007. Priddis, who has been linked to the Gold Coast Titans, has an option to re-sign with the Panthers for next season but the 29-year-old could decide to go to the open market after the June 30 anti-tampering deadline expires.

Penrith football manager Mick Leary said yesterday salary cap considerations meant the club had to tread carefully when it came to signing long-term deals.

"At the end of this month there is a clause in Luke's deal which gives him the option to sign again for 2007 and I hope he takes it up," Leary said. "That is not to say we won't also sign Luke for 2008 and beyond. But first we want to see which way the salary cap goes and what sort of an increase there will be."

Priddis could not be contacted last night but said earlier this week he was disappointed with the attitude of the Panthers management, particularly as he had set his heart on finishing his career with Penrith.

Leary said skipper Tony Puletua had a strong chance of playing against Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday. Puletua injured a rib leading to his replacement four minutes into the Panthers' 40-18 loss to the Storm in Adelaide last Saturday night.

"On Sunday when we were leaving Adelaide things didn't look good for Tony but yesterday he was optimistic about playing and so was the doctor," Leary said.

Penrith has won four of its past five matches against the Broncos but has won only one of its past five matches in Brisbane. Broncos lock Tonie Carroll said yesterday he believed the side was on the right track after six rounds.