What's new
The Front Row Forums

Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Rumours and Stuff

El Diablo

Post Whore
Messages
94,107
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...h-over-2018-entitlements-20161105-gsivaw.html

Parramatta Eels play hardball with Anthony Watmough over 2018 entitlements

This time last year, Anthony Watmough was earning $700,000 a year – he was paid to eat well, train hard and push his body to places it wasn't meant to go. Right now, Watmough is working for free in his restaurant, Tokonoma.

"I'm learning the business from the bottom up," he said.

He's doing it because he sees a future in the business. And he will need a strong income stream to maintain the lifestyle he enjoys with his wife and children. Truth be known, he needs to be busy – he's been bored.

But here's the problem: Parramatta have stopped paying Watmough, despite their obligations under the Collective Bargaining Agreement. He checked his bank account last month and there was nothing from the Eels. Zip.

It turns out the club has decided not to pay him because of a dispute about whether he is entitled to another big sum of money for season 2018. The Eels are taking the line that Watmough didn't have a contract for 2018, but he says he has an option in his favour. It's a tricky negotiation.

But you need to question their decision to stop paying a bloke money he is perfectly entitled to. There is no dispute about his 2017 contract. And you will remember that when Parramatta needed to get under the cap earlier this year, it was Watmough who was retired by the club to let the team play for points.

They are playing hardball with a man they signed to turn around the culture of the club, and it will be interesting to see how the Eels players react when they learn how the club is treating a bloke they admired and respected. It's not Watmough's fault the club gave him a deal that seemed too good to be true. You can't then not pay him because they were poorly run at the time the contract was agreed. But Watmough is now the one suffering.

The Eels had a lengthy meeting with Watmough's agent early this week, but not much was resolved. The decision to stop paying him was made by Max Donnelly, the club's administrator. It will be interesting to see how new CEO Bernie Gurr deals with the mess.
 

IFR33K

Coach
Messages
17,043
I'm sure this will all be sorted with a reduced amount being paid to watmough. Neither party would want it to head to the courts, and I dare say both will be happy with a reduced amount.
 

El Diablo

Post Whore
Messages
94,107
Won't effect the salary cap whether we pay him for 2018 or not. This is a non issue IMO

there is one person who would say otherwise

0cef10fc9bfaba11057372ae9648e10a
 

Noise

Coach
Messages
18,160
classing forwards or any player by their scrum position is very outdated. Hence why they are now referred to by coaches and other players as middle forwards and edge forwards
 

yy_cheng

Coach
Messages
18,734
Will a 2 week forwards rotation work? i.e.

A middle forward plays for 2 weeks, gets a rest then the next middle forward gets a rest etc.

Same rotation for the edge forwards.

Has any team done that?
 

EelsFan05

Bench
Messages
2,961
It could put players and player managers off our club though.
Do you reckon this would be the only reason. Search warrants on their offices stemming from our salary cap cheating wouldn't have been enough?

Why should the bloke get paid for a player option year that he couldn't fulfill. He got paid all of this year and a part of the year before to watch footy from the sideline. Fair suck.
 

Poupou Escobar

Post Whore
Messages
91,196
Will a 2 week forwards rotation work? i.e.

A middle forward plays for 2 weeks, gets a rest then the next middle forward gets a rest etc.

Same rotation for the edge forwards.

Has any team done that?
You want your best players on the field every week. For our team there are three, maybe four, middle forwards who are top 17 certainties. Plus three edge forwards. That doesn't actually leave much room for rotation players.

Hopefully we get a few injuries so everyone can have a run.
 

Noise

Coach
Messages
18,160
Will a 2 week forwards rotation work? i.e.

A middle forward plays for 2 weeks, gets a rest then the next middle forward gets a rest etc.

Same rotation for the edge forwards.

Has any team done that?

It would muck up continuity , particularly with edge defenders working with and communicating their half next to them. It also means you are not playing ur best 17 every week. And no team has ever done it before. Sure teams have rested players over the origin period or leading up to semis if the result won't effect their position but no team has ever rotated players each week throughout a season . Generally the team that wins the competition uses fewer players in first grade than most.
 
Messages
42,876
Do you reckon this would be the only reason. Search warrants on their offices stemming from our salary cap cheating wouldn't have been enough?

Why should the bloke get paid for a player option year that he couldn't fulfill. He got paid all of this year and a part of the year before to watch footy from the sideline. Fair suck.
It's not like we want to give anyone more reasons to avoid our club then. I'm not really talking about what's fair, I'm talking about what's best for our team.
 

miatch

Juniors
Messages
154
There are certainly different attacking roles in the middle (proven by differences in runs per minute, and how frequently a middle forward passes the ball), and the need for at least one big yardage monster (usually defensive liabilities) on the field at a time requires two or three smaller forwards (including the hooker) to cover for the big merkin's lack of mobility. Edge forwards can shift into the middle and play this role well, as does a second hooker. But edge forward and middle forward are very different roles, so calling a player a 'back rower' is sloppy. Terepo, Wicks and Mannah are hard working, mobile defenders in the middle but you will never find them defending on the edges.
Agreed, and to be clear, I generally use "edge forward" and "middle forward", but I think that can over simplify the roles as there is still a distinction in that tweener position, and as such I add "lock" as a third role in the forward pack (well fourth when you add hooker). But that's me
 

miatch

Juniors
Messages
154
You want your best players on the field every week. For our team there are three, maybe four, middle forwards who are top 17 certainties. Plus three edge forwards. That doesn't actually leave much room for rotation players.

Hopefully we get a few injuries so everyone can have a run.

Ha, phrases you don't hear often - "hopefully we get a few injuries"
 

Obscene Assassin

First Grade
Messages
6,324
Will a 2 week forwards rotation work? i.e.

A middle forward plays for 2 weeks, gets a rest then the next middle forward gets a rest etc.

Same rotation for the edge forwards.

Has any team done that?

I reckon we'll have a top 17 and stick to it as much as possible. If you're constantly changing, the timing in set plays can become slightly off. Plus the players in Wenty should be stepping up their game to push for a first grade spot.
 

Twizzle

Administrator
Staff member
Messages
153,092
So we should be calling the fullback the lock? or are we now calling the dummy half the lock? Centre becomes second-row, depending on what side of the field the scrum is.

Or is this sarcasm?

well some times you can call him a lock, and sometimes you can call him a prop

not too long ago when the NFL obsessed nose with eyes was commentating, he used to refer to back rowers as wide recievers
 

Latest posts

Top