Rumours and Stuff

[hindy111]

Blake re-signed with Penrith in October last year on a deal that was meant to keep him at the foot of the mountains until the end of 2023. The ink on the contract was barely dry and yet suddenly he found himself in negotiations with the Eels. Even the man himself isn’t quite sure how it all happened.

 

[Incorrect]

Even the man himself isn’t quite sure how it all happened.

I get the feeling this applies to a lot of things in Waqa's life, not just those contract negotiations...

 

[hindy111]

You can say he’s been a dud buy, it’s ok you are allowed to say once in a while the club got it wrong. But the last 5 years they have got quite a lot right. Keeping Moses and punting Norman, bringing back Junior, RCG cheap buys like Marata and Ice. Getting value out of guys like Oppa and Stone. All that said it doesn’t make Blake an any better buy and he’s on full freight this season it might have been the difference of keeping an Ice.

They want to make out we got a bargain and Penrith gave him away for peanuts. He had just signed a 5yr deal about 8mths prior. They had seen him come through the juniors and knew the kid well. They rated him enough to offer a 5yr deal and he made Fitlers emerging blues squad by age 23.
He was seen as a potential hot talent. I was excited when we signed him also.
Penrith made a mistake. But they corrected it ASAP. 2022 and 2023 he is costing full freight and as people have mentioned about 500-550k.
He is certainly worth 300-350k. We paid over for his last 2yrs but the first 2.5yrs was probably market value

 

[hindy111]

Anyhows the issue with Waqa is we don't play to his strengths.
Firstly he isn't a winger. Secondly he needs early ball. The guy will make 15mtrs everytime if gets early ball with a early shift. Tough carries up the middle aren't his go. He is big strong, fast with a good fend and step. Hardly a rubbish player. If fit and in form easily our most dangerous back.

 

[hineyrulz]

Well I kind of did

No you did not, it was just pure waffle and excuse making. And then crapping on about he was a buy that we needed lol. Needing Blake in your side is like needed a hole in your head. I’ll say it again the sooner he is off the books the better you can’t win GF’s with dopey merkins like him in the side.

 

[Gazzamatta]

on the basis that they paid f**k all for him and Blake is over hyped and over priced, hard to argue

I remember an NSW Cup game at a cow paddock in Hinchinbrook two seasons ago. Perham was fullback. He never caught a high ball all day. Bulldog players were fighting each other to put the kick up to him. Yes even worse than Waqas performance last year. I must say he hardly improved that aspect of his play either yet he continued to be selected at 1 in the 2s. I reckon Perham would do a decent job at 5/8 but sadly he never got a chance there. Hopefully Asi is better anyway. The young guy The Mole hyped seemed to go ok but hes moved to The Cows I think.

 

[Gazzamatta]

Someone should average what we have paid for Waqa over the years, considering that the Pennys paid a significant chunk. Dud buy ? I still think merkins are bitter because of the late season dropsies in 2022. I reckon he's a a buy that we had to have. At the time we could not attract even a half decent player to tbe club. When we signed Reg and Waqa it opened the door to other players to look at the Eels as a genuine destination, rather than the shit teams.

Maybe.
A fair arguement Gronky.

 

[Gazzamatta]

No but I understand supply and demand and business.
Let's say Waqa was signed for 550k which is plausible. Along with DWZ they are seen as two of the hot young talents in game. Waqa was seen as potential origin player of future. He was very young still.
That hope maybe slightly drifted but plenty would of thought if can fix a few things in his game he could get there and be worth 550k+
But at what risk? If he plateus he is still a solid NRL player. At 400k he was well worth the risk.
And a few clubs would of been keen especially the weak and desperate ones.Penrith best interest was to recoup as much as could.

At 300k I dare say atleast 5 or 6 clubs would of been wanting to get him.
Unlike N.Brown who is wanting to be moved on Waqa was young. Browns reported 550-600k is an issue based on age and form. Max someone's paying is 250k for him. Best you could hope for is he takes a 50k cut to sign a longer deal elsewhere. That may give you 300k to spend. Question is will you get anyone better for that?

Waqa was a $550k player versus our Eels every day of the week. Sadly hes never been that in B&G. Waqa or Tactics? WTFK's.

 

[Twizzle]

Waqa Blake a future State of Origin star, says Brad Fittler

Waqa a future Origin star, says Fittler

www.foxsports.com.au

says more about Fittler than Blake

 

[King-Gutho94]

Spacehead Fittler showed everyone he has NFI when picking duds like Talakai and Jacob Saifiti ahead of Wighton & RCG.

Leaving out Addo-Carr was another bonehead dumb decision.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

There is an article that Crichton was not wanted by them.

Typical NRL journo/manager bullshit. Of course the Panthers wanted him. What they didn't want to do was pay too much, which would've meant matching, or at least getting close to, the Dogs' offer.

The salary cap means that teams which win more games (and therefore have better players) eventually lose them, usually to teams that have worse rosters. "<Player> unwanted!!!" is what journos say to sell drama, and what players/managers say to dodge accusations of disloyalty. Thickshit footy fans lap it all up.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Someone should average what we have paid for Waqa over the years, considering that the Pennys paid a significant chunk. Dud buy ? I still think merkins are bitter because of the late season dropsies in 2022. I reckon he's a a buy that we had to have. At the time we could not attract even a half decent player to tbe club. When we signed Reg and Waqa it opened the door to other players to look at the Eels as a genuine destination, rather than the shit teams.

In three-and-a-half seasons here the merkin has won 45 games and scored 28 tries. He's been a good contributor.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Was he ever really thought of as that good? Had the attacking potential, but defence (and injury) was always a weakness. Penrith didn't exactly clamour to retain him towards the end of his contract there.

Penrith last re-signed him in late 2018, after a pretty good season, but at the time we signed him (mid-2019) he was very poor, and already 24 and a half years old. There's no reason we would've paid top dollar to take him off their books.

And clubs don't 'take over' the contract of a player when they sign him from another club. The old club agrees a payout (which goes on their cap over however many years they agree to) and the new club agrees a contract as normal, which has nothing to do with the old contract.

 

[emjaycee]

They want to make out we got a bargain and Penrith gave him away for peanuts. He had just signed a 5yr deal about 8mths prior. They had seen him come through the juniors and knew the kid well. They rated him enough to offer a 5yr deal and he made Fitlers emerging blues squad by age 23.
He was seen as a potential hot talent. I was excited when we signed him also.
Penrith made a mistake. But they corrected it ASAP. 2022 and 2023 he is costing full freight and as people have mentioned about 500-550k.
He is certainly worth 300-350k. We paid over for his last 2yrs but the first 2.5yrs was probably market value

If Waqa has a Penrith contract until the end of 2023, why would we have taken full frieght for those years (but not the first 2)?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Waqa Blake a future State of Origin star, says Brad Fittler

Waqa a future Origin star, says Fittler

www.foxsports.com.au

Didn't the merkin pick Kyle Schneider in the Emerging Blues? He deadset won a wooden spoon at the f**king Roosters of all clubs. Enough said.

I don't think we paid Blake based on Fittler's recommendation. Kyle Schneider ffs.

 

[Gronk]

No you did not, it was just pure waffle and excuse making. And then crapping on about he was a buy that we needed lol. Needing Blake in your side is like needed a hole in your head. I’ll say it again the sooner he is off the books the better you can’t win GF’s with dopey merkins like him in the side.

Blah blah yeah I did.

Whilst I don't think that he's going to feature in the Eels Hall of Fame, I certainly don't think that he deserves the Moses Mbye roasting that he's coping on here. As I said, if we only paid high 3's for him on average, then he's good value every day of the week.

 

[Smartman]

Posted on another site that Moses has agreed to terms with Parramatta. Just waiting on a few third party deals to eventuate.

 

[eels_fan]

Posted on another site that Moses has agreed to terms with Parramatta. Just waiting on a few third party deals to eventuate.

His contract with the eels (or any club for that matter) cannot be dependent upon third party deals. So he's either signed and the club hasnt announced it yet, or he hasnt signed.

 

[hineyrulz]

His contract with the eels (or any club for that matter) cannot be dependent upon third party deals. So he's either signed and the club hasnt announced it yet, or he hasnt signed.

Well it’s not supposed to……..

 

[Poupou Escobar]

I hope the NRL investigates this!