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!
No, we have dumb, angry fans and the rugby league media are lapping it up. So smart moves by the club (not overpaying for Talagi, and locking in Guymer on unders) are being cast as failures by the media. So one manager is hoping to use it as an opportunity to renegotiate. Good to see the club stand fast.
It means plenty. Still playing Flegg at 20 years of age isn't a good sign. Even that lightweight Isaiah Iongi was playing reserve grade at 20.
Smith is also a downgrade from Keary, who has won three premierships. Townsend has only won one. Sandon Smith has seven NRL starts for three wins.
Fancy the NRL media being 'a bit misleading' ffs. The monkeys are bouncing off the f**king walls!
We also made him an offer. We weren't waiting for him to activate the option. He would've only done that with a bad injury. And while we made the offer, like any offer made by any club to any player, we were unable to commit that money to another signing. This is why you see clubs get sick of waiting and pull their offer to a player. So they can use the money to pursue another target.So basically he could have held out on his player option until as long as he wanted and made us lose any other potential signing...
Then decline it and sign with another club.
Nah that's awesome
The upside is whatever amount of contract money it saved the club, which we'll never know. The downside is only downside if the player takes up the option (and presumably is worth less than whatever the value of the option is).
Yesterday had nothing to do with the PO. It expired months ago.
We already offered a new contract long before the option expired. It would've been for a lot more than the PO was worth, making the option a non-factor.
The rumour I hear is that we are lowballing managers and dragging out negotiations rather than letting them walk all over us. That's why they don't like dealing with us. They would prefer we sack MON and go back to the days when we threw top dollar at their clients every election time.
The player options will all be for less than they are on. The expectation is always that the player doesn't take up the option, because it is likely to be unders. It's a safety net for the player, not a release clause, and not a free extra year on huge money. They are intended for tragedies like what happened to Dunster.
We will make new offers to Drown and Penisini before their options are even a factor. So will rival clubs. It's no different to any other off contract player. The difference is if the player does an ACL during negotiations and clubs all pull their offers, he has a safety net. Like when Christian Welch took up his option at the Storm after he did his ACL and we withdrew our offer: https://www.melbournestorm.com.au/news/20192/11/20/forward-four-pack-extend-contracts-with-storm/
The option is less than he can get on the open market, unless he is injured.
Exactly. The Panthers only just filled their 6 jersey for next year. And since we signed Lomax I've been wondering how we'd fit Talagi into the team. He doesn't want to be an outside back.
Clubs have been doing it for years, including our club. But we are losing and thickshit Eels fans have only just heard of contract options.
Maybe not, but we don't actually need Talagi next year, so why would we have made a big offer? I understand why a team without a five-eighth for 2025 was able to make a bigger offer.
If we were weak they would love dealing with us, yet we keep hearing that they don't.
I reckon it means he doesn't want anyone here who doesn't want to be here, which is the right way to be.
Merkin I am on the Freo bandwagon. Toot toot!
We need a couple of quality wingers and hope some of our junior forwards come through.
Do you have some inside info? Is there a big pile of money we've been hoarding since 1986? Spill the f**ken beans merkin
That's because the likes of Uncle Nick are spending their own money, so they don't have to cook the books. They can do what they like with their cash. But the PLC is a registered club, so every dollar has to be accounted for. That means there is a paper trail. Without it, dodgy chairmen don't just get banned by the NRL, they can end up in jail.
I admire his effort so I won't bad mouth him. Instead I'll just give your post a cheeky like and hope he doesn't see.
I think merkins are overstating the risk. What are the chances Penisini, Drown and Matterson all activate their options for 2026? Penisini and Drown will be in their prime, and Matterson will only turn 32 after the season is over. Is he really one head knock away from being a jelly sandwich? Even so, we should be able to medically retire him.
He'll be getting bigger offers earlier (including from us) so he will need to make a call before the offers get pulled. Or he can wait around and take the lesser value in the PO.
