Russell Packer

[Old Kogarah Boy 1]

Anyone who thinks we swayed the government to keep him here is living in la la land
If we can't sway our management and coach how the f**k could we claim that the government would take notice of a bunch of nuffies on a football club forum
People should stop trying to take credit for what Russell did for himself

Sure, Russell helped himself only because we gave him a reason too, others didn't......
I know if my future employer went above and beyond to assist me in gaining acceptance ( by the NRL ) .. help set me up with tafe / college etc, handed me a contract to earn and play for a club, I'd feel might I'd owe the club in some way ........... and rightly so.

The grass is not always greener elsewhere.
He should feel obligated, I know l would.
At the end of the day, he'd still be making a shedload of dollars ( compared to most of us ) and could prove himself as a genuine club man over time................. not many do that these days.

We all have different ideas on what is right and fair.
Maybe l'm just old school.

 

[Gomarchin]

btw all this talk that Packer is managed by Paul Sutton (same manager as Dugan, Widdop) is incorrect - Packers agent is George Mimis....
Packer will stay and Dugan will leave and Gagai will arrive is what I believe will happen....

I can live with that....

 

[Old Timer]

Sure, Russell helped himself only because we gave him a reason too, others didn't......
I know if my future employer went above and beyond to assist me in gaining acceptance ( by the NRL ) .. help set me up with tafe / college etc, handed me a contract to earn and play for a club, I'd feel might I'd owe the club in some way ........... and rightly so.

The grass is not always greener elsewhere.
He should feel obligated, I know l would.
At the end of the day, he'd still be making a shedload of dollars ( compared to most of us ) and could prove himself as a genuine club man over time................. not many do that these days.

We all have different ideas on what is right and fair.
Maybe l'm just old school.

Your assumption therefore is without us he would have become nothing.
Your first sentence is erroneous and diminishes what Packer did for himself and is just another example of people trying to claim the high ground in Packer's remarkable turnaround.
Give the man the credit he richly deserves and try to get your head around the fact that Packer would have made a go of life with or without the Dragons.
It would have only been a matter of time before he would have proved himself worthy of someone giving him another chance to play NRL.
Our club is to be congratulated only for the fact that they could see this before the others clubs and as such we had the initial benefit of his services which may or may not prove beneficial in future contract negotiations.
Russell delivered on the promise we saw in him unlike some others that went completely pear shape and on that point if it was all the clubs doing re Packers turnaround, then how come some other things with other players went so bad?

 

[Old Kogarah Boy 1]

Your assumption therefore is without us he would have become nothing.
Your first sentence is erroneous and diminishes what Packer did for himself and is just another example of people trying to claim the high ground in Packer's remarkable turnaround.
Give the man the credit he richly deserves and try to get your head around the fact that Packer would have made a go of life with or without the Dragons.
It would have only been a matter of time before he would have proved himself worthy of someone giving him another chance to play NRL.
Our club is to be congratulated only for the fact that they could see this before the others clubs and as such we had the initial benefit of his services which may or may not prove beneficial in future contract negotiations.
Russell delivered on the promise we saw in him unlike some others that went completely pear shape and on that point if it was all the clubs doing re Packers turnaround, then how come some other things with other players went so bad?

Maybe my wording is not how l meant it to come across but the main point l'm trying to make, is that we helped Packer to himself in achieving the mutual goals for both both he and the club.

No other club felt compelled to do so at that point of time, simple really.
Again, we all have different opinions ........ all is good.

 

[coast_dragons]

Again i haven't seen anywhere that Rusty has come out and said he is looking to leave its just alot of rumours and ineunedo.

Part of this is the Dugan saga that will in the end cost Dragons players.

 

[possm]

Again i haven't seen anywhere that Rusty has come out and said he is looking to leave its just alot of rumours and ineunedo.

Part of this is the Dugan saga that will in the end cost Dragons players.

If it is not the figure that is holding up Packer's extension, then just sign him up now. What happens with Dugan will happen.

 

[BennyV]

Benny of course we had other choices but he was by far and away the best choice $ for $.
Did we buy from the goodness of our heart or in the belief we could get a contract registered?
Without Packer's personal commitment and determination to rehabilitate we would never have got his contract registered so he has already fulfilled all his obligations.
At that time we were the only club willing to consider taking him on but he had to languish initially in nowhere land, then reggies with no guarantee of 1st grade ever eventuating as it was a matter for the NRL.
Everyone is blindly assuming that if we didn't take Packer his career was over which is just plain stupid because he could have continued on with his rehabilitation for 2 years and showed his worth as a member of society and played football in a non NRL environment and perhaps been picked up by another club in a similar situation to Dave Taylor and several others.
Packer is a very positive sort of person and I have no doubt that he would have found a way with or without us as he understands he f**ked up and is willing to make huge sacrifices to be a better person.
The notion that he owes us something is ridiculous and doesn't pay enough credit to Packer for what he has done for himself and as a by product our club has prospered as well.
He could have easily been a Dane Nielsen and he chose not to be all power to Russell.

It's not that black and white OT. You're making out like credit should only go to Packer or the club, but in reality both had a hand in it.
No one knows where big fudge would have ended up had we not initiated things while he was still in gaol, but considering no other club showed interest and he was on the verge of being deported (I believe employment with our club, including community service, formed part of the case to avoid deportation) it's not at all unreasonable to assume he may not have made it back to the top, and almost certainly wouldn't have been lining up for a test match in 2017. Plus the uni degree/s.

This doesn't at all mean that Packer didn't work hard. And yes, we benefitted from it. But considering we literally signed him from prison, at the lowest point of his life, and gave him all that we did, we are the ones who took the risk on him, notnthe other way around. Doesn't mean he should sign with us on understand, or even that he should prioritise us over other clubs. But to claim he owes us nothing is just wrong. We were a huge part of giving him the chance to get to where he is today. And I'm sure Packer knows that, being the positive sort of person that he is.

(and likewise, we owe Packer gratitude and acknowledgement for repaying the faith we showed in him by offering him a fair and reasonable contract to stay with us.)

 

[Saintsified]

Sure, Russell helped himself only because we gave him a reason too, others didn't......
I know if my future employer went above and beyond to assist me in gaining acceptance ( by the NRL ) .. help set me up with tafe / college etc, handed me a contract to earn and play for a club, I'd feel might I'd owe the club in some way ........... and rightly so.

The grass is not always greener elsewhere.
He should feel obligated, I know l would.
At the end of the day, he'd still be making a shedload of dollars ( compared to most of us ) and could prove himself as a genuine club man over time................. not many do that these days.

We all have different ideas on what is right and fair.
Maybe l'm just old school.

But he also owes it to his family to set them up for life if he can...they suffered too you know when he was in the slammer.. No income etc.

I'm glad our Club helped him out but I wouldn't feel any anger toward him if he had to take the carrots.

Good luck big man if you do go.

 

[2010]

Fox Sports are saying we offered three years whereas Tigers are offering four years which is supposed to be one million more then us.
If this is true, who knows
What are peoples opinion on whether we should give him a four year contract.
We may have already done this, again who knows

 

[dragonssamy61]

Above all russ has to look after his family .
As this is probably the last contact as a nrl player he will sign.
His family is the most important thing in his life.
Make the best decision for your family big guy.
Look after them.

 

[coast_dragons]

3 years is plenty enough the Tigers have to offer more certainly overs for players to get them to go there as they are still a shit house club.

If Woods and what he had to say about the club isn't enough to ward any players off nothing will.

Also the Dragons can and would find a suitable replacement within or an outside player.

 

[ALSGI]

Playing for Wests is like being deported anyway.

 

[Coffs dragon]

That extra $1mil on offer from the Tigers will get him a garden shed on a 300 sq/m block in Sydney's west. You'd want more than that to relocate into one of the most expensive cities in the World. Stay on the beach Russ.......relax and enjoy the lifestyle.

 

[Como Connection]

That extra $1mil on offer from the Tigers will get him a garden shed on a 300 sq/m block in Sydney's west. You'd want more than that to relocate into one of the most expensive cities in the World. Stay on the beach Russ.......relax and enjoy the lifestyle.

He doesn't have to move house if he signs for Wests/Tigers.
Just drive a lot!
CC

 

[Old Timer]

BennyV
My major issue is with the notion that "he owes us something" mentality.
I introduced a prisoner release work work programme in conjunction with the Salvation Army at the company I managed.
The prisoners were within 12-18 months of getting released and it was a system by with which they were getting ready for release into society and were given certain rights and privileges including the opportunity to work and live independently within the goal system.
We had all sorts murderers, drug runners, car thieves, gun runners but we stopped short of accepting pedophiles and DV people.
Some worked out great and some had no idea and quickly found their way back into the prison system due to being non compliant.
We employed them all as casuals and received no tangible benefit for having them other than the fact most were very compliant and extremely thankful for the opportunity and all said and done the worst day on the outside was better than the very best day on the inside so absenteeism with them was almost non existent.
After their tenure with us they mostly wanted to go onto other careers, return to the demographic region they came from and their families and most importantly get on with life in a normal manner.
I initially thought they owed us a bit more than that but after discussing things with them I learnt that all said and done it was a business arrangement that suited all parties at the given time and that they were now free and should start making good decisions to ensure their futures.
In fact after careful consideration it was obvious that the company had got the better end of the deal initially.
Many came back to see me from time to time to let me know how they were going and occasionally ask for advice and it was thanks enough to know that they had turned into good law abiding family people and were making careful decisions to ensure their futures and that of their families.
Neither myself nor the company could claim any real glory for what transpired as it took steely determination from the participant to make it work and in the end we were just happy to be part of a system that gave people a chance instead of condemning them to the social scrap heap.
Anyway we all have different points of view and whatever big Russell does I for one am glad he played with us and if he goes elsewhere I believe it will only be because he is once again making good decisions for himself and his family and I will hold no malice or feeling of being cheated.

 

[mickeylane]

FMD we sign Hunt and Widdop and we probably about to lose Packer and Dugan!!
Both replaceable but such a shame as theyre both staunch Dragons!

 

[hewi]

FMD we sign Hunt and Widdop and we probably about to lose Packer and Dugan!!
Both replaceable but such a shame as theyre both staunch Dragons!

Personally I reckon Dugan will go, Packer will stay.

 

[Saints Forever]

Uncertainty as to what the salary cap will be in 2018 is making it very difficult to finalise contracts with Packer and Duges.

Waiting for the result of those negotiations is killing me.

Am sure its just as frustrating for the players.

 

[Outlaw Pete]

The NRL is a totally inept organisation . We are presently in May 2017 and clubs don't know what the salary cap will be in 2018. Not that Broncos, Dogs and Rorters will be in any way affected.
Greenberg is pee and wind. His spin and BS would not cut it in the real business world. Shareholders would not accept it. And rightly so.

 

[Saintsified]

He doesn't have to move house if he signs for Wests/Tigers.
Just drive a lot!
CC

What we arent a Sydney club? since when?