Russell Packer

[twinkletoes]

Millward is out of his depth. He has done a good job signing up the juniors but that was a relatively easy task. When it comes to actually competing for elite players he does not have what it takes. Vaughn & McInness were not wanted by their clubs. However in signing Hunt by offering him around $1M a season he has actually started this mad transfer chaos where every player now wants a million to sign up anywhere...

 

[possm]

• The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (the club breached the NRL cap by $81,965 in 2016).

Given the breach was self-reported by the club, which has subsequently upgraded its governance structure, the NRL has imposed a fine of 75 per cent of the breach amount ($61,474).



We should have offered packer the extra 100k then reported it later on

I believe we are under the cap this year and so far have only purchased Hunt for next year. So given that we are close to our cap, it is a matter of factoring in Hunt's money first and then moving forward to retain/upgrade players we want to keep, also factoring in players we want to let go.

The cap will increase by approximately 2m in 2018. So in round figure after recruiting Hunt for approx. 1m - although Millward states that the official figure is much less than that - this means we have 1m to spend before factoring in any savings from players we let go. It seems clear to me that we are not hindered by the cap at this stage. Losing Packer and possibly losing Dugan will put us in a similar position cap wise to what the Tigers were in. They lost a top grade prop and a top grade fullback and replaced halfback for halfback.

Replacing Dugan with Mitchell has to leave us in front.
Replacing Packer with a hard nosed prop should be doable.

All that is left to do is to extend or replace off contract players in our backline who are already being paid under our cap in 2017. So it is only a matter of extending, sometimes with a 100k upgrade the likes of Lafai, Milne, Mann - an extra 300k at most.

The main rule will be replace like with like or better and if we do this we will maintain our momentum.

 

[Gm5]

I believe we are under the cap this year and so far have only purchased Hunt for next year. So given that we are close to our cap, it is a matter of factoring in Hunt's money first and then moving forward to retain/upgrade players we want to keep, also factoring in players we want to let go.

The cap will increase by approximately 2m in 2018. So in round figure after recruiting Hunt for approx. 1m - although Millward states that the official figure is much less than that - this means we have 1m to spend before factoring in any savings from players we let go. It seems clear to me that we are not hindered by the cap at this stage. Losing Packer and possibly losing Dugan will put us in a similar position cap wise to what the Tigers were in. They lost a top grade prop and a top grade fullback and replaced halfback for halfback.

Replacing Dugan with Mitchell has to leave us in front.
Replacing Packer with a hard nosed prop should be doable.

All that is left to do is to extend or replace off contract players in our backline who are already being paid under our cap in 2017. So it is only a matter of extending, sometimes with a 100k upgrade the likes of Lafai, Milne, Mann - an extra 300k at most.

The main rule will be replace like with like or better and if we do this we will maintain our momentum.

Theres a great post over on marathonstadium about player signings and rumours. http://www.marathonstadium.com/threads/2017-player-rumours-and-signings.15655/

ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS

GAINS: Ben Hunt (Brisbane Broncos - 2023)

LOSSES: Dunamis Lui (Canberra Raiders) Adam Quinlan (Hull KR)

RE-SIGNED: Luciano Leilua (2018) Jacob Host (2020) Euan Aitken (2020) Jack De Belin (2020) Gareth Widdop (2021)

OFF CONTRACT: Levi Dodd, Josh Dugan, Kalifa Faifai Loa, Yaw Kiti Glymin, Siliva Havili, Drew Hutchison, Tim Lafai, Kurt Mann, Jake Marketo, Mose Masoe, Will Matthews, Tyrone McCarthy, Josh McCrone, Taane Milne, Jason Nightingale, Shaun Nona, Russell Packer

 

[possm]

Millward is out of his depth. He has done a good job signing up the juniors but that was a relatively easy task. When it comes to actually competing for elite players he does not have what it takes. Vaughn & McInness were not wanted by their clubs. However in signing Hunt by offering him around $1M a season he has actually started this mad transfer chaos where every player now wants a million to sign up anywhere...

Yes you are completely correct however, the Hunt signing should have been announced at the same time as Widdop, Dugan and Packer. I have no doubt that the announcement of the Hunt signing did cause players and player managers to re-calibrate upwards the value of their contracts.

Now it a matter of Millward fixing his mistakes. He is human and learning on the job but now needs to sign a first grade ready fullback and a hard nosed prop immediately. Also there is no longer a reason not to sign Lafai, Milne or Mann unless he does not want them at the Club next year.

 

[Gm5]

this means we have 1m to spend before factoring in any savings from players we let go.

You've forgotten the extra cost to re-sign players

 

[dragonssamy61]

The suspense is doing my head in!! Big Russ just needs to decide if he's on Ivan's new Bus service or he sticks with Mary's exciting JetSki ride.

Its offical he's gone in cooling of period.
Vaughan extended also offical
See dragons websight

 

[dragonssamy61]

f**k Dugan and his manager for screwing this up for us.

Not just them why wouldn't we offer 4 years.
Thats all it would have taken

 

[2010]

Millward's plans is two steps forward and three steps back.
He put it out a while ago that Widdop and Dugan would be done first and then Packer.
It's not looking good for Dugan. So just on Dugan and Packer he has failed.
Packers loss is going to be hugh our front row. First time in years we were looking at a pack which could have dominated for the next few years.

 

[hazzbeen]

For me loosing Packer is a stuff up , and I wouldn't give Duges what he wants now . Funny how 6 good games by us and Widdop , Duges , Packer get what they want as deals . If we hadn't started the season well , I don't think any of them would have got the money their on or asking ....

 

[SBD82]

f**k. f**k. f**k.

We are going to feel this loss heavily in 2018

 

[possm]

Theres a great post over on marathonstadium about player signings and rumours. http://www.marathonstadium.com/threads/2017-player-rumours-and-signings.15655/

ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS

GAINS: Ben Hunt (Brisbane Broncos - 2023)

LOSSES: Dunamis Lui (Canberra Raiders) Adam Quinlan (Hull KR)

RE-SIGNED: Luciano Leilua (2018) Jacob Host (2020) Euan Aitken (2020) Jack De Belin (2020) Gareth Widdop (2021)

OFF CONTRACT: Levi Dodd, Josh Dugan, Kalifa Faifai Loa, Yaw Kiti Glymin, Siliva Havili, Drew Hutchison, Tim Lafai, Kurt Mann, Jake Marketo, Mose Masoe, Will Matthews, Tyrone McCarthy, Josh McCrone, Taane Milne, Jason *Nightingale, Shaun Nona, Russell Packer

Lose those marked in red.
Keep those marked in blue
* Nightingale receives a long service discount of the cap of 150k so he is not expensive at all.

Plenty of room there to promote juniors and recruit good young fringe first graders. Like for like or better.

 

[Gm5]

Lose those marked in red.
Keep those marked in blue
* Nightingale receives a long service discount of the cap of 150k so he is not expensive at all.

Plenty of room there to promote juniors and recruit good young fringe first graders. Like for like or better.

Completely agree cept 50/50 on Dugan atm

 

[Rocket Rod]

I don't see the point in chastising Millward at this point.
It all comes down to economics. Is Packer worth 800k per year x4.
I don't think so. He has resigned Vaughn who is way better and more creative than Packer until 2021. That's excellent news!
I think Vaughn has made Packer look better than what he actually is this year.
Kerr and Sele should be ready as starting props next year and with another preseason under his belt Luciano should be knocking on the door for a regular bench spot.
Maybe a mature value for money prop will come to market sometime in the near future.
Can't begrudge Packer taking up the 3.2 m deal from a desperate Tigers
There is no way he would've got that anywhere else

 

[blacksafake]

Like i said before good luck to him as the money was far too good to refuse.
Now that it is official my new name for him when he does join the tigers will be "romper stomper" i have resisted using it out of respect because he plays for us but from next season this is what he shall be known as.

 

[possm]

For me loosing Packer is a stuff up , and I wouldn't give Duges what he wants now . Funny how 6 good games by us and Widdop , Duges , Packer get what they want as deals . If we hadn't started the season well , I don't think any of them would have got the money their on or asking ....

You're right. And if we had signed our key first graders prior to season start like we did in Hunt, we would have them all and only maybe haggling with fringe first graders or juniors we want to develop.

 

[Rocket Rod]

You're right. And if we had signed our key first graders prior to season start like we did in Hunt, we would have them all and only maybe haggling with fringe first graders or juniors we want to develop.

You have the benefit of hindsight in your post.
At the beginning of the year all the current first graders were on the nose by all and sundry and should've all been sacked.
Vaughn was a shrewd signing or maybe just a fluke, but hey that's football.
He is the reason that the pack has fired up this year.

 

[possm]

For me loosing Packer is a stuff up , and I wouldn't give Duges what he wants now . Funny how 6 good games by us and Widdop , Duges , Packer get what they want as deals . If we hadn't started the season well , I don't think any of them would have got the money their on or asking ....

I think Mitchell from the Roosters would be much cheaper and possibly much better suited with Hunt and Widdop running the team.

We do also need a hard nosed prop to replace Packer like for like or better.

 

[possm]

You have the benefit of hindsight in your post.
At the beginning of the year all the current first graders were on the nose by all and sundry and should've all been sacked.
Vaughn was a shrewd signing or maybe just a fluke, but hey that's football.
He is the reason that the pack has fired up this year.

Not so, during the off-season the player leadership group, coach and others designed the power plan and practiced it during the off-season. They all approached the first round with extreme confidence this new style would work. The senior players had ownership of the game plan. Well it did work.

Behind the scenes Millward was busy recruiting and retaining. He recruited Hunt, McInnes and Vaughan to arrive at the Dragons on 1 November 2016. He then went about retaining juniors instead of extending key first graders contracts. Widdop, Dugan and Packer should have been tied up prior to seasons start. The Likes of Lafai, Mann, Milne, Aitken and Nightingale were not so urgent. Losing one or a few of these players would have been easy to replace like for like or better.

 

[Sheridan Stand]

Front Rowers don't win grand finals - he can be replaced. We diidnt really get our return on investment though.

A smarter club mgt would only have signed him saying that the club is taking a risk and so we will put in place options in our favor to renew you at exiting Salary rates + inflation for 5 years given the investment we are making - instead we got year 1 = cutters and fitness/game time rebuild, year 2 = starting to find some form.

Club mgt at stgeorge is non existent - they are so dumb it is sad. But hey don't dare anyone criticize them or you will be shown the door.

Boys dumb club alive and well.

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

Its offical he's gone in cooling of period.
Vaughan extended also offical
See dragons websight

mate where does it show in Dragons web site that Packer is in cooling off period...seen the Vaughan bi