I think Tedesco + Mansour have both been pretty brave to not sign for Canberra tbh. Im certainly happy as a footy fan, that Tigers side will be good to watch soon.
But I've really changed my stance on 'player loyalty' these days. It's still great when you see it happen. But I think they're kind of mad. Footy is not a particularly long career. 10 years, often less, sometimes a little bit longer if you're good enough to last. You could get your career severely dulled by injury anytime (see Chris Lawrence and others) which hurts your future earning ability.
Plus the years most people spend learning a trade or going to uni or whatever your spending playing footy. You make a good wage, but not a lifetimes wage (unless you're particularly canny), and it's harder to retrain and whatnot after you've finished playing.
It's nice when loyalty crops up, and I'm sure it's nice to keep playing with their mates, but i don't think we should expect them to show loyalty, they're perfectly entitled to take whatever money they can IMO
Good point.
At the same time, I also believe it's in the players best interest long term to find a balance between a good wage and a good environment. No point going to the highest bidder if the player is going to be miserable and his career is going to suffer as a result.
Not to mention, the ones that usually sign these outrageous deals tend to be up and comers who have yet to really develop yet. Take Tedesco for instance, he's somebody who's been raised on the Tigers playbook and has a good understanding of the players around him. Up-rooting and moving to Canberra where there isn't that guarantee would make life difficult. Especially with a coach of Sticky's track record.
There was some interesting discussion on the Knights earlier. I actually think they have some talent coming through who can make a real difference to them in 2-3 years time. However, they'll need to handle the transition between them. I don't mind the like of Rochow albeit, his form has dipped a bit this year - if they can make a few signings to improve their pack they'll be fine.
I'm hearing that Hannant is virtually a done deal to join them next year which would be a coup. If they can sign a backrow or two and a hooker to replace Gids who needs a tap on the shoulder, they could be back on track as early as next year.
What do Knights fans think of an Ennis homecoming? I know he's odds on at joining the Sharks but I'm surprised that there hasn't been any discussion. Has a really good relationship with Bennett and given that he began his career with the Knights, it'd seem like a poetic way for his career to finish up.
He'd be a nice upgrade on Gids and it'd give Clydesdale or whoever a good player to learn off of.
