Tapine issue gets ugly

[Elephant Hunter]

source

Canberra Raiders and Newcastle Knights in ugly turf war over Joseph Tapine



HE is the little-known NRL player who has found himself in the middle of an ugly turf war that stretches all the way from Newcastle to Canberra.
The NRL was called on to sort out the escalating dispute over the future of Canberra-bound Knights forward Joe Tapine.
Tapine’s agent Jim Banaghan claims Newcastle are in breach of their contractual obligations to the 21-year-old following their refusal to grant Tapine an immediate release to join the Raiders.


It comes after Knights coach Nathan Brown recently told Tapine that he would not play first grade this year after accepting a lucrative $2 million four-year deal to join the Raiders from 2017.
It’s a situation not unlike the one that threatened Robbie Farah’s future at the Wests Tigers in the off-season.
Tapine’s agent Jim Banaghan has notified the NRL and the Rugby League Players Association, and claims Tapine has also been exiled from training because of his decision to sign with Canberra.


Banaghan asked Newcastle to grant Tapine an immediate release ahead of the trial match this Saturday between the two clubs in Orange. But so far that has not been granted.
That resulted in Banaghan making a formal complaint to the NRL late on Wednesday.
“When Joseph signed with the Raiders, after the Raiders chased him on a four-year contract starting 2017, his coach Nathan Brown congratulated him and said even if it was his own son who received (the offer) he would have driven him to the airport and congratulated him on it,” Banaghan said.


“The CEO of the club (Matt Gidley) also said he was exceptionally disappointed to lose a player of Joseph’s ability but said the lad had no choice but to accept such a magnificent offer.
“From that moment the club decided in the interests of the club going forward that Joseph Tapine was not to be part of their playing program and as such released him from the major playing group to go and train on his own.
“That in reality incurs a breach of the NRL contract because both parties, the player and the club, have an obligation to perform at their best and do the right thing.


“To put it in basic street parlance, if a player was to walk into the coaches office and say: ‘Hello coach, I’m going to train on my own from now on and meet you game day at the oval’, how would the club react to that situation?
“It is unacceptable. I have made contact with Todd Greenberg and John Grant this afternoon to make them aware that I am trying to contact them to make a formal complaint. I asked Newcastle (on Wednesday morning) if they would give me the release at 4’o’clock (Wednesday).

“They returned with the reply that they would be waiting until after this weekend’s game in Orange so they could talk to other people about other players.
“This has got nothing to do with the Joseph Tapine situation. They have pushed him out the door, they therefore have to take responsibility for it and release him. They are not involving him in anything.”
Banaghan said the Knights should do the right thing and release Tapine now.
“The Canberra Raiders are ready to take him on as they wish to have him as soon as they can and they don’t wish him to be missing any training or game playing,” he said.“He was told if he was to stay at Newcastle he would never play first grade again. This is unacceptable.
“The sad and ironic part of this whole situation is that Newcastle is one of the NRL teams that they are administrating and trying to build up and build a reputation. This defies all the hard work that has gone into this organisation.”
Newcastle chief executive Matt Gidley said Tapine has not been locked out of training.
“We are looking at a number of options in relation to Joe’s future and we hope to have something finalised very soon,” Gidley said.
Asked if Tapine had been exiled from training with his teammates, Gidley said: “Joe was given a number of options including training with the team and he chose to train with our high performance on his own.”

 

[Elephant Hunter]

Clubs should be able to have player agents that use the press and public opinion to try and leverage more money or releases like this, banned or suspended.

This idiot just makes himself and Tapine look like money hungry mercenaries rather than the victims he is going for.

Tool of the highest degree

 

[betcats]

You could see this coming. Club says he chose to train alone and the manager says the opposite lol managers are scum.

On a side note why is Gidley still CEO?

 

[nick87]

If the Knights want to hang on to him for 2016, banish him to the Premier League team to play and train all year, that's their prerogative and i've got no issue with that. We're doing the same with TPJ in the 20's squad. That's justified for football reasons, it make no sense for the knights to promote him over others who are at the club long term.

I think they've crossed the line when they banished him from even training with the team. That's just a petulant response from a coach with a history of petulance, and it's only going to hurt the Knights long term for recruitment and retention. And i dont believe for one second that it's him who's decline to train with the team, otherwise his people making a complaint makes absolute ZERO sense.

The Knights SHOULD keep him for 2016, and bury him on the depth chart, that's the only thing that makes sense. But there is no need to be childish about it and exile him for the football club.

 

[Noname36]

If the Knights want to hang on to him for 2016, banish him to the Premier League team to play and train all year, that's their prerogative and i've got no issue with that. We're doing the same with TPJ in the 20's squad. That's justified for football reasons, it make no sense for the knights to promote him over others who are at the club long term.

I think they've crossed the line when they banished him from even training with the team. That's just a petulant response from a coach with a history of petulance, and it's only going to hurt the Knights long term for recruitment and retention. And i dont believe for one second that it's him who's decline to train with the team, otherwise his people making a complaint makes absolute ZERO sense.

The Knights SHOULD keep him for 2016, and bury him on the depth chart, that's the only thing that makes sense. But there is no need to be childish about it and exile him for the football club.

And how do you know what the manger is saying is true and what the Knights is saying is false?

Sounds to me the manager is saying whatever the hell he wants to try and manipulate things to get the release and using the media for leverage. His comments reminded me of how much I hate player managers and wish they weren't ever heard...I guess it's hard to keep his mouth shut though when he's clearly gleaming about how much money he was able to get for Tapine from Canberra.

 

[Noname36]

Clubs should be able to have player agents that use the press and public opinion to try and leverage more money or releases like this, banned or suspended.

This idiot just makes himself and Tapine look like money hungry mercenaries rather than the victims he is going for.

Tool of the highest degree

Agreed, they should just keep their traps shut. He's trying to paint Tapine as a victim and manipulate things for a release while in the same article gloating about how much money he's got for Tapine. Ridiculous.

 

[Caped Crusader]

If the Knights want to hang on to him for 2016, banish him to the Premier League team to play and train all year, that's their prerogative and i've got no issue with that. We're doing the same with TPJ in the 20's squad. That's justified for football reasons, it make no sense for the knights to promote him over others who are at the club long term.

I think they've crossed the line when they banished him from even training with the team. That's just a petulant response from a coach with a history of petulance, and it's only going to hurt the Knights long term for recruitment and retention. And i dont believe for one second that it's him who's decline to train with the team, otherwise his people making a complaint makes absolute ZERO sense.

The Knights SHOULD keep him for 2016, and bury him on the depth chart, that's the only thing that makes sense. But there is no need to be childish about it and exile him for the football club.

lol so what your saying is a slimey player manager is to be believed over the clubs CEO?

Comon man, seriously

 

[slotmachine]

Total non-issue.
Tapine will be gone before the start of the season and this will all be forgotten.

 

[nick87]

And how do you know what the manger is saying is true and what the Knights is saying is false?

1. brown was screaming from the rooftops in the press about basically doing this if he elected to leave the club. It's entirely consistent with what Brown had said prior to his signing

2. Why would his people make a formal complaint (not just paper talk, actually lodging a complaint) if it was his clients decision to be banned from training. That makes absolute no sense given he has taken it to the RLPA and NRL HQ.

 

[Noname36]

1. brown was screaming from the rooftops in the press about basically doing this if he elected to leave the club. It's entirely consistent with what Brown had said prior to his signing

2. Why would his people make a formal complaint (not just paper talk, actually lodging a complaint) if it was his clients decision to be banned from training. That makes absolute no sense given he has taken it to the RLPA and NRL HQ.

Brown said Tapine wouldn't be playing first grade if he signed with the Raiders (and fair enough - why invest anymore time in his development over a player that didn't chase the money elsewhere?)

He never said (sorry, "screamed from the rooftops") that he would be dumped from training.

Secondly the manager can make whatever formal complaints he wants - doesn't mean they have any basis. If the manager genuinely thought this was a serious breach do you really think he'd need to go to the media like that to try and manipulate for a release? no, if that were the case he'd easily have a release for Tapine without the blatant manipulation he's trying for in the article.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

Total non-issue.
Tapine will be gone before the start of the season and this will all be forgotten.

Yeh, i reckon theyre just squabbling over how much each club should split the bill if he is released.

Personally, i think the knights shouldnt be paying him a cent once he walks out the door, but that doesnt seem to be how it works.

 

[Noname36]

Total non-issue.
Tapine will be gone before the start of the season and this will all be forgotten.

This. The club are obviously going to release him but are in no rush - and why would they be? Only helps out the Raiders. The manager obviously knows it too hence trying to pressure/threaten through the media.

 

[betcats]

If the Knights want to hang on to him for 2016, banish him to the Premier League team to play and train all year, that's their prerogative and i've got no issue with that. We're doing the same with TPJ in the 20's squad. That's justified for football reasons, it make no sense for the knights to promote him over others who are at the club long term.

I think they've crossed the line when they banished him from even training with the team. That's just a petulant response from a coach with a history of petulance, and it's only going to hurt the Knights long term for recruitment and retention. And i dont believe for one second that it's him who's decline to train with the team, otherwise his people making a complaint makes absolute ZERO sense.

The Knights SHOULD keep him for 2016, and bury him on the depth chart, that's the only thing that makes sense. But there is no need to be childish about it and exile him for the football club.

I would be careful about taking the player managers word on it, just seems like a tactic to get Tapine out of his contract early.

 

[Zoidberg]

What is the point of contracts nowadays?

Every player should be on a year by year basis. Decisions to be made during the off season.

 

[Spot On]

Boof**kinghoo.

Off to reserves to train and play.

He was told that's what would happen and it has.

Suck it up with your 2 million in the bank.

Not really much to whinge about is it.

 

[Still Nutty]

I'm of the opinion that, if the NRL were to step in, they should be saying clearly that Tapine HAS to honour the last year of his contract and the Knights have the right to manage that however they choose.

The problem is only going to grow in the market if disaffected players think 'bugger it, I'll negotiate for next season and once that is a done deal with another club I'll be able to use that leverage to leave this season' - it wont surprise me if player managers are already negotiating this way on behalf of some players telling CEOs...'get a deal in for next year and we can then expect to you will have them playing for you by round X this year because the losing club will release them'

And in that sense, its actually on the CEOs to recognise that they should stop this practice because, whilst they may pick up on this deal, they will be the ones short changed the next time one of theirs looks to sign and then secure an early release.

 

[Incorrect]

Surely players who sign contracts with rival clubs a year in advance like Tapine has here, are going to have to urge their managers to keep their traps shut from now on and demand that the managers just trot out the line that their client "is waiting until the end of the season before making any decision on his future. He wants to concentrate on his footy this year and all contract talks are on hold"

Something like that, and have a confidentiality clause written in to the new contract so that the other club can't go and leak it....

Or is all of this just being too naive and this sort of thing will rear its head elsewhere in future?

Junior Paulo is said to be all but a done deal to the Raiders for next year, eels and raiders fans and media alike all seem to be aware of it, but there's been nothing public about it and it's business as usual...

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

Surely players who sign contracts with rival clubs a year in advance like Tapine has here, are going to have to urge their managers to keep their traps shut from now on and demand that the managers just trot out the line that their client "is waiting until the end of the season before making any decision on his future. He wants to concentrate on his footy this year and all contract talks are on hold"

Something like that, and have a confidentiality clause written in to the new contract so that the other club can't go and leak it....

Or is all of this just being too naive and this sort of thing will rear its head elsewhere in future?

Junior Paulo is said to be all but a done deal to the Raiders for next year, eels and raiders fans and media alike all seem to be aware of it, but there's been nothing public about it and it's business as usual...

I agree...

I dont mind the players talking to other clubs during the season, but i wish they didnt officially sign until after the season was done

 

[Chicken_Hunter]

I dont reckon we will let go of tapine unless there is a player swap. So who at the raiders would they be inclined to give us?

 

[slotmachine]

Not necessarily the Raiders. Apparently the Roosters are keen to have him for 2016 because JWH and Cordner are out for the first half of the season.