The Rumours Thread

[jak]

Well I can now envisage the Queensland Clubs in the NRL - Cowboys, Broncos, Dolphins and Titans dominating the competition even from next year, just like Queensland will be dominating the SOO for years to come. The fans following these clubs should be feeling very happy with how they are trending and looking good for the future.

How the Titans have managed this change in the head coach so deviously without anybodies knowledge excepting those in the negotiations they should be congratulated. The Titans know that they have a lot of good players and juniors and they have been nearly a top team. They just needed a quality coach to put it all together and they will take any flack that will come their way to achieve a positive end result.

just shows you how on the ball our rugby league journalist are.

 

[Dragon David]

just shows you how on the ball our rugby league journalist are.

I think their focus has only been on the Dragons and ignoring the other clubs because we are a club that they love to ridicule. Even with the Titans sacking Holbrook, to the journalists it isn't a worthwhile story and looking at Foxsports news, they have an article on Holbrook having the shits and a little on Meninga who had no idea and wants to throw in the towel. They like to rub us into the dirt whenever they can.

So what they say, Holbrook had it coming end of story nothing else to give our loyal followers by our great journalists.

 

[slippery5]

If that was the case, why wouldn't you just talk to management and come to a mutually agreeable outcome? Management aren't some bunch of heartless bastards, they would understand if there were genuine family reasons. No, this is all about B Hunt deciding he can get more money elsewhere and screw the contract he just signed.

Money was his only reason for resigning, not to wear the Red V.

 

[St Tangles]

I think their focus has only been on the Dragons and ignoring the other clubs because we are a club that they love to ridicule. Even with the Titans sacking Holbrook, to the journalists it isn't a worthwhile story and looking at Foxsports news, they have an article on Holbrook having the shits and a little on Meninga who had no idea and wants to throw in the towel. They like to rub us into the dirt whenever they can.

So what they say, Holbrook had it coming end of story nothing else to give our loyal followers by our great journalists.

Titans don't have enough fans to create any outrage

 

[redv13]

Simple really. We give you Hunt, you give us AJ Brimson and Mo Fotuaika. Don’t like it then get f**ked

 

[Slippery Morris]

Is Hunt acting as Possm on this forum. If Hunt goes to Titans because of Hasler and to play with Fafita it may be a possibility....lol

So Holbrook story not worthy because he saw it coming. Apparently Hook did not see it coming. As if that is the reason Media don't bash the Titans. It is so clear the hate they have for Saints based on the last 24 hours.

 

[dannyt]

Is Hunt acting as Possm on this forum. If Hunt goes to Titans because of Hasler and to play with Fafita it may be a possibility....lol

So Holbrook story not worthy because he saw it coming. Apparently Hook did not see it coming. As if that is the reason Media don't bash the Titans. It is so clear the hate they have for Saints based on the last 24 hours.

I would say based on the last 50 years!

 

[Slippery Morris]

So Holbrooke criticized the club for not being open and transparent and not giving him time to get results with his best team even though he has made finals once with them in his tenure. GC won their last game mind you. Whilst the Saints have been open and transparent with Hook and sacked him after no finals appearances and losing 6 straight. But the media and Hoops especially have the Saints as the basket case and the Titans get away with no mud flung their way. Meninga who is on their books and an Immortal to their game has criticiesd them and is thinking of stepping away such is his anger in this whole saga.

Does this mean all clubs can now have a coffee with Tino, Brimson, Fafita, etc to see if they are ok and want a change? Or does that just apply to Saints best player?

 

[dannyt]

So Holbrooke criticized the club for not being open and transparent and not giving him time to get results with his best team even though he has made finals once with them in his tenure. GC won their last game mind you. Whilst the Saints have been open and transparent with Hook and sacked him after no finals appearances and losing 6 straight. But the media and Hoops especially have the Saints as the basket case and the Titans get away with no mud flung their way. Meninga who is on their books and an Immortal to their game has criticiesd them and is thinking of stepping away such is his anger in this whole saga.

Does this mean all clubs can now have a coffee with Tino, Brimson, Fafita, etc to see if they are ok and want a change? Or does that just apply to Saints best player?

Agree with all points.

I'll add a bit about my own experience. It's not football-related but employment-related. I used to work for an organisation that made our board look like they were run by Nick Politis. We were going through a series of retrenchments, and several of the staff I managed were on the chopping block. I argued why they should be kept, but to no avail. Management had made their decision and I was expected to be there when they were called in for "that meeting", along with the head of HR. I made a point of seeing these people before for a quiet coffee and explained what was happening. I also explained they would get a redundancy package, and there was no way management was going to change their mind. They knew full well how management operated. The meetings came, and the inevitable happened, but I knew they were all capable people who would find employment in no time. I was asked to be a reference, and all were happily employed within a few months. I still talk to these people to this day.

I thought of resigning, but I still had a few people I managed, so I decided to stay and do my best. One day, I was called to a meeting, and sacked on the spot ala Holbrook. No warning at all. The opposite in fact. I attended a meeting just a few days before where management showed the new structure of the organisation. I was listed as having increased responsibilities on the org-charts, and yet gone just a few days later.

So, is it better to have some degree of warning, like hook, or just executed on the spot, like Holbrook? I would take the former every time. From a professional perspective, there is nothing worse than being in that situation that Holbrook found himself in where employment is brutally terminated with no warning.

 

[Mojo]

Agree with all points.

I'll add a bit about my own experience. It's not football-related but employment-related. I used to work for an organisation that made our board look like they were run by Nick Politis. We were going through a series of retrenchments, and several of the staff I managed were on the chopping block. I argued why they should be kept, but to no avail. Management had made their decision and I was expected to be there when they were called in for "that meeting", along with the head of HR. I made a point of seeing these people before for a quiet coffee and explained what was happening. I also explained they would get a redundancy package, and there was no way management was going to change their mind. They knew full well how management operated. The meetings came, and the inevitable happened, but I knew they were all capable people who would find employment in no time. I was asked to be a reference, and all were happily employed within a few months. I still talk to these people to this day.

I thought of resigning, but I still had a few people I managed, so I decided to stay and do my best. One day, I was called to a meeting, and sacked on the spot ala Holbrook. No warning at all. The opposite in fact. I attended a meeting just a few days before where management showed the new structure of the organisation. I was listed as having increased responsibilities on the org-charts, and yet gone just a few days later.

So, is it better to have some degree of warning, like hook, or just executed on the spot, like Holbrook? I would take the former every time. From a professional perspective, there is nothing worse than being in that situation that Holbrook found himself in where employment is brutally terminated with no warning.

I was advised in another thread that the contracts these blokes work under are considered to be employment contracts in law and therefore the 'employer' can't sue on the basis of non-performance - e.g; Hunt 'refusing' to play. (I disagree on all of these points but I can't be bothered engaging in a debate.)

So, IF Holbrook's contract is legally considered to be an employment contract and he was summarily dismissed without any valid reason given in-advance, then he would have a case for unfair dismissal. Also, negotiating to 'employ' a third party to fill your position while you remain employed could surely be considered 'constructive dismissal' - especially in this instance where there is only possibly one position (Head Coach) and they've employed someone else while you're the incumbent.

I don't want to debate the applicable law, because obviously it would be complex - and I'm not a lawyer. My point is, they can't have it both ways - these contracts are either employment contracts or they are not. I don't think it's cut and dried at all. You can't say it's an employment contract when a player decides he wants to fk off and then say it's not an employment contact when a club decides to terminate a coach (or a player).

IMO - and I've said this consistently - StGI handled Hook's termination appropriately and correctly (too gentle in fact, too slow and poorly timed though). They also obviously took the approach they did to appease Hunt's Shakespearean tragedy perceptions and reactions. I believe the other parties who have, by all appearances to-date, been involved in this round of shit-mongrel musical chairs - Hunt, most likely in cahoots with Hook, their managers, the Titans, Des and his manager and no doubt quite a few others - have very likely broken the law and I hope it bites them all on their respective arses - hard.

 

[Dragon David]

I was advised in another thread that the contracts these blokes work under are considered to be employment contracts in law and therefore the 'employer' can't sue on the basis of non-performance - e.g; Hunt 'refusing' to play. (I disagree on all of these points but I can't be bothered engaging in a debate.)

So, IF Holbrook's contract is legally considered to be an employment contract and he was summarily dismissed without any valid reason given in-advance, then he would have a case for unfair dismissal. Also, negotiating to 'employ' a third party to fill your position while you remain employed could surely be considered 'constructive dismissal' - especially in this instance where there is only possibly one position (Head Coach) and they've employed someone else while you're the incumbent.

I don't want to debate the applicable law, because obviously it would be complex - and I'm not a lawyer. My point is, they can't have it both ways - these contracts are either employment contracts or they are not. I don't think it's cut and dried at all. You can't say it's an employment contract when a player decides he wants to fk off and then say it's not an employment contact when a club decides to terminate a coach (or a player).

IMO - and I've said this consistently - StGI handled Hook's termination appropriately and correctly (too gentle in fact, too slow and poorly timed though). They also obviously took the approach they did to appease Hunt's Shakespearean tragedy perceptions and reactions. I believe the other parties who have, by all appearances to-date, been involved in this round of shit-mongrel musical chairs - Hunt, most likely in cahoots with Hook, their managers, the Titans, Des and his manager and no doubt quite a few others - have very likely broken the law and I hope it bites them all on their respective arses - hard.

A very good read indeed Mojo, thanks. Let's hope that those bites actually happen.

 

[dannyt]

I was advised in another thread that the contracts these blokes work under are considered to be employment contracts in law and therefore the 'employer' can't sue on the basis of non-performance - e.g; Hunt 'refusing' to play. (I disagree on all of these points but I can't be bothered engaging in a debate.)

So, IF Holbrook's contract is legally considered to be an employment contract and he was summarily dismissed without any valid reason given in-advance, then he would have a case for unfair dismissal. Also, negotiating to 'employ' a third party to fill your position while you remain employed could surely be considered 'constructive dismissal' - especially in this instance where there is only possibly one position (Head Coach) and they've employed someone else while you're the incumbent.

I don't want to debate the applicable law, because obviously it would be complex - and I'm not a lawyer. My point is, they can't have it both ways - these contracts are either employment contracts or they are not. I don't think it's cut and dried at all. You can't say it's an employment contract when a player decides he wants to fk off and then say it's not an employment contact when a club decides to terminate a coach (or a player).

IMO - and I've said this consistently - StGI handled Hook's termination appropriately and correctly (too gentle in fact, too slow and poorly timed though). They also obviously took the approach they did to appease Hunt's Shakespearean tragedy perceptions and reactions. I believe the other parties who have, by all appearances to-date, been involved in this round of shit-mongrel musical chairs - Hunt, most likely in cahoots with Hook, their managers, the Titans, Des and his manager and no doubt quite a few others - have very likely broken the law and I hope it bites them all on their respective arses - hard.

I don't know the answer, but if there was some legal recourse for a coached being sacked, then I'm sure it would've been enacted a long time before now. Holbrook is not the first coach to be terminated in such a manner.

 

[Mojo]

I don't know the answer, but if there was some legal recourse for a coached being sacked, then I'm sure it would've been enacted a long time before now. Holbrook is not the first coach to be terminated in such a manner.

Yes, I'd use the law - even if only to put a rocket up them. Even just some suitably intimidating correspondence from a barrister can have serious medicinal properties.

 

[possm]

Is Hunt acting as Possm on this forum. If Hunt goes to Titans because of Hasler and to play with Fafita it may be a possibility....lol

So Holbrook story not worthy because he saw it coming. Apparently Hook did not see it coming. As if that is the reason Media don't bash the Titans. It is so clear the hate they have for Saints based on the last 24 hours.

It is clear to most on here:
I wanted Hasler to coach the Dragons
I wanted the Dragons to buy David Fifita
I wanted Hun gone because he is not a good captain and is over-priced.

So I only got one of my wishes:

Hunt has gone to another Club.

However, I am a happy Possm because I don't mind Flannagan as a coach, and because Hunt is gone, we will have enough cash to bolster our forward pack and utilize our young halves Sullivan and Sloan If Ramsey can't return in 2024, then we need a good fullback.

 

[AyiosYiorgos]

It is clear to most on here:
I wanted Hasler to coach the Dragons
I wanted the Dragons to buy David Fifita
I wanted Hun gone because he is not a good captain and is over-priced.

So I only got one of my wishes:

Hunt has gone to another Club.

However, I am a happy Possm because I don't mind Flannagan as a coach, and because Hunt is gone, we will have enough cash to bolster our forward pack and utilize our young halves Sullivan and Sloan If Ramsey can't return in 2024, then we need a good fullback.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but Hunt hasn't gone, he is still with us and playing tonight..

 

[possm]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but Hunt hasn't gone, he is still with us and playing tonight..

Dotting the I's and crossing the T's. Hasler will make good use of him.

How do some Clubs manage to have over 4 SOO players in their team and other struggle to have one? Could it have something to do with the Club's BOD make up.

 

[OneEyedDragon]

I see Mary's name was mentioned in the list of possible candidates to replace Brad Fittler as NSW coach! Just say NO!

 

[dannyt]

I see Mary's name was mentioned in the list of possible candidates to replace Brad Fittler as NSW coach! Just say NO!

Look at the upside. We can share the misery we suffered for years to ALL NSW fans.

 

[SAP58]

I see Mary's name was mentioned in the list of possible candidates to replace Brad Fittler as NSW coach! Just say NO!

Hahahaha that will fix things….yeah right was that the drunk Buz who said that ?

 

[chewbacca]

Look at the upside. We can share the misery we suffered for years to ALL NSW fans.

Aiken and Lafai in the centres. Will be fantastic!