Uate keeping eyes on ball in contract talks

[aqua_duck]

Mather is the manager who ensured Anthony Tupou didn't come to the Knights, though the player coach relationship did play a part in that too.


Uate's chances of staying here at the Knights is 50/50 at best.

thank you darryl

 

[Karmawave]

Got some good mail Karma?

Actually I do.

Exact same way I had mail that Tupou wasn't signing here last year when the Knights admin still truly believed they were in with a chance. The mail was spot on then, and its spot on now.

I'm saying Uate's chances of staying are 50/50 at best.

Mather isn't the manager to give a club a ' home town ' discount just because he is a junior developed at this club.

I am not confident of retaining him one bit.

I hope we do, but we're up against it.

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

No 1 year deals. If he's commanding 200K on the open market now it could be 300K by halfway through next year. Especially if the team keeps going well.

By that reasoning it could be match payments if he does sh*t or keeps on getting injured as well JM.

 

[BG]

I'm saying Uate's chances of staying are 50/50 at best.

After telling us that Walsh was 100% certain to be the Knights #1 halfback in 2008, I guess you've learned to play the odds. What's next? It's 50/50 at best that Brian will send the team out 1-17 as named on Sunday? :sarcasm: ;-)

 

[Karmawave]

After telling us that Walsh was 100% certain to be the Knights #1 halfback in 2008...

Ah BG, mail on re-signing of players is a bit different to relying on injury free runs for players to reach their potential.

The mail I had on signings last year was spot on. Take it or leave it. There's people here who may not speak up who know alot of the stuff I said about players contracts last year was on target 100%.

Walsh was on good coin! Between him and Mad Pup, we had one of the highest paid reserve grade teams ever of unused talent :lol:

He does look pretty darn good down in Penrith though by the way ;-)

Some fans probably believe we are a good chance of re-signing Uate. All I am saying is its not impossible, but the chances of him re-signing is nowhere near what we'd like to think.

Its definitely a toss of the coin.

 

[Jobdog]

:shock: Karma's being not overly optimistic. Who'da thunk it!? :crazy:

 

[Karmawave]

:shock: Karma's being not overly optimistic. Who'da thunk it!? :crazy:

Mather would prefer his client to take the biggest money on offer, no matter what. That's how he works.

All this bullsh*t about him wanting to stay may be true, but its just all lovely PR, because Mather is definitely one of those who encourage their clients to take the money and run.

Do you think that the Knights will make the biggest offer for Uate from all the NRL clubs?

 

[Jobdog]

I think the Knights would be mad not to make one of the biggest offers. Although something called a salary cap might play a role.

 

[perverse]

we need to keep him... and that's the end of the story really. the salary cap being.. what.. 4.2 million at the moment (or there abouts) means that the "average salary" of any bloke in a team should be in the vicinity of $168k. something tells me we're going to have to pay a lot more than average to keep him, and to be honest we really have to go hard at this one. he's always had something special and he's starting to develop real football skills now too.

i don't want to pay him over $200k... but to be honest i'll be more angry if we let him go than if we pay overs.

 

[General Knight]

i don't want to pay him over $200k... but to be honest i'll be more angry if we let him go than if we pay overs.

I agree, I'd rather keep him at overs than lose him to someone else. Out of all our backs hes our only natural strike weapon who can genuinely create something out of nothing, another year and he will be a beast. Sau, Vuna, etc and certainly not McManus don't even come close.

 

[CJG 182]

He'll stay IMO

 

[BG]

Ah BG, mail on re-signing of players is a bit different to relying on injury free runs for players to reach their potential.

Except that you continued to tout the "mail" long after Walsh's '07/'08 pre-season setbacks.

Walsh was on good coin!

No one ever suggested Smith didn't rate him. He was certainly in the running to be our half this year after bulking up and a great off season in general. Obviously he was let go as a matter of finances. This isn't relevant to your continuing insistence last year that Walsh would be immediately promoted over Scotty as soon as he was match fit.

Some fans probably believe we are a good chance of re-signing Uate. All I am saying is its not impossible, but the chances of him re-signing is nowhere near what we'd like to think. Its definitely a toss of the coin.

Doesn't sound like your saying very much: It's not impossible... toss of the coin. Of course all the fans would like to think it's 100% and of course it isn't. Manager's playing hard ball for a good deal. It won't be a sure thing until it's done. Better chance than you're suggesting from what I've heard, but why cavil over whether it's 30/50/80%? Doesn't prove anything whatever happens. Let's just hope as fans that he signs. He is one of those rare instances of a player beginning to fulfill his hype.

 

[perverse]

Except that you continued to tout the "mail" long after Walsh's '07/'08 pre-season setbacks.
No one ever suggested Smith didn't rate him. He was certainly in the running to be our half this year after bulking up and a great off season in general. Obviously he was let go as a matter of finances. This isn't relevant to your continuing insistence last year that Walsh would be immediately promoted over Scotty as soon as he was match fit.

it's amazing how some of us suggesting that dureau was in with a shot at first grade just as much as walsh (fully taking into account walshies pre-season) evolved into what it is today isn't it? LOL.

 

[Karmawave]

It's still early days BG!

If I get stronger mail on Uate either way, you'll be the first to know how's that? :lol:

There's people on here who'd think we are just about certainties to retain him. So saying don't get carried away is nothing out of the ordinary.

Typically, everyone would love to focus on Walsh/Dureau, while completely ignoring the half dozen other ' mail ' that was 100% spot on correct.

Again, Walsh/Dureau was not a signing prediction, it was an on field playing situation that had many side issues affecting it way beyond my control or anyone elses on here!

The signing mail I may get from time to time is much more accurate, and while they won't speak up , people on here know it.

I've got nothing more than 50/50 on Uate at this stage, while knowing Mather would prefer him at another club simply because the Knights will not be the team to offer him the highest monetary wage.

 

[Pika]

Up till this year i thought Aku would have done himself a favour by ditching the Knights and finding a coach like Bellamy who would get him out of the rut - but Fiji got him out of the rut.

Fiji was akin to Central Charlestown in training. Aku got the go ahead because he was one of the few players with geniune first grade training experience. He is no leader.

You can speculate all you want about whether he would excel under Bellamy.

Having spoken to him and seen his KPIs over the past few years, had he been rushed into NRL he would have failed tragically.

We are talking about a kid with amazing natural talent, who could not play the game to save himself. And please do not bring up his form in SG Ball und Harold Matts or whatever. We are comparing men and boys there.

I dont mean to insult the kid, but he could barely count the numbers at the start of last season. He could not judge five meters from fifteen. He would have been a disaster in NRL.

Those photos you toss up as eveidence he can tackle actually show how bad he was back then. Getting caught in his seat and beaten on the outside and having to chase down attackers. That stuff is game loosing in NRL.

I for one am glad he was held back. He is finally has the ability and skills to go with his athletic ability. As a quiet kid lacking confidence, getting beaten week in week out in NRL for two years would have busted him.

The only rep footy players improve from is SOO and Australia. Having worked the Fiji camp three times, it was a joke, and he learned nothing.

 

[Serc]

Actually I do.

Exact same way I had mail that Tupou wasn't signing here last year when the Knights admin still truly believed they were in with a chance. The mail was spot on then, and its spot on now.

I'm saying Uate's chances of staying are 50/50 at best.

Fair enough then...I don't know any more than your average fan, but personally I think his chances are a bit more than that. I say that because Aku is a little different to your average 'aussie RL player', moving to Sydney (or wherever else) might be a bit too much change for him, the guy is still only 21! I think its hard to put a value on his support network and friends in Newcastle, and I think thats why, at least at this point in his career, he'll be staying with us.

Oh, and I don't recall anyone thinking we were going to get Tupou here last year? Maybe our name was thrown up in a newspaper article or two along with the usual suspects, but I don't think there was anything else more to it than that...certainly not as much noise as was being made about David Simmons for a while there! *phew on that again*

 

[Karmawave]

Yeah Serc, the Knights made a real play for Tupou. And actually felt confident at one stage there that he would end up here in Newcastle.

Mather is not one of the more popular player managers to deal with, that is for sure.

I'd be concerned that with Uate being a kinda quiet shy kid, that he might be heavily influenced by Mather more so than say Kurt Gidley, who practically told Mather to work out a deal with the Knights alone.

Mather got De Gois here too , but the Knights offer was simply the highest offer on the table for him.

Not sure what Uate's family background is etc, and if they are all local, but that could come heavily into play, and we can only hope that friend/family influences play a big impact on these negotiations, because you can take it as certain that Mather will have a bigger offer on the table for Uate than what the Knights will have by the end of these negotiations.

 

[Serc]

Ok - I'll take your word for it! This time i'm not going to bother looking for threads or articles on him...couldn't find what I was looking for the last time I tried that lol

I was thinking similarly re: Mather vs Uate being mr shy & quiet too

 

[BG]

Up till this year i thought Aku would have done himself a favour by ditching the Knights and finding a coach like Bellamy who would get him out of the rut - but Fiji got him out of the rut.

Fiji was akin to Central Charlestown in training. Aku got the go ahead because he was one of the few players with geniune first grade training experience. He is no leader.

You can speculate all you want about whether he would excel under Bellamy.

Having spoken to him and seen his KPIs over the past few years, had he been rushed into NRL he would have failed tragically.

We are talking about a kid with amazing natural talent, who could not play the game to save himself. And please do not bring up his form in SG Ball und Harold Matts or whatever. We are comparing men and boys there.

I dont mean to insult the kid, but he could barely count the numbers at the start of last season. He could not judge five meters from fifteen. He would have been a disaster in NRL.

Those photos you toss up as eveidence he can tackle actually show how bad he was back then. Getting caught in his seat and beaten on the outside and having to chase down attackers. That stuff is game loosing in NRL.

I for one am glad he was held back. He is finally has the ability and skills to go with his athletic ability. As a quiet kid lacking confidence, getting beaten week in week out in NRL for two years would have busted him.

The only rep footy players improve from is SOO and Australia. Having worked the Fiji camp three times, it was a joke, and he learned nothing.

Ouch, Roops. You're on the mat and not looking too good buddy. If I were you I'd surrender before Pika further tightens his argument crunching torture hold. :shock:

 

[reginald.p]

Lets just hope Cronulla doesn't offer him 350k or something like that.....