Put to bed.
Link:
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/dragons-won-t-release-widdop-before-2020-20181128-p50izi.html
Dragons won't release Widdop before 2020
By Adrian Proszenko
28 November 2018 — 7:05pm
Gareth Widdop has guaranteed he will be at St George Illawarra next season, but his future beyond that remains shrouded in mystery.
Widdop is contracted to the Red V for the next three years, but has expressed a desire to finish his career in the Super League. As revealed by the
Herald, he has asked about the prospect of leaving straight away, but it is more likely the Dragons will cut ties with him ahead of the 2020 or 2021 seasons.
That will give them at least 12 months to find an adequate replacement at a time when Luke Brooks, Mitchell Moses, Corey Norman, Te Maire Martin, Clint Gutherson and Brock Lamb are free agents.
There is the prospect of the Dragons acting immediately by making a late and lucrative play for Shaun Johnson. The Warriors released Johnson from the last year of his contract, raising the possibility of the joint-venture outfit replacing one Test star with another. However, Johnson is a long way down the track in negotiations with Cronulla, which remains his most likely destination for 2019.
Huddersfield is one of the English clubs keen to add Widdop to their roster, although several others will attempt to squeeze him in as a marquee signing. Widdop was summoned to an emergency meeting at Dragons headquarters after the
Herald reported he wanted an immediate release, something the 29 year old denied.
The Dragons released a statement on Wednesday night advising they have been in discussions with Widdop about his future for a number of weeks. The parties agreed that he would see out the 2019 season.
"I want to put to bed that I haven't asked a release for 2019," Widdop said in the statement.
"To all the members, fans and the little kids out there, I understand my importance to this team and my position as the captain and leader of this club. I will be here in 2019 and can't wait for the season to start.
"There's no secret I have aspirations of going over to the UK and playing. It's something I've always wanted to do. I have a good relationship with the club and so when the time is right we'll work together."
There has been no decision by either party regarding timeframes for a release.
"The club has been in discussions with Gareth for a number of weeks concerning his future at the Dragons," said Dragons list manager Ian Millward.
"We understand his circumstances and he understands ours, and this is something we plan on working through together."
The developments have sparked a domino effect in the halves ranks. It is understood the Warriors, needing to bolster their halves stocks, have enquired about the availability of promising Parramatta half Dylan Brown. The Eels are likely to retain Brown, but the Warriors could turn their attention to another Eel, Mitchell Moses. Moses is one of several players – alongside halves partner Corey Norman – that the blue and golds are prepared to release after a diabolical last-placed season.
Johnson was let go after his relationship with the Warriors deteriorated beyond repair. After being told he wasn’t going to be offered a new contract, the Kiwis half wanted to cut ties immediately. After granting Johnson’s request, Warriors chief executive Cameron George said it was “disappointing it had come to this.”
“Yesterday [head coach] Stephen Kearney, [recruitment manager] Peter O’Sullivan and I met with Shaun and his manager Peter Brown,” George said.
“During the meeting Shaun clearly demonstrated to us that he didn’t want to be at the club in 2019.
“On the basis of what Shaun told us, we are not going to compromise our culture on and off the field with people who do not wish to represent our club, members and fans in the way we expect.
“Everything we do is about the club being first and what’s best for our future, our development and ultimately our results.”
Cronulla have cash to splash after releasing Valentine Holmes to pursue his NFL ambition and have already tabled Johnson an offer. Unless the Dragons provide a late counter, Johnson could be a Shark by the end of the week.
Johnson was philosophical about his Warriors departure, posting a photo of himself signing the release on Instagram and conceding “sometimes things just dont work out.”
The Johnson and Widdop developments continue a frenetic period of off-season movement. The focus has quickly shifted from the coaches to the players with some of the biggest names in the game being horse-traded in recent weeks. The result means a series of official NRL team calendars prepared for the 2019 season are already out of date. No sooner than they were published, the calendars for the Broncos, Bulldogs, Panthers and Warriors feature players on their front covers who have shifted to other teams.
Johnson is no longer at the Warriors, Trent Merrin has swapped Penrith for Leeds, Josh McGuire has shifted from Brisbane to North Queensland, former Bulldog David Klemmer is now at Newcastle and Cameron Smith is yet to re-sign with the Storm.
But yes indeed Gareth is undoubtedly the Dragons best player , you will have no arguments from me with that .
