Widdop seeks release

[Old Timer]

L

I have absolutely no idea where your at with your last few posts, but that’s fine. I’m obviously reading the situation differently to you and some others. I personally don’t have animosity towards Widdop but feel being a captain of a NRL club that has afforded you a top dollar long term deal and you accept such deal and then for whatever reason circumstances change, so you are now planning to not honour your contract than I have no issue if the club decides to withdraw thier loyalty. I did say Widdop would be hard to replace but do what’s best for the club, if it’s keeping Widdop so be it or release him and who knows uncover a talented junior who will offer a long term solution.

At first I didn’t understand why you have as you put it “no idea” but upon reflection I do understand.

 

[ouryears]

With all due respects, how do you know what is happening behind the scenes ? Gareth is more than likely already talking to the club and the club would be looking for replacements if he wants to leave.
This is how the info was allegedly leaked.....to say he needs to go now, is an incredibly simplified argument based on emotion....doesn't really help us in 2019...if as you say he needs to go now , who replaces him in 2019 ??

No doubt the club knows what his intentions are and would be looking towards who replaces him if and when he leaves. He has served the club well and to tell him to "F off now " is incredibly infantile and just plain silly.

Everything you say is sort of fine, however......
It proves we selected the wrong man to be captain.
What characteristics make a good captain?

Loyalty, passion for the club, a man who wants to stay around forever, a player who dreads leaving the club he captains and who wants to be here for the long haul.

These lack of characteristics show in his captaincy role on the field, It has no passion.

Sure, he can hang around another 12 months......but not as captain, Thankyou.

 

[getsmarty]

Dragons pleased Widdop commits to 2019
Dragons teammates Jeremy Latimore and Cameron McInnes are happy their leader Gareth Widdop has remained committed to the Dragons for 2019.

https://www.dragons.com.au/news/2018/11/30/dragons-pleased-widdop-commits-to-2019/

 

[ouryears]

No you’re not the only one
I am toatallt pissed off with the negativity & animosity in this place towards him
He has acted honourably and has been betrayed.

It gets back to his lack of passion and consistency when he plays for us, that’s why people on here have negativity towards him, you need to remember, the last few years have been crap for us, we missed the finals in 2017, crawled into semis last year.....he is part of the reason for our poor record.

 

[getsmarty]

Everything you say is sort of fine, however......
It proves we selected the wrong man to be captain.
What characteristics make a good captain?

Loyalty, passion for the club, a man who wants to stay around forever, a player who dreads leaving the club he captains and who wants to be here for the long haul.

These lack of characteristics in Widdop makeup show on the field in his captaincy role. It has no passion.

Sure, he can hang around another 12 months......but not as captain, Thankyou.

McInnes named in Emerging Blues squad
Hooker Cameron McInnes says being named in the 2019 Emerging Blues squad is 'a good stepping stone' in his game.

https://www.dragons.com.au/news/2018/11/30/mcinnes-named-in-emerging-blues-squad/

 

[dragonssamy61]

Totally Off topic but don't want a thread about it, when do our international reps return to training? (Hunt, Graham, etc)

December week 2 I think.
2 weeks of training then a break for Christmas

 

[Old Timer]

December week 2 I think.
2 weeks of training then a break for Christmas

When is Widdop due to return and how did his surgery go?

 

[Como Connection]

Everything you say is sort of fine, however......
It proves we selected the wrong man to be captain.
What characteristics make a good captain?

Loyalty, passion for the club, a man who wants to stay around forever, a player who dreads leaving the club he captains and who wants to be here for the long haul.

These lack of characteristics in Widdop makeup show on the field in his captaincy role. It has no passion.

Sure, he can hang around another 12 months......but not as captain, Thankyou.

Correct, your best player is not always your best captain.
Bad choice and I'm not sure he really wanted the job and would have performed better without it.
Well done again Mary.
CC

 

[Old Timer]

It gets back to his lack of passion and consistency when he plays for us, that’s why people on here have negativity towards him, you need to remember, the last few years have been crap for us, we missed the finals in 2017, crawled into semis last year.....he is part of the reason for our poor record.

In actual fact it doesn’t get back to anything contained in your post
What it gets back to is that Widdop had his reasons for holding a private discussion with the club and that trust he placed in an official has been breached.
The club sat mute whilst a range of useless journalists crated their version of events and Widdop was forced to try and defend his position about what is obviously important to him.
Then to top it all off a bunch of even more useless supporters quickly turned on our captain by confusing their dislike for him as a footballer with a situation that is personal for Widdop
Wake up to yourselves and stop the unwarranted criticism and let Widdop deal with the fall out with the club that dishonoured him rather than the other way round
Fancy supporters running off at the mouth making outrageous claims when the only thing they are armed is the words of useless journos
Shameful

 

[Slackboy72]

When is Widdop due to return and how did his surgery go?

He was at training last week I think
https://www.dragons.com.au/news/2018/11/23/2019-prep-underway/

 

[Frank Facer]

If Widdop wants to go the the ESL right now, I would look to sign Norman straight away. There has been a lot of talk about Parra trying to offload Norman and Moses. If we did sign Norman. I would play him halfback and Hunt 5/8. I would have Norman as our game manager and dominate playmaker. Hunt and Norman previously played together at Brissy, so they probably already have a strong bond. Just remember that when Norman was playing halfback at Parra with Gutho 5/8, he was one of the form players in the comp, got a 900K a year contract and was being spoken of as Qld's next halfback. I was never a fan of Norman until I saw him play 5/8. Maybe his formed dipped because he stopped taking the pills?

I have to edit that post and say that I was never a fan of Norman until I saw him play halfback. I said 5/8 in the earlier post.

 

[nontime111]

Gunston?

 

[True_Believer]

Belta I thought your previous post was spot on but I think you have folded with this one. Where has he been disrespected, he is the chief playmaker, captain and senior player who one year into a four year multi million dollar contract raises the possibility he may not honour the remaining three years. He had some vague discussion with someone about playing in the ESL and they confided in a friend (this happens all the time in all walks of life) who according to True_Believer told someone else who then told someone else and along the way the story got twisted up. All we know is he wanted to play in the ESL which he has stated himself previously. Whats the drama?

Stop treating him like a victim and pragmatically think about the future given he has stated he wants to go to ESL.

What you seem to be missing (and I can't fathom how with all of the posts on the subject) is that the discussion wasn't with a friend, but with a club official. Now you don't discuss your future with the IT Manager or the Marketing Team, you discuss it with people who actually have some influence in this area. Now that official, has then gone and as you say 'confided' in a friend, who has then spread the word. Now as a senior official of the club, it is their responsibility to maintain that confidentiality. They obviously didn't. And as I have already stated, a release or an end date were not specifically discussed and Gareth was surprised as everyone else that immediate requests for release were being reported in the papers (you might remember this from one of my first posts and it has been reiterated in subsequent posts). It could only have originated from one source. Obviously all of this is difficult for you grasp or you just flat out disagree with what I am saying. I'm just as pro-club as anyone on here so if you are familiar with my posts, you would know that I rarely bag the club. Hell, I'm even agreeing with and liking OTs posts, so something is definitely different about this situation.

I guess you have a different view on what is acceptable and what isn't, but to me, this is a breach of trust and as a supposedly professional outfit it shows a lack of credibility and really poor judgement - not just by the official, but by the club as a whole. You keep going on about his role in the team - what about the official? Because he isn't a player he gets off scott free without any consequence and all the blame gets placed on the player? To me, it's obvious they were willing to let Gareth take the rap to ensure their blunder wasn't exposed. Now somehow to you, that's acceptable. I disagree.

 

[ViceVersa]

IMO this is who we should trade Gareth Widdop for in 2020 if he wants to leave. He is a Widdop-style player, good ball player, good kicking game, but can play whats infont of him. He wants to play NRL. Also better than paying overs for Norman - Moses or some shit while competing with Roosters at the same time.

 

[ouryears]

In actual fact it doesn’t get back to anything contained in your post
What it gets back to is that Widdop had his reasons for holding a private discussion with the club and that trust he placed in an official has been breached.
The club sat mute whilst a range of useless journalists crated their version of events and Widdop was forced to try and defend his position about what is obviously important to him.
Then to top it all off a bunch of even more useless supporters quickly turned on our captain by confusing their dislike for him as a footballer with a situation that is personal for Widdop
Wake up to yourselves and stop the unwarranted criticism and let Widdop deal with the fall out with the club that dishonoured him rather than the other way round
Fancy supporters running off at the mouth making outrageous claims when the only thing they are armed is the words of useless journos
Shameful

How do you know that’s how it panned out?
Did he really sit down in a confidential meeting?

Or has he been talking to a few others, friends, acquaintances, or others?

Essentially, it was public knowledge he wanted to one day play in the UK, however, why sign a contract until 2021....if you intend being in the UK before you retire?

Widdop agreed to the number of years in the contract YET he wants to play in the UK one day.
How was he going to play in the UK in 2022.... he would be what, 31 or 32 by then.

No one other than Widdop has brought this upon himself, signing one thing,but saying another,
he lives a confusing life... on and off the field.

Run straight, and talk straight......that’s what he needs to do.

 

[Carlton]

What you seem to be missing (and I can't fathom how with all of the posts on the subject) is that the discussion wasn't with a friend, but with a club official. Now you don't discuss your future with the IT Manager or the Marketing Team, you discuss it with people who actually have some influence in this area. Now that official, has then gone and as you say 'confided' in a friend, who has then spread the word. Now as a senior official of the club, it is their responsibility to maintain that confidentiality. They obviously didn't. And as I have already stated, a release or an end date were not specifically discussed and Gareth was surprised as everyone else that immediate requests for release were being reported in the papers (you might remember this from one of my first posts and it has been reiterated in subsequent posts). It could only have originated from one source. Obviously all of this is difficult for you grasp or you just flat out disagree with what I am saying. I'm just as pro-club as anyone on here so if you are familiar with my posts, you would know that I rarely bag the club. Hell, I'm even agreeing with and liking OTs posts, so something is definitely different about this situation.

I guess you have a different view on what is acceptable and what isn't, but to me, this is a breach of trust and as a supposedly professional outfit it shows a lack of credibility and really poor judgement - not just by the official, but by the club as a whole. You keep going on about his role in the team - what about the official? Because he isn't a player he gets off scott free without any consequence and all the blame gets placed on the player? To me, it's obvious they were willing to let Gareth take the rap to ensure their blunder wasn't exposed. Now somehow to you, that's acceptable. I disagree.

What cant you understand, this was all common knowledge that Widdop himself has stated in the past. This so called breach of trust appears so minor this is all a storm in a teacup. All Widdop had to say to handle this was "I am going to be at St George until the end of my contract" but he couldn't, this is why it was difficult for him.

 

[Carlton]

In actual fact it doesn’t get back to anything contained in your post
What it gets back to is that Widdop had his reasons for holding a private discussion with the club and that trust he placed in an official has been breached.
The club sat mute whilst a range of useless journalists crated their version of events and Widdop was forced to try and defend his position about what is obviously important to him.
Then to top it all off a bunch of even more useless supporters quickly turned on our captain by confusing their dislike for him as a footballer with a situation that is personal for Widdop
Wake up to yourselves and stop the unwarranted criticism and let Widdop deal with the fall out with the club that dishonoured him rather than the other way round
Fancy supporters running off at the mouth making outrageous claims when the only thing they are armed is the words of useless journos
Shameful

So in your opinion the trust the club put into Widdop by signing him to a four year multi million dollar contract and making him captain hasn't been breached?

Do you think that your contractual obligations dont count if you have "personal reasons" for not honouring them, especially when those reasons are just ambition?

Maybe if the club knew he wouldn't stay for four years they would not have resigned him, maybe they would have looked for someone else and taken a different direction.

What has the greater ramifications your chief playmaker, captain, most senior player walking out on his contract early or someone spreading the "earth shattering" news he wants to play in the ESL, as he himself has stated?

 

[Old Timer]

How do you know that’s how it panned out?
Did he really sit down in a confidential meeting?

Or has he been talking to a few others, friends, acquaintances, or others?

Essentially, it was public knowledge he wanted to one day play in the UK, however, why sign a contract until 2021....if you intend being in the UK before you retire?

Widdop agreed to the number of years in the contract YET he wants to play in the UK one day.
How was he going to play in the UK in 2022.... he would be what, 31 or 32 by then.

No one other than Widdop has brought this upon himself, signing one thing,but saying another,
he lives a confusing life... on and off the field.

Run straight, and talk straight......that’s what he needs to do.

What cant you understand, this was all common knowledge that Widdop himself has stated in the past. This so called breach of trust appears so minor this is all a storm in a teacup. All Widdop had to say to handle this was "I am going to be at St George until the end of my contract" but he couldn't, this is why it was difficult for him.

You pair of nuffies seem to think at the time he signed his contract extension he did so in full knowledge that he was going to break it and that is clearly not the case
He signed his contract with the intent of being here for the entire period but something has interceded and altered that.
Situations alter in life and when they do you need to have the opportunity to alter it.
FMD imagine if everyone stayed in bad marriages / relationships and divorce wasn’t allowed what a shit works it would be.
You guys can’t get past your dislike for him as a player to understand something has altered in his life.
Since when do we as supporters get to dish on people who have make tough decisions in their own private lives?
Take your views and have a talk with the playing group but book yourself an ambulance before you do because it is obvious who the playing group is standing by and if fat isn’t good enough for you then there is no hope for you.

 

[ouryears]

You pair of nuffies seem to think at the time he signed his contract extension he did so in full knowledge that he was going to break it and that is clearly not the case
He signed his contract with the intent of being here for the entire period but something has interceded and altered that.
Situations alter in life and when they do you need to have the opportunity to alter it.
FMD imagine if everyone stayed in bad marriages / relationships and divorce wasn’t allowed what a shit works it would be.
You guys can’t get past your dislike for him as a player to understand something has altered in his life.
Since when do we as supporters get to dish on people who have make tough decisions in their own private lives?
Take your views and have a talk with the playing group but book yourself an ambulance before you do because it is obvious who the playing group is standing by and if fat isn’t good enough for you then there is no hope for you.

He is quoted in 2013, 2015, 2016 and again in 2018 saying “ One day I want to play in the UK”

Therefore, he did know before signing the contract that he wanted to play in the UK.

Why say one thing yet sign another?

He cannot be our captain, we need a captain who loves the joint, not one who wants to be in the UK pretty soon.

No more apologies for him, sick of the BS, sick of his weak, piss poor leadership and lack of passion. Happy to have him as a player, not as our leader.

Like I said, he needs to RUN straight and TALK straight.

We have far more important concerns, numbers 2, 3, 4 and 5 need sorting, Widdop is hijacking our priorities.

 

[dragonssamy61]

When is Widdop due to return and how did his surgery go?

OT
He is back already but still doing rehab.
So no full contact yet.
He back early because he didn't go on the tour due to his shoulder.
I would say he will be cleared for full contract by the christmas break.
Seam to have been a successful op.
But when full contact is allowed we will see then.
But sould be ok