Wiki gone

[peter_raiders]

A Canberra Stadium capacity all cheering "RUBENNNN, RUBENNNN" and he scores a barnstorming 40m try, squashing 4 souths defenders after putting on the biggest hit of the year on paul stringer.....all i can say is if we rnt in the top 4 in rnd 26 souths better beware.....coz ruben will be fired up big time knowing its his last game at canberra stadium....

 

[Raider_69]

All i can say is.....

god help south sydney :twisted: :twisted:

 

[ThrashViking]

Sorry about the loss but in saying that....
\\/ \\/ \\/ :mrgreen:

 

[Skippy The Bush Kangadrew]

I just hope he doesn't get himself suspended before his last game here, weather it be against Souths or if we make it in to the top 4 somehow.
Onya Rubes!

 

[legend]

I guess I am the only one who thinks this is a farce? Don't asnwer, rhetorical question.

However, a three year 750k deal on top of what he's already made out of the Raiders (and Super League) is not to be sneezed at. Most people wouldn't earn 750k over 15 years, let alone three so to me it's a bit of cop out but it seems to me alone. It's a bit rich IMO but I'll leave it there from here on in.

On the flipside, the club management are starting to show how inept they can be. Out of all the 15 clubs, we are the only club to go backwards since June 30 and that is very worrying. We sign a has been bloke who is a broken down player in the ESL and that's our only significant signing? Hawkins, Furner and Elliott should hang their collective head in shame.

Sounds like sour grapes? You bet it is. I hope we smash Wiki to kingdom come next year and make him feel the pain of leaving the club where it hurts most. On the ladder although I suspect he is more interested in his hip pcoket than results on the field.

Again, loyalty is a two way street and I for one will always hold a grudge.

 

[Raider_69]

pretty poor IMO
Wiki owes us nothing. He needs to do whats best for his family
Its a complete farce but what management do is not his fault, our managment need a swift kick up the arse, if we lose Monaghan aswell i for one will be calling for heads to roll. If the Kiwi captain isnt worth more than 250k then i can understand how the Roosters are under the cap. Wiki is worth at least 300k and if we cant give him that i hope he is milking the warriors dry

Plus he has family problems to sort out, he is a big family man and i hope things work out for him, although i have a sneaking feeling that if he plays against us he will have a barry crocker

 

[Skippy The Bush Kangadrew]

f**k you legend! The guy's 30 years old and played over 200 games for this club and you get all bitter because he leaves after 10 years of quality service, to go back to his home country with enough dosh to set up his family for life. Your a dickhead!

 

[legend]

I'm not allowed an opinion? I'm not asking anyone to share my views but I thought this being a Raiders forum, I am free to air my views.

Obviously not in your case hey? :roll:

Watch it with the personal insults while you're at it. I never insulted anyone so my advice would be to cool it.

 

[thuganomics]

Boy if you guys lose Monaghan its a double Whammy.

 

[thuganomics]

Boy if you guys lose Monaghan its a double Whammy.

 

[hrundi99]

Players, no, people like Ruben Wiki don't come along very often.

A true gentlemen off the field, yet an extremely tough (but fair) player on it,
Wiki still displays humility and even shyness whenever we see him interviewed
post-match. His dedication to his team mates is clear in the way he usually
deflects any personal glory or man-of-the-match recognition onto it being a team
effort. Often enough this is simple sport cliche, but when someone like Wiki says
it, you believe him.

Any Raiders fan (or Kiwi fan for that matter) will tell you that he has a certain
aura about him. I've heard countless stories of people meeting him and walking
away feeling as though they've just made a new friend.

After cheering him on for years, I only recently had an opportunity to meet him,
albeit briefly, after the Raiders vs Sharks game at Canberra Stadium. I wanted
to have a yarn with him, but he was surrounded by supporters, kids and adults
alike, and I realised it wouldn't be appropriate. I instead shook his hand, thanked
him for his years of service and wished him the best. He responded by saying
"well hopefully it isn't over yet", to which I agreed.

I'm an emotional person at the best of times, and I'm not ashamed to admit to
turning around and walking away nearly on the verge of tears. Why? I'm not sure.
His aura had something to do with it. Even though I'm older than him I guess I
still "look up" to him. Was it because I had the strong sense that he WOULD be
leaving the club at the end of the year? Maybe.

You could teach a semester of a Psychology course just on what it means to
follow a sports team passionately, and I think that was a big part of it. I've followed
this team from it's inception, and I feel blessed that the club has had a number
of champion men playing for them (Meninga, Daley, Clyde, etc). The type of players you'll never forget, and not just for their blistering runs or their great tackles or passes.

I can already see my future grandchildren having their eyes glaze over as I regale
them with stories of watching these champions play. Players who put genuine pride
in their team's jersey and make you proud to support them and perfectly willing to
shell out your hard-earned to let everyone else know that you do.

Players like Ruben Wiki.

How do I feel about Ruben going to play for the Warriors? Though it will be a little
disquieting to see him tackle or break a tackle of a player wearing a lime green
jersey, I wish him all the best. It's pretty obvious that he could have earned genuinely big dollars in the UK, it was more important that he go home, and help his family through this difficult time. He's repaying his Mum for all those big meals she's cooked for visiting Raiders teams. I bet he can get better kava there too.

 

[jed]

Skip, swearing at admin - never a good idea.

Remember that Wiki was not just looking for a contract to see out his career, he was also after a career plan for when he's hung up his boots - surely we could have found something for him. That's what I'm most disappointed about - he's been loyal to us for 12 years, I can't believe we gave up on retaining him so long ago.

 

[frank]

I've gotta agree with Legend here.

Ruben going to England would have been easier to swallow. They've got more cash to throw around.

The Warriors, however, are on the same level as us. I can't for the life of me figure out how they could make a more attractive offer than the Raiders.

Raiders management really ought to take a good look at themselves.
They've effectively thrown away any chance we have of winning a premiership in the next 5 years.

In my eyes, without Ruben, we've now become one of the also-rans. Every team needs an enforcer, the bloke that the opposition fear. Ruben was that man.

Having said that, I won't hold a grudge. There's probably a million different reasons for his departure that only Ruben and his family know. And I for one will be on hand at his last game for the mighty Green Machine to send him off in the manner he deserves.

When all is said and done, he's one of the greatest footballers of all time. We were priveleged to have him playing for us for all these years.

All the best Ruben. You'll be sorely missed.

 

[Skippy The Bush Kangadrew]

Yes you can air your views but it's also a place for discussion. So if your gonna come up with some crap and say Wiki is a sell out and be all bitter about his departure after a number of solid years with the raiders and aren't prepared to handle some critisism about 'your opinion' then keep it to yourself, that way no one can hurt your precious feelings.

 

[Raider_69]

Skip, swearing at admin - never a good idea.

Remember that Wiki was not just looking for a contract to see out his career, he was also after a career plan for when he's hung up his boots - surely we could have found something for him. That's what I'm most disappointed about - he's been loyal to us for 12 years, I can't believe we gave up on retaining him so long ago.

exactly my point

 

[edabomb]

I agree in part with legend aswell. Wiki won't be getting much more to go to the Warriors, if it was about the money he would of gone north. The fact he is leaving means he doesn't become one of the top 5 Raiders of all time. Hes my favourite player but its true. People like Daley, Meninga and Stuart all stuck with the club through the tough times of the salary cap crisis. Although Stuart got rorted by the club, he was still a champ.

Wiki is a Raiders legend no doubt, but he won't be in that top echelon now IMO.

 

[Anonymous]

Legend, Frank, I'm with you two on this.

Yes he has to do what's best for himself, but I will always remember this as the darkest day in recent history. I can't see how we could possibly have failed to match the Warriors bid. I could have hacked the ESL but this?

And don't get me started on Wiki himself saying he'd never play for another NRL club.

All that said, here's hoping we can win one for him this year.

 

[twistedbydesign]

in excess of 10 years at the one club is enough to make any questions of loyalty a farce.

i will remember ruben as the most inspirational player i've seen, maybe because unlike other clubs greats i got too see him run around in some pretty ordinary teams, however rubens commitment, determination, and the ever apparent respect he has from players both in green and other colous alike is unsurpassed in my experience.

this is the saddest of sad days for our club, but thats that, it's done now, now its time for us all to ensure that he gets the send off from canberra he so richly deserves.

 

[Raider_69]

remember that Ali was released by the warriors
he would have been on a very high pay packet
probably 350k and upwards, ats 100k more than we offered him

 

[chopper]

Well done champ thanks for years on saying that i am glad he stayed in the NRL and didnt go to pommyland i would much rather watch him in our comp then an other comp he is the reason why most of us love watching this great game the last of the tough men who play the game hard the way it should be played.