Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[BlackWhiteGold]

Bateman would have already re-signed, but the question is, is the club looking to use his reduced salary as a bargaining chip or do we want him to return? Does the player even want to return?
He was one of our worst players this season. Atrocious discipline and just horrible all around. Benji told him as much and he got pissed. Can that relationship be repaired? Are there any clubs here or overseas interested in him at 400-500k??

Two clubs I could see take him BB are Dragons & Broncos. Flanno managed by Isaac Moses would help there. They don't have much in backrow stocks aside from Su'a & Luciano or they could use him at lock.

Broncos reportedly are looking for more hard-nosed experienced players in their pack, however he'd probably be a benchie or backup there with Riki & Piakura plus not sure whether Broncos are dealing with Moses after the whole Seibold stuff.

Be great if Dragons could take him and make our Christmas by taking back Bud too. You know what I'd happily take Blake Lawrie off their books if they'd take both Bateman & Bud.

 

[Betterdays22]

Am I missing something, for us to let him go back England, we had to pay him $450 , and then give him a new deal , should it not be if I want to go then u have broken ur contract, if I am missing something please enlighten me 🤔😳

Thought Kade explained it pretty well. Seems a sweetener to help restructuring the existing contract. We allowed him his secondment on the basis that he would agree to reducing his salary over the following 2 years. For us the incentive would have his contract being a more attractive proposition for other teams to take on. It was good business, whether he stays or leaves.

 

[tigermate]

no signing news
but had an interesting chat with someone linked to the club over the weekend

might already be common knowledge so apologies

- for batemen to play in the super league, the tigers had to terminate his existing contract another 2 years worth 800 and 850

- the club releases simpkin and kepoa from existing deals contributing nothing

- richo used this money as a payout to bateman to the amount of $450k

- batemen has signed a new year 2 year deal with the club worth $600k a season

- great business imo, helps with cap space but also helps us lure potential suitors with a reasonable contract

legend @kade7 any news on Galvin extending? or what the club is thinking there?

 

[Spacecub]

I lived in Lake Cathie a few years back. Great spot. Home of the big bowl. I'm in Forster now. Gotta love the mid north coast

Hey pablo did you get to Tuncurry bowlo yesterday to see the mighty radiators, great spot there, except for the fast approaching terrorist season

 

[2041]

Two clubs I could see take him BB are Dragons & Broncos. Flanno managed by Isaac Moses would help there. They don't have much in backrow stocks aside from Su'a & Luciano or they could use him at lock.

Broncos reportedly are looking for more hard-nosed experienced players in their pack, however he'd probably be a benchie or backup there with Riki & Piakura plus not sure whether Broncos are dealing with Moses after the whole Seibold stuff.

Be great if Dragons could take him and make our Christmas by taking back Bud too. You know what I'd happily take Blake Lawrie off their books if they'd take both Bateman & Bud.

Absolutely no-one in the NRL is going to sign Bateman on anything other than a train and trial deal or maybe first grade minimum. If we're very, very, very lucky we might be able to clear a roster spot and minimum salary if we carry all the rest of the freight but let's not delude ourselves: the guy is doing nothing in England, having done nothing at the Tigers and more or less nothing the last time he was in England. He has no value, and we're on the hook for two more years of a very good back rower's wage whatever happens.

I went back and looked at the Wigan forum when we first signed him and the majority of comments were "thank goodness someone wants to take him off our hands". Oh, and he's a proven clubhouse cancer who seems to fall out with management everywhere he goes. No-one is going to be dumb enough to pay money for that.

 

[2041]

Thought Kade explained it pretty well. Seems a sweetener to help restructuring the existing contract. We allowed him his secondment on the basis that he would agree to reducing his salary over the following 2 years. For us the incentive would have his contract being a more attractive proposition for other teams to take on. It was good business, whether he stays or leaves.

Yres, very smart - use some of the excess cap space we had in 2024 to reduce Bateman's cap hit in 2025 and 2026, freeing up money we can spend elsewhere and reducing the amount of freight we'd have to pay to get rid of him. Which will still be massive, to be clear - but at least it puts a chunk of the pain in 2024, where we can't use it for anything else anymore.

Thinking about it, I wonder if Bateman going to England happened just after Utoikamanu told the club he was leaving. Some of that money might have been used to front load Stefano if he'd stayed, but when it became clear he wasn't going to it got deployed elsewhere ie helping us get out from under the monstrosity of the Bateman contract.

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

Absolutely no-one in the NRL is going to sign Bateman on anything other than a train and trial deal or maybe first grade minimum. If we're very, very, very lucky we might be able to clear a roster spot and minimum salary if we carry all the rest of the freight but let's not delude ourselves: the guy is doing nothing in England, having done nothing at the Tigers and more or less nothing the last time he was in England. He has no value, and we're on the hook for two more years of a very good back rower's wage whatever happens.

I went back and looked at the Wigan forum when we first signed him and the majority of comments were "thank goodness someone wants to take him off our hands". Oh, and he's a proven clubhouse cancer who seems to fall out with management everywhere he goes. No-one is going to be dumb enough to pay money for that.

You have too much common sense 2041. Remember someone took Zane Musgrove off our books once haha

Hopefully his manager can use his mates or managed coaches to get Johnnay a deal!

 

[Betterdays22]

Yres, very smart - use some of the excess cap space we had in 2024 to reduce Bateman's cap hit in 2025 and 2026, freeing up money we can spend elsewhere and reducing the amount of freight we'd have to pay to get rid of him. Which will still be massive, to be clear - but at least it puts a chunk of the pain in 2024, where we can't use it for anything else anymore.

Thinking about it, I wonder if Bateman going to England happened just after Utoikamanu told the club he was leaving. Some of that money might have been used to front load Stefano if he'd stayed, but when it became clear he wasn't going to it got deployed elsewhere ie helping us get out from under the monstrosity of the Bateman contract.

I wonder if the plan was for Wigan to take on the reduced contract, but they have pulled the pin?

I don't really believe Bateman wants to return. I'm thinking Wigan have seen enough and he doesn't have any other option. I think he will be playing here for the next 2 years on 600k or he plays elsewhere with us paying 100-200k of his contract for the next few years. It is an awful contract made slightly better by Richo.

 

[rugbygoated]

 

[PabloX]

Hey pablo did you get to Tuncurry bowlo yesterday to see the mighty radiators, great spot there, except for the fast approaching terrorist season

As in the rock band, The Radiators? If I'd know I would've been there in a heartbeat. I was on the lake instead, damn it was beautiful out there yesterday.

I generally try and get to Forster BC for Wednesday social comp. It's always a great day.

 

[Lestronge]

Pongo is the can be the best fullback in the game. The problem is it’s when he wants to be. He’s played all season but only recently he’s played great form, he’s to inconsistent. You can’t be the best fullback in the game and only play like that occasionally! Turdesco has been better throughout the whole season. Not doubting his potential, just not often enough fir my liking, to lazy.

Yea we’ll disagree . I’ve watched heaps of teddy and watched him do the same things as Ponga ie. drift in and out . Only it’s less of an issue because of the sombrero team he plays in .
When Ponga is off , Newcastle get dusted by bottom 4 teams . When teddy is off , Theres Manu, Walker , Keary etc to compensate .
I’don’t really care either way . Neither play for us and they never will .

 

[lathami]

Pretty harsh.

Crossland and Cogger/gamble/hastings are all ok but offer no threat. Look at all the other sides with great fullbacks, most have multiple genuine attacking threats across the side (teddy, walsh, turbo, edwards). Put Ponga in any of those sides he produces much, much more, likewise put any of those players in the Knights side and they produce similar or less than what Ponga produces

Maybe??? Why then in the finals was he all alight then most of the season nowhere??? Shows he can make it happen if he wants. Pongo lazy!

 

[bptiger 0]

Thought Kade explained it pretty well. Seems a sweetener to help restructuring the existing contract. We allowed him his secondment on the basis that he would agree to reducing his salary over the following 2 years. For us the incentive would have his contract being a more attractive proposition for other teams to take on. It was good business, whether he stays or leaves.

But we paid him $ 450 thousand that we safed from letting two players leave , so how did that safe us any money

 

[user118245]

But we paid him $ 450 thousand that we safed from letting two players leave , so how did that safe us any money

think we used excess cap from this season, to pay for his future seasons so we can actually use it to benefit future, idk 100% tho

 

[Muffstar]

Hey pablo did you get to Tuncurry bowlo yesterday to see the mighty radiators, great spot there, except for the fast approaching terrorist season

We live in Port Mac and dred holiday season.

 

[Betterdays22]

But we paid him $ 450 thousand that we safed from letting two players leave , so how did that safe us any money

It didn't "save" us anything, but it reduces his burden on the cap for the next 2 years. If a club is looking at him, they now see a 600k contract rather than an 800k contract, making it (hopefully) easier to move him on. If we can't move him on we have a 600k lemon rather than an 800k lemon.

 

[tiger05premier]

We

But we paid him $ 450 thousand that we safed from letting two players leave , so how did that safe us any money

We owed him the money anyway at around 800k next year and 850k the next

To have 450k from that total amount gone this year gives us an xtra 450k the next 2 years is what I took from it

He is now only on 600k the next 2 years which could make iit easier for us to convince another club to take him

 

[weststigers]

But we paid him $ 450 thousand that we safed from letting two players leave , so how did that safe us any money

The overall wages paid to Bateman do not change.

To be even clearer, existing contract was 3 years at $800k per year (Total $2.4 million).
We signed the final 2 years at $600k ($1.2 million) and we paid $1.2 million this year (Total $2.4 million).

Why? Because the money needed to be spent in this years cap and given the season was gone, we used that to reduce the impact of Batemans contract on the cap for the remaining 2 years.

Savings? Whatever Warrington contributed to his salary while he was on loan was our saving. Nothing more, nothing less. I doubt they were covering his full wage. We would have contributed.

 

[TurnStyle]

Bateman would have already re-signed, but the question is, is the club looking to use his reduced salary as a bargaining chip or do we want him to return? Does the player even want to return?
He was one of our worst players this season. Atrocious discipline and just horrible all around. Benji told him as much and he got pissed. Can that relationship be repaired? Are there any clubs here or overseas interested in him at 400-500k??

Great post. For the life of me I don't understand the '... New contact for 2 years... " part.

As I understand it (Thanks very much fellow posters for explaining this btw), through a technicality they had to terminate his contract for him to leave mid season.

To me, that would be a get out of jail free card because he was a huge liability to the side this year.

Is it the club just doing the right thing by him? Even at a reduced salary it seems a bit "pre sensible Richo" days tigers to me.

I don't understand why they would re-sign him?

The only reason I can think of is the club actually thinks he is worth $450k or whatever it is. Whilst cheap, it's still a top 30 spot I don't personally think is best taken up by him.

Could someone please explain how the club benefits from this?

Edit: okay, thanks guys. It's basically they're stuck with him, but going forward they're using up less cap space. Seriously, this is getting into US sports trade complexity territory! 🤣

 

[weststigers]

Great post. For the life of me I don't understand the '... New contact for 2 years... " part.

As I understand it (Thanks very much fellow posters for explaining this btw), through a technicality they had to terminate his contract for him to leave mid season.

To me, that would be a get out of jail free card because he was a huge liability to the side this year.

Is it the club just doing the right thing by him? Even at a reduced salary it seems a bit "pre sensible Richo" days tigers to me.

I don't understand why they would re-sign him?

The only reason I can think of is the club actually thinks he is worth $450k or whatever it is. Whilst cheap, it's still a top 30 spot I don't personally think is best taken up by him.

Could someone please explain how the club benefits from this?

The release and new contract are signed same day. No player would agree to a release on a promise alone of being re-signed.

That's how loans work in the NRL.