Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

Anyone got the read article they can post

The Wests Tigers’ signing of Jarome Luai is back under the microscope amid revelations that their $6 million man has a series of options in his favour after the 2026 season.
Why are we surprised? Luai, after all, held the whip hand in negotiations with the Tigers. The Samoan superstar was coming from a club that had won four successive premiership and moving to a club that had won three successive wooden spoons.

He was a State of Origin player and an international. He had clubs, most notably the Bulldogs, desperate for a piece of him.

He was a legitimate magnet for other players. In return, the Tigers offered him the chance to join a club that was looking to climb off the bottom of the ladder.

Sure, they also offered him plenty of cash and the chance to be the man. Yet Luai had all the leverage and he wisely used it to his advantage. The Tigers could have turned around and refused to give Luai the options his camp wanted but chances are he would have walked and signed with the Bulldogs.

Or somewhere else. The Tigers would have been back where they started. So they did the deal and backed Luai to make a significant impact, that would in turn convince him to stay.

Luai hasn’t started training yet but he has already changed the face of the Tigers. He played a role in Terrell May joining the Tigers in the face of rival offers from St George Illawarra.

He could walk away in two years but if he does, chances are the move hasn’t been a success and the Tigers will probably be happy to see the back of him and his mega-contract.

For too long the Tigers have been the NRL’s whipping boys. The only way to change that is to climb the ladder and Luai gives them some hope that could happen.

If he can help them turn it around over the next two years, his deal will be worth every cent. Options or not.
 
again a media beat up
burned by stefano (worked out better for us)

some players with current player options
- moses
- munster
- brown
- fifita
- grant
- solomona
- wighton
- ponga
- cotter


reece robsons pitched deal to the chooks includes a clause and player options around the tv deal

literally nothing to see here
But Bellamy and the Storm wouldn't allow this, good clubs don't do it according to the whingers on here
 
Bateman has fallen out with coaches and/or teammates at every club he's been at. He's a serial offender
But he really hasn't. Listen to any of the comments from anyone at the Raiders and all the players loved him there. Stuart spoke glowingly of him as a player and team member even after he was released but spoke of player managers having to much power in renegotiating contracts. I hadn't heard anything negative about him before he joined Canberra (though admit I've never looked into it). Haven't heard anything negative of his recent stint in England and he is reportedly on the verge of joining a team coached by one for his former rep coaches.
The only other reported spat between Bateman and anyone is he allegedly wouldn't join the club if Hastings was here. However Hastings is the guy with a well documented history of being hard to get along with.
 
True

Or it’s just Lee having a ego hissy fit bc richo has been saying since he came along the club has made leaps and bounds like getting 6/8 contracts done etc

Or that pepper was the biggest sponsorship deal - Lee would get jealous over that with Brydens etc… Richo poked the bear and the bear leaked


Lee would take a front to that perhaps and leaked it bc he’s a little b*tch
The large increase in sponsorship compared to Lee's also casts dispersion whether it was previously taken to market properly or whether Lee as chairman abused his position and gave himself a competitive advantage and sponsored the jersey for less than market rate
 
If our defence isn't a concern then your a poor judge or maybe just overlooked it. But it was the worst season in our history and worsened from 23

Imo I wouldn't take everything said here so literally and reply with a novelette... Just let it slide
How was it our worst season? We won 6 games. 2023 under Sheens we won 4. In 2022 under Madge/Kimmorley we won 4. Last season was a 50% improvement in wins on the previous two
 
But under the previous hierarchy, clauses were the devil. Now it’s “hey, what you gonna do?”
I appreciate you're doubling down, possibly just for a reaction, but do you think that was the only reason the previous admin was incompetent? And having a clause like that your only marker as to whether Richo is a competent administrator? Its such a weird take
 
I appreciate you're doubling down, possibly just for a reaction, but do you think that was the only reason the previous admin was incompetent? And having a clause like that your only marker as to whether Richo is a competent administrator? Its such a weird take

He's a pathological contrarian, loves the attention —
he's admitted 2 it several times. It's not about what's
being argued, it's the attention he garners from holding
an opposing view all the time. One of the characters
on here, he's alright with me though. Makes me laugh
 
So if Bateman goes to Souths, it would appear they have a bit of a glut of 2RWs.
Koloamatangi, Arrow, Host, Duncan, Murray (potentially Schuster).
Would we be happy with the advertised release of Bateman (incl paying $300k of salary for next 2 years) if Souths offered Tallis Duncan in return?
I'm fairly sure Keaon and Arrow are playing in the middle next year, but it's definitely worth asking the question around Duncan.
 
He's a pathological contrarian, loves the attention —
he's admitted 2 it several times. It's not about what's
being argued, it's the attention he garners from holding
an opposing view all the time. One of the characters
on here, he's alright with me though. Makes me laugh
Hah I responded then saw your comment. Seems like most have him figured out. Textbook troll
 
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