stevetiger
New member
@foreveratiger said:
Exactly.
OFFICIAL Blake Austin [Discussion]
- Thread starter azsportza
- Start date
Exactly.
stevetiger
New member
@Eddie said:
This is what gets me. When mistakes are made admit it.
Richards over Koro.
Letting Austin go.
JT and his structures/tactics/game plans.
JT and his media comments.
All terrible terrible decisions/actions made within this club.
If you admit it then you can look at your mistakes and work on them. Why spin it ?
goldcoast_tiger
New member
@Basil Tiger said:
I read that interview where he said that he didn't feel wanted here, although most of the interview made it clear that he was happy with his time here.
He never said one word about Farah, or any other player at all.
I have no doubt, that he was referring to the fact that he was told , by the management/Coach that Moses was going to be the 5/8 regardless of form
As reported in the last two weeks, I think (SMH) , Drinkwater was told the same thing, and would only play because o an injury.
Not sure why some want to use Farah as the fall guy at every possible moment.
Not a conspiracy, just typical incompetency from WTs
supercoach
Well-known member
Clubs let players go all the time only to find out a year or so down the track they made a massive mistake, but of course it works both ways, as we have picked up the odd good player that another club has released thinking they would not cut it at NRL level.
In saying that if it was only one or maybe two players you could put it down to bad luck, but when it is multiple players you have to ask some serious question. Of course their is also the argument if a player not happy why keep him as it could have a disruptive effect on the club.
The way I see it the club let go a player who had captain written all over him, a player who would give 100% every week and his only weakness, is at times he actually tries to hard. Players of his ability are as rare as rocking horse sh.t
In saying that if it was only one or maybe two players you could put it down to bad luck, but when it is multiple players you have to ask some serious question. Of course their is also the argument if a player not happy why keep him as it could have a disruptive effect on the club.
The way I see it the club let go a player who had captain written all over him, a player who would give 100% every week and his only weakness, is at times he actually tries to hard. Players of his ability are as rare as rocking horse sh.t
Basil_Tiger
New member
@goldcoast tiger said:
He's had a lot to say the last the last couple of years,which as Captain is fair enough,but you can't have the players running the club,the removal of a coach(Potter) is a prime eg., along with certain players feeling they were not part of the Team.
Of course this all comes to the surface when a Team is struggling,a few wins and it all gets papered over until the next lean trot,i'm sorry but this merger has no soul.
Pawsandclaws
New member
I recall reading an article which suggested Austin had signed with the Raiders for 2016 and 2017 prior to being granted a release for 2015.
Jesus guys, the bloke is gone…
Do we need another thread every time he has a good game for Canberra? The club nailed it's colours to the mast last year, we knew it was a bad idea and we're validated.
Look to the future, stop lamenting the past.
Do we need another thread every time he has a good game for Canberra? The club nailed it's colours to the mast last year, we knew it was a bad idea and we're validated.
Look to the future, stop lamenting the past.
hybrid_tiger
Well-known member
@Cultured Bogan said:
I'm looking to the future and what I see is a wooden spoon.
Que sera, sera…
Having a sook about letting Austin go now doesn't change anything.
Given the way we're playing, Blake was no guarantee to replicate his form for us anyway, and the way this forum operates, we'd likely be saying that we should have shipped him off to Canberra...
Having a sook about letting Austin go now doesn't change anything.
Given the way we're playing, Blake was no guarantee to replicate his form for us anyway, and the way this forum operates, we'd likely be saying that we should have shipped him off to Canberra...
supercoach
Well-known member
Its been another good weekend for the Tigers old boys club, Koro close to the Storms best in a beaten team,Austen the Standout in his game by a country mile and Fifta picks up MOM on Sunday. You have to wonder really what is going on at Camp Concord. It is not bad luck we are running last!!!!!
@goldcoast tiger said:
I was so disappointed that the club didn't do a lot more, to try and keep him here.
Blake was our shining light in 2014\. It doesn't surprise me one iota, that this young man is killing it in his prefered position.
If only we could turn back time GCT. :ugeek:
@Tigermama said:
Is that you Cher…"if I could turn back time"...all those gorgeous sailors...aaahh...Tigermama stop dreaming again and get back on topic...wish you could come to the get together,it would be fun,however Nans birthday is so much more important as is all family...have a great time and wish Nan a happy birthday from ALL of us...
jirskyr
Well-known member
@foreveratiger said:
Well think of it another way.
Presuming you got what you wanted, that we kept Austin for 2015 and he is our best half. Where does that leave Moses? You say he has to play into form, but how does he do that behind another player, either being on the bench or playing out of position. And who is to say that Moses wasn't already playing himself into form at the end of 2014? Sure he was a bit on the skinny side, but he was 30 first grade games and 4 years behind Austin in experience.
And what would we have done with Austin at the end of 2015? His salary would have been up for a substantial increase, one we probably could not have afforded. You cannot stockpile good players that only cover one position, the salary cap does not permit it. Instead, you have to choose who you think is best return on investment, for what your club needs. In 2014 Austin had played some good games for us, plus 16 games in 3 years for Penrith. At the same time, Moses had also played some decent footy and was already signed for 3 more seasons.
There is no argument that Austin is playing good footy right now. There is PLENTY of argument about whether that good footy is a result of the Canberra structure / culture, and whether or not Austin would have managed that same form with us had he stayed. There is also plenty of argument about whether Moses will be a good long-term 5/8 solution.
But in terms of salary cap management, I totally understand the decision the Tigers made. In fact I respect that they let Austin go to a superior offer, when we could easily have forced him to stay for low salary in 2015\. Considering we had resurrected his career, it was within our rights to force him to play out another year with us.
But what would that have achieved? Would we be in 1st, or even 8th place, if Austin had stayed? Totally unknown. What is known, is that if he stayed and played well, we'd be facing the same issue now that we faced in 2014 - that we have invested in juniors and we cannot hold onto an infinite number of players in one position.
Indeed I think it would have been worse this year, had Austin been playing well, the idea of not being able to offer Austin an acceptable contract because we had no money left. I can only imagine the uproar.
I echo the comments CB made - that you cannot second-guess every decision the club ever makes about recruitment and retention. Some are going to be good decisions, some are going to be unfortunate decisions, and all decisions are informed by substantially more information than supporters are ever privy to.
But if you are a football follower, and you haven't figured it out yet, you better get used to the fact that we cannot keep every player that shows some potential. Salary cap forces educated guesses to be made, and without the cap, Broncos would be signing up all the players anyway.
To go on and on and on and on about ex-Tigers doing well at other clubs, it is just like someone banging on about their ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend. He's gone people, decision has been made. Either we fire the recruitment people every time a decision comes unstuck, or you suck it up as part of the wider way the game operates.
Dogs let Thurston go to Cowboys. Saints let Tallis and Mundine go to Broncos. Saints let Fitzgibbon go to Easts. Easts have let RTS go to Warriors, as have Souths Isaac Luke. Perhaps Souths should not have let Koroisau leave to Penrith, but Cowboys should not have let Segeyaro go to Penrith either. But then Cowboys picked up Granville from Broncos, who might rue that if McCullogh's form wanes.
And speaking of Broncos, they really should not have signed Barba from Canterbury, such a waste of money to then release him to Sharks. Sharks, who let Chad Townsend go, only to sign him back a few years later. Sharks who signed Anthony Tupou on a huge contract and saw his form slide away unbearably. Sharks who signed "the next big thing" Karl Filiga, who only ever managed one first grade game. But at least they got Jackson Bird from Saints, who must be spewing because they lost him when they haven't a decent backup to Widdop, who Storm didn't want to lose in the first place. And Sharks also got Luke Lewis from Penrith, who was a rep player at the time, and Gordon as well, who is now off to Parra because they think Holmes is a better prospect, even though he's only a kid. Penrith also releasing Jennings to Easts, what were they thinking; or Saints letting the Morris twins go individually to Canterbury, crazy, whilst Canterbury don't want to keep the current NSW half because Mybe might be better. Etc. etc.
You can go around forever tossing up these "what if" scenarios about player movements.
hybrid_tiger
Well-known member
@jirskyr said:
The big difference here is that most of those clubs are generally successful ones, unlike WT. I.e they make the finals more often than not.
Recruitment and retention is always going to be hit and miss at any club, but some are smarter than others and we are the dud of the class, just like many other key areas.
