Lawrence to weigh up future after ruling out Super League move

[matchball]

Didn't Chris help us out with his contract by extending & taking his money over a longer period, we owe him something.

We already helped him out by prolonging his career.
He was done after the hip injury as a centre.

No other club would have signed the guy as a second rower that's for sure.

 

[cochise]

Lawerence didn’t accept less money.
He renegotiated his 2 year contract over 3
Was something like 700,000 over 2 years stretched out to 750,000 over 3.

Seriously, that is accepting less money. Getting paid $750 k over 3 years is less in your paycheck than getting $700k over 2.


If I was a player at the club I'd be careful about helping the club out like that, as this club has a history of screwing players after they have sacrificed financially for the benefit of the club!

 

[newtiger]

Lawerence didn’t accept less money.
He renegotiated his 2 year contract over 3
Was something like 700,000 over 2 years stretched out to 750,000 over 3.

I think that he had a 2 year contract worth $900K, and he reduced it to $300K per season and added a third year.

 

[hobbo1]

Didn't Chris help us out with his contract by extending & taking his money over a longer period, we owe him something.

We already helped him out by prolonging his career.
He was done after the hip injury as a centre.

No other club would have signed the guy as a second rower that's for sure.

Exactly ..he was a busted entity for a good 5-6 seasons and he’s only come good for n the last 1-2 ...

 

[JD Tiger]

@bathursttiger I thought it was about $800k over 2 years, and reduced it per year but added a third year to make it $900k over 3.

 

[WT2K]

Wests Tigers veteran Chris Lawrence is yet to sort out his future at the club and it’s led to a tense exchange with chief executive Justin Pascoe.

Lawrence, who’s played 239 games for the Tigers since debuting in 2006, is off-contract and has been public about his wish to play on in 2020.

The club are yet to make a decision on the 30-year-old’s future, and should he not be a Tiger next season, the club are risking a potential farewell for the fan favourite at Sunday’s do-or-die blockbuster against Cronulla at Leichhardt Oval.

“I think you’ll find there were some heated words exchanged (on Wednesday) between Chris Lawrence and the Tigers’ CEO Justin Pascoe as a result of a report that made it’s way into the media last night,” Fox League reporter James Hooper told NRL 360.

“Chris chose to do an interview and his view is he feels as though he’s uncertain at where his future sits. He was essentially asking the club for an answer and had been for some period of time — three months and hadn’t really been given a clear indication.

“But I think you’ll find today that they’ve thrashed it out. Justin Pascoe has made it clear to Chris Lawrence that’s he’s an extremely valued member of the team. But because of the salary cap jam that the Tigers are in this season, there’s still some work to be done before they can properly table him the offer they want to.

“He’s been a one-club player, he’s been a local junior. They only need to get to about $140,000 and he’ll play next year and he’ll get to 250 games. They’re idiots if they don’t let that happen.”

Lawrence fought his way back onto the field this year following a horrific facial injury in the pre-season needed reconstructive surgery.

It’s not the first major injury the 30-year-old’s needed to overcome, with a dislocated hip occurring in 2011.

NRL 360 host Paul Kent reckoned the signs weren’t looking good for the centre-turned-back-rower.

“My experience with the game is when players like this have been asking what’s going on with my contract and it’s taking months and they’re not getting an answer, it generally doesn’t arrive,” Kent said.

“Coaches generally stretch it out to the end of the season before they deliver the hammer.”

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/teams/tigers/chris-lawrence-has-heated-words-with-ceo-justin-pascoe-after-being-left-in-limbo-at-wests-tigers/news-story/46b8dc235c4203a6861c366d40fa295f

 

[Guest]

Can't say I blame Pascoe for being annoyed at Chris speaking to the media about it - crap timing given what's at stake this week - even Benji says he hasn't made up his mind yet on next season but the focus is just about this week - the contract talk can wait. Chris should be smart and realise how many current players will fit into our top 30 next season...

 

[Alex Seyfarth's #1 Fan]

Can't say I blame Pascoe for being annoyed at Chris speaking to the media about it - crap timing given what's at stake this week - even Benji says he hasn't made up his mind yet on next season but the focus is just about this week - the contract talk can wait. Chris should be smart and realise how many current players will fit into our top 30 next season...

Yep. Josh Reynolds even appeared on League Life around 3 weeks ago and said it's not fair on the team for him to be talking about his contract until the season is over, and that despite the harsh reality facing him, there is still a time and a place.

 

[cochise]

despite the harsh reality facing him,

He has a contract for next season, he will be paid. If we lose this week then Chris has no leverage to speak to the media, he has no contract for next year and would just fade away in the public mindset!

 

[hammertime]

Who ever is advising him should be shot. If they thought coming out in the media like that, given the timing, would help endear him to CEO or coach to up the offer, then they've got rocks in their head.

I know Chris has been loyal, but so have the tigers. they've stuck by him through all those injuries.

 

[tiger05premier]

Lawerence didn’t accept less money.
He renegotiated his 2 year contract over 3
Was something like 700,000 over 2 years stretched out to 750,000 over 3.

Seriously, that is accepting less money. Getting paid $750 k over 3 years is less in your paycheck than getting $700k over 2.


If I was a player at the club I'd be careful about helping the club out like that, as this club has a history of screwing players after they have sacrificed financially for the benefit of the club!

Yeah he essentially only earning 50k in his third year when he would easily of earnt a lot more if he had stuck with his initial contract

 

[OzLuke]

poor form to play this out in the media, and even poorer form by his sister to get in Pascoe's ear to nag him about it. While it's good that she has HIS best interests at heart, the greater good of the team need to come first.
Don't get me wrong I like him and thinks he deserves a bit more than was offered, but it has brought out a mercenary side that is synonymous with a modern day footballer.
If the guy hasn't set himself up by this stage of his footy career, then what has he been doing? He has been paid very well over a long period, and has a business set up and trading......I don't know his obligations, but seems a bit strange to me

 

[krayola]

@cochise
you're implying that the club is run by the same people who screwed over Braith or Farah or whoever it is you're referring to. Don't confuse the name of the place with the people in charge. So far I haven't seen anyone get screwed over under this management and for that reason they deserve the benefit of the doubt in this regard.

Other areas such as the Farah debacle or Cleary's hiring and departure actually imply, to me, that Pascoe is inexperienced and too nice. But a crook, no, I don't think that's his style.

 

[Deleted member 3518]

@cochise this is why he’s come out . It has to be this week . Even if we make it , he will get overshadowed by the finals . It is what it is ! Also if we can find a 50g TPA this is a non issue . Also isn’t he outside the salary cap ? Can’t we theoretically offer him a mil and happy days ?

 

[jirskyr]

even Benji says he hasn’t made up his mind yet on next season

Well I think we all know, like Benji knows, that he is a lock for next year.

 

[jirskyr]

If I was a player at the club I’d be careful about helping the club out like that, as this club has a history of screwing players after they have sacrificed financially for the benefit of the club!

Mate that's every club, not just Wests. Players always say "I understand it's a business" and they have a players' union in response, yet when it becomes business and not personal, some become offended.

 

[cochise]

If I was a player at the club I’d be careful about helping the club out like that, as this club has a history of screwing players after they have sacrificed financially for the benefit of the club!

Mate that's every club, not just Wests. Players always say "I understand it's a business" and they have a players' union in response, yet when it becomes business and not personal, some become offended.

Yeah you are right about that, I just feel that mentioning it in the media this week was a last roll of the dice for him in getting something set up for nest year. Why do it this week? because the media is interested in him this week. If we lose Sunday then there is no opportunity for the interview as the media will have moved on!

 

[jirskyr]

If I was a player at the club I’d be careful about helping the club out like that, as this club has a history of screwing players after they have sacrificed financially for the benefit of the club!

Mate that's every club, not just Wests. Players always say "I understand it's a business" and they have a players' union in response, yet when it becomes business and not personal, some become offended.

Yeah you are right about that, I just feel that mentioning it in the media this week was a last roll of the dice for him in getting something set up for nest year. Why do it this week? because the media is interested in him this week. If we lose Sunday then there is no opportunity for the interview as the media will have moved on!

Yeah I understand why he's doing it and I personally have no qualms.

They are professional footballers all, they aren't going to be railroaded by Chris Lawrence's negotiations.

If anything, talking about Rowdy and Farah has taken all the pressure off most of the side who are actually playing, and that may all be acceptable to the club.

 

[the_third]

Seriously, he ruled out England, if he had offers at a club he could take them. As it stands his perceived value vs the market value seem to be massively disconnected. He’s the ultimate professional, but if no one want to offer him a contract he needs to reconsider. It’s not the just club.

 

[felix]

The entire Wests Tigers related week in the media could well just be a distraction from the real work, and I wouldn’t put it past Lawrence to run a kamakaze line onto a short bullet pass off the field either.