Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[TigerWest]

Further to @THE_POM post, Smith - Shields has resigned for 2 more years at the raiders according to the Canberra times

Another one we lost?…he stayed for less

I cannot blame him for not wanting to move to Sydney. Part of our territory is Covid ravaged.

Canberra is in lockdown as well?

 

[Demps]

NRL 2021: Bulldogs star Luke Thompson shopped to rivals, Dragons chase Origin star

Canterbury prop Luke Thompson has attracted interest from rival NRL clubs as his English-based manager looks to secure a long-term deal.
Dean Ritchie
,
Canterbury prop Luke Thompson has attracted interest from rival NRL clubs after his English-based manager could not secure a new, long-term deal with the Bulldogs.

While wanting him to complete his contract at Belmore, Canterbury would consider releasing Thompson early should he procure a lengthy deal elsewhere.

The Bulldogs know there is interest in Thompson.

Thompson has two years remaining on his current Bulldogs deal but his agent, Andy Clarke, has been contacting NRL clubs trying to gauge their interest in the giant British forward from 2024.

The Daily Telegraph has been told Wests Tigers have shown a keenness in Thompson, who earns around $850,000 a season.

Luke Thompson’s manager is trying secure his clients long-term future in Australia.
Clarke wants to nail down Thompson’s long-term future in Australia. He contacted Canterbury hoping the club would agree to an extension.

Yet with a crammed salary cap, Canterbury was unable to tell Clarke they could extend Thompson beyond his current deal. Thompson has an option his way for 2023.

If he can obtain a four-year deal for Thompson, Clarke may ask Canterbury for a release.

The Daily Telegraph has been told Canterbury is right on its salary cap limit for next season.

Rival clubs would want Canterbury to pay around $350,000 a year to take Thompson.

Canterbury can send out its new-look squad next season with any financial pressure but would struggle to sign any new players - or even upgrade a player - given how tight their salary cap has become.

New Bulldogs general manager of football, Phil Gould, is closely monitoring and reworking the club’s cap. Thompson leads the club’s stats every week but an early departure would free up some cash.

Luke Thompson has been one of the Bulldogs best forwards in 2021, but a move would free up salary cap space. Picture: Alix Sweeney.
Luke Thompson has been one of the Bulldogs best forwards in 2021, but a move would free up salary cap space. Picture: Alix Sweeney.
Canterbury is adamant Thompson is not being shopped around - it’s more Clarke trying to settle his client’s long-term NRL future.

Clarke is said to be looking “at all options”.

There are no guarantees Canterbury would allow Thompson to leave early but the club would carefully consider any approach.

There is at least one other Sydney club which has been approached about Thompson.

Thompson has told friends he wants to stay at Canterbury and be part of the expected revival next season.

The Bulldogs are open to moving a player or two while they work to reshape their salary cap. Canterbury has one spot open for next season.

Thompson has established himself among the finest forwards in the NRL desire playing in a wooden-spoon side. He overcame a bout of homesickness just last year.

In September last year, Thompson said: “I’m fully committed to the Bulldogs.”

Thompson will play prop in Canterbury’s match against Newcastle this Saturday on the Gold Coast


Looks like the overspending on players at the dogs is already biting hard.They have already let players on large contracts be subsidised and moved on Thompson will be another.
Thank goodness Hartigan is pulling the financial strings here

LOL it’s year 2 of this rebuild , how is that even possible ? Am I missing something ? How is that last placed pack , going to make the 8 with the addition of TPJ and …. A lot of backs . They can barely get over halfway most sets .
Thompson is , ok , I guess , but he’s hardly the “best prop in the world “ that was being brandished about a year or 2 ago.

Backs get you over the line , forwards get you to it in the first place .
Having 2 average nrl back lines take up 70% of your cap , is not smart business IMO . The game where Burton ran the show against us , should be an eye to how the dogs will go next year . Just my opinion , but until they change every last man in that forward pack , and find a 9 , they can buy the aus backline , that team is not winning anything .

Mate, I'm mostly agreeing with you but I rate Burton.... as anything but a half. Second receiver on he's a deadset gun. If they choose him to play half, good luck to them. And if they let Thompson go, they are completely insane. The only good forward they've got. You're on the money.

I’m not saying Burton is hopeless or anything like that , I’m just saying we saw the Penrith sidethat night , which is way better than anything the dogs will trot out next year , basically offer nothing because it was Burton and nothing else . He’s on a hiding to nothing . I give it round 10 before the TPJ of the distractions outside footy and TPJ make the papers . From memory , it was one of the reason he had to get out of nsw , and Brisbane was a fresh start . He found the same guys , on the GC . That’s thier forward leader .
Here , he wouldn’t have had to be that , he would have been a complimentary piece . An enhancement to our pack . But I’m actually glad he’s not here , as I was always worried about his influence .
I wish him all the best , but that’s just not happening at the dogs .
But hey who am I ? Just another bum hole with an opinion .

TPJ played for Canberra before Brisbane.

Are u confusing him with some one else?

Who cares if hes friends with bikies, lol. He's not an enforcer for em or anything ?

No , he’s from newy went to Canberra , and was having off field issues with both clubs , that was the run in him , from memory . I’m not confusing him with anyone .

He was in high school when he left Newcastle to join Canberra NYC....

 

[Eyeofthetiger 0]

Further to @THE_POM post, Smith - Shields has resigned for 2 more years at the raiders according to the Canberra times

Another one we lost?…he stayed for less

I cannot blame him for not wanting to move to Sydney. Part of our territory is Covid ravaged.

Canberra is in lockdown as well?

Local Canberra junior. Probably wanted to stay loyal and we didn’t offer overs, market value only

 

[TigerWest]

Two schools of thought going on over the last few pages.

Yes Prop is not a position we lack depth or quality. It is something that will only improve with the natural improvement of our young players.

In saying that Thompson is a real quality player and i hope we are a chance to sign him. We need to improve the squad in any way we can, not just sit around waiting for the next Latrel Mitchell.

We are in no position to be cute. If a quality players comes on the market and we are a chance we take him.

You work out the roster after the signature.

You can always use good players. Lucky a lot of posters here are not in recruitment, we already struggle to sign good players, but to start bagging that we could dare to sign one, just does my head in.

BTW, has the club mentioned they are looking at him, otherwise if we don't sign him, the "the club can't sign anyone" starts again?

 

[pawsandclaws1]

Further to @THE_POM post, Smith - Shields has resigned for 2 more years at the raiders according to the Canberra times

Another one we lost?…he stayed for less

I cannot blame him for not wanting to move to Sydney. Part of our territory is Covid ravaged.

Canberra is in lockdown as well?

20 cases as opposed with 633 in Sydney? I dare say the ACT population will get on top of this quickly. Residents will do the right thing, not circulate among households and turn up to work when they have symptoms.

 

[Demps]

Further to @THE_POM post, Smith - Shields has resigned for 2 more years at the raiders according to the Canberra times

Another one we lost?…he stayed for less

I cannot blame him for not wanting to move to Sydney. Part of our territory is Covid ravaged.

Canberra is in lockdown as well?

20 cases as opposed with 633 in Sydney? I dare say the ACT population will get on top of this quickly. Residents will do the right thing, not circulate among households and turn up to work when they have symptoms.

Most of the residents are government employees hey...
Could go either way.

 

[pawsandclaws1]

Further to @THE_POM post, Smith - Shields has resigned for 2 more years at the raiders according to the Canberra times

Another one we lost?…he stayed for less

I cannot blame him for not wanting to move to Sydney. Part of our territory is Covid ravaged.

Canberra is in lockdown as well?

20 cases as opposed with 633 in Sydney? I dare say the ACT population will get on top of this quickly. Residents will do the right thing, not circulate among households and turn up to work when they have symptoms.

Most of the residents are government employees hey...
Could go either way.

Meaning?

 

[PabloX]

I do not want Luke Thompson on $850k. I appreciate this will be subsidised for the first couple of seasons, and he is a great player, however it states that he wants an extension...sounds familiar.

Let the dogs struggle with their salary cap. They are able to recruit all these big names because we keep bailing them out, think Reynolds, Mbye. They will be stuffed for years as long as no one helps them out.

Let's put that money towards mo instead

 

[Demps]

Further to @THE_POM post, Smith - Shields has resigned for 2 more years at the raiders according to the Canberra times

Another one we lost?…he stayed for less

I cannot blame him for not wanting to move to Sydney. Part of our territory is Covid ravaged.

Canberra is in lockdown as well?

20 cases as opposed with 633 in Sydney? I dare say the ACT population will get on top of this quickly. Residents will do the right thing, not circulate among households and turn up to work when they have symptoms.

Most of the residents are government employees hey...
Could go either way.

Meaning?

They get on board or they think they're special and don't?

 

[pawsandclaws1]

Further to @THE_POM post, Smith - Shields has resigned for 2 more years at the raiders according to the Canberra times

Another one we lost?…he stayed for less

I cannot blame him for not wanting to move to Sydney. Part of our territory is Covid ravaged.

Canberra is in lockdown as well?

20 cases as opposed with 633 in Sydney? I dare say the ACT population will get on top of this quickly. Residents will do the right thing, not circulate among households and turn up to work when they have symptoms.

Most of the residents are government employees hey...
Could go either way.

Meaning?

They get on board or they think they're special and don't?

ACT residents take pride in their community. I know I lived their and like the residents did in the Northern Beaches of Sydney, they will get on top of it.

 

[twentyforty]

I do not want Luke Thompson on $850k. I appreciate this will be subsidised for the first couple of seasons, and he is a great player, however it states that he wants an extension...sounds familiar.

Let the dogs struggle with their salary cap. They are able to recruit all these big names because we keep bailing them out, think Reynolds, Mbye. They will be stuffed for years as long as no one helps them out.

Let's put that money towards mo instead

His agent is asking for 4 years. I can’t see him at WT.

 

[PabloX]

I do not want Luke Thompson on $850k. I appreciate this will be subsidised for the first couple of seasons, and he is a great player, however it states that he wants an extension...sounds familiar.

Let the dogs struggle with their salary cap. They are able to recruit all these big names because we keep bailing them out, think Reynolds, Mbye. They will be stuffed for years as long as no one helps them out.

Let's put that money towards mo instead


His agent is asking for 4 years. I can’t see him at WT.

I hope you're right, unless he's prepared to take a significant reduction in salary for his final two years

 

[Demps]

Further to @THE_POM post, Smith - Shields has resigned for 2 more years at the raiders according to the Canberra times

Another one we lost?…he stayed for less

I cannot blame him for not wanting to move to Sydney. Part of our territory is Covid ravaged.

Canberra is in lockdown as well?

20 cases as opposed with 633 in Sydney? I dare say the ACT population will get on top of this quickly. Residents will do the right thing, not circulate among households and turn up to work when they have symptoms.

Most of the residents are government employees hey...
Could go either way.

Meaning?

They get on board or they think they're special and don't?

ACT residents take pride in their community. I know I lived their and like the residents did in the Northern Beaches of Sydney, they will get on top of it.

That's good to hear.
We're all in this together.

?

 

[twentyforty]

I do not want Luke Thompson on $850k. I appreciate this will be subsidised for the first couple of seasons, and he is a great player, however it states that he wants an extension...sounds familiar.

Let the dogs struggle with their salary cap. They are able to recruit all these big names because we keep bailing them out, think Reynolds, Mbye. They will be stuffed for years as long as no one helps them out.

Let's put that money towards mo instead


His agent is asking for 4 years. I can’t see him at WT.

I hope you're right, unless he's prepared to take a significant reduction in salary for his final two years

If a player is signed for less on the last 2yrs does that provide a disincentive?
Many younger players go really well in a contract year, like Nofa did, but many of the older players need some kind of performance bonus?

 

[sleeve]

Suli reignited his career under hasler....see if he can continue the form he had

There's no way I'd buy Suli. Talented, but lazy player - a bit like Owen Craigie.

So true, there are plenty of speedy kids around, we just don't sign them.

 

[diedpretty]

So reading between the lines of the article the DT suggests Thompson wants to stay at dogs and has option in his favour for 2023. Says he would probably look at leaving if he were offered longer term deal elsewhere which means we would probably have to offer a 4 yr deal. So if we only have to kick in 500k over the next 2 years what should we offer him for the final 2 years. I can't see him dropping from 850k to 600k for the last 2 years we have him.

 

[TigerWest]

I do not want Luke Thompson on $850k. I appreciate this will be subsidised for the first couple of seasons, and he is a great player, however it states that he wants an extension...sounds familiar.

Let the dogs struggle with their salary cap. They are able to recruit all these big names because we keep bailing them out, think Reynolds, Mbye. They will be stuffed for years as long as no one helps them out.

Let's put that money towards mo instead

What does your last sentence mean?

 

[Demps]

I do not want Luke Thompson on $850k. I appreciate this will be subsidised for the first couple of seasons, and he is a great player, however it states that he wants an extension...sounds familiar.

Let the dogs struggle with their salary cap. They are able to recruit all these big names because we keep bailing them out, think Reynolds, Mbye. They will be stuffed for years as long as no one helps them out.

Let's put that money towards mo instead

What does your last sentence mean?


 

[TigerWest]

I do not want Luke Thompson on $850k. I appreciate this will be subsidised for the first couple of seasons, and he is a great player, however it states that he wants an extension...sounds familiar.

Let the dogs struggle with their salary cap. They are able to recruit all these big names because we keep bailing them out, think Reynolds, Mbye. They will be stuffed for years as long as no one helps them out.

Let's put that money towards mo instead

What does your last sentence mean?


OK, I thought it was a spelling error?

Just looking at both there club profiles, Thompson is way ahead in most measures, except tackle efficiency which Molo is 2% higher, but has made (approx) 100 less tackles?

 

[PabloX]

I do not want Luke Thompson on $850k. I appreciate this will be subsidised for the first couple of seasons, and he is a great player, however it states that he wants an extension...sounds familiar.

Let the dogs struggle with their salary cap. They are able to recruit all these big names because we keep bailing them out, think Reynolds, Mbye. They will be stuffed for years as long as no one helps them out.

Let's put that money towards mo instead

What does your last sentence mean?


That beast is exactly what it means. Target him instead of Thompson