Sorry guys, didn't mean to ruin your 2018\. I did post in the Rumours Thread though!
A lot of your questions, I also asked… Will do my best now to recap.
@ said:
Be funny if that is a week after they Won the Grand Final….
That's exactly what I said!
@ said:
Who's your source?? Bringing Hodgo in as replacement sounds pretty weak and at this stage of their careers, who gives a tossed salad whether Benji and Farah approve of the new coach. I don't see why stocking the coaching roles with ex-Tigers is a good move when none of those three coaches have achieved much.
Who's the compensation? Why only 1? Reads like well-written BS.
My source is a colleague who is a good buddy with both some Wests and Balmain _Old Boys_. They catch-up every year around this time for a session. Both groups seemed to know that Cleary was leaving, however the Wests group knew a lot more about the replacement being Hodgson. Personally, I don't think it's a good idea either.
Why Hodgson? Because we have no money for a big name like Maguire and co. The club don't care about the upcoming Salary Cap for Coaching staff, because we're no chance of spending that amount. Apparently Ivan is not on big money so it won't be the case of just throwing his salary at someone else. Even with all of the recent coaching drama, no(coach's) manager has contacted us expressing interest for their client. We're not like the Panthers/Broncos in that regard.
Why only 1 player? Because despite Marina and Pascoe talking tough in the media, there's not much they can do if Ivan chooses to leave. Restriction of workplace laws aren't overly enforceable here (compared to places like the US). And we don't actually have the money to go into some expensive court case. We obviously want more than 1 player, but it's unlikely we'll get it. I asked who the player is, and they didn't know.
@ said:
Is that the same Robbie Farah who publicly stated he only re-signed because Cleary told him he was staying
Yep, and the same Benji Marshall as well. But Cleary leaving doesn't affect their reputation. It seems like they don't have any info on the younger members of the playing group.
@ said:
Ryan's bagged a bucketful
Ha! That wasn't the intention. I was hoping someone had some better info to prove the rumour (wasn't true).