Tedesco Thread || He's staying!
- Thread starter Zaibatsu
- Start date
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How close was I in previous post
“To leave this atmosphere and training and playing with these boys, especially coming back from injury.
“Being in rehab and training with the boys made me realise how much I’d miss it. In the end it was too hard to do. I’m just glad I could stay.”
_Posted using RoarFEED V.4_
“To leave this atmosphere and training and playing with these boys, especially coming back from injury.
“Being in rehab and training with the boys made me realise how much I’d miss it. In the end it was too hard to do. I’m just glad I could stay.”
_Posted using RoarFEED V.4_
innsaneink
Well-known member
@nads1234 said:
Yep.
And some scoffed when it was suggested comments by fans on social media possibly helped sway his decision, _albeit indirectly_.
Not such a ludicrous suggestion after all, thanks nads.
GNR4LIFE
Well-known member
@innsaneink said:
I'm lost. Where in those comments does he imply that the fans on social media had any kind of sway?
G
Guest
Guest
Loyalty still alive: Farah
By Matt Encarnacion, Western Sydney Correspondent
NRL.com
3:00pm Thu 05th June, 2014
Wests Tigers skipper Robbie Farah says James Tedesco's stunning decision to turn his back on a massive payday with Canberra proves that "loyalty is still alive."
Just one week after agreeing on a reported $2 million move to the nation's capital, the Tigers fullback shocked the rugby league world on Wednesday when he had a sudden change of heart. And it all came to a head over a coffee with Farah yesterday afternoon.
"I didn't give him any words of wisdom to keep him here. I guess I was offering him someone to talk to," Farah told the media on Thursday.
"[We] went for a coffee and obviously I gave him my advice. There was two things: You need to be 100 per cent sure in your decision; and two, do what's best for James Tedesco.
"Obviously he was concerned about other people and what people were going to think and upsetting certain different people. But at the end of the day, I just told him to do what he wanted and we'd support him with whatever he was happy with and his decision was to stay."
By Wednesday evening, the Tigers had sent a media release explaining Tedesco's decision to renege on a deal that would've made him the highest paid player at the Raiders.
Tigers CEO Grant Mayer insisted the club did not upgrade its offer to the Camden junior after the Canberra formally announced their prized signing last Tuesday, nor did they continue to attempt to convince him to back out of the deal.
"I can be honest about that: we didn't make a move. The reality is that it's dumb luck in our regards," Grant said.
"We sat back, we made our very best offer last week before he made his decision and when he made his decision that was it as far as he was concerned. We made our plans going forward.
"There was no using anything, there's no using [the] Round 13 or June 30 [deadline], whatever you want to call it. The reality is, that clause was there for a reason. When he thought about it himself, he wanted to come back and the timing was right."
Coach Mick Potter said his fullback had cut an "uncomfortable" figure at training over the past week, and sought to address the issue before Tedesco met with Farah on Wednesday.
"You could just tell that he was uncomfortable… I let him know my theories – that I didn't want to lose him and the club was trying their best and all that sort of stuff," he said.
"We went through the process, but I put no pressure on him or anything and I left the decision for him."
The re-signing of Tedesco – and his willingness to stay for less money – is a major boost for a club that has already tied up young stars David Nofoaluma, Curtis Sironen and Aaron Woods this year.
"[It] just goes to show that money isn't the be all and end all and at the end of the day," Farah said.
"There's a really good young core of players here, a group that we're hoping to build the club around. They've all signed up long term and that was a very hard thing for him to walk away from. Loyalty is still alive, I guess."
Tedesco was the third off-contract star to spurn the Raiders in a week, with Storm forward Kevin Proctor re-signing with Melbourne last Tuesday while Penrith winger Josh Mansour re-committed to the Panthers on Monday.
By Matt Encarnacion, Western Sydney Correspondent
NRL.com
3:00pm Thu 05th June, 2014
Wests Tigers skipper Robbie Farah says James Tedesco's stunning decision to turn his back on a massive payday with Canberra proves that "loyalty is still alive."
Just one week after agreeing on a reported $2 million move to the nation's capital, the Tigers fullback shocked the rugby league world on Wednesday when he had a sudden change of heart. And it all came to a head over a coffee with Farah yesterday afternoon.
"I didn't give him any words of wisdom to keep him here. I guess I was offering him someone to talk to," Farah told the media on Thursday.
"[We] went for a coffee and obviously I gave him my advice. There was two things: You need to be 100 per cent sure in your decision; and two, do what's best for James Tedesco.
"Obviously he was concerned about other people and what people were going to think and upsetting certain different people. But at the end of the day, I just told him to do what he wanted and we'd support him with whatever he was happy with and his decision was to stay."
By Wednesday evening, the Tigers had sent a media release explaining Tedesco's decision to renege on a deal that would've made him the highest paid player at the Raiders.
Tigers CEO Grant Mayer insisted the club did not upgrade its offer to the Camden junior after the Canberra formally announced their prized signing last Tuesday, nor did they continue to attempt to convince him to back out of the deal.
"I can be honest about that: we didn't make a move. The reality is that it's dumb luck in our regards," Grant said.
"We sat back, we made our very best offer last week before he made his decision and when he made his decision that was it as far as he was concerned. We made our plans going forward.
"There was no using anything, there's no using [the] Round 13 or June 30 [deadline], whatever you want to call it. The reality is, that clause was there for a reason. When he thought about it himself, he wanted to come back and the timing was right."
Coach Mick Potter said his fullback had cut an "uncomfortable" figure at training over the past week, and sought to address the issue before Tedesco met with Farah on Wednesday.
"You could just tell that he was uncomfortable… I let him know my theories – that I didn't want to lose him and the club was trying their best and all that sort of stuff," he said.
"We went through the process, but I put no pressure on him or anything and I left the decision for him."
The re-signing of Tedesco – and his willingness to stay for less money – is a major boost for a club that has already tied up young stars David Nofoaluma, Curtis Sironen and Aaron Woods this year.
"[It] just goes to show that money isn't the be all and end all and at the end of the day," Farah said.
"There's a really good young core of players here, a group that we're hoping to build the club around. They've all signed up long term and that was a very hard thing for him to walk away from. Loyalty is still alive, I guess."
Tedesco was the third off-contract star to spurn the Raiders in a week, with Storm forward Kevin Proctor re-signing with Melbourne last Tuesday while Penrith winger Josh Mansour re-committed to the Panthers on Monday.
Demonborger
New member
Looks like Toddy was a key in keeping Teddy. A grandfinal winner as a player and as a coach. A true Wests Tigers legend. :supporter:
@Milky said:
I have a feeling you could possibly be the most stupid person here !
The story is as it has been told…Teddy never wanted to leave..Robbie and Mick spoke to him and it went from there.
One thing that really gets to me is his manager and whoever pushed him into a decision he was never comfortable with. My best advise to you Teddy is in the next few years look for a new manager...one that does what you want.
Credit to Grant Mayer for accepting Teddy back on the same terms. Mayer could have easily said sorry but that money has been allocated elsewhere you made your choice.
jirskyr
Well-known member
Gould opinion piece:
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/james-tedesco-affair-highlights-many-youth-development-issues-facing-nrl-20140607-zs0ni.html
James Tedesco affair highlights many youth development issues facing NRL
The James Tedesco affair has highlighted a number of problems in our game.
Now the matter has been resolved, I’d like to make a few points. For those people who are not aware of what has transpired, let me provide you with a quick summary.
James Tedesco is a young man who came through the Wests Tigers’ development system. He was born January 8, 1993\. He played junior football at Camden Rams and represented Australian Schoolboys from St Gregory’s College Campbelltown in 2011.
He made his NRL debut in 2012, suffering a season-ending knee injury in this match. James returned from injury last season, showing great potential. James started season 2014 in sparking form, quickly establishing himself as not only one of the most improved players in our game, but announcing himself as a player who is capable of being around for the long term. James was injured in the round-five victory over Manly. He is due to return to the playing field now, some seven weeks later.
One hopes this young man has seen the end of his bad luck and can get on with the task of building his career.
So the facts are these; since his NRL debut in March of 2012, two years and three months ago, James has played 25 NRL matches, one City Origin appearance in 2013 and three matches for Italy in the recent World Cup. James has scored 12 tries in the NRL and kicked no goals. I don’t know if he can kick. If he can kick, he is keeping it a secret. For the record I really like this kid. He has great potential. He is quick, strong and very elusive in broken field.
He has tremendous game awareness and can capitalise on the skills of players around him with his instinctive support play. He is tough and unafraid of the collision in both attack and defence. He is a running fullback rather than a playmaker, however, many young fullbacks are the same at this stage of their career and they develop passing skills over time.
If I have one slight concern with this player, (and I mentioned this in TV commentary only moments before he suffered his most recent leg injury), James has what I call a very elaborate and even violent evasive running action, which puts tremendous pressure on his ankles, knees and groins. He has suffered two serious leg injuries in his short career. These are not criticisms. They are merely observations. He is still building his body to cope with the demands and physicality of NRL football.
In summary, I would rate James as a young man of great potential.
At the end of the 2014 season, James was off contract. The Raiders offered James Tedesco a staggering amount of money. Wests Tigers virtually conceded. Tedesco accepted the Canberra deal.
Within a week, however, young Tedesco got cold feet and revealed he wanted to stay at the Tigers to play with the teammates he had grown to love. James spoke at length with team leaders and club management before putting pen to paper on a new deal with the Tigers, for a sum of money vastly inferior to the Raiders deal. There’s a lot more to this story, however, the above provides a quick snapshot of what has occurred.
Now, here are the points I wish to raise:
**1\. The Raiders’ offer to Tedesco**
It was reported Tedesco received an offer from the Raiders for around $800,000 per season. Such reporting is irresponsible and extremely damaging to the game. Other players and their managers hear and read this and it adversely affects the market for players.
For the record, the Canberra offer was much less than this figure; but over the course of a three-year deal it certainly placed Tedesco in the same class and earning bracket as elite players like Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Johnathan Thurston, Greg Inglis, Todd Carney, Jarryd Hayne, Sam Tomkins and Robbie Farah.
So, in effect, this offer from the Raiders places him in the top dozen or so players in the game. Now, with all due respect to young James and the Raiders club, I find this extraordinary. After only 25 NRL appearances, I would suggest he is not in the top 12, top 20, or even top 40 players in the NRL. He has potential, but he has a long way to go.
I would also suggest he is not even in the top five fullbacks in the NRL. I’m sure even James would agree. This offer was just plain wrong. It was an act of desperation from the Raiders. It was damaging to the whole market for players in the NRL.
I dare say it would even be damaging to the Raiders as players currently contracted to that organisation would be questioning their own contract values in comparison to reports of the Tedesco deal. To be fair, I felt the same way when it was reported the Bulldogs had paid $900k per season for Andrew Fifita. I don’t believe this figure was accurate, but again such reports are not healthy for our game.
I will go even further to say the size of the Raiders’ offers to a number of players in recent times has been damaging to the market values of players and other NRL clubs as they try to build playing rosters within the constraints of the salary cap system.
I’m all for elite players earning as much as they can for their ability, however, this is a team game and there has to be some degree of responsibility shown from all concerned, because the game is living well beyond its means.
**2\. What’s the point of development?**
Look at this from Wests Tigers’ perspective. They develop James as a player from school and junior league ranks through to the point he becomes a 25-game NRL player. Just when he starts to show his potential, another club comes and blows them out of the water with a massive offer.
Do they raise their offer to keep the player, affecting their ability to pay or retain other players, or suffer the wrath of their fans for letting him go? Think of how many players Wests Tigers invested time, energy and development dollars in, to produce a player of Tedesco’s potential.
For every junior that makes it through to the top grade, there are hundreds who fall by the wayside in the process. A James Tedesco sits at the top of a pyramid, where the club starts with a large number of hopefuls, before they get to the pointy end, producing an NRL standard player.
The cost of this development pyramid is getting more expensive by the year. The cost of this pyramid explodes at the top end when rival clubs start their bidding for players of potential after all the hard work has been done by the developing club.
There is no compensation for the developing club when they lose a player of NRL status. In fairness to the Raiders too, the same thing happened to them with Anthony Milford and many other hopefuls over the years. They were just doing what has happened to them on a number of occasions.
Under salary cap and second tier competition systems, there is no incentive or reward for investment in player development. Clubs are prepared to invest in junior development because they know this is the lifeblood of our game. However, the system does little to encourage or reward such efforts.
**3\. James is 21 years of age**
I don’t blame James for taking the Raiders' deal. He was placed in a terrible position. On one hand he had this phenomenal offer. On the other hand, his own club virtually gave up halfway through negotiations and conceded defeat. James didn’t really have a choice.
The system is to blame. Kids of 21 years of age should not be getting contracts of this amount. Our game cannot afford to keep paying kids purely based on potential. The fact is these ridiculous contract amounts filter down to the mid and lower levels of the development pyramid, to talented 17, 18 and 19-year-olds, who are being shopped around to the highest bidders.
During the development years kids should just be getting an education, enjoying their football and learning their trade. The pressure of winning in the NRL competition is intense. The difference between success and mediocrity is so fine that emotion and desperation overrule common sense in many instances.
For the record, I am glad Tedesco decided to remain with his mates at the Tigers. I think this will benefit his development as a player and as a person in the long term. The big contract amounts will come later in life as he proves his worth and as he is better equipped to deal with the weight of expectation.
In the bigger picture though, the game really needs to look at player earnings for kids during the development phases and into their rookie NRL years.
_Phil Gould is the Penrith Panthers' General Manager_
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/james-tedesco-affair-highlights-many-youth-development-issues-facing-nrl-20140607-zs0ni.html
James Tedesco affair highlights many youth development issues facing NRL
The James Tedesco affair has highlighted a number of problems in our game.
Now the matter has been resolved, I’d like to make a few points. For those people who are not aware of what has transpired, let me provide you with a quick summary.
James Tedesco is a young man who came through the Wests Tigers’ development system. He was born January 8, 1993\. He played junior football at Camden Rams and represented Australian Schoolboys from St Gregory’s College Campbelltown in 2011.
He made his NRL debut in 2012, suffering a season-ending knee injury in this match. James returned from injury last season, showing great potential. James started season 2014 in sparking form, quickly establishing himself as not only one of the most improved players in our game, but announcing himself as a player who is capable of being around for the long term. James was injured in the round-five victory over Manly. He is due to return to the playing field now, some seven weeks later.
One hopes this young man has seen the end of his bad luck and can get on with the task of building his career.
So the facts are these; since his NRL debut in March of 2012, two years and three months ago, James has played 25 NRL matches, one City Origin appearance in 2013 and three matches for Italy in the recent World Cup. James has scored 12 tries in the NRL and kicked no goals. I don’t know if he can kick. If he can kick, he is keeping it a secret. For the record I really like this kid. He has great potential. He is quick, strong and very elusive in broken field.
He has tremendous game awareness and can capitalise on the skills of players around him with his instinctive support play. He is tough and unafraid of the collision in both attack and defence. He is a running fullback rather than a playmaker, however, many young fullbacks are the same at this stage of their career and they develop passing skills over time.
If I have one slight concern with this player, (and I mentioned this in TV commentary only moments before he suffered his most recent leg injury), James has what I call a very elaborate and even violent evasive running action, which puts tremendous pressure on his ankles, knees and groins. He has suffered two serious leg injuries in his short career. These are not criticisms. They are merely observations. He is still building his body to cope with the demands and physicality of NRL football.
In summary, I would rate James as a young man of great potential.
At the end of the 2014 season, James was off contract. The Raiders offered James Tedesco a staggering amount of money. Wests Tigers virtually conceded. Tedesco accepted the Canberra deal.
Within a week, however, young Tedesco got cold feet and revealed he wanted to stay at the Tigers to play with the teammates he had grown to love. James spoke at length with team leaders and club management before putting pen to paper on a new deal with the Tigers, for a sum of money vastly inferior to the Raiders deal. There’s a lot more to this story, however, the above provides a quick snapshot of what has occurred.
Now, here are the points I wish to raise:
**1\. The Raiders’ offer to Tedesco**
It was reported Tedesco received an offer from the Raiders for around $800,000 per season. Such reporting is irresponsible and extremely damaging to the game. Other players and their managers hear and read this and it adversely affects the market for players.
For the record, the Canberra offer was much less than this figure; but over the course of a three-year deal it certainly placed Tedesco in the same class and earning bracket as elite players like Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Johnathan Thurston, Greg Inglis, Todd Carney, Jarryd Hayne, Sam Tomkins and Robbie Farah.
So, in effect, this offer from the Raiders places him in the top dozen or so players in the game. Now, with all due respect to young James and the Raiders club, I find this extraordinary. After only 25 NRL appearances, I would suggest he is not in the top 12, top 20, or even top 40 players in the NRL. He has potential, but he has a long way to go.
I would also suggest he is not even in the top five fullbacks in the NRL. I’m sure even James would agree. This offer was just plain wrong. It was an act of desperation from the Raiders. It was damaging to the whole market for players in the NRL.
I dare say it would even be damaging to the Raiders as players currently contracted to that organisation would be questioning their own contract values in comparison to reports of the Tedesco deal. To be fair, I felt the same way when it was reported the Bulldogs had paid $900k per season for Andrew Fifita. I don’t believe this figure was accurate, but again such reports are not healthy for our game.
I will go even further to say the size of the Raiders’ offers to a number of players in recent times has been damaging to the market values of players and other NRL clubs as they try to build playing rosters within the constraints of the salary cap system.
I’m all for elite players earning as much as they can for their ability, however, this is a team game and there has to be some degree of responsibility shown from all concerned, because the game is living well beyond its means.
**2\. What’s the point of development?**
Look at this from Wests Tigers’ perspective. They develop James as a player from school and junior league ranks through to the point he becomes a 25-game NRL player. Just when he starts to show his potential, another club comes and blows them out of the water with a massive offer.
Do they raise their offer to keep the player, affecting their ability to pay or retain other players, or suffer the wrath of their fans for letting him go? Think of how many players Wests Tigers invested time, energy and development dollars in, to produce a player of Tedesco’s potential.
For every junior that makes it through to the top grade, there are hundreds who fall by the wayside in the process. A James Tedesco sits at the top of a pyramid, where the club starts with a large number of hopefuls, before they get to the pointy end, producing an NRL standard player.
The cost of this development pyramid is getting more expensive by the year. The cost of this pyramid explodes at the top end when rival clubs start their bidding for players of potential after all the hard work has been done by the developing club.
There is no compensation for the developing club when they lose a player of NRL status. In fairness to the Raiders too, the same thing happened to them with Anthony Milford and many other hopefuls over the years. They were just doing what has happened to them on a number of occasions.
Under salary cap and second tier competition systems, there is no incentive or reward for investment in player development. Clubs are prepared to invest in junior development because they know this is the lifeblood of our game. However, the system does little to encourage or reward such efforts.
**3\. James is 21 years of age**
I don’t blame James for taking the Raiders' deal. He was placed in a terrible position. On one hand he had this phenomenal offer. On the other hand, his own club virtually gave up halfway through negotiations and conceded defeat. James didn’t really have a choice.
The system is to blame. Kids of 21 years of age should not be getting contracts of this amount. Our game cannot afford to keep paying kids purely based on potential. The fact is these ridiculous contract amounts filter down to the mid and lower levels of the development pyramid, to talented 17, 18 and 19-year-olds, who are being shopped around to the highest bidders.
During the development years kids should just be getting an education, enjoying their football and learning their trade. The pressure of winning in the NRL competition is intense. The difference between success and mediocrity is so fine that emotion and desperation overrule common sense in many instances.
For the record, I am glad Tedesco decided to remain with his mates at the Tigers. I think this will benefit his development as a player and as a person in the long term. The big contract amounts will come later in life as he proves his worth and as he is better equipped to deal with the weight of expectation.
In the bigger picture though, the game really needs to look at player earnings for kids during the development phases and into their rookie NRL years.
_Phil Gould is the Penrith Panthers' General Manager_
westTAHger
Well-known member
like him or not it's a good article from Phil Gould.
straight to the point.
straight to the point.
happy_tiger
Well-known member
Gould needs to get some of his facts right
I can come up with three tries we have scored James's kicks without thinking too hard and his passing game is underrated
A lot of his other comments have merit though
I don't think the Tigers gave up on James , they knew once the Raiders were offering him elite players wages that if money was his main issue they couldn't keep him
Anyway its all ancient history now , lets get that winning feeling back today v the Knights and get our Top 8 charge back on track
I can come up with three tries we have scored James's kicks without thinking too hard and his passing game is underrated
A lot of his other comments have merit though
I don't think the Tigers gave up on James , they knew once the Raiders were offering him elite players wages that if money was his main issue they couldn't keep him
Anyway its all ancient history now , lets get that winning feeling back today v the Knights and get our Top 8 charge back on track
How does Gould know the WT "gave up" on signing Tedesco…at no stage did the WT put an ultimatum to JT nor did they withdraw their offer...they "gave up" entering into a bidding war with the Raiders and I have no issue with that...but the way Gould wrote the article it came across that the WT were not interested in re-signing JT and gave up...that is not how it was Gus....regarding the rest of his article...could not agree more..NRL should look at introducing compensation for clubs that develop and promote their juniors and they should consider introducing salary brackets for players depending on experience, skill and tenure.... I.E 21yo with 25 NRL games salary range up to $350k per season....10yr, 200 game veteran up to $800k and so on...just a thought.
foreveratiger
New member
Gus nailed the article, his analysis is spot on, I disagree in his accuracy of how the negotiations happened, it's all he say's!!! Only Ayoub and Teddy know what happened and I dare Ayoub would provide confidentiality for his client.
Apart from that Gus is spot on and is exactly how I feel about it all
Apart from that Gus is spot on and is exactly how I feel about it all
simonthetiger
New member
He was brilliant…very much like Slater...popped up every time we needed him...and got me money on first try.....
innsaneink
Well-known member
Whats up Fittlers arse he virtually crucified the club about teddy this morning on the footy show
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