AmericanHistoryX
Well-known member
by: Brent Read
From: The Australian
July 01, 2013 12:00AM
\
\
WESTS Tigers chairman Mike Bailey has reiterated the club's desire to keep Benji Marshall for the remaining two years of his existing deal but at the same time concedes contracts could be broken and the star five-eighth is "to some extent" a free agent.
Bailey has urged Marshall and coach Mick Potter to settle any differences they have, dismissed suggestions the coach is under pressure to retain his job and revealed the Tigers hope to finalise a pay-out for former coach Tim Sheens this week.
The Tigers won their fourth game from their past five outings with victory over defending premier Melbourne on Saturday night. But that win was tempered by renewed speculation over the futures of Marshall and Potter, with the former being linked with a switch to rugby union.
The club has an agreement with Marshall to upgrade the final two years of his contract in line with increases in the salary cap but there has been speculation he could leave the Tigers if the parties fail to agree on a deal.
A revised offer was tabled last Friday and the Tigers await a response from the Marshall camp.
"It was my understanding that the offer was reasonably well accepted," Bailey told The Australian yesterday. "We make an offer we can afford that is going to, we think, keep him at the club.
"To some extent he is a free agent but at the same time he is contracted to us. But I suppose contracts from time to time, whether it's media or football, can be broken, rightly or wrongly.
"But we don't want that to happen. We realise that there are two levels of value in Benji. One is what he does on the field and he did it brilliantly last night, particularly in the last couple of minutes of that game against Melbourne.
"But there is also the value he brings to the game from being a genuine ambassador for the game.
"We have Robbie Farah too, potentially a NSW captain. But at the same time Benji speaks well, he embodies a lot of what has been the youthful vigour of the game and I think he resonates with a whole lot of younger people."
Bailey said he was unaware of any moves to sack Potter, who took over from Sheens at the end of last season.
"When you make a change the way we have, then obviously you have to stick with that change. I think we're heading in the right direction but I can't deny we have been through a bad patch.
"He has coached well before on the other side of the world but the NRL is the premier competition from the point of view of rugby league in the world.
"You come in there and you take over a team that is surrounded by a couple of allegations about disunity and whatever. It's a tough ask but I think he has handled it very well."
Bailey has also urged the coach and his star player to settle any personal differences
Both Bailey and chief operating officer Grant Mayer dismissed suggestions the club was in crisis.
"If you look at the scoreboard last night when we beat the reigning premier, I think the answer is obvious," Mayer said.
From: The Australian
July 01, 2013 12:00AM
\
\
WESTS Tigers chairman Mike Bailey has reiterated the club's desire to keep Benji Marshall for the remaining two years of his existing deal but at the same time concedes contracts could be broken and the star five-eighth is "to some extent" a free agent.
Bailey has urged Marshall and coach Mick Potter to settle any differences they have, dismissed suggestions the coach is under pressure to retain his job and revealed the Tigers hope to finalise a pay-out for former coach Tim Sheens this week.
The Tigers won their fourth game from their past five outings with victory over defending premier Melbourne on Saturday night. But that win was tempered by renewed speculation over the futures of Marshall and Potter, with the former being linked with a switch to rugby union.
The club has an agreement with Marshall to upgrade the final two years of his contract in line with increases in the salary cap but there has been speculation he could leave the Tigers if the parties fail to agree on a deal.
A revised offer was tabled last Friday and the Tigers await a response from the Marshall camp.
"It was my understanding that the offer was reasonably well accepted," Bailey told The Australian yesterday. "We make an offer we can afford that is going to, we think, keep him at the club.
"To some extent he is a free agent but at the same time he is contracted to us. But I suppose contracts from time to time, whether it's media or football, can be broken, rightly or wrongly.
"But we don't want that to happen. We realise that there are two levels of value in Benji. One is what he does on the field and he did it brilliantly last night, particularly in the last couple of minutes of that game against Melbourne.
"But there is also the value he brings to the game from being a genuine ambassador for the game.
"We have Robbie Farah too, potentially a NSW captain. But at the same time Benji speaks well, he embodies a lot of what has been the youthful vigour of the game and I think he resonates with a whole lot of younger people."
Bailey said he was unaware of any moves to sack Potter, who took over from Sheens at the end of last season.
"When you make a change the way we have, then obviously you have to stick with that change. I think we're heading in the right direction but I can't deny we have been through a bad patch.
"He has coached well before on the other side of the world but the NRL is the premier competition from the point of view of rugby league in the world.
"You come in there and you take over a team that is surrounded by a couple of allegations about disunity and whatever. It's a tough ask but I think he has handled it very well."
Bailey has also urged the coach and his star player to settle any personal differences
Both Bailey and chief operating officer Grant Mayer dismissed suggestions the club was in crisis.
"If you look at the scoreboard last night when we beat the reigning premier, I think the answer is obvious," Mayer said.
