Assuming Arrow darts off, then Matterson is a replacement. Not sure we win out of that.
As for BJ a no from me, but I'll be in the minority and would take Reynolds if we could get him for say 300k and the Tigers pay the rest. He competes and this attribute is what we are missing in spades. The push for locals does my head in and hasn't worked before. Id like to be in the position to win a comp in the next few years and any local good enough will come through.
As for Boyd I'd let him go for anything we can get.
Does your head in! We have never been a team that has had its top local junior talent as it’s first grade team. Never. So for you to say it hasn’t worked before is Sydney-centric and blatantly untrue.
We’ve always had some of our best talent pilfered elsewhere by the big end of town money organisation while we pump money into out it Towners on a Superannuation Top Up bonus with a sprinkling of our more honest hardworking local juniors taking up the smaller wages in our cap.
We are going to butt heads ad Infinitum on this.
Our 14-18 year old talent right now is out of this world. We get them and bring them through then our day will come and it will be sustainable.
Mate i respect your opinion and love you like a brother....but brothers argue and this forum would be boring as batcrap if we all agreed.
I love your locals theory but we all wrapped Ryan James on his way up. He seems to have plateaued and at a standard far lower than I thought he'd get to. I don't mean to single him out but just use him as an example that some juniors will make it like he has, some better some worse. I have raised the Wests tigers junior strategy and the Panthers in the past, yet no one on here has questioned it. Both won nothing and the Tigers now have Brooks left out of it all, and we've seen Penrith go backwards. Even Parra who have a huge junior nursery looks more like a Fiji/Tonga team. My point is things happen and you can't just expect juniors will do it for you. Expecting 14-18 year olds to come through is a great objective but they could be years away and the club will be defunct if we wait that long. You might have guessed by now that I'm not that patient.
Anyway, you know my stance , and I'm certainly respectful of yours.
^^^^ Good man MT. Ryan James is such an interesting one. When he was a long haired Tweed Boy he played with a bit of craziness and had such an impact. I thought he’d be an Origin and Australian player and a star.
Then I feel like under our system he was turned into a Nate Myles by King in particular and Brennan. I wanted him in the 2nd Row so he could be more of a quality rather than quantity player again but he never had a proper run at it.
Having said that, we really did in the centre of the field miss him this year after he blew his knee. So maybe his effectiveness is greater than we realise???
Either way I feel we never have seen his full potential
Titans sponsor to pull six-figure contract after Ryan James’ GF gaffe
GREG STOLZ, The Courier-Mail
October 15, 2019 7:01pm
Subscriber only
The embattled Gold Coast Titans have been dealt another blow, with a long-time major sponsor moving to tear up its contract over captain Ryan James’ grand final speech, which the company labelled “embarrassing” and “offensive”.
National construction and event hire giant TFH, which has been a Titans jersey sponsor and also has the naming rights for its high-performance training centre at Parkwood, has formally told the club the six-figure deal is off.
TFH is blaming the Titans’ dismal performance this year and skipper James’ “embarrassing” and “offensive” NRL grand final appearance, where the indigenous star failed to finish his Welcome to Country address, as a major reason for the termination.
TFH, which has sponsored the Titans since 2012, signed on as a principal backer last season in what was described as one of the NRL’s most lucrative sponsorships.
It’s understood the deal was renewed for next season, with Titans club gear and signage featuring the TFH logo approved.
But the company has moved to backflip on the deal in another blow for the Coast club, after a disastrous 2019 which included finishing with the wooden spoon and the sacking of coach Garth Brennan.
In a letter to the Titans, TFH director Brett Thomas said the company was terminating the sponsorship agreement “effective immediately”.
TFH said it was using its discretion under the sponsorship contract to terminate the deal due to “public comment and discussion surrounding the team’s performance, the performance of the coach and adverse discussions regarding the utilisation and selection of player talent”.
The company also blamed James’ bungled Welcome To Country speech at last week’s NRL grand final for its decision.
“The embarrassing performance of Ryan James in his speech last weekend was offensive and weighed heavily on this decision,” Thomas wrote.
“Additionally, the well documented doubts regarding the club’s future in 2020 was also relevantly considered …”
A Titans spokesman said a contract was in place with TFH but declined to comment further.
It’s understood the Titans will seek to enforce the contract and a legal showdown could be looming.
TFH has stuck by the club through crises including the 2015 drug scandal when star players were caught up in a major cocaine bust, the sacking of coaches Brennan and Neil Henry, the tumultuous Jarryd Hayne era, and the disasters of this season.
Announcing its upgraded sponsorship in 2017, Thomas said the club was “heading in the right direction”.
“We’re here for the long haul,” he said at the time.
“There’s a lot of stability and a good feel around the club. We were very close to signing (as a sponsor) for multiple years.”
TFH also sponsors the Manly Sea Eagles and the Cronulla Sharks and has supplied temporary fencing and barricades for events including the Melbourne Cup, 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, and major music festivals.
James called his grand final speech “the biggest stuff-up of all time” but was widely supported on social media.
^^^^ this is pretty bitter news. You can understand their being unhappy with the performances on field we are all appalled by how embarrassing our players were this year BUT to lump in the Ryan James Welcome to Country Gaffe is a huge error by them and very mean and unfair. Public Speaking for the vast majority of people is a huge fear, even bigger than the fear of death. So to have to do it in front of a large stadium plus a national and international audience would be a huge challenge to overcome and you could easily freeze in that situation.
Thumbs Down TFH!!! GAGF!
100% agree Bods. Absolute dog move by TFH to blame this on James. It will backfire on them spectacularly.
You see what companies are really like at times like this and what a dog company. Ryan James handled his stuff up with class and he should be congratulated for that, not belittled. Unfortunately I have no need to use this company's products but if I did, I would walk away from them immediately.
The fact that they also sponsor Manly doesn't change my opinion. They also sponsor the Sharks who would have been the most tainted club in the last couple of years with the drug stuff and Flanagan.
You wouldn't want these dogs in trenches with you.
Last edited by Mexican titan; 15-10-19 at 10:17 PM.
First order of business is to have them remove their fencing etc around the stadium and surrounds. The company I work for isn't a big enough customer to make a difference but I'll get any temp fence needs elsewhere from now on too.
If the Mayor is serious about supporting our local sporting teams then I hope they put any temp fencing contracts back out to tender. GC600 would be a good one for them to lose.
Just out of interest, was Ryan there representing the Titans or was he there representing the NRL's pledge to bridge indigenous gaps and honour traditional owners of the land etc
Email mayor@goldcoast.qld.gov.au
I just did. FThem.