Arrow has beat his chest saying he wants to play for us, loves his hometown, been given a fantastic offer by our club and has had the gall to play the Mrs card and none of us are buying it.
If he signs elsewhere then he will have really let down all of us in a way that I think he will regret for the rest of his days.
He can be our hero and try and be our talisman OR take the weak option, Jump on a bandwagon and go after easy unearned success.
Jai Arrow’s contract is the NRL’s most significant bargaining chip. That includes Latrell Mitchell
Here’s how it’s gone so far. Brodie Croft has moved from the Storm to the Broncos, Curtis Scott is about to go from the Storm to the Raiders, Dylan Brown is preparing to test his value on the open market and where Latrell Mitchell ends up is anyone’s guess.
Tigers, Titans, Cowboys, the only certainty is Mitchell won’t be at back-to-back premiers the Sydney Roosters.
Or if he is he’ll be shaking hands with North Sydney Bears reserve grade coach Jason Taylor.
Why Arrow has now become even more of a key signature is because of the Gold Coast Titans sudden interest in luring Mitchell to south east Queensland.
Stay with us here. The Titans gave Arrow permission to test his value on the open market prior to November 1 in the hope of allowing rival clubs to crunch their numbers, submit their bids and try and get the whole process wrapped up well before Christmas.
Of course, the Gold Coast want to keep Arrow.
They’ve tabled him a three-year extension worth north of $1.8 million until the end of 2023 and hope to have an answer by the end of next week.
Meanwhile, South Sydney were quick to jump straight up out of their chair with a big offer and have been working on selling Arrow the Redfern pipedream ever since.
The opportunity to play and learn under super coach Wayne Bennett still holds enormous cut through.
Now as recent events would have it, if Arrow opts to take up the South Sydney offer for 2021 all of a sudden the Titans may reconsider letting him go a year early. This was considered an absolute no-no only 48 hours ago.
And if the Gold Coast were to let Arrow shift to Redfern effective immediately for 2020, come on down Latrell Mitchell.
Mal Meninga is suddenly holding a different pair of Aces.
Funny game, rugby league.
None of this would have been possible had the Sydney Roosters not pulled a $1.6 million two-year extension to Mitchell on Melbourne Cup day.
Make no mistake, Arrow is an absolute priority signing for the Titans, similar to young gun AJ Brimson who recommitted to the club on Monday.
If Arrow opts to stay put at the Titans, then the only way the Gold Coast could pursue Mitchell for next season is by trying to take an axe to the rest of their roster. And that takes time. Which Mitchell still has about another five weeks of given he’s not due back at training until early January.
But the Titans don’t have given they’ve been trying to shop half a dozen players since August to no avail.
It’s a different story in 2021 when they’ve got 14 of their NRL squad off-contract and they’ll be cashed-up with an open cheque book.
Kangaroos centre Mitchell doesn’t seem like he’s in any great rush. Even if the Wests Tigers and the Sydney Roosters would like an answer yesterday.
The Tigers have been asked at what point do they pull their offer off the table.
Surely the club can’t just let it sit idle in the wind for weeks on end?
One view is there’s nothing to be gained by trying to put a gun to someone’s head.
The other is this is the business of professional sport and time equates to money.
The clock is ticking. Trouble is Latrell doesn’t seem to want to hear it.
Before anyone over reacts, this article is from James Hooper who has a terrible strike rate, and just makes things up for the headlines. It is frustrating how long Jai is taking, but I'm staying optimistic. It might not seem like much but he posted about AJ's re-signing on his instagram story yesterday, and Sami's as well last week. I feel like it would be really hypocritical of him to praise these guys for staying if he already knows he's about to leave.
I agree hangingon that the instagram posts gave me hope too, as he wouldn't do that if he was leaving you'd think. However, I think what has pissed me and a lot of people off is the fact he has messed us around and treated us like dirt during the whole thing. He's had offers on the table for months and our offer is probably the highest of the lot, yet he still hasn't signed the dotted line. We even let him go to market early and he's still mucking around. Has left a sour taste in my and a lot of other fans mouths, however I do hope he stays.
I think Arrow is gone to Souths and the club knows it, so they are looking at Asiata as his replacement.
I don't think the club wants Mitchell but are bluffing to goad the Tigers into overpaying him. It also applies a bit of time pressure to Arrow to potentially backflip on Souths.
Best case scenario imo is Souths don't get dispensation for Burgess, Arrow is forced to accept our offer, and we get Asiata as a bonus and play him at left second row (he's played 5/8 and prop so why not?).
So best case scenario is we are Arrows second choice. Which, no matter how you look at it, this is what is happening. Souths can't make the offer without a ruling from the NRL regarding salary cap dispensation. If they get it he's gone, if they don't we get him. Not exactly screaming future captain of the Titans to me.
Jai Arrow faces choice between Titans and Rabbitohs move
Travis Meyn, The Courier-Mail
November 26, 2019 7:23pm
Subscriber only
‘Victim of versatility’: Holbrook perplexed by Peach
Kent: Bad advice closing doors for Latrell
The Gold Coast Titans face a fight to retain gladiatorial forward Jai Arrow with the Queensland Origin star seriously considering a $4 million move to Russell Crowe’s Rabbitohs.
South Sydney has ramped up its poaching raid after identifying Arrow as the man to replace retired warhorse Sam Burgess and are ready to blow the Titans out of the water with a huge offer.
Rabbitohs officials have outlined to Arrow how he will fit into the club and are formulating a long-term deal worth roughly $800,000 a season, which could stretch up to five years.
The Courier-Mail understands Arrow is torn between chasing an NRL premiership with the Rabbitohs or helping rebuild the battered Titans, a club close to his heart.
Arrow, 24, is contracted to the Titans until the end of the 2020 season, but is free to sign with a rival club from 2021.
The Titans have held discussions with Arrow’s management about a three-year extension, but South Sydney is prepared to make a more attractive offer.
Arrow is a proud Gold Coast product who is reluctant to leave his hometown after joining the Titans from Brisbane before the 2018 NRL season.
However, South Sydney has made it clear he is their No.1 recruitment target and have outlined the club’s vision to win a premiership while coach Wayne Bennett is at the helm.
The lure of playing for a proven NRL premiership contender is also a factor for the ultra-competitive Arrow after the Titans collected the wooden spoon in 2019.
The Titans on Monday locked up exciting youngster AJ Brimson for the next three years and Arrow is the next piece of their retention puzzle.
But culture chief Mal Meninga has also revealed plans to lure disgruntled Roosters centre Latrell Mitchell to the Gold Coast.
Titans coach Justin Holbrook told The Courier-Mail recently while he wanted Arrow to remain on the Gold Coast it was up to the club’s recruitment department to strike a deal.
“In terms of re-signing, when’s it going to happen and all of that stuff, I can’t get too bogged down in that,” Holbrook said.
“We’ve got the recruitment team in place now and that’s their main job.
“I’ve been asked if I want Jai Arrow and AJ (Brimson) to stay, of course I want them to stay. I definitely want them to stay.
“But not to the point where the club is paying way more than anyone else just to keep them because people are saying they can’t go.
“They’ve got to want to be here. We’ve got to provide an environment where players want to play and do well. That’s up to us to fast-track that environment.
“It’s about them wanting to see the future of this club and being part of that.”
Arrow made his NRL debut under Bennett at the Broncos in 2016 and is highly-rated by the seven-time premiership winner.
He also has a strong relationship with Bennett’s assistant Jason Demetriou, who is tipped to take over the coaching reins at the Rabbitohs when Bennett, 69, steps aside.
Arrow could be the cornerstone of the Titans’ forward pack for the next five years if the Gold Coast is able to fight off South Sydney’s advances.
**END**
Why do people still consider Bennett a super coach, he hasn't had success in any of his previous appointments and has left clubs worse off after he leaves. Madness.
Bennett was one Ben Hunt away from winning the 2015 prem.
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have souths even been told if they can use any money from burgess retirement? If not then I think this is all media driven and no one knows anything
I seriously think arrow will go. Taking too long and it normally pans out that the player leaves.