2023 Squad, Signings and Rumours Thread

[JunctionBlock]

Club will have to pony up some more dollars to keep them. Should have been done pre-announcement after talking to the players managers to have the clause removed in exchange for a salary bump. Unfortunately we aren't that smart and hindsight is easy.

[willhelm]

Club will have to pony up some more dollars to keep them. Should have been done pre-announcement after talking to the players managers to have the clause removed in exchange for a salary bump. Unfortunately we aren't that smart and hindsight is easy.

Yeah, that's not how it works. You think that Holbrook wouldn't have been tipped off about the clauses being removed?

[Cowabunga]

Bit more on it from Dobbin who talked to people at the club.

Basically the club doesn't even consider it a story and what teams are doing is apparently not allowed. Gordan slyly mentions that it could be Holbrooks management pushing this in media to try and get a head coaching job somewhere which honestly makes sense haha.

[Titansborn'n'bred]

Tinos manager is on record as confirming he is ‘a free agent’ and openly fielding offers/interest from numerous clubs. Surely if this wasn’t the case, his manager would be stepping on a legal mine field.

[JunctionBlock]

Yeah, that's not how it works. You think that Holbrook wouldn't have been tipped off about the clauses being removed?

Who cares, his fate was sealed. Any contract can be renegotiated at any time if it is acceptable to both parties

[gotitans101_]

Hate to be wrong but I reckon this is just a massive media beat-up and Tino/Fifi will sign back on after Origin is done and dusted. I trust Gordy and he basically said on that podcast that there's no way in hell either of them are leaving.

[Upthetits]

Tinos manager is on record as confirming he is ‘a free agent’ and openly fielding offers/interest from numerous clubs. Surely if this wasn’t the case, his manager would be stepping on a legal mine field.

This exactly, I think the club is trying to save face

[Cowabunga]

It's Badel and Buzz mostly spreading this so it's 95% bs with a grain of truth in parts.... The second anyone else looked into it the story, the clause info keeps changing. From what I'm gathering the clause hasn't been signed so it's legit a non story till they sign them if they do, Well there is a story in how dumb these clauses are.

There's nothing stopping agents from fielding offers as long as there's no "official offer", It's a very grey area but as long as they don't get a contract it's all good

Also the way we've been handling business there's nothing to say there's no deals done in the background and it's all a formality till once origin is done.

[Hail Sezer]

What I find paticularly interesting about this is that the media has only reported on Tino and Dave having the clause.

There's more of our contracted players who have it. But obviously for whatever reason, where Buzz & co. got the information from has decided to only share that Tino & Dave have the clause. And the journos have trusted the information enough to write about it - i.e. they've verified their source. All the other noise about what it means, other clubs interested, and how it relates to Holbrooks departure etc. we can take with a grain of salt, but the fact is - the clauses exist. But why has it only come out about Dave and Tino..?

Now Tino and Dave don't share the same manager. But there is only one of their managers who has come out and given quotes to journos at length about the situation. Has Tino's manager, Simon Mammino, leaked it?

Fifita is managed by Dave Riolo. Who has said nothing, and tends to avoid the media circus. Is he the silent leaker?

Holbrook is managed by PSM, who also manage Toby Sexton and Tanah Boyd. And a lot of our other emerging players, to be fair. Has Holbrook's sacking + the pursuit of Ben Hunt set them off, and they've leaked it?

Besides their managers, who else would know this information, limited to our two highest-profile players, and be willing to share it to a journalist? I highly doubt it was Mal, or Ezra, or anyone else in the club. It's never been their style and I don't think they've suddenly decided to volunteer that particular information when they're the ones who have to now solve the problem (if there is one). Makes no sense.

Was it Holbrook himself? Why just Tino & Dave?

Was it someone else?

So have at it fellas...who leaked the info? And why did they only leak Dave & Tino's clauses?

Yes, we're clearly borderline conspiracy theory here but if we don't have fun with it it's going to drive us mad

[Cowabunga]

Gordy pretty much alluded to it being Holbrooks management and a way to get a head coach job luring them with him in that podcast, He also mentioned the players management but he said that's a normal thing for them to do and I think he is thinking the same way you are, why not more players if it's around? I don't think it's Tinos management as he put his name to everything, The Fifita signing was secretive earlier in the year, Why would they leak now.

Verrills is with Tinos management I think to and that was done in silence and he happily re-signed after all of it.

Suddenly all these leaks happen once Holbrook is gone and he's filthy about the situation??? Seems suss. Raiders could also be trying to make a point about losing Wighton and the system, Dragons I understand from their perspective being angry about the Ben Hunt noise to and us being heavily connected, I've don't think it's been a good look despite us not really being involved.

I think it's all three tbh and then there's media probably being pissed that they didn't have a clue about the Des stuff and now are trying to make a point about us. Does DT/CM hate Des? I'm sure he's had run ins with guys down there, They pumped him over the Jersey saga when it wasn't his fault.

[DavidBouveng]

Interesting you mention Riolo.

Before he was manager he was a great little fullback for the Steelers in a classic 90s team with Mary, Brett Rodwell, Rod Wishart, Alan Mcindoe, Neil Piccinelli, Dean Schiffilitti, Craig AND John Simon, the Fritz... and a very young and hamsum Ryan Girlder.

Awesome 90s teams aside, the clue is in the name, and Riolo's Management company is called 'TITAN sports management'.... so we are SWEET.

If it was called RAIDER sports management, or COWBOYS sports management id be concerned, but my chest is out and i declare with bass in my voice that the boys are staying.

[JunctionBlock]

So if clark has a clause in his contract can we let him go as well?

Holbrook would be a good guess. The lads have a few options if they have **** on the liver about it, leave, shut up and play or make the club pay. So do they hamper the club by killing our cap? Kill the club by leaving or build the club by moving on. How many people have their work mates leave or get fired and get on with living their own life? You might be pissed for a while, you might piss in your mates pocket about how bad the place is and they were hard done by, but eventually that dies down and you kick on.

[MaroonTitan]

Loved that Steelers side! Ian Russell was a great lock for them too, if I remember correctly.

On who leaked the clauses? I blame Corey Thompson.

[Titanic]

lol@coreythompson … ole sour grapes Holbrook gets my vote.

[Boonarga]

Given how the club management has behaved over the last couple of years, I'm not at all worried. They don't play media games. That just do their admin job, very well.