The Steve Turner Discussion Thread.

[Future Star]

Turner hopes Gold Coast doesn't hold titanic grudge
Wednesday, January 17, 2007



Turner hopes the Gold Coast hold no grudges


Source: Canberra Times


Melbourne Storm winger Steve Turner says he learned a lesson from the NRL tug-of-war over his services and hopes Gold Coast bears him no grudges.


Turner had no problem training in searing conditions yesterday because it meant being united with his Melbourne teammates after two months of training by himself while the Storm and Titans fought for his services.


The 22-year-old last year verbally agreed to play for the Titans in 2007 but reneged on that pledge and resigned with the Storm amid a fine 2006 season.


After months of bickering, the Titans on Monday struck an agreement with the 2006 grand finalist by letting Turner continue his career in Melbourne.


Now a Storm player until the end of the 2009 season, Turner admitted he had made a mistake by agreeing to play for a rival before the 2006 season was over, and had learned plenty from the five-month saga.


"Young blokes do make mistakes," he said.


"I just hope I don t make this mistake again in my football career.


"In saying that, I hope all parties don t make that mistake again and we can learn from this and prevent this from happening in the future."


Turner will get an early indication of what Gold Coast's players and fans think of his refusal to head north, as the two clubs play a trial match in mid-February.


"I just hope everyone understands why I wanted to stay here and it wasn't anything against the Gold Coast Titans," he said.


"It's just that I wanted to be here, at Melbourne. I found my feet here, it's home for me and my partner Kate and we're really enjoying Melbourne.


"I wish the Titans the best of luck this year and I hope there's no grudges held against me in the future."


As part of a compensation deal, Melbourne will trade Smith Samau and Daniel Isaac to the NRL newcomer, while Turner will chip in part of an $85,000 sweetener deal.

[DeeGan]

This thread is still going?

[Q Dave]

This thread is still going?

Me either!

I wonder how far he got with his paddlepop stick city?

[Capital_Shark]

I wonder how far he got with his paddlepop stick city?

Didn't even make it past Melbourne, mate.

[Supergoose]

Nice paddlepop MCG though!

[mb63]

Didn't Mr Searle say he won't release Turner unless he got Smith Samau and Keven Procter? We know he got one but not the other so that being the case it would seem that both parties "buckled" as you put it. Personally i'd prefer to call it compromise and i for one are glad they did for everyone's sake. More often than not it takes a bigger man to back down than to remain stubborn and IMO this case proves that. If there were no compromise reached everyone would've lost and it would've more so affected the Titans than anyone else.

Brian Waldron said he wouldn't trade any players or pay out cash & both ended up happening.A clear victory to the Titans.

[Steelers]

Brian Waldron said he wouldn't trade any players or pay out cash & both ended up happening.A clear victory to the Titans.

Exactly! And besides, I don't think that Searley demanded Proctor and Samau, they were just the 2 names thrown up by the media as being the most likely players that the Titans wanted. In the end the Titans got 2 quality juniors and cash, which is what they wanted, instead of the diddly-squat the Storm were originally offering.

[PROMETHEUS]

Exactly! And besides, I don't think that Searley demanded Proctor and Samau, they were just the 2 names thrown up by the media as being the most likely players that the Titans wanted. In the end the Titans got 2 quality juniors and cash, which is what they wanted, instead of the diddly-squat the Storm were originally offering.

But isnt one of them injured?
And didnt waldron do the same with friend,im sure when friend arrived at the coast and had a medical it was discovered he needed surgery,something melbourne failed to mention.. :!:

[Steelers]

But isnt one of them injured?
And didnt waldron do the same with friend,im sure when friend arrived at the coast and had a medical it was discovered he needed surgery,something melbourne failed to mention.. :!:

It is a rumour that one of them is injured, no news agency has reported it, so I don't believe it. And Melbourne didn't need to mention anything about surgery to the Titans. They had no obligation to (even though it was pretty harsh to do so).

[Supernova]

Brian Waldron said he wouldn't trade any players or pay out cash & both ended up happening.A clear victory to the Titans.

For one the Storm aren't paying a cent extra, it's Turner himself that'll be paying the compo. Yes, Storm changed their stance on trading players but the players themselves were asked if they'd be happy to go to the Titans and they were so in many ways that played a big part in the decision. As Waldron said, he only wants players that want to be at there and they didn't so they went. Turner wanted to be there desperately as you know and he's staying.

I'm not sure how you call it a 'clear' victory to the Titans, you get 2 juniors who may or may not make the grade and won't find out until they get their chance and you lose a proven first grader who was equal 4th in the NRL for try scoring last season and has proven he can make the grade. Compounded even more by the fact the Titans lost their other 1st choice winger in Carney the day after. You got some extra money but so what? It's not as if you can use it to buy another player this late, well Chris Walker you can but i'd hardly put him in the same breath as Steve Turner.

Conversely the Storm have gained back the equal 4th highest try scorer without costing them a cent extra, a proven 1st grader who's only 22 years of age and has his best years ahead of him, while losing 2 kids that more than likely they would've lost anyway down the track through lack of opportunity. The bottom line is with the embarrassment of riches the Storm have in their backline, barring a massive injury toll these blokes just wouldn't have got a game behind the likes of Inglis, Slater and Co. Especially considering pretty much all the Storm backs are tied to the club for the next 3 years.

As mentioned these young blokes would've walked anyway come their next contract and who could blame them? Certainly not me, i'd hate to be playing in the lower grades and not getting any opportunities to make it in the big time. I sincerely hope these 2 kids get the break they deserve and make a real go of it at the Titans i really do and they very well might be good enough to crack the Titans side. But the fact is they wouldn't have got the chance to do that at the Storm anytime soon.

Given all that i'm not saying the Titans have lost at all, but i hardly think they're clear winners on the same token as you said they were. Losing one of the better wingers in the game can hardly be classed as a clear victory IMO no matter how much extra money they got, as well as 2 juniors who we're not sure will make the grade yet. Unfortunately $85,000 extra doesn't translate into 18 tries.

[Supernova]

Exactly! And besides, I don't think that Searley demanded Proctor and Samau, they were just the 2 names thrown up by the media as being the most likely players that the Titans wanted.

Two names thrown up by the media? More like two name thrown up by the Titans that the media reported on. Here's just a few quotes from an article you posted the link for. It would seem the Titans wanted Procter badly but the Storm just wouldn't come to the party so you got Issacs instead. These quotes are pertaining to Proctor:

http://www.titans.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=7309


"We didn't get an opportunity to sign him in the first place, so if he would like to come here we would love to have him," said Titans managing director Michael Searle yesterday.

"It would be good if he didn't have to leave the Gold Coast. He's got another year at PBC, so to get him back would be fantastic."

The Titans are going hard and heavy to get Proctor, who Melbourne spotted at an under-15s South Coast trial more than two years ago.

From the coach:

Titans coach John Cartwright said signing Proctor over to the Coast made 'perfect sense'.

"They signed him before we even got up and running, he goes to PBC and is still living on the Coast," said Cartwright. "They want Steve Turner, so to me it makes perfect sense. Kevin would be able to stay here with all his mates.




and for those who are saying only the Storm rolled over and gave in and not the Titans, this from Michael Searle in regards to the deal involving Proctor and Samau:

"I don't think the Gold Coast Titans can go back to the table again with a better proposal, and we won't. "We are done. This is it. That's our final proposal. "If Melbourne want Steve Turner to play with them in 2007, they come to a resolution on the player swap."


Now all that to me sounds the Titans made it very clear exactly who they wanted as opposed to it being names "thrown up" by the media as you would like us to believe. You say Searley never demanded those boys? Well the quote i made bold certainly sounds like a demand to me.

The bottom line is BOTH sides softened their stance and came up with a compromise and it wasn't a case of one pandering to the other. The Storm said they won't swap players, the Titans said they won't realease Turner if they don't get Samau AND Proctor.

Well guess what? The Storm swapped the players and the Titans didn't get the man they were really after saying a deal would not be struck if they never got him as quoted above. As mentioned it's obvious that both sides cut a bit of slack and i for one couldn't be happier that they did and it's over with.

[Q Dave]

As to who got the bargain at the end of the day will depend on how Turner and the two apprentices play this year and how their perfomances effect their teams.

If Turner scales those massive heights of last year, and improves upon them, maybe the Storm got the better end of the deal.

But plenty of players go off their game for whatever reason.

You can get out of a deal with the Titans, it may cost, but its possible. And lets be honest, a disproportionate number of cattle are bailing.

But getting Rogers helps, he's big time allright and his noble presence puts some good will and faith back into the place. He's very welcome indeed.

I prescribe a few more big names to rid the Titans of the dust left behind by these "ghosts."