Re: Recruitment, rumours and links : Fri Jan 24, 2025 11:33 am  

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Re: Recruitment, rumours and links : Fri Jan 24, 2025 11:34 am  

Smiffy27 wrote:

Does anyone actually know what King's deal is currently? Or are we working on the assumption that it was just big cos everyone says it is. Any ideas?

What we know:

1. Various well connected people on here have commented that it was large and that we were contributing to his salary whilst on loan at Wigan.
2. He was a marquee signing for us*
3. We had to fight off interest from other SL clubs and the NRL**

I suspect he will stay with us as he will only count at £50K on our cap. ***

*https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/salary-cap-changes-make-toby-27055708
**https://warringtonwolves.com/news/2021/may/Toby-King-signs-new-long-term-deal/
***https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/new-salary-cap-rules-for-super-league-to-help-protect-against-player-drain-to-the-nrl

Re: Recruitment, rumours and links : Fri Jan 24, 2025 11:43 am  

RoyalWire wrote: If the salary is as high as we all think it is then it is highly unlikely to be maintained by ourselves or other interested parties. If we were to offer a new contract can it be on reduced terms or does it have to match the current one? A new contract can be on any terms mutually agreed. One thing to note is that he is cheap on the cap for us at £50K due to https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/ne ... to-the-nrl. So we could pay him £200K per annum and it only counts as if we pay him £50K. This is a big incentive for us to extend. I don't care if we extend him or not. I do care if he keeps more talented attacking centres out of the side.

RoyalWire wrote: If the salary is as high as we all think it is then it is highly unlikely to be maintained by ourselves or other interested parties. If we were to offer a new contract can it be on reduced terms or does it have to match the current one? A new contract can be on any terms mutually agreed. One thing to note is that he is cheap on the cap for us at £50K due to https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/ne ... to-the-nrl. So we could pay him £200K per annum and it only counts as if we pay him £50K. This is a big incentive for us to extend. I don't care if we extend him or not. I do care if he keeps more talented attacking centres out of the side.

Re: Recruitment, rumours and links : Fri Jan 24, 2025 11:56 am  

Thanks Wires71 ... the fact that he is "Marquee" says a lot. I remember Wire working hard to try & keep him. He was playing well at the time.

Re: Recruitment, rumours and links : Fri Jan 24, 2025 12:14 pm  

The Speculator wrote:

It wouldn't surprise me if Saints were interested in Toby King for 2026. After all, if squad numbers are any indication, they appear to be going into this season with Hurrell and Percival still as their first-choice centres. Which is a tad surprising, given the various challenges faced by one or both of them in terms of age, fitness, proneness to injury, defensive frailty and midriff blubber.

If Saints do sign him, then there will be a major step change in the relationship between the two clubs with them signing our unwanted players, since they already have Clark.

Re: Recruitment, rumours and links : Fri Jan 24, 2025 12:19 pm  

Smiffy27 wrote:

Thanks Wires71 ... the fact that he is "Marquee" says a lot. I remember Wire working hard to try & keep him. He was playing well at the time.

He was - the peak of his time with us. Then he signed mid season and went into the slump. I think he managed 2 tries that season after signing. Then, in 2022, cue Powell's man management accusing him of getting gout due to poor lifestyle and shipping him out.

*https://www.totalrl.com/toby-king-reveals-how-gout-diagnosis-sowed-seeds-of-sour-daryl-powell-relationship-at-warrington-wolves/

To be honest we were a basket case then with stories of King bringing his dog to training, players purposefully barging into coaches when subbed*, and players being allowed to tailor their training around their business interests etc. I think Price wanted the easy life rather than confronting these issues.

*https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/cooper-should-never-play-for-warrington-again-how-social-media-reacted-to-mike-coopers-barge-on-coach-steve-price-40030/

Purposeful or not you can bet your last £1 that Mike Cooper would not have barged into Sam Burgess (or Matt Peet).

In closing I am not 100% sure that all that culture has been completely driven out of the squad and club. It may be supressed under Sam but I would not be surprised to see it creep back in when Sam eventually leaves. Some players have spanned Smith, Price, Powell and Burgess...

Re: Recruitment, rumours and links : Fri Jan 24, 2025 12:43 pm  

I do remember Cooper making contact with Price and it didn't look good ... but can't remember any other examples can you? Lots of changes since then and I'm optimistic that we have moved on.

Re: Recruitment, rumours and links : Fri Jan 24, 2025 1:12 pm  

Smiffy27 wrote:

I do remember Cooper making contact with Price and it didn't look good ... but can't remember any other examples can you? Lots of changes since then and I'm optimistic that we have moved on.

Don't think there was anything in that. If you listen to the Wire in Bondi podcast that was posted on here a few months ago with Coops, he absolutely loves Price. Daryl Powell however...

Re: Recruitment, rumours and links : Fri Jan 24, 2025 1:24 pm  

Lord Tony Smith wrote:

Don't think there was anything in that. If you listen to the Wire in Bondi podcast that was posted on here a few months ago with Coops, he absolutely loves Price. Daryl Powell however...

Pleased if there was nothing in it. It is possible to bump into someone by accident.

Re: Recruitment, rumours and links : Fri Jan 24, 2025 1:44 pm  

Lord Tony Smith wrote:

Don't think there was anything in that. If you listen to the Wire in Bondi podcast that was posted on here a few months ago with Coops, he absolutely loves Price. Daryl Powell however...

Yeah I listened to the pod cast too. I am not convinced it was unavoidable. Price did not move. Guess we will never know.