Re: Recruitment rumours and links : Thu Feb 08, 2024 1:11 pm  

I'm happy with Hayes training with them, could be earmarked to take over from Drinkwater. Isn't he off contract this year?

Re: Recruitment rumours and links : Thu Feb 08, 2024 1:13 pm  

Boss Hog wrote:

The downside of Hayes being involved with Penrith is that it puts him in their recruitment headlights.

I have mixed feelings about this news.

I hadn’t even considered that. I guess they have plenty of decent half-backs coming through in Aus anyway. Hopefully none of our young forwards are catching their eye.

Re: Recruitment rumours and links : Thu Feb 08, 2024 1:17 pm  

Or thane wrote:

I'm happy with Hayes training with them, could be earmarked to take over from Drinkwater. Isn't he off contract this year?

Hayes has already been earmarked, considerably. Have a read of Burgess’ comments on pre-season and his favourite players. Quite encouraging, and you feel Burgess is being genuine rather than the usual ‘we’ll give them a chance at some point’ rhetoric.

Re: Recruitment rumours and links : Thu Feb 08, 2024 1:24 pm  

rubber duckie wrote:

A marquee prop at 35/36.
Was a big risk imo.
We shouldn’t be signing players older that 28/29.
I’m ok with it.
I ask you this, who would swap Vaughan for Burgess?

The other significant negative would have been if things don`t work out with Sam Burgess and he leaves, we would have had a Marquee player on a long contract taking the mick.

Re: Recruitment rumours and links : Thu Feb 08, 2024 2:28 pm  

I thought the whole squad was having a training game against them. I thought I had read that?

Re: Recruitment rumours and links : Thu Feb 08, 2024 2:30 pm  

Alongside training at the home of the Premier League champions, the Panthers will face Sam Burgess' Warrington Wolves side in an opposed training session as part of their preparation.

Re: Recruitment rumours and links : Thu Feb 08, 2024 2:33 pm  

Deus Dat Incrementum wrote:

Alongside training at the home of the Premier League champions, the Panthers will face Sam Burgess' Warrington Wolves side in an opposed training session as part of their preparation.

Good. We really need this.

Re: Recruitment rumours and links : Thu Feb 08, 2024 2:38 pm  

Boss Hog wrote:

The other significant negative would have been if things don`t work out with Sam Burgess and he leaves, we would have had a Marquee player on a long contract taking the mick.

Interesting further reading on the Tom Burgess saga. He's to be the highest paid player in the league on a 3-year contract

Some soundbites from the two clubs:

Ian Watson: “I just told the club to go and have a crack, it’s worth a shot to go after him".

Sam Burgess: “Tom told me exactly where he was at and I had a perfect amount of time to counter-offer, but the numbers were just out of this world. I’ve got to put my head coach’s hat on, it wouldn’t have been the right thing for the club and with the salary cap as it is, I can’t do too much with it in the near future. I’ve got to be responsible in that respect. It’s the first time I couldn’t afford my younger brother.But I have to be responsible for Warrington as a club. Huddersfield came with a three-year deal and we just weren’t there. Financially we were way off where they were, but that’s the nature of the beast".

Talks never really developed too far once it became clear that Huddersfield had tabled a monster deal. It was something Warrington weren’t prepared to match on two fronts: the length of the deal, and of course, the salary itself.

Are we finally learning as a club? This is actually quite encouraging.

Re: Recruitment rumours and links : Thu Feb 08, 2024 2:57 pm  

easyWire wrote:

Interesting further reading on the Tom Burgess saga. He's to be the highest paid player in the league on a 3-year contract

Some soundbites from the two clubs:

Ian Watson: “I just told the club to go and have a crack, it’s worth a shot to go after him".

Sam Burgess: “Tom told me exactly where he was at and I had a perfect amount of time to counter-offer, but the numbers were just out of this world. I’ve got to put my head coach’s hat on, it wouldn’t have been the right thing for the club and with the salary cap as it is, I can’t do too much with it in the near future. I’ve got to be responsible in that respect. It’s the first time I couldn’t afford my younger brother.But I have to be responsible for Warrington as a club. Huddersfield came with a three-year deal and we just weren’t there. Financially we were way off where they were, but that’s the nature of the beast".

Talks never really developed too far once it became clear that Huddersfield had tabled a monster deal. It was something Warrington weren’t prepared to match on two fronts: the length of the deal, and of course, the salary itself.

Are we finally learning as a club? This is actually quite encouraging.

I agree. The salary cap issue is one thing, but we must also consider the state of most clubs' finances in the post-covid world. Financial responsibility isn't exciting for fans but it is vitally important all the same. If Huddersfield can pay for this deal without causing themselves big problems, then good luck to them, genuinely, as it's great for the competition to have a player like Burgess joining (and not going to Wigan, Saints or Leeds!).

Re: Recruitment rumours and links : Thu Feb 08, 2024 2:59 pm  

I think you also have to question whether two such high profile characters would really have hit it off as a coach & a player. Could have caused friction.