Player Addin Fonua-Blake

[Ever Hopeful]

I thought the bagging was because of the amount of money Matt Lodge got, not the decision to let him leave itself.

He was paid for a year he wasn't even contracted for (player option).

The anger was that, and that our owner had allegedly done something so dodgy that we were having to pay out a huge part of our future cap to keep it hushed up.

With Lodge, O'Sullivan and Moses involved it was probably worth it to get rid of them all.

 

[jonesy101]

He was paid for a year he wasn't even contracted for (player option).

The anger was that, and that our owner had allegedly done something so dodgy that we were having to pay out a huge part of our future cap to keep it hushed up.

With Lodge, O'Sullivan and Moses involved it was probably worth it to get rid of them all.

Not sure if its been said already but they were talking on NRL360 last night about Moses negotiating a release for O'Sullivan to join the Knights where O'brien happens to be a Moses client. Already players under Moses are being linked to the club.

 

[Defence]

I thought the bagging was because of the amount of money Matt Lodge got, not the decision to let him leave itself.

Anytime someone asks for a release you hear that- we should make him play it out or we should make him rot in reserve grade or the storm wouldn’t release him…
Generally I’d agree that if a player wants out u should just release him but this was a bit different- he was the best forward in the world last year and there was no notice.
At the time playing on one more year seemed a decent compromise.
The thing is- u guys seem convinced we’d be better off if we had released him when in reality no one farkin knows.
Maybe we’d be sitting last.
Your guess (because that’s what it is) is as good as mine

 

[Beastmode]

Anytime someone asks for a release you hear that- we should make him play it out or we should make him rot in reserve grade or the storm wouldn’t release him…
Generally I’d agree that if a player wants out u should just release him but this was a bit different- he was the best forward in the world last year and there was no notice.
At the time playing on one more year seemed a decent compromise.
The thing is- u guys seem convinced we’d be better off if we had released him when in reality no one farkin knows.
Maybe we’d be sitting last.
Your guess (because that’s what it is) is as good as mine

My point is you made your bed so sleep in it. Not point crying over split milk and saying this and that about AFB like it’s all his fault. That doesn’t sit well with me. Surely management knew the risk and have to accept how it’s played out. Accept responsibility of their decisions. If we’re pointing fingers - point it at Wendy, CG and Robbo

 

[Defence]

My point is you made your bed so sleep in it. Not point crying over split milk and saying this and that about AFB like it’s all his fault. That doesn’t sit well with me. Surely management knew the risk and have to accept how it’s played out. Accept responsibility of their decisions. If we’re pointing fingers - point it at Wendy, CG and Robbo

I’m not pointing fingers at anyone- why would I? I don’t know if they done the right thing or not- neither do u…
The dragons denied bent hunt a release and now he’s re-signed- lomax got denied a release and has had a breakout year.
Would u have granted both those guys immediate release’s?

 

[#robbiemears]

With AFB, the Warriors are sitting 13th out of 17 teams. There are 12 teams ahead of us without AFB that seem to be coping just fine.

 

[Defence]

With AFB, the Warriors are sitting 13th out of 17 teams. There are 12 teams ahead of us without AFB that seem to be coping just fine.

And where do u think those 12 teams would be if they released their best player in the off season with no replacement?

 

[Inruin]

With AFB, the Warriors are sitting 13th out of 17 teams. There are 12 teams ahead of us without AFB that seem to be coping just fine.

They don't have any of our other players either....

 

[The Warrior Waka]

point it at Wendy,

Is Wendy's still a sponsor of the club?

 

[mrblonde]

I’m not pointing fingers at anyone- why would I? I don’t know if they done the right thing or not- neither do u…
The dragons denied bent hunt a release and now he’s re-signed- lomax got denied a release and has had a breakout year.
Would u have granted both those guys immediate release’s?

The only argument in AFB's defence is that the Warriors management should maybe - and maybe they have - noted how AFB agitated to get out of Manly and thought "Well, if he could do it to them, he could do it to us."

 

[Makasene]

When you put together a chronological list of incidents which begins with a request to be released 3 years early when not even in the country and ends with continued salty behaviour (shoving a camera) when we win - it's quite clear he spat the dummy a long time ago.

I don't blame the club for getting an extra year out of him, they would have expected for a bit more professionalism out of him. Clearly he would prefer to be cuddled and told how great he is - unfortunately, in team sports you have to be part of the team (insert photo of him standing 10 feet from the huddle).

He is not solely to blame, SJ playing but not training coincided exactly with the first run of losses. In any professional environement things go lopsided when the guy barking orders isn't pulling his weight during the week - With the exception of Cooper Cronk in the Grand Final, I can't think of any scenario where the halfback is playing but not training.

Ironically, had we have let AFB go early then we may well have been forced to call on some juniors earlier. Sadly, the situation has worked out just about as bad as it could of.

Many posters said they were worried about AFB being made to play another year out of fear of him being disruptive. I did not agree with those comments and I was wrong.

 

[Inruin]

We have AFB for another 8-12 games. We are a better chance with him playing IMO. He is the best prop in the game. If our team aren't capable of putting his alleged issues aside for that period then we are in really bad shape. Is he doing his job, yes. Is he stopping any from doing theirs, no. Time to suck it up and try and make a run for the finals.

 

[kos]

My point is you made your bed so sleep in it. Not point crying over split milk and saying this and that about AFB like it’s all his fault. That doesn’t sit well with me. Surely management knew the risk and have to accept how it’s played out. Accept responsibility of their decisions. If we’re pointing fingers - point it at Wendy, CG and Robbo

Wendy Webster?

 

[Beastmode]

- it's quite clear he spat the dummy a long time ago.

Can you back this statement up with facts? Aside from the Penrith game, his stats have been alpha. Plus he hasn’t skipped games with “injuries”… don’t recall him dropping balls, making mistakes, giving away penalties or doing dumb shit on the field.. unlike Tohu, RTS, SJ,Jazz.. even Capewell and Barnett have been pinged for penalties- Marata for his high shots… all this on AFB? I think not. He’s been, very good actually …

 

[Beastmode]

Not bad for a guy who’s toxic.. top in the comp for post contact meters…

Rest of the team need to man up, pull their head in and do their job… including Wendy

AFB 1st in comp
Mitch 4th and the forwards are the problem? got to be kidding me…

 

[MrFrankWhite]

My point is you made your bed so sleep in it. Not point crying over split milk and saying this and that about AFB like it’s all his fault. That doesn’t sit well with me. Surely management knew the risk and have to accept how it’s played out. Accept responsibility of their decisions. If we’re pointing fingers - point it at Wendy, CG and Robbo

People avoid accountability at all costs. Yet to hear Webby own up to the errors this year.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Not bad for a guy who’s toxic.. top in the comp for post contact meters…

Rest of the team need to man up, pull their head in and do their job… including Wendy

View attachment 8133


AFB 1st in comp
Mitch 4th and the forwards are the problem? got to be kidding me…

Facts.

AFB should have been released when he asked for it based off his history and the state of club.

But to say he’s the reason we are losing is madness. There’s 3-4 players that should be well above AFB on the chopping block. I bet AFBs attitude would be better if we were higher on the ladder.

Anyone considered he’s mad at the coaching staff for fielding poor players?

 

[Viking]

A while back it was suggested that the homesickness was due to family members being sick, was that true or just speculation and joining dots?,

 

[mrblonde]

Facts.

AFB should have been released when he asked for it based off his history and the state of club.

But to say he’s the reason we are losing is madness. There’s 3-4 players that should be well above AFB on the chopping block. I bet AFBs attitude would be better if we were higher on the ladder.

Anyone considered he’s mad at the coaching staff for fielding poor players?

Could be on the money. Just as maybe the coaching staff are mad at his being mad at the poor players because he's not mentoring any of them?
This has always been the central problem with the NRL's contracting system. A club's fans hear that Player L has been released and will leave at the end of the season. They then hear Player L has signed with Club 3. Subsquently Player L's performances are less than stellar and/or he acts like a miserable sod even if his stats are still up there. Cries of "He playing shit/acting like a dick because he's leaving! Dump. Him. Now!" start.
I do take issue with the "AFB's attitude would be better if we were doing better." argument. There's being disappointed and then there's some of the thing's AFB's been doing. I don't think our lack of performance so far is anything like the No 1 Problem.
I don't think AFB's happy, I personally think he'd be happer if he left now but on-field I don't think he's farting around at all and he appears within that 80 minute period of Game Day to be burying how he really feels and being a pro. Which is great and everything, being professional, turn that frown upside down for the folks etc. But cracks will appear every so often.

 

[Jimjam]

Why does it make logical sense? Is he responsible for RTS missing all those tackles, is he responsible for picking an aging Tohu and putting Ed Kosi on the wing? Is he to blame for DWZ not being able to read plays, and defend his man? for the injuries and the team not pulling their weight?

Seems like an easy excuse to pin everything on one guy. He made it clear last year he was dealing with personal issues and wanted out, but we wanted to keep him to squeeze out as much as we could. The owners and coach chose not to release him early, so now they have to live with that call.

Sure, AFB is part of the overall problem, but he's definitely not the only reason we have failed to live up to the hype.

Exactly it’s just easy for the peanut committee to pin it all on him based on nothing but pure speculation.