News: RFL in talks over Walker's Bradford deal

[ManlyBacker]

<p>Representatives of Britain's players' association are due to meet Bradford and the Rugby Football League to argue why the Super League club should honour a deal agreed with Chris Walker before signing Matt Orford.</p>


<a href="http://www.silvertails.net/news/4400-rfl-in-talks-over-walkers-bradford-deal.html">Read the full article</a>

 

[Canteen Worker]

Walker would be lucky to get a visa in the UK based in his past record. The problem will solve itself.

 

[Dan]

The contract may be signed but not valid. Either way they will either pay walker out or find him a new club.

I can completely understand his reasoning and wanting to fight this but there isn't much he can do. I Mean would you want to play for a club that doesn't want you?

 

[Cletus]

They'll pay Walker out. They don't have a halfback and Orford will expect a much larger payout if they don't honour his contract.

 

[ManlyBacker]

Ox may lead Bulls

THE controversy over Matt Orford's move to Bradford is set to escalate after Bulls coach Steve McNamara revealed the halfback was in line to be the club's captain next season.

Representatives of Britain's players' association are expected to meet Rugby Football League officials to discuss whether Orford's contract should be registered after Bradford backed out of a deal with Chris Walker so they could sign Orford as the club's fifth and final import quota spot.

Walker insists he signed a two-year contract with the Bulls.

Brad Walter smh.com.au

 

[Fro]

oh well, there goes Bradfords season.

 

[niccipops]

oh well, there goes Bradfords season.

You anti-Orford fellas are funny. Me, I don't love him or hate him but I certainly did love him when he held up that trophy in '08. Best of luck to him.

 

[Fro]

Not Anti Orford Nicci, just pro Manly, and he did nothing to convince me he was worth the cash he was paid whilst here.

 

[larry tate II]

A gf win by 40,dally m,club championship...that justifies every cent imo.

 

[The Wheel]

Captaining a premiership winning team didnt count for anyhting Fro?

 

[larry tate II]

Captaining a premiership winning team didnt count for anyhting Fro?

And the fact he contributed big time to the greatest day of manly supporters lives(footy-wise anyway)

 

[weev]

Orford was required when the team was building and finding its way. He succeeded in this goal, a premiership and team now full of experience.

The Sea Eagles can now handle a new rookie where before they would have been rudderless.

Ox has gone off to build another team, one that came ninth last season. They will enjoy what he can bring to their side and we can enjoy the legacy he leaves.

So its good news all round.

 

[Fro]

Dally M was a joke.

And if you reckon he won us that grand final by himself you are dreaming.

And I assume you are talking about that World club Challenge thingo, a great idea that was...peak in February.

And Wheel he may have had the little C next to his name, but he didn't lead us that day, Mr Kite and his fellow forwards did that.

Overpaid, over rated, and thankfully now Overseas..

 

[Garts]

Overpaid - Yes, definately when compared to other players.

Overrated - Very debatable as no one seemed to rate him.  This probably made his Dally M win quite an acheivement.  All the journos who dismissed him as a choker etc etc gave him votes.

Whilst he did not lead us that day he definately played an instrumental role in getting us to the GF.  If Orford was not in our team in 08 or went down for an extended period injured we would not have won the GF.  If we did not pay him all this money we would not have tasted GF success, his overpayment was worth every cent. 

 

[Chip and Chase]

Agree that we wouldn't have won 2008 without him, only due to the fact that we had no halfback depth (Jeff Robson ??). However we didn't win BECAUSE of him, he played his role as required and the team as a whole did their job from 1 to 17. In terms of us winning a premiership he was worth the money, however he wasn't going to worth a 3 year extension on that same coin.

What do you make of the fact that he can win a Dally M as halfback and not even crack a NSW side that has lost 4 series in a row and guys like Wallace, Kimmorely, Pearce, Mullen and even Brett Finch are getting the nod over him for representative duties. Good luck to him for winning the medal, injury and suspension smiled on him, but according to the selectors he isn't even in the top 5 halfbacks in NSW, let alone in the NRL.

 

[Fro]

At least you try to present a reasonable argument Garts, not just a sentimental rabbiting on.

He played a role granted, but the question is if it was a bigger role relative to the pay packets of others.

And to say we would not have made it is something that can't be established, Granted we MAY not have, but who is to say someone else wouldnt have stepped up for those games, We had Monaghan then, he may have lifted, or at least learnt to play a team game (and I doubt that would have happened) my point it is there are always options, and better ones than paying eleventy squillion dollars on rubbish that chokes when under pressure

 

[Garts]

I believe his role was as big as the other stars in our side, definately top 3.  Do not forget he was the centre of the majority of our attacking plays and handled the ball more than anyone else.  His role may not have been as big in comparison to his pay packet but that is life.  We needed a decent half and he was the only one on the market so we had to pay overs.  It is the same in the real world.  If there is a shortage of workers in certain position/role the quality ones are paid more than they are worth.  The same happened here, we paid overs, however his contract expired and we offerred a more appropriate market value this time around. 

You talk about options, the facts are at the end of 05 we had very few options.  At the end of the day we won a premiership so I think we took the right option, even if we paid overs, I do not care.  Now we have more options on our books with Hodkinson so are not required to pay overs Orford.  If we signed him for $450k this time around I would be pissed, but we did not. 

 

[Garts]

What do you make of the fact that he can win a Dally M as halfback and not even crack a NSW side that has lost 4 series in a row and guys like Wallace, Kimmorely, Pearce, Mullen and even Brett Finch are getting the nod over him for representative duties. Good luck to him for winning the medal, injury and suspension smiled on him, but according to the selectors he isn't even in the top 5 halfbacks in NSW, let alone in the NRL.

The selectors are useless.  They are the same idiots that continue to pick Gidley or think Brett White is a origin prop (granted that punch was sensational).  Orford would have done no worse a job than half those players.  In fact I would say he is better than them, I have seen them go missing in plenty of games.  Would I swap some of them with Orford?  Most of them yes, but not because they are better players at this stage of their careers, purely for the fact they are younger and can improve.

 

[Fro]

however his contract expired and we offerred a more appropriate market value this time around. 

Now we have more options on our books with Hodkinson so are not required to pay overs Orford.  If we signed him for $450k this time around I would be pissed, but we did not. 

On those things I am 100% in agreement with you.

 

[weev]

We won the premiership last year and I am hearing lots of whining.

I wouldn't want to play for manly with some of the whinging fans you have to put up with. I just hope the lads don't bother to read this forum.

I support my team but of course we will never know much *better* we may gone if we didn't have Orford ... maybe we would have three in a row, ha ha ha.

Even then someone would still whine.

I suggest to these whiners they find a video of the Northern Eagles inaugural season and watch every game in its entirety... to get some perspective.