I wonder if there are certain differences in Employment Law/Contracts between the UK and Oz that makes Walkout think he had solid contract and the Bulls saying he hasn't??

Rumour had it that Matt King had agreed a deal with Bulls - verbally - but then gave backword when Wire gazumped us. Anecdotal, but heavily suported by comments from or attributed to Hood at the time as well as other indications.

As has been said above, most players' agents would appear not to think twice about recommending a better offer and gazumping the club who thought the player was nailed-on. We saw the antics of agents with Caisley and Sam, and anecdotally with Howes and Ellis, and I doubt that players' agents would be high on anyone's list of respected professions.

Seems to me that if a player/his agent might not think twice about going for a better offer even if that meant renaging on a handshake or verbal agreement or whatever, then why should a club not also be allowed to do likewise? Within reason, obviously, and if a player had incurred costs on instruction of the club then should be reimbursed for those. But just a thought, as others have noted above?

If it transpires that the club have been very hard-nosed commercial but have not incurred any undue liabilities, especially when we are talking about a contract worth about £110k p.a to the player (as reported) then I guess you'd have to say that's business and it cuts both ways. And if Walker reckons he signed in AUGUST then why the hell has he (or his ahgent) not been on the phone every day for the signed contract back - why suddenly wait till mid-November then start screaming? All this still to come out I guess.

If however it transpires that the Bulls HAVE contractually employed the guy, then gone back on it the way the agent is describing and we are facing a settlement award or worse, then my reaction would be...well lets leave speculation till the fat lady has sung, I guess?

My guess is that the announcement of the Bulls/Orford deal may have come at an inconvenient time, possibly undermining/destroying a negotiating position that was being built (based on the notion of a substantial deal from the Bulls) with another party.

You jammy sods.

[url=http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2009/11/20/160541_gold-coast-titans.htmlWalker back to Titans?[/url

Depends on him getting a settlement from us, money grabber imo

This confirms that he doesn't have a valid visa yet though one way or another.

Yes, our loss was the X-Factor's "gain"

Quality comment!

wrong. your correct that the number of overseas players comes down to 5 next year from 6 this year. however chris nero is ooc at end of this year, and he becomes fed-trained when he signs his next deal, wether its with us or someone else and wont count on the overseas quota. so assuming menzies retires we'll have one full quota spot available, and we can give nero an extension if we so wish.

I never wanted Chris Walker here, even before we were linked with Matt Orford. Walker is a trouble causer and is only interested in money. I hope to god we have not signed him, and no other club signs him. As for Peter Hood he is a complete tool. He said he didnt know where the Chris Walker rumour had come from a few weeks ago, yet he'd sent Walker a contract. The guy is a joke and has turned the club into a laughing stock.

Yet you are happy to sign Orford??

Yes as he is world class, and deserves every penny.

Not questioning his ability, but how can you say Walker is only interested in Money with one hand and then intimate the Orford isn't with the other??

do you seriously believe any oz player comes over here for anything other than money? doubt they come for the lifestyle,weather or higher quality competition

Dont disagree!!!

Just making a point to 6Ientyn6 !!!

While Hood's reputation certainly hangs on the outcome of this affair, I don't find your definition of a wise chairman as being one that responds honestly to all questions from journalists regarding recruitment very compelling.

A most entertaining thread for this time of year and great bait for the trolls.
There is one golden rule which should be followed when commenting on a contract. That is: first read the contract.
All else is merely uninformed speculation which may be entertaining, though with a lack of any legal corroboration ultimately naive.

To allude that this potential "contract" as being similar in its handling to the Harris affair by the Bulls Board has no merit in either the context of the issue nor the fact that the current Chairman was not the architect of the Harris affair.

That Hood has not commented so far on what may be a legal issue is prudent, that he has not responded to rumours and innuendoes from the press and Walker's self interested agent is sensible.

Doesn't a visa application have to have support from a UK employer? If so, then surely the visa application will fail. Presumably the contract is only valid if a visa is secured. So, what if the agent forgot to ensure that the contract required that the Bulls were obliged to support a visa application?

Surely any player or agent who thought they had signed for a team in August would have regularly asked a lot of questions about why the signing hadn't been announced, when loads of others had been signed in the interim? And surely they would have wondered why a visa hadn't appeared much sooner than now?

Sounds like a dodgy agent trying to pull a fast one. Just need to hope that that dodgy agent isn't also a clever dodgy agent who intentionally draws teams into committing whilst then ensuring that they'll think that it won't go ahead and end up signing anothr instead.

Couldn't agree more with you

Walker is a proven trouble maker and shouldn't ever be considered as an overseas import IMO by any SL club

On the other hand Orford would be a fantastic signing, he would be the ideal player to lead the Bulls for the next 3 seasons

I agree that Hood is a total numpty,
If .......he did in fact send this contract offer to Walker, and now doesn't seem to remember the deal?

Can this be proved though?

Someone is clearly lying here, i believe that Walker will gladly take a settlement from the Bulls, if they are deemed as the guilty party in this fiasco of course, and will subsequently sign a reduced deal elsewhere

Of course he wasn't coming to the Bulls for the money

I've counseled several times now for people to keep their powder dry rather than setting up the inevitable kangaroo court to decide who gets stood against the wall and shot. At the moment most people seem to be taking Walker's agent's account as gospel, or close to it. And yes, it sounds all too plausible, and we all know the Bulls hierarchy are useless incompetent inepts - after all, that must be so because so many armchair experts say it is so?

If indeed someone at the Bulls HAS screwed up badly, or acted unethically, then I'll willingly join the firing squad.

But everything I am hearing, or given to understand, or indeed deducing points to it being not quite like that at all. We have had trial by media, but to my knowledge neither Walker nor his agent (who I start to suspect history will show to be the real villain of the piece and has badly dropped Walker in it - but I only speculate) have produced to the media (who they are so keen to play) any evidence to support what they are alleging.

Indeed, will we subsequently learn that Walker did indeed receive a contract from Bradford, maybe same time as Kearney, but did indeed sit on it and not return it - or at least not till very recently? Once his agent learned of the Orford signing and realised that his client could no longer use the unreturned Bulls contract as a bargaining chip in trying to secure a better deal elsewhere? Don't think that will be the first time that has happened? Will we learn that Bulls, strung along by Walker, saw an opportunity for a FAR better and FAR more important signing and decided sod it...you had your chance sunshine?

Why else would Bulls have not announced Walker but announced Kearney when they did? Why else, other than he had not returned his contract? This Visa stuff is surely a red herring, since Kearney was announced well before he had his VISA, and we are told Orford's availability arose at fairly short notice.

Fact of the matter is...we don't know and won't know till all this is cleared up - so as I keep saying, speculation is futile.

But I started to fall into the trap of believing what I read in the papers without any kind of objective validation. Yet I am given to understand the Bulls consider his claim to be without foundation.

So I'll continue to keep my powder dry. If it transpires that the firing squad's target will be wearing a Bulls tie, I'll probably go apeshît with the hierarchy - which is not a pretty sight, be assured.

But I have an increasingly strong suspicion that the firing squad's eventual validated target will prove to talk with an Australian accent.


Funny how all this blows up just before the early bird deadline...?

I was once offered a contract by British Aerospace up at Yeadon but didnt sign it, I went to work elsewhere instead.

Can they take action against me for not taking it up

I think the Bulls offered Walker a contract months ago and because of the sort of person he is, he has had his agent tout around for another club for more money and nobody was interested or could match our offer. Therefore because nobody else could offer him anything, at the last minute he's signed our deal which we are no longer interested in and in the meantime moved to sign a world class player.

Chris Walker should have shown some loyalty to Gold Coast, afterall they took a chance with him. It just proves all he wants is money and Gold Coast stood up to him and said he wasnt getting it, Walker has already stated that he wants to remain in Queensland. He would not be interested in playing for us or any other Super League team.

More twitter comments from Chris Walker:

@RichardMathers hey mate..... bradford rrrr cracking jokes...... maybe i should join leeds like my brother did..............

( He'd be a fans fave for sure! )

@RichardMathers mate the players union r looking after it now, they have all the contracts and agreements that we have signed, waiting game.

( this suggests bradford didn't sign it! )

Quote ="Oz-Bull"Walker could still end up at Catalans..... www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,865 ... 14,00.html (the last few sentences are the important bit) I haven't heard too much over here about the chances of Bird returning home, anything that might bring a smile to my face?'" Bird is joining Gold Coast next year depending on how his appeal with his court case goes. Doubt he will be at Catalans next year, its either Gold coast or the big house for bird.

Quote ="Oz-Bull"Walker could still end up at Catalans..... www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,865 ... 14,00.html (the last few sentences are the important bit) I haven't heard too much over here about the chances of Bird returning home, anything that might bring a smile to my face?'" Bird is joining Gold Coast next year depending on how his appeal with his court case goes. Doubt he will be at Catalans next year, its either Gold coast or the big house for bird.