2012 was his 10th year wasn't it?

IIRC he resigned part way through the season which would make it about 9.75 years.

Don't think 9.75 entitles you to a testimonial.

Didn't it stem from koppy playing for us after the deadline to to TUPE'd and he is now disputing the fact the was ever told, if he wants to go let him then we can move on with signing up players for next season.

I would have assumed every attempt would have been made to inform the players about the ins and out of a possible take over, no one else has had a problem with it.

There are certainly things to be done under TUPE but these are impossible to reconcile with a situation where one minute, there IS no buyer, because the RFL have not made a decision, and then the administrator (who is effectively the prospective seller) says the club will fold at midnight unless a deal is done. A deal is then done only hours before the deadline, and we have a game next day.

It would have been impossible for the new owner to have done anything at all prior to being accepted by the RFL and so what can you do? The rules and regulations seem to only cater for a situation where there is leisurely time for the proposed new owner and old owner to go through consultations, give notices etc., and not for a situation where literally everything is (and has to be) put together out of hours on a weekend at the drop of a hat.

As you say, nobody else seemed to have a problem with it.

Agreed but its not the Data Protection act that it falls under, which was my point.

FC said at the fans' forum that, as far as both he and the club were concerned, Kopczak remained a Bulls player and that Huddersfield had been 'very naughty'. Make of that what you will I suppose.

After a sincere apology I would take him back in an instant. He is a top quality, young, international standard prop. There aren't too many of those kicking around right now.

He was, up until recently, the club's player of the year too. I would prefer to keep him for his playing ability but nobody is bigger than the club.

If the players can accept him back then fair enough. Otherwise I'd prefer us to get rid.

No your wrong, in fact Kopczak would have been in his 10th yr at bulls next year. It WOULD have been his testimonial. Speaks volumes that he left without cashing in his testimonial

His wrong what?

No I am not. I did not make a claim, which could be "wrong". I don't know when he joined the Bulls. I thought I had read somehwere that 2012 was his 10th year hence the question.

The only site I can find that makes any claim is loverugbyleague which states that "Craig Kopczak joined Bradford Bulls in 2004" - when he would have been 18.


Thus presumably counting time as a junior?


Does it? What is it saying, then, as I can't hear a thing. Anyway, I have checked now, and there is nothing in the RFL Operational Rules that specifies a 10 year period.

Shaun Briscoe was recently awarded a three-month testimonial "to mark a decade in professional rugby league".

Danny McGuire has had a testimonial year approved by the RFL next year and he debuted in 2001 in SL so that is a minimum of 11 years; in fact he was a junior at the Rhinos from age 13 so has been there 16 years. He's SL's record try scorer and has won 5 Grand Finals. He deserves a testimonial year. I don't imagine for a minute that Kopczak would have qualified for a testimonial year and I doubt very much that he would have even thought about it.

It speaks volumes that you've set up a straw man about Kopczak foregoing a very lucrative testimonial year to leave the Bulls when this turns out to be just more bollox.

HTH.

Koppy signed for Bradford in June 2003.

Kop-out Craig made a mistake terminating his contract with us. There was no need for him to do it, and I think he'll regret what he has done.

I also don't think we'll miss him too much, as long as we sign a couple of front rowers.

Cheers



So 2012 was indeed his 10th year, which started in June 2012 and would be completed in June 2013.

You're wrong.

'Data' is a catch-all phrase that relates to ANY information held - electronically or otherwise. If these players have attended a clinic, this information will be held somewhere, and the Data Protection Act applies to it. Any member of staff divulging such information to anybody other than for legitimate professional reasons falls foul of the Information Commisioners Office advice that staff "can be prosecuted if they deliberately give out personal details without permission".

As Adeybull stated, heads rolled at Leeds NHS Trust when personal data on 'celebs' was merely accessed electronically without good professional reason.

Any health professional who does not understand this should seek training from their Trust - its normally part of mandatory training on induction anyway.

He said a bit more than that, but this is probably not the right place to debate it.

To be honest, "a lucrative testimonial", also requires the active involvement of team mates, fans and club officials of the player involved, so I think I may have just spotted the biggest flaw in that argument.

IF he gave a sincere and contrite apology to the fans, the rest of the team, the coaching staff and the new owners, then I'd take him back. Trouble is, I don't think that's gonna happen

No need at all for any of that nonsense.

All he has to do is to say "I listened to my vermin scumbag agent, who I now realise is a total sack of rat droppings and who was looking after his own interests not mine. I now realise my mistake. I am not the first, and I will not be the last. And I was going to spend the last hour separating him from his testicles, but I could not find any. So I kicked the shìt out of him instead."

Except doubt that will happen either...

It's not going to happen because he wanted to go and doesn't want to return. He didn't play all that often last season and everything was fine so I would say if there's any wrong doing and there is a chance of making something out of it - make as much money out of it as possible - the club needs the money not the player.

Is this the Bateman that has signed a 3 year deal with the Bulls, or some other Bateman?

... and pull ...

To be utterly fair, I don't think he's actually done anything that a court could find 'wrong'. Taking a different view from your mates isn't actionable and (AFAIK) he wasn't legally obliged to accept OK Bulls as his new employer if he didn't want to. He's just found a legal way out of a contract which he clearly didn't want to be in, so from that, I reckon you're dead right and he's unlikely to be coming back.

That said, [iIf[/i he were to decide that maybe he'd been a bit hasty etc etc, and there would be no problems in the dressing room over it, I'd have him back. He was (when fit) in good form and probably wasn't on megabucks and I'd guess it would cost more to replace him with a non-homegrown player. All in all though, I can't really see it happening and expect he'll sign elsewhere before too long.

I have no problem with what he has done more the way he did it. That said I think his position in the Bulls show just how far we have fallen. When Koppy can be our player of the year then it shows really how bad we are. He would not compare too well against any of the awesome foursome.

Whilst I am not impressed with craig's recent conduct he has been over past three years one of our most consistent performers and won over some of his knockers. People who keep going back to old players are in a daydream and not understanding of the past and the present. I think comparing anyone to the awesome foursome is daft and did vagana and fielden not make our team of the century? point that they may have been the best we have ever had all at once and something that is unlikely to happen again. Even Fielden over past four years does not compare to when he himself was part of the awesome foursome....
We have had same with wingers if they are not massive,direct, quick and scoring 30+ tries like Les they are not worth the shirt - get with times and know you enjoyed the past and it was a privelege.

If I am honest looking around the league which props are better than kopczak ? hill,carvell, peacock, o'meley, puletua ? If there is as rumoured even interest from the likes of Leeds, giants, wigan and saints then why are we so quick to knock him? just bitter

You're quite right. I apologize unreservedly. All our players are the best in the league in every position.Potter should have been sacked. We should have finished top of the league even with a 6 point deduction. Feel better now????