Joining nz warriors on a 3 yr deal.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/96679398/.html

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/96679398/.html

This is unreal. Nobody wants to be part of this club and it's got nothing to do with Agar and Smith struggling to sign quality players even with an open cheque-book.

This is exactly the time someone needs to step with the balls to make wholesale changes from the top down. New coaching structure, retain the internationals we have under contract and recruit some solid hard-working minions a la castleford to shore up the defence. It can't be rocket-science if Castleford and Wakefield can do it with less resources and spending power.

I don't expect Maguire to be here next season but if he was I'd expect to see a few more honest performances. We really are in crisis right now... I think Hiku was the only thing to look forward to next season. Maybe Hughes will surprise us all.

There has been no announcement from the club yet.

Says it's on compassionate grounds why he's been released but strange coincidence the Warriors want him back at the same time.If true we are a club in freefall.

This is absolutely devastating. He looked fantastic in a poor side, had big expectations of him for 2018.

He seemed really happy only a couple of weeks ago talking about his mate coming over from Penrith to join him. For that reason I don't think it's related to Warrington, more the pull of going back to the club he always wanted to be at - plus maybe other things behind the scenes we won't know about.

Thanks for saving our season Peta.

Would be a peculiar twist after us signing his best mate. Never know. Maybe he won't come over either.

The one bright spot of the season.

I was concerned about where we are going to recruit extra players from, if we retain our SuperLeague status.

It`s now obvious that no Top Line NRL players will be happy playing in the UK.

Wow. Just what do you do as an aspiring club in this country? The current (average) crop of home grown talent is spread so thinly that the quality of the comp is a joke. And as soon as you get a half decent overseas player put in a couple of decent performances, he lands an NRL contract.

The comment in that article says it all: "at his age he was arguably too talented and too young to end up in the Super League". I wouldn't bet Stevo's mortgage on Barba seeing out his Saints contract: he'll either do well and get snapped up back home, or do poorly and get binned off for not justifying his salary. Best Saints can hope for is he does 'just OK' for a couple of seasons.

I really don't know where the game in this country can go from here. I'm an optimist, but I genuinely fear for the future of the game as a top flight sport.

I would image Hiku has now taken part in training led by Agar and decided he would rather not do so for the foreseeable future.
At Cas we have Millington, Roberts, Moors, Jesse Sene-Lafeo who have all been more than half decent. They haven't gone back the the NRL.
It was clear when Agar joined Warrington that you were going to have problems.

Is the move immediate or after our last 3 games?

Just does not make sense if he was instrumental in the signing of Akoula,if it is true well can only see him changing his mind aswell, this is a question that needs asking of Karl at 2pm today.

So what do Warrington get out of this? We lose one of our key players, someone to build a team around, someone to help sell next seasons aspirations and season tickets. Warrington allow him to go, free of charge, as far as we know, on sentimental grounds. Did we ask for a transfer fee to compensate for the loss of his services, did we try to do a deal to perhaps bring over some Warrior who may not be getting in their first team but experience in the UK may help them or did we just roll over, shrug our shoulders and say good luck Peta? I understand that it is pointless trying to keep hold of a player who's heart is elsewhere, but if he wants a move, and another club wants him, turn that problem into an opportunity. Perhaps we will learn something later...?

We need to take a leaf out of Hetherington's book and retain registration until they pay, not roll over and let him leave.

Unless the contract he signed had a NRL release clause and we're saying compassionate grounds to cover our lack of commercial nouse (gotta love a conspiracy theory)

Maybe its about time we just recognised the benefits clubs achieve through formalised twinning/ development/ partnering with an NRL club?

SL players who have gone over there generally come back a bit better (even those who haven't played much first grade) and fringe NRL players (and miscreants) can come over here for game time.

His contract always had a release option at the end of this season if he got an offer from the NRL. If you don't accept such clauses then you will never be able to make signings like Hiku. That is the reality of Super League at the moment.

Welcome back.

So why the smoke screen of "compassionate grounds" if the exit clause was triggered?

Any chance you could get shut of him before 3...

Unless I have missed it, there has been no club statement as yet on Hiku's departure and the reasons for it.

Let's just ask Karl at Bevan statue at 2pm.

Was there no mention of this at the meeting along with flogging season tickets ?

I can't wait for Bonfire Night, at least then Halloween will be well and truly over. It's nightmare after nightmare on Buckley Street.

No, which is why I'm going along to ask at 2.

The article stated will be confirmed by wire next week

If this happens than it's a real blow for us and super league

It also raises concearns about what's going on at the club we were unable to convince barba to sign and now hiku is off at the first opportunity !!

Not a good move to just allow him to go and not a good sign for SL in general that any decent player will up sticks at the first offer

It now raises the question do we play him ?? I personally say drop him and send him home now no point. Hanging on to him if he doesn't want to be here or was this the agreement with him see out the end of the season and go to warriors next year if it was announced as a johns style signing in to see end of season out then back to nrl than fine but this whole thing just shows we're not learning our lesson with regards to nrl players