Quote ="Grimmy"Agreed about the agent but I've yet to see anything good come from a player or club commenting on rumours. Look at Watson and Salford saying he's not going to Hull - now everyone is talking about whether he'll go to us, Saints or Wire.'"
It's all about what you takeaway from it - that's why it's such a polarising topic. I can see it one way and others will see it another.
There's one key principle for me and that's people are going to talk anyway.
Watson shut down the Hull rumours and that, for me, is a positive for both him and Salford. Watson has showed that he's not just a mercenary and that it will take something special for him to move.
I'm sure off the back of that, there's plenty of Salford fans who like Watson even more than they thought possible. It's almost elevated Salford as a club too - it paints a picture of a club that's got something special going on, something people don't easily walk away from.
Yes there's talk of a big side possibly being the ones to lure him away, but that chatter was already there and won't be going away. You can't control that, it's a product of success, but they did control the Hull rumours. They put them to bed.
I'll throw another example into the mix, Greg Inglis. I was impressed by the straight answer both him and his agent gave earlier this week when asked about his future.
Inglis;
Quote “My priority right now is seeing the family and kids first. But I’ll definitely be heading over – I haven’t changed my mind or thought twice about it.”'"
His agent;
Quote “There have been offers fielded about Greg playing in Australia again, but he’s chosen to play in England,”
“They’re good offers from NRL clubs. But Greg is a man of his word. There are no regrets. He could earn a lot more money here but he’s achieved what he’s wanted to in the NRL.”'"
Compare that to Hastings's agent, or think back to preseason and the lack of a definitive statement in the face of growing speculation.
Not every situation is right for a response, but some definitely are.
