BLM, say it ain't so

Wakefield Trinity have given Jordan Crowther permission to speak to rival clubs.

The 23-year-old is off-contract at the end of next season and though Wakefield are keen to retain their homegrown star, League Express has been notified by other clubs that he has been made available.

Off-contract players are normally not allowed to speak to other clubs until May 1st, but can be granted permission if requested.

Crowther has emerged as a key cog in Chris Chester’s squad, with his utility value proving pivotal.

He made eleven appearances during 2020 and is set to play a more prominent role again next season.

But it remains to be seen whether that will be his final season, with two clubs already believed to have tabled deals.

In the week Chester talked up Crowther’s worth to his side.

“In terms of the first team, the performances of people like Jordan Crowther, he has been a standout player for us,” he told the Wakefield Express.

“He has really worked hard on his game over the last couple of years.

“He found himself on the fringes of the first team in recent seasons, but the biggest accolade I can give him is that he is one of the first names I think about when we are picking a side.

“Especially when we are coming up against a tough side with big people in the middle, Jordy is one of the first players mentioned in our daily staff meetings.”

Meanwhile Trinity confirmed the loan extension on Innes Senior this week, with the winger to return from Huddersfield on a season-long loan.

The England Academy international spent the end of the 2020 campaign with Trinity, scoring four tries.

He’s got to do what’s right for himself first and foremost, like any job. It’s such a short and at times unpredictable career. Really hope he stays but if not I wish him all the best, he really gave everything he had on the field when playing for us.

Thanks for doing the technical bit and giving my post context

The club are protecting their investment by letting him talk now.

If they wait and JC decides to move, he would move for free.

Important for both JC and the club to know what his value is in the market.

Hope he stays.
I'd wish him well if he decided to leave.

This is where it will be announced he has signed a new deal...

That's not good news but if he's leaving better the club is given monetary value for him than gone for free, same with TJ

After this weeks Q&A on Trinity Tv i'm with you on this one.

Very sad news for Trinity fans if correct, especially with him being one of our own products. I can't understand the juxtaposition of CC claiming "He's the first name he thinks of when choosing the team", and "A valued member of the side"; but then him being made available to other clubs. Was that just Club rhetoric, or has Jordan asked to be made available? Hope he decides to stay

What's so hard to understand?

He's out of contract at the end of the year. If we refuse him permission to talk to other clubs, he will walk for for free.

If we allow him to talk, we have the option to match or better the offer (this allows JC to earn the money the market thinks he is worth), or if we can't agree, we can accept a fee.

He may, of course, decide to just see out his contract and leave anyway.

It's not unheard of for the buying club to sign a player for the following year, avoiding a fee and putting the money "saved" onto the new players contract. Shady dealings.

I imagine he will end up signing a new deal but if he does get a good deal elsewhere decide to move on then good luck to him. It’s a short career and he needs to do what is best for his own future. He’ll be 24 shortly, he has to start maximising his career earning potential sooner rather than later. Go find out what others are willing to offer then see if we can match it. Hopefully we can.

Of course I appreciate all that you say from a business point of view. I was being somewhat rhetorical myself. It's the irony of the situation. The Head coach one day says more or less: Oh! you're such a valued member of the squad, and then the Club claims, but if there's a bit of brass in it for us you can go.

I thought that Crowther would be a player that Trinity would want to keep ??

The season just gone has been his best season for us and when so many others weren't bothered, this gut was tackling everything that moved.
Surely, he deserves a new contract - at Trinity
It seems strange to have invested so much time and effort into the lad, just to let him go when he is playing so well ??

I know one thing for certain, if he leaves he will immediately become a Trinity martyr to the very same people who only a year ago were slagiging him off as not good enough - you know who you are.

Truth is neither party owe the other anything more than good manners and respect.
So long as that takes place what will be will be.

I generally follow the idea on here that he won’t be going anywhere. I certainly hope not as you build teams around these players, I’ve always been a fan of his.

Truth is that for many players not just JC leaving your boyhood club is often the making of them. In my industry there is a saying ‘start as an apprentice stay an apprentice’ and the only way out is to move on if you have ambitions. when you’ve served your time.

It’s a tricky one for fans to accept but players being at any club at the right time is not easy to predict. JC wants to know his worth and why not he’s been a fringe player until this season, he’s earned it.

Whatever happens let’s not have the wailing and recriminations, the club will survive, new players will emerge. Hopefully he will stay, he has plenty of reasons to do so, fingers crossed but if not it is what it is.

Read between the lines mate. Nobody is letting anybody go. It’s a bit more subtle than that.

See Dboys post it’s about right. Once a player gets noticed these things happen, it’s pretty standard. There may well be an offer on the table from us but one not yet acceptable for JC, he has the right to negotiate and to do that he needs to know his worth.

We don’t own players, we effectively only rent them.

Lastly, League Express!!!

How happy are you to take their slant on it? Worst gossip mongers in the game, who pathetically get much of their content directly of these forums. I wouldn’t trust them with a weather forecast!

Stopped buying that paper years ago

I read it more as "of course we won't stop you from going, but we think a lot of you so whoever wants you will have to pay us a lot".

At the moment, it's possible Wakey are going to lose an asset. Of course they are going to publicly say how great he is. It might persuade Jordan to stay where he is, or it will bump up his price for other clubs. It's a no-brainer for Wakey to say what they've said.

And for Jordan, perhaps the same. If he waited a year and has a good season, he will get more money in his pocket in the long run, as whoever wants him will have more money to give directly to him rather than having to pay Wakey to give up the last year of his contract. (On the other hand, of course, an injury or playing in a poor side may reduce his value, so it's a gamble for him either way).

If he goes, good luck. A short career and he needs to make the most of it.

I would be pretty gutted if he left.

Let's just hope it's just gossip!

I understand that.

The comment which causes concern is the allowing him to talk to other clubs when, there is a year left on his contract.
Usually, the "letting players talk to other clubs" occurs for 2 reasons, if they are not going to be required or, that they are unhappy with their contract offer ??
Mind you, with the late finish to last season and late return to next, the timings aren't perhaps as they usually are.

Crowther has red, white and blue blood and this season, for me, was possibly THE most improved player for Trinity.

He should certainly be in the 17 "every week".

Yeah but that’s the ‘slant. Nobody has actually said that if I read the OP correctly, that’s just speculation by LE at present. I mean serious who are these clubs who’ve made LE aware and why would they? Sound typically desperate for a rag that pretends it’s in the know.

You obviously never read Nosey Parker in the erstwhile League Weekly, then, Vasty owd lad!

I have to say that after the season he's just had, if JC had been on the Wigan or Leeds books he'd be being tipped for interntional honours now by all the RL journalists.

Jordan was tipped years ago for international honours by Phil Clarke no less but let's not get carried away here. JC has moved up this season from useful fringe player to first 17. That's good going and I'm chuffed for him. That's still some way off from being a hot property, especially in a position where there is a lot of competition and I mean a lot. It's not like TJ who's only real competitor at present is Makinson, I could name you literally a dozen young back-row forwards similar to JC, that's not a put-down, it's as close to a fact as you'll find on here. I mean we have two ourselves in Batchelor and perhaps another in Walker.

So no disrespect whatsoever but at the moment at least the club JC has the most value to remains the club he's at, us! The only other clubs who are likely to be interested right now probably won't be the ones he would want to go too. That may change after next season when he's OOC but for now, I can't see anyone offering a transfer fee can you?

That being the case nows the time for all to test the water. If there is a club that wants JC at all costs then et them speak now, if not then let's get the deal moving for JC ASAP.

It's odd really because I suspect the same thing happened with TJ but as that was probably a slow news day and the elitist brigade thought he'd move at the first chance it didn't make the headlines, might be wrong on that though.

Good post Fishermanscap you got it spot on in a large nutshell