See this is the problem we suffer from. When we get a good player there is a demand to sign them long term and I get that.

Likewise nobody wants to see a player binned through injury but the truth is they are no good to us if they can’t be fixed. It’s incredibly harsh but a reality of sport.

Big clubs can ride these problems and pension players off, we can’t afford that. This Is fundamentally the case with CC and I don’t think we can afford another.

So we have no choice but to suck it up and hope Bill recovers or that he himself chooses to call it a day if he can’t. It’s the risk all clubs take but we are run on such tight lines that we simply don’t have the wiggle room.

Brutal sport at times for all concerned but especially for Bill who may not be able to resurrect his career and livelihood. So fingers crossed for all that he does recover.

Tony Martin was also an excellent. Just thought I’d throw him into the mix!! Versatile too, played 6 for us too if I remember.

Thought James Evans was also pretty useful, two tries in the 200s relegation decider.

On Tupou. Of course if he's injured he's injured but we've had longer term injuries we've stuck with.
At his best he was ripping teams apart.
Let's see if he can recover this off season before we start dismissing him.
Not sentiment, but a) he's in contract and b) his replacement isn't going to be the original Tupou either. It took some time for him to get there.

Problem you can’t solve, is that you can’t just cancel contracts when it suits

Agree but on this one, I get the speculation, he's a star player and an overseas player, he's a vital player for us.

One thing I don't buy is that if Tupou is on his way out is the assumption that we can go to Oz and find another one just like that! We can't, we may have a few duffers before we do. It's also worth noting that for his first two seasons Tupou was not all that good, it took him a while to hit his stride, so if we can get him fit he's still the best option IMO.

You can if you can afford to pay them off, clear to anyone with a brain we can't do that. Also, we owe Tupou at least an off-season to get right, his demise does seem a bit premature at this point.

Wires have had this problem only recently by throwing caution to the wind and signing Greg inglis ,which backfired spectacularly. But deep pockets by the owner came to the rescue by putting him out to grass in the community which freed up his overseas spot ,or face a very expensive crocked star on the sidelines long term .

i know that which is only right to be fair and its not a dig at billy sure you more than anyone knows how frustrating having a budget to keep in and one of what can onlybe assumed to be a decent wage taker and quota spot taken by somone who is rarley on the pitch and playing well... just have to hope he can recover from his injury and rediscover some kind of form that he was showing 3-4 years ago when he was easily one of best centres in sl

He's played more than Tom. Are you getting rid of him as well?

I think we should see what Bill's like when he recovers. I would think if he's not fully recovered from his injury, he would be the first to put his hand up and want to be away.
If, on the other hand, he recovers and can play as we know he can, we'd be a bit silly to let that talent go!
One more season of a fully fit Bill Tupou - yes please!

The problem is that at 31 it’s much harder to bounce back from an injury such as Tupous. IMO as he’s contracted we stick by him until he’s fit but should he pick up another knock, we should really be looking to settle with Bill and replace with someone else.

I don’t think we’ll see the mini beast at his best again, which is a real shame really.

Just to throw my two pence in about our past centres, Collis was such an underrated singing for me. Definitely one of the best imports we’ve had, shame he was a lazy bugger in training!

I agree,
As for Collis, I just think he was one of the best centres we never had. Sounds contradictory, he was so talented but we only saw flashes of it now and then. I just feel he never really totally committed himself consistently, on the pitch.

Really

So you settle with Bill ie pay him off.

So then with that money gone where do you find the money to pay his replacement?

It’s not rocket science, it’s basic economics

And then use 'prop' money for the centre we now need, who then gets long term injured in his first game...

1, where have i said get rid of billy,

2, tom form hasnt really dropped after injuries like billy did.

3, theres about 5 years age difference tom still in his prime and billy is past his

4, if a club offered good money for tom i would be happy for mc to sell his wage could be used in amore pivotal role.

The answer to no. 1 is in no. 4.

You could be talking about a whole raft of domestic and overseas players that have graced our club over the years , one that sticks out for me was Brent Todd , but plenty have turned up with big wraps and gone out and not done the business for us , some understandable others disappointing .

There's more than a suggestion above.

Hickey by a mile and a perfect example how even the wisest and most experienced of coaches can lose the plot. It’s the one big blot on JK time at the club for me and far worse than anything CC ever did. His stubborn desire to play this lard who spent more time in Greggs than in training was a shocker.

Signing players is such a gamble, especially Australians, they can quite literally make or break a club.

For me we really need to be even braver with Academy players and break our dependence on mainly reject Aussies.

Indeed.

For as long as MC has been in charge he’s followed the rule that you leave a little bit in the kitty and don’t blow it all at once pre-season.

Nobody has a crystal ball and who knows where we will suffer injuries. There are always loan players available as well as Championship players and of course Academy players. Ditto NRL players in fact mid NRL season is the best time to snag one.

Some fans on here panic endlessly wanting every position covered five times over. Apart from the obvious fact that we can’t afford it I don’t think too many players kicking their heels is a good thing should the team be doing well. It doesn’t always breed competition, sometimes it breed resentment and discontent.

If the medical staff say Tupes will recover for next season then we run with him. If he can’t then that’s when we decide.

Even a less capable Bill is still a safer bet than some of the names that get bandied around.

Correct Vastman, basic economics.

Despite it being pure speculation…Reading my comment back, “should Bill pick up another knock” that’s when I would look to settle with him and no, I don’t mean pay him off specifically. It would be a tough decision for the club but should he be on the sideline again, in the last year of his contract then we would either be left paying his wages for him to sit on the sideline and leave or come to an agreement and unfortunately have to cough up for another centre or make do with what we have for the remaining fixtures.

All the speculation aside, we’re literally paying the wages of two coaches at the moment, one of which is no longer at the club. So why would it be out of the question to bring in another centre?

Dean Collis was a legend compared to Brent Todd - that bloke was a big disappointment.

I do not understand any of that.
Firstly we are not paying for 2 coaches
Second, you haven't changed your point about Tupou. You say we are still paying for him and a new centre. Which was exactly the point you seem to be contesting.

Think it could be good to lay of B T till we see how he goes on the pitch. As Vastman says A below B T is still better than a lot that are around