Sonny Bill Williams leaves Bulldogs for France (2 Viewers)

[historykidd]

Nah, he's just bailing on a sinking ship. It's all about business and self preservation.

The man needs to get paid and the Dogs just aren't up to it.

get fucked. you know absolutely nothing and your life is of little consquence, north shore kid.

 

[HSC guy]

Let's face it. He got offered 3 million, that's a 6 fold increase. Say your making 50 grand at your job and another company offers you 300, would you take it? of course you would. I very much doubt he's going to get into trouble legally and i even more doubt the IRB is going to stop him.

But this isn't the problem, it's the symptom. League is dying. Australian and European union and european league are after nrl players, and they have many times more money to pay them. And the games financial future looks far from solid with AFL moving into western sydney. We need to remember we are a small country with many different sports competing for our attention and our dollar. The only way league survives threats from other countries and other codes is if it culls at least 6 teams. It has to be a 10 team comp at most, that way the level of entertainment would be greater because thered be more stars on each team, and the nrl will have more money to pay them. And we don't have to force any teams to shutdown either, just get rid of the salary cap and it would be survival of the fittest, 6-8 teams would fold within 5 years and the rest would be stronger for it.

 

[stazi]

Let's face it. He got offered 3 million, that's a 6 fold increase. Say your making 50 grand at your job and another company offers you 300, would you take it? of course you would. I very much doubt he's going to get into trouble legally and i even more doubt the IRB is going to stop him.

Of course he is going to get into trouble. He violated his contract. However, the trouble he'll get into will be much less than his salary overseas.

 

[historykidd]

Let's face it. He got offered 3 million, that's a 6 fold increase. Say your making 50 grand at your job and another company offers you 300, would you take it? of course you would. I very much doubt he's going to get into trouble legally and i even more doubt the IRB is going to stop him.

But this isn't the problem, it's the symptom. League is dying. Australian and European union and european league are after nrl players, and they have many times more money to pay them. And the games financial future looks far from solid with AFL moving into western sydney. We need to remember we are a small country with many different sports competing for our attention and our dollar. The only way league survives threats from other countries and other codes is if it culls at least 6 teams. It has to be a 10 team comp at most, that way the level of entertainment would be greater because thered be more stars on each team, and the nrl will have more money to pay them. And we don't have to force any teams to shutdown either, just get rid of the salary cap and it would be survival of the fittest, 6-8 teams would fold within 5 years and the rest would be stronger for it.

once again, spoken like an absolute dick who has little knowledge or understanding of NRL and its history. seriously, restrain from posting if you are that intellectually munted.

 

[Cookie182]

this is also being discussed in the light and offbeat news section

 

[wuddie]

The only way league survives threats from other countries and other codes is if it culls at least 6 teams. It has to be a 10 team comp at most, that way the level of entertainment would be greater because thered be more stars on each team, and the nrl will have more money to pay them. And we don't have to force any teams to shutdown either, just get rid of the salary cap and it would be survival of the fittest, 6-8 teams would fold within 5 years and the rest would be stronger for it.

the salary cap ensures that there is a competition, not just one or two dominant teams ripping it up week after week. one of the greatest qualities of league is that any team can beat any other team on a given day, which makes the result unpredictable.

cutting down the size of the comp just means discouraging the fringe players to play, and they will just convert to some other game. if the teams are already struggling to afford a handful of marquee players in their team, how do you expect them to pay a team full of stars? if anything, we should try and increase the comp to other states like sa and wa. make it so that every team has to have one or two home games at a neutral venue at the non-league states. hopefully that promotes the game.

a lot of these ideas need money. i think if league dies, it is because its inability to attract sponsorships.

 

[BackCountrySnow]

This isn't a question of loyalty.
Why should anyone feel any loyalty to a money-making corporation?

 

[historykidd]

This isn't a question of loyalty.
Why should anyone feel any loyalty to a money-making corporation?

aside from alot of moral outrage, and violation of accepted business conduct, its a legal issue - a breach of contract.

 

[stazi]

This isn't a question of loyalty.
Why should anyone feel any loyalty to a money-making corporation?

You're forgetting that he betrayed his coaches and fellow players, and not just a 'money making corporation'

 

[kaz1]

I heard he took a one-way ticket so he won't be back this season. So the Bulldogs are screwed cause they lost their best player.

 

[Charizard]

Dogs are still shit with or without him.


NRL is still shit with or without him.

 

[stazi]

I heard he took a one-way ticket so he won't be back this season. So the Bulldogs are screwed cause they lost their best player.

you do realise he could get another one-way ticket back to australia?

 

[Muz4PM]

This isn't a question of loyalty.
Why should anyone feel any loyalty to a money-making corporation?

The Bulldogs invested alot of time and money into Williams, refining his skills and making him the player he is today. This is not to mention as stazi said the betrayal of his coaches and team mates. Don't forget, he didn't only walk out on the "money-making corporation,"and his coaches and team mates, he also shirked his duty to several charities which he was booked to raise money for. From most accounts, he didn't have the courtesy to tell them he wouldn't be attending.

The thing that makes this ammusing for me at least, and what has compounded the outrage of this entire debarcle is Williams' continual calls for loyalty and the need to stay true to the code and the club. I think I recall him having a shot at Willie Mason for moving to the Roosters and not showing any loyalty to the Bulldogs. The irony now is delicious.

Whilst I understand players moving overseas to play for more money, especially considering their career could be ended any week by a bad takcle or unfortunate fall, I don't think it calls for someone to break the law and walk out on a contract or shirk their other duties.

 

[wuddie]

it is the good old balance of loyalty and money. you want to protect your rep as a person and an icon, but you also want to make sure you live merrily.

 

[HSC guy]

At all of you having a go at him for being a hypocrite by talking about loyalty and then doing this just take a step back and think about things. Last year he was a naive kid and Mason convinced him to sign an underpriced long term contract for the sake of the team. And SBW did that when he could have taken the same french offer last year, but then Mason left and SBW decided if everyone else only cares about themselves it's time i start doing things for myself too only after those arround him lied to him.

Of course he is going to get into trouble. He violated his contract. However, the trouble he'll get into will be much less than his salary overseas.

Not if he doesn't come back. I'd be shocked if the IRB bans him, and he's only young, he could be there for 10-15 years. And by then he'd be rich enough to retire and live in France. On top of that i'd say his new french team will buy out his contract to avoid any possible trouble.

 

[Triangulum]

Mason convinced him to sign an underpriced long term contract for the sake of the team.

the bulldogs offered sonny bill a 3-year $500000pa contract, but he specifically asked them for a longer-term contract and voluntarily took a pay cut in return.

anyhow, even if the contract was a dud, which it wasn't, that doesn't excuse him skipping the country in the middle of the season without telling anybody. he could at least have waited until the end of the season before shooting through.

 

[stazi]

At all of you having a go at him for being a hypocrite by talking about loyalty and then doing this just take a step back and think about things. Last year he was a naive kid and Mason convinced him to sign an underpriced long term contract for the sake of the team. And SBW did that when he could have taken the same french offer last year, but then Mason left and SBW decided if everyone else only cares about themselves it's time i start doing things for myself too only after those arround him lied to him.

You're overthinking it and contradicting yourself. So SBW was angry at mason: he talked about how unloyal Mason is; that SBW proclaimed that people should be more loyal. ... then you say that Mason left so SBW grew up and decided not to be loyal... Those are the exact same occasions.

Look, SBW is an absolute hypocrite. There's no doubt about it: he openly told everyone how important being loyal to your club is, then broke his contract to his long term club that developed him. Is he disloyal? Absolutely. You can't argue against that.

Ultimately, the question is: can you fault him for doing what he did? Yes. You can. If his contract was for one year, then at the end of the season he went to France, then we couldn't really fault him (apart from violating his "Bulldogs all the way" comments).

If I stayed with my grad company for ten years, spoke at meetings about loyalty and decreasing employee turnover rates; then got a job as CEO at some other company, I would also be a hypocrite and an opportunist; but the decision would make business sense, just like sonny bill's

Not if he doesn't come back. I'd be shocked if the IRB bans him, and he's only young, he could be there for 10-15 years. And by then he'd be rich enough to retire and live in France. On top of that i'd say his new french team will buy out his contract to avoid any possible trouble.

lol so if you break a contract in australia and then go overseas, there's nothing they can do? wow, i have an awesome idea: i'm going to start a company and get heaps of money from clients, not do the work, then move to france. then they can't sue me...

 

[Triangulum]

stas, you've done some contracts stuff at uni. what action can the bulldogs take against sbw given that he's overseas?

 

[charlesdinio]

I hope they exercise a clause in his contract and keep him at the dogs, as the executive said, "if hes not playing at the bulldogs, hes not playing anywhere"

I'm not even a doggies fan (go you dragons) but no one should be able to leave a contract like that.

P.S BRING BACK POKIES TAX!

 

[Zrap]

Yeah and not to forget the New Zealanders, he dogged the World Cup.