Chrispmartha Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 9 minutes ago, JohnM said: Family? The old saying, "You can choose your friends but you can't chose your family." Look forwards and upwards, not backwards and downwards. If his /her families are wishing and encouraging them to return, that is emotional blackmail and is holding back a great playing talent. Maybe though, this is entirety his own choice. Maybe he likes wind, rain and cold. Have you ever lived in Australia? They have Wind Rain and Cold there you know! Also have you experienced homesickness, I have and it is awful, maybe don’t judge people if you haven’t got a clue what they are going through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunbar Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 1 hour ago, Smudger06 said: Seems he did the professional thing and asked for an end of season release, plenty of notice! and 2 outta 3 seasons completed for them. They've dumped him early and will now look to scapegoat him........ 1 hour ago, Smudger06 said: Then again the Raiders are saying he's pulled out of training and the game?!!? Yes, bit of a funny one that. The club have stated that they wanted to provide him all the support he needed and yet he was the one pulling out of the training and game time as he wasn't in the right place mentally. Perhaps the Raiders should have seen this and given him some time away from the game (a few weeks) as they have with others this year. Or maybe both parties just wanted to bring the saga to its end and this is the trigger. I am not keen on players unilaterally deciding not to train or play but similarly, I am not keen on the club using it to immediately release him of he stated that we had never sought an immediate release. It is hardly a show of support. None of this looks good and all we are seeing is the tip of the iceberg and there will have been a lot of talk leading to this point. "The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby. "If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Frisky Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 2 minutes ago, goldcoaster said: The Raiders paid a six figure transfer fee for him and to come over here, signed him to a long term deal and invested in them as their playmaker. George has basically said, it’s too hard and run back to the UK. Mid season. It has effectively derailed their season and has major ramifications for their roster plans. why are people sympathetic to him? why would NRL clubs continue to invest in English players (which the England national team needs in order to actually try and win a series v Australia for the first time in 50 years)? I certainly don’t want my club investing in more English players when the half a dozen English players we have brought in have all done exactly the same as Williams and flaked out mid-contract The amazing thing is this bloke actually believes the waffle he posted here.... even after 20 years of Aussies getting out of SL contracts by stating the same reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hela Wigmen Posted May 25, 2021 Author Share Posted May 25, 2021 42 minutes ago, Exiled Wiganer said: I know he will be coming back to a country with a lower league profile, but I am always amazed by the compare and contrast starting point as regards lifestyle. He won’t be living in Hardybutts if he comes back to Wigan. I would have thought that the prospect of living in, say, Standish, within an hour of Liverpool and Manchester, and an hour and a bit of the Lakes with world class social, food and cultural opportunities compares very well indeed with Canberra. If he does come back to Wigan - and given that our co-owner’s wealth increased by over 1/4 billion last year, I am guessing we could afford him. Maybe Hastings to Wests mid year as well (assuming Aussies are allowed to go back, must check that)? Aren’t Hastings and Bateman the marquee players and the money from Burgess was redistributed to boost contracts of existing players? You’d have expected Williams to take Hastings’ marquee slot next year but a mid year departure from Canberra either means Hastings goes mid-year (but can West’s afford him now?) or he goes elsewhere till the end of the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exiled Wiganer Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 2 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said: Aren’t Hastings and Bateman the marquee players and the money from Burgess was redistributed to boost contracts of existing players? You’d have expected Williams to take Hastings’ marquee slot next year but a mid year departure from Canberra either means Hastings goes mid-year (but can West’s afford him now?) or he goes elsewhere till the end of the season. If you don’t know by now that my posts are very rarely fact based, you haven’t been paying attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davo5 Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 13 minutes ago, Manfred Mann said: Well at least we now know that Canberra will not be winning the 2021 NRL Grand Final. Most RL followers knew that 6 weeks ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudger06 Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 24 minutes ago, goldcoaster said: The Raiders paid a six figure transfer fee for him and to come over here, signed him to a long term deal and invested in them as their playmaker. George has basically said, it’s too hard and run back to the UK. Mid season. It has effectively derailed their season and has major ramifications for their roster plans. why are people sympathetic to him? why would NRL clubs continue to invest in English players (which the England national team needs in order to actually try and win a series v Australia for the first time in 50 years)? I certainly don’t want my club investing in more English players when the half a dozen English players we have brought in have all done exactly the same as Williams and flaked out mid-contract 50 Years ? ....... ? Nope. You don't play us enough.......in case you lose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastLondonMike Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 Does seem a strange ending for Williams at Canberra. I would have thought the least he could have done was go to training and speak to the clubs coaches etc about how he was feeling. Does seem a bit odd texting to say he wasn't coming. Seems Wigan are the most likely destination, and sure contracts can be structured so he can be accommodated this year. Wigan could be the big winners in this situation. Newham Dockers - Champions 2013. Rugby League For East London. 100% Cockney Rugby League!Twitter: @NewhamDockersRL - Get following! www.newhamdockers.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omott91 Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 His loyalty to his family is first and foremost. That is the important thing here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleEyePie Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 It seems like a potentially messy situation, but it's surprising that Canberra recently stated they were going to support him and now they've sacked him. If he's said he's not in a fit state mentally to train or play then surely the reaction to that shouldn't be terminating his contract. If I rang my place of work today and said I was struggling mentally they'd give me time off, as every responsible employer should. Homesickness is a bit of a generic term. It's not a mental health issue in itself but the effects of severe homesickness are potentially serious mental health issues. That's the clear insinuation here - that Williams is struggling with mental health issues probably brought about by homesickness. I think it's a bit callous not to have any sympathy. I've read some people suggest that he was just in the wrong place in Australia and that he'd be fine if he was in Sydney but it doesn't always work like that. You can be in the best place in the world, earning huge amounts of money and living a life of luxury and still be homesick and still have mental health issues. You can point to Australia having a better lifestyle but that's not a universal truth - you'll find plenty of people (including Aussies) that hated living there and are happier elsewhere. Where he ends up remains to be seen. I'd love to see him at Wigan and we've got a marquee spot available since Burgess left (Hastings has never been a marquee player) but we've already got 4 first team halfbacks. There's no issue in moving Hastings to 9 or 13 during games and having Smith play off the bench again but there's still the issue of Leuluai - who is club captain - to return. We could sign Williams for 3 or 4 years and then loan someone out (maybe even Williams himself) for this season, or just make do with an unbalanced squad. Or Wigan could tie him up for 2022 onwards and he'd still be a free agent for a year. Leeds and Warrington will be the other serious contenders. Wire probably don't have the space available but could look to offload Blake Austin early. Leeds must be desperate for a halfback but don't seem to have much space on the cap either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidM Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 44 minutes ago, Dunbar said: maybe both parties just wanted to bring the saga to its end I think this is basically it . There was obviously going to be no meeting of minds on this . Williams unhappy off the pitch has seeped into his performances on the pitch ... and on the other side the Raiders just aren’t performing as a collective and their season has drifted onto the rocks . Best lance the boil now and move on . Raiders can look to a replacement for 2022 in good time and George can try and fix himself up here . More generally it’s another symptom of a totally horrendous year for Ricky’s mob , which started with huge expectations but has unravellled badly , with various issues and problems hitting them as well as poor results . Only the pretty average and inconsistent nature of several teams means they’re a chance of making the 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrispmartha Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 4 minutes ago, EagleEyePie said: It seems like a potentially messy situation, but it's surprising that Canberra recently stated they were going to support him and now they've sacked him. If he's said he's not in a fit state mentally to train or play then surely the reaction to that shouldn't be terminating his contract. If I rang my place of work today and said I was struggling mentally they'd give me time off, as every responsible employer should. Homesickness is a bit of a generic term. It's not a mental health issue in itself but the effects of severe homesickness are potentially serious mental health issues. That's the clear insinuation here - that Williams is struggling with mental health issues probably brought about by homesickness. I think it's a bit callous not to have any sympathy. I've read some people suggest that he was just in the wrong place in Australia and that he'd be fine if he was in Sydney but it doesn't always work like that. You can be in the best place in the world, earning huge amounts of money and living a life of luxury and still be homesick and still have mental health issues. You can point to Australia having a better lifestyle but that's not a universal truth - you'll find plenty of people (including Aussies) that hated living there and are happier elsewhere. Where he ends up remains to be seen. I'd love to see him at Wigan and we've got a marquee spot available since Burgess left (Hastings has never been a marquee player) but we've already got 4 first team halfbacks. There's no issue in moving Hastings to 9 or 13 during games and having Smith play off the bench again but there's still the issue of Leuluai - who is club captain - to return. We could sign Williams for 3 or 4 years and then loan someone out (maybe even Williams himself) for this season, or just make do with an unbalanced squad. Or Wigan could tie him up for 2022 onwards and he'd still be a free agent for a year. Leeds and Warrington will be the other serious contenders. Wire probably don't have the space available but could look to offload Blake Austin early. Leeds must be desperate for a halfback but don't seem to have much space on the cap either. Think we (Leeds) have been running below the cap for a few years and the management has always said there’s room in there for recruitment. However i would be majorly shocked of he ends up anywhere but Wigan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barnyia Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 Could he finish the season with another Aussie club? He's been released and willing to finish the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleEyePie Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 1 minute ago, Chrispmartha said: Think we (Leeds) have been running below the cap for a few years and the management has always said there’s room in there for recruitment. Is there room for another potential marquee salary? I've read (but don't know how accurate it is) that Leeds already have two marquee players for this year and if that's the case then that could be a deciding factor. If Leeds have 2 marquee players and £150k left on the cap they'd probably lose out to Wigan if we had just £80k left on the cap but a marquee player spot available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidM Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 Doesn’t look that great either way .... Raiders are desperate and this is a winnable game for them , but he decides he’s not playing . That’s your job while you’re there . Then Raiders obviously have had enough and cut him loose . Very messy all round Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommygilf Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 2 hours ago, hunsletgreenandgold said: Williams vocalising his side of the story already! Good to see and pretty bad from the Raiders if that's what has happened. Part of me would love him to be bloody minded and not sign it now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommygilf Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 14 minutes ago, EagleEyePie said: Is there room for another potential marquee salary? I've read (but don't know how accurate it is) that Leeds already have two marquee players for this year and if that's the case then that could be a deciding factor. If Leeds have 2 marquee players and £150k left on the cap they'd probably lose out to Wigan if we had just £80k left on the cap but a marquee player spot available. Only 1 marquee in the Squad (Hurrell I believe). Trent Merrin was the other when we could have 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allora Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 18 minutes ago, DavidM said: Doesn’t look that great either way .... Raiders are desperate and this is a winnable game for them , but he decides he’s not playing . That’s your job while you’re there . Then Raiders obviously have had enough and cut him loose . Very messy all round Agreed. The result is the best outcome for both parties. Being homesick is very tough, I have been there, but it can be a state of mind that in some cases can be overcome. I guess once they decided to have a child it put more pressure on the situation during the state of this Covid restricted travel World. Good luck to him back in Super League. Talent is secondary to whether players are confident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedfordshire Bronco Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 1 hour ago, Manfred Mann said: If that is true, then it is no surprise that he was fired on the spot. Australians don't like to muck around these days. Not like they used to eh Manfred? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleEyePie Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 2 minutes ago, Tommygilf said: Only 1 marquee in the Squad (Hurrell I believe). Trent Merrin was the other when we could have 2. I'm sure I read somewhere (possibly Total RL) that Zane Tetevano was signed as a marquee player Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allora Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 4 minutes ago, Tommygilf said: Part of me would love him to be bloody minded and not sign it now Well I am sure the Canberra club will be looking at George’s comments and will work things out with him. Talent is secondary to whether players are confident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedfordshire Bronco Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 15 minutes ago, DavidM said: Doesn’t look that great either way .... Raiders are desperate and this is a winnable game for them , but he decides he’s not playing . That’s your job while you’re there . Then Raiders obviously have had enough and cut him loose . Very messy all round Yeah I agree. He needed to tough out the game Work can be stressful and yes I have worked abroad and been stressed It was his decision to go in the first place - he needed to be better than this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidM Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 9 minutes ago, Tommygilf said: Only 1 marquee in the Squad (Hurrell I believe). He’s more of a mini tent than a marquee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommygilf Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 5 minutes ago, Allora said: Well I am sure the Canberra club will be looking at George’s comments and will work things out with him. Doesn't seem a happy relationship at the moment. Obviously could also be an admin error. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommygilf Posted May 25, 2021 Share Posted May 25, 2021 Just now, DavidM said: He’s more of a mini tent than a marquee Indeed, he won't be on that sort of money if he stays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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