Toups rejects French Rugby to stay with the Roosters

[fletch]

Massoud and Channel 7 reporting in the last hour that Toups has rejected a massive offer from French Rugby to stay with the Roosters, as with everything involving Massoud take it with a huge grain of salt until confirmed by the club.

I'm scratching my head at our retention policy this season seems we have been reactionary rather than proactive, heading into the end of last year we had Friend/Guerra/JWH/Napa/RTS/Maloney/Toups/SKD/SST all coming off contract, I don't think anyone here would of thought the two we would lose would be RTS and Maloney.

We really screwed up by waiting so long to tie up RTS first and then Maloney and then the market started heating up and we end up being the big losers and then as an after thought we go back to re-sign SKD/Toups leaving gaping holes at fullback and five-eight.

[JAF]

Maybe we are now reverting to a Plan B and that is throwing cash at those players who have yet to re-sign?
But I agree - our retention policy does seem to be a bit strange at the moment!

[Guest]

Hooray! Toups will end up the highest paid player at Wyong

[Johnny Tobin]

We all knew the crunch would come at the end of this season. Fletch, you have been saying that for a couple of years.

No need to be surprised.

[Lydon]

We lose RTS and keep Toopoo ...aargh I need a drink

[Johnny Tobin]

Not really in the same category - and he hasn't signed yet.

[Danish]

We all knew the crunch would come at the end of this season. Fletch, you have been saying that for a couple of years.

No need to be surprised.

The surprise isn't that we have lost players. The surprise is the players we have lost weighed up against the players we have lost.

I'd have honestly lost absolutely any player in the squad before RTS. We haven't put so much clear and precise groundwork into grooming a player since Pearce, and then we just piss him up against the wall with a ridiculous low ball offer. Doesn't make sense that.

Losing Maloney at the expense of keeping, say, Napa and Guerra I would be more than comfortable with. I was expecting us to give the boot to great clubman SKD in favour of ferguson (which I would have hated), but the loss of RTS seems to have allowed us to appear to be doing the right thing when in actual fact we more than likely were just trying to sure up our backline after the RTS failure.

I don't always agree with the purchasing decisions of the club, but there is always a rhyme and reason to it all and an obvious plan in place. This season feels different to that.

[Vasco]

I'd rather have Tupou than not.

Better than Elliott or McDonald.

[Tommy Smith]

I absolutely agree.

The re-signings of SKD and Toops are xlearly reactionary to the unexpected loss of RTS and now perhaps Maloney.

We had money left over for next year and obviously thought "what the heck, better Toops than a gaping hole in our cap".

Unfortunately we're now up shit creek with a recognised first grade standard fullback and 5/8. Oops, major **** up.

[John Corey]

The surprise isn't that we have lost players. The surprise is the players we have lost weighed up against the players we have lost.

I'd have honestly lost absolutely any player in the squad before RTS. We haven't put so much clear and precise groundwork into grooming a player since Pearce, and then we just piss him up against the wall with a ridiculous low ball offer. Doesn't make sense that.

Losing Maloney at the expense of keeping, say, Napa and Guerra I would be more than comfortable with. I was expecting us to give the boot to great clubman SKD in favour of ferguson (which I would have hated), but the loss of RTS seems to have allowed us to appear to be doing the right thing when in actual fact we more than likely were just trying to sure up our backline after the RTS failure.

I don't always agree with the purchasing decisions of the club, but there is always a rhyme and reason to it all and an obvious plan in place. This season feels different to that.

I think the club genuinely had their pants pulled down by RTS and his manager. They thought with all the grooming and patience they had shown to bring him along at the right rate and not throw him in the deep end, would be paid back by RTS being loyal. Allowing them to throw in an offer that was probably below market value. thinking he would be happy to pay back the Club.
Unfortunately POS and his team took their eyes off the ball. Yes in hindsight they probably should have done all this a year ago. But I think the last thing they expected is that he would leave the club that has made him the player he is.

I still believe there is a grand plan tho. They couldn't retain RTS, but they could certainly keep Maloney if they wanted to.

[Thirteen]

Just be patient.

[Johnny Tobin]

So many players came in as kids and got well-deserved upgrades. There just isn't the money to keep them all.

[Danish]

So many players came in as kids and got well-deserved upgrades. There just isn't the money to keep them all.

I completely agree and understand that.

I just don't understand why we decided that people like Cordner were more worthy of upgrades than RTS.

[Johnny Tobin]

I completely agree and understand that.

I just don't understand why we decided that people like Cordner were more worthy of upgrades than RTS.

We offered RTS what we thought he was worth.

Only idiots mortgage the farm.

[roostersrule2]

I think this is a better re-signing then people think.

This gives us time to develop Mitchell properly, through NYC, then Wyong and then FG.

I think this confirms Fergo will be our FB next year too. I think he is up to it, I'm just not sure his ankles are.