News Brandon Smith breaks silence on Melbourne Storm future

Flanagun

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That quote from Smith was not very diplomatic at all. Those 3 clubs are the closest to offer what he's worth. If they withdraw their interest, then it's he might have shot himself in the foot.
I hope all three clubs do withdraw interest (if we have expressed any interest to begin with). I get the feeling Gus isn't interested anyway. Not because he doesn't like him as a player (he clearly does), but because he knows we would have to pay overs to get him here.

Total lack of tact from Smith. All three clubs should show some self respect and put a red line through his name. He is not good enough to warrant a huge bidding war anyway. He's very good with great teammates and coaching structures around him, but he isn't a marquee signing.
 

Psycho Doggie

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The big difference was Gus was and still is a commentator, columnist and analyst who was and is paid to share his opinions on all things footy related. Smith is just a clown taking pot shots at our club for no good reason. There is a huge difference between telling hard truths and just needlessly having a dig.

Those are not the type of comments I want to see from an incoming player. Smith is a flog.....and he's not worth 700-800k anyway. Time to move on.
I doubt that he is coming, though at this stage he remains unsigned for 2023, and until he is, who knows.

However, the players are commentators these days, especially if they give the slightest hint of having actual personality. They are constantly interviewed for screen, print, and podcast, their opinions sought and shared. They also get plenty of media training and advice about how to handle themselves as public figures. The comment being highlighted can be construed in all kinds of ways, which is kind of the point. That is exactly how Gus operates. Pick the right moments to be clear, and pick the right moments to appear to be clear but in a key sense be ambiguous.

Of course, some of them just don't learn and despite plenty of patience and instruction still end up drunk locked in a toilet cubicle with their shirt off...
 

COVENS

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I could see the Storm doing something like splitting the allocated salaries of Hooker and Lock between Grant and Smith, $700k-$800k each
 

Flanagun

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I doubt that he is coming, though at this stage he remains unsigned for 2023, and until he is, who knows.

However, the players are commentators these days, especially if they give the slightest hint of having actual personality. They are constantly interviewed for screen, print, and podcast, their opinions sought and shared. They also get plenty of media training and advice about how to handle themselves as public figures. The comment being highlighted can be construed in all kinds of ways, which is kind of the point. That is exactly how Gus operates. Pick the right moments to be clear, and pick the right moments to appear to be clear but in a key sense be ambiguous.

Of course, some of them just don't learn and despite plenty of patience and instruction still end up drunk locked in a toilet cubicle with their shirt off...
Lol this isn't a case of Smith displaying some subtle form of ambiguity.... it is a case of him needlessly showing disrespect to three rival clubs. If showing subtle ambiguity had been his intention, he could have easily done it without making those comments. No pot shots necessary. Not sure why you seem to have him pegged as some sort or razor sharp mind.... I don't exactly think he's the sharpest tool in the shed. Sorry, but comments like that are not the way to increase market worth, nor are they a way to endear yourself to the fan base of a club you are considering joining (unless it is a particularly desperate fan base). So what's the point?

Not sure why you're dragging Elliott into the discussion. Drawing parallels between a would be signing who issues public comments of disrespect towards a club and a formerly contracted player who is dealing with a drinking problem is a complete false equivalence. I can only assume you are doing it just for me.... aww don't I feel special?
 
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Flanagun

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I could see the Storm doing something like splitting the allocated salaries of Hooker and Lock between Grant and Smith, $700k-$800k each
Melbs won't pay 700k for Smith....they don't pay overs. They will offer him his market worth of 600-650k and if he won't stay for that, they'll let him walk.
 

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Melbourne have cap problems in 2023 unless they off load some players on $big, which means quality players;
NAS - $700k (off contract 2024)
JBromwich - $650k (off contract 2023)
Hughes $700k (off contract 2025)
Kaufusi $650k (off contract 2023)
Munster - $1m (off contract 2024)
Welch - $500k (off contract 2023)
Papenhuyzen - $700k (off contract 2026)
That's $4.9m then add in Grant and BSmith at minimum $600k each for 2023. Total $6.1m on 9 players, leaving $3.6m for 21 players at an average of $170k each (noting that the NRL minimum is $130k next season). Even for Melbourne that's an impossible ask as they have added Coates and Meaney who are on a fair bit more than the minimum, and especially if they want to retain players off contract like Olam, Kamikamika and Lumelume.

They have already offloaded JAC, Hynes and Finucane to be Cap compliant for 2022. If they want to keep both Grant and BSmith for 2023 they are going to have to offload a couple of the $big players for 2023. Most likely those off contract, JBromwich, Kaufusi and Welch. The trick is then replacing them with players on the NRL minimum $130k and getting the same value out of them as the 3 offloaded. That's why holding on to Bellamy for a guaranteed one more year as coach was worth the $huge they offered him.

Come 1st November things are going to get interesting down south.

Always a Bulldog
And surely Olam and KBrom get upgraded as well
 

Scoooby

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lol, as I said all along.. was never going to happen!! Was not going to be a doggie! Time to move on.
 

J_Cooper

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I’m so off this guy, it’s not worth breaking the bank for Smith, we’ll have upgrade several players soon we need to work with what we have for now and sort out a decent halfback.
 

Psycho Doggie

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Lol this isn't a case of Smith displaying some subtle form of ambiguity.... it is a case of him needlessly showing disrespect to three rival clubs. If showing subtle ambiguity had been his intention, he could have easily done it without making those comments. No pot shots necessary. Not sure why you seem to have him pinned as some sort or razor sharp mind.... I don't exactly think he's the sharpest tool in the shed. Sorry, but comments like that are not the way to increase market worth, nor are they a way to endear yourself to the fan base of a club you are considering joining (and less it is a particularly desperate fan base). So what's the point?

Not sure why you're dragging Elliott into the discussion. Drawing parallels between a would be signing who issues public comments of disrespect towards a club and a formerly contracted player who is dealing with a drinking problem is a complete false equivalence. I can only assume you are doing it just for me....aww don't I feel special?
Market value comes down to two main things. On field performance, and sponsorship valuation. Players are generally careful about what they say about other clubs, but when a player has been broadly perceived in a negative light by a certain club's fanbase, that turns around pretty quick if said player ends up at the club and performs. The opposite is also true.

The fans don't dictate which players get signed. A bunch of numpties started a petition to have Lewis re-signed, how did that go? One numpty player who has been with us for years and is even regarded as a leader has had his contract torn up because his off field behaviour turned off the sponsors, and his on field performances weren't good enough to justify that, this despite one notable fan creating over 1000 threads on the leading club fan forum arguing for his retention. Market value comes down to on field performance and sponsors. Cheese is a modern sponsors dream, they won't care what he has said, or at the least, they will be willing to go along with any reinterpretation of what was said.

Whether he stays at the Strom (likely), or goes to Tits, Tigs, us, or somewhere else, so long as he performs like he has this season the fans will love him and he will be well paid by the club. So long as his personality keeps spilling out in the way it is and he keeps his nose reasonably clean, the sponsors will love him and he'll keep getting gigs.
 

COVENS

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You're welcome....Why pay Five Guys prices for a Big Mac?
That's your valuation, not a realistic one that represents the NZ Hooker, who has been the best DH this year and has been one of the 2 most important players in the Storm squad - a team that will more than likely win the premiership this year.
 

Flanagun

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Market value comes down to two main things. On field performance, and sponsorship valuation. Players are generally careful about what they say about other clubs, but when a player has been broadly perceived in a negative light by a certain club's fanbase, that turns around pretty quick if said player ends up at the club and performs. The opposite is also true.

The fans don't dictate which players get signed. A bunch of numpties started a petition to have Lewis re-signed, how did that go? One numpty player who has been with us for years and is even regarded as a leader has had his contract torn up because his off field behaviour turned off the sponsors, and his on field performances weren't good enough to justify that, this despite one notable fan creating over 1000 threads on the leading club fan forum arguing for his retention. Market value comes down to on field performance and sponsors. Cheese is a modern sponsors dream, they won't care what he has said, or at the least, they will be willing to go along with any reinterpretation of what was said.

Whether he stays at the Strom (likely), or goes to Tits, Tigs, us, or somewhere else, so long as he performs like he has this season the fans will love him and he will be well paid by the club. So long as his personality keeps spilling out in the way it is and he keeps his nose reasonably clean, the sponsors will love him and he'll keep getting gigs.
I never said he won't keep getting gigs.....of course he will. I said his sarcastic comments about three clubs who are "going well at the moment" served no constructive purpose.

Clubs don't sign players to appease sponsors any more than they sign players to appease fans. Clubs sign players they believe will perform well. Ultimately, it is performance that attracts both fans and sponsors more than anything else. Not to say that a larrikin type character can't have any positive impact on sponsorship or membership, but the influence of such a player is pretty negligible compared to the impact of a winning team that can go deep into the finals series. Nobody would care that Smith was a bit or a larrikin if he were playing for a lower flying team....it's possible suggestions his laid back attitude was unprofessional would actually emerge. I'm not against signing larrikins if they fit into what we need from a playing point of view, but attitude has to be taken into account and publicly badmouthing a club is not a good look.

I am also a firm believer Smith is not what we need from a playing POV. He'd be asking for way too much money and I do not believe he's a 700k plus type player. I believe he is good, but not elite.....the type of player who looks like a superstar under Melbourne's structures, but would not look like anything much more than serviceable at a lesser club.

As far as a certain member creating thousands of threads about Elliott, that's just hyperbole, mate. In fact, I haven't said much about him at all since he was tapped on the shoulder..... the only times I've really spoken about him recently have been times when certain other members have dragged him unnecessarily into a discussion *cough cough.

Anyway, now that you have brought Elliott up, do you have any evidence his most recent indiscretion would have had any negative impact on sponsorship had the club kept him? No sponsor is going to bail on a club because a player gets thrown out of a restaurant for fooling around in a toilet.... players do worse shit all the time and it doesn't have a negative impact on sponsorship. "Parting ways" with Elliott wasn't about sponsorship. It was a business decision. The new administration felt he was on overs and possibly that he was offside with some of the playing group. I don't think it had anything to do with sponsors. Our biggest sponsor actually publicly argued he should be retained.
 
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