Punchbowl Dog
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These two blokes generally shit me but interesting what they say anyway particularly our recruitment
John Bateman's contract standoff with the Canberra Raiders has been slammed as "rotten" and "awful" by NRL greats Andrew Johns and Brad Fittler.
Bateman has been given permission to negotiate with other clubs after seeking an upgrade, from his current $600,000 per season to $800,000 a year over a long-term deal. He is contracted until the end of next season but may well be gone.
"It's an awful look all the way around," Fittler said on Wide World of Sports' Freddy and the Eighth.
"If you have to go and ask for 800, you're not worth 800. If you're getting 800, clubs are giving it to you, they're asking you to come to their club. It's a bad look. Bad look.
"I think he's already on 600 or something as well - it's a pretty good earn."
The England Test forward, 26, wants to stay at the Raiders but has been told by the club that they can't fit an upgrade into their salary cap. Publicly at least, relations between Bateman and Canberra have been amicable, with the Raiders willing to let him go if he can snare a life-changing deal.
Bateman revealed that he had a renegotiation clause despite being contracted until 2021, having arrived in Australia determined to prove himself better than his initial price tag. He insists that he hasn't requested a release, but certainly wants more money.
Despite winning Dally M Second Rower of the Year in his first NRL season, Johns reckons that Bateman may not be in the league's top 10 edge back-rowers.
"I went through some back-rowers ... here's the players in my opinion who are better players than John Bateman," Johns said on Freddy and the Eighth.
"Boyd Cordner, David Fifita, [Viliame] Kikau, Cam Murray. Elliott Whitehead, at the same club. Felise Kaufusi, Angus Crichton, Tyson Frizell, Wade Graham. I think only a couple of those would be on 800.
"I just think it's rotten. But it works both ways.
"If you sign a contract as a player, you play out your contract where you've signed. But also as a club, you take the gamble and sign a player to a long-term contract and something happens where they lose form, they lose interest, they have a fallout with someone, too bad. You've signed a contract."
Fittler said that the impasse seemed strange given Bateman was so popular at the Raiders, who he has described as family. He is close with coach Ricky Stuart.
"It's funny ... when I speak to anyone from Canberra, he's like Sticky's love child," Freddy said. "They reckon the relationship's great."
Johns countered that Bateman's agent, Isaac Moses, was likely an influential factor.
"It's the noise from outside. Someone's in his ear," Johns said. "Who do you reckon it would be?"
Johns urged Bateman to stay put, having played in a grand final with Canberra last season, arguing that he wouldn't be the same player at a weaker club.
He used the example of Kevin Proctor, the Kiwi Test forward who starred at Melbourne but has faded somewhat at Gold Coast; one of the clubs interest in Bateman.
"John, go and talk to Kevin Proctor," Johns said.
"Kevin Proctor was one of the bet back-rowers in the world, playing in a great system with really creative halves who knew how to get him the ball.
"Kevin went to the Titans for more money. I think if you go and talk to Kevin and rewind three or four years what he'd rather do, I'd say cop less [money], play in a better system with better players around him."
Apart from the Titans, the Bulldogs and Dragons have been touted as potential suitors for Bateman. Fittler said that the Bulldogs in particular did not seem like an ideal home.
"I don't see it as a good fit at the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs have 10 of those players, hard-working back-rowers," Fittler said.
"Josh Jackson, Adam Elliott ... they've got a lot of those sort of players.
"The Bulldogs need a star, the Bulldogs need a Kalyn [Ponga]. They need to spend one and a half [million] on a star and there's not that many out there."
Johns agreed.
"If I was the Dogs, I'd be going after a world-class fullback and a world-class halfback, depending on the fitness of Kieran Foran," he said.
"If Kieran breaks down again, then they've got to break the bank and go and buy a world-class half."
John Bateman's contract standoff with the Canberra Raiders has been slammed as "rotten" and "awful" by NRL greats Andrew Johns and Brad Fittler.
Bateman has been given permission to negotiate with other clubs after seeking an upgrade, from his current $600,000 per season to $800,000 a year over a long-term deal. He is contracted until the end of next season but may well be gone.
"It's an awful look all the way around," Fittler said on Wide World of Sports' Freddy and the Eighth.
"If you have to go and ask for 800, you're not worth 800. If you're getting 800, clubs are giving it to you, they're asking you to come to their club. It's a bad look. Bad look.
"I think he's already on 600 or something as well - it's a pretty good earn."
The England Test forward, 26, wants to stay at the Raiders but has been told by the club that they can't fit an upgrade into their salary cap. Publicly at least, relations between Bateman and Canberra have been amicable, with the Raiders willing to let him go if he can snare a life-changing deal.
Bateman revealed that he had a renegotiation clause despite being contracted until 2021, having arrived in Australia determined to prove himself better than his initial price tag. He insists that he hasn't requested a release, but certainly wants more money.
Despite winning Dally M Second Rower of the Year in his first NRL season, Johns reckons that Bateman may not be in the league's top 10 edge back-rowers.
"I went through some back-rowers ... here's the players in my opinion who are better players than John Bateman," Johns said on Freddy and the Eighth.
"Boyd Cordner, David Fifita, [Viliame] Kikau, Cam Murray. Elliott Whitehead, at the same club. Felise Kaufusi, Angus Crichton, Tyson Frizell, Wade Graham. I think only a couple of those would be on 800.
"I just think it's rotten. But it works both ways.
"If you sign a contract as a player, you play out your contract where you've signed. But also as a club, you take the gamble and sign a player to a long-term contract and something happens where they lose form, they lose interest, they have a fallout with someone, too bad. You've signed a contract."
Fittler said that the impasse seemed strange given Bateman was so popular at the Raiders, who he has described as family. He is close with coach Ricky Stuart.
"It's funny ... when I speak to anyone from Canberra, he's like Sticky's love child," Freddy said. "They reckon the relationship's great."
Johns countered that Bateman's agent, Isaac Moses, was likely an influential factor.
"It's the noise from outside. Someone's in his ear," Johns said. "Who do you reckon it would be?"
Johns urged Bateman to stay put, having played in a grand final with Canberra last season, arguing that he wouldn't be the same player at a weaker club.
He used the example of Kevin Proctor, the Kiwi Test forward who starred at Melbourne but has faded somewhat at Gold Coast; one of the clubs interest in Bateman.
"John, go and talk to Kevin Proctor," Johns said.
"Kevin Proctor was one of the bet back-rowers in the world, playing in a great system with really creative halves who knew how to get him the ball.
"Kevin went to the Titans for more money. I think if you go and talk to Kevin and rewind three or four years what he'd rather do, I'd say cop less [money], play in a better system with better players around him."
Apart from the Titans, the Bulldogs and Dragons have been touted as potential suitors for Bateman. Fittler said that the Bulldogs in particular did not seem like an ideal home.
"I don't see it as a good fit at the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs have 10 of those players, hard-working back-rowers," Fittler said.
"Josh Jackson, Adam Elliott ... they've got a lot of those sort of players.
"The Bulldogs need a star, the Bulldogs need a Kalyn [Ponga]. They need to spend one and a half [million] on a star and there's not that many out there."
Johns agreed.
"If I was the Dogs, I'd be going after a world-class fullback and a world-class halfback, depending on the fitness of Kieran Foran," he said.
"If Kieran breaks down again, then they've got to break the bank and go and buy a world-class half."
