The untold story of how the Bulldogs let Johnathan Thurston sign with the Cowboys

[doggiez03]

Well done Folksey and Noad you two dumb flogs

 

[CroydonDog]

To those of us old enough to remember 2004, I seriously ask the question: How many of you looked at the skinny young kid Thurston and thought to themselves "this guy will win 4 Dally Ms and be the next immortal"?

Then again, I see the number of people willing to kick M'Bye when he was seen as the next Thurston only a year ago.

It was 11 years ago FFS, time to move on.

 

[Dognacious]

A lot of people flaming Noad and Folkes for what was the right decision at the time. Food for thought too, as shit as you think they were, they were responsible for the last premiership this club won. At the time Anasta and Sherwin were the best halves in the comp. No brainer to keep them.

Anasta is the one who screwed us imo. We let JT go and then Anasta broke contract early to leave a year later. If Anasta had left a year earlier, we would have had room and kept JT.

 

[Chicharito]

I still don't know how the club managed to **** this one up so badly. The bloke wanted to stay and was willing to take less money and we still ****ed him off. The decision definitely left the club with egg on its face.

 

[Izy]

To those of us old enough to remember 2004, I seriously ask the question: How many of you looked at the skinny young kid Thurston and thought to themselves "this guy will win 4 Dally Ms and be the next immortal"?

Then again, I see the number of people willing to kick M'Bye when he was seen as the next Thurston only a year ago.

It was 11 years ago FFS, time to move on.

We understand it was 11 years ago. But it still resonates till now. That's our problem.

Ray Dib has been cleaning up the mess. Todd Greenberg done a great job as CEO to bring the club back to its feet. Raelene Castle is doing well.

That 2002-2004 period was an absolute nightmare in the history of the club. That premiership win was the reward for 3 years of patience, 2002 inclusive.

Looking at it now, with Thurston and SBW gone. That's what pisses us off.

 

[Dognacious]

I still don't know how the club managed to **** this one up so badly. The bloke wanted to stay and was willing to take less money and we still ****ed him off. The decision definitely left the club with egg on its face.

11 years ago JT was an ok player with a step and terrible defence. Anasta and Sherwin were the best halves going around. Nothing wrong with the decision until you add hindsight to it.

 

[Moey]

To those of us old enough to remember 2004, I seriously ask the question: How many of you looked at the skinny young kid Thurston and thought to themselves "this guy will win 4 Dally Ms and be the next immortal"?

Then again, I see the number of people willing to kick M'Bye when he was seen as the next Thurston only a year ago.

It was 11 years ago FFS, time to move on.

I didnt expect 4 dally m's but I for one can honestly put my hand up and say I knew he was a special talent. I watched him play reserve grade and he was a freak, way too good for them, but he was small and didn't have as much bulk as he does now. I was devastated we lost Thurston at the time.
Ps mbye is nowhere near what Thurston was at same age..

 

[Izy]

11 years ago JT was an ok player with a step and terrible defence. Anasta and Sherwin were the best halves going around. Nothing wrong with the decision until you add hindsight to it.

Yeah but Thurston for peanuts? We couldn't have him there as depth?

Anasta, like you said, pisses off the next year and Sherwin goes down the scrapper. We haven't had a great combination since then.

 

[Izy]

I didnt expect 4 dally m's but I for one can honestly put my hand up and say I knew he was a special talent. I watched him play reserve grade and he was a freak, way too good for them, but he was small and didn't have as much bulk as he does now. I was devastated we lost Thurston at the time.
Ps mbye is nowhere near what Thurston was at same age..

In the same boat as you champ.

 

[CroydonDog]

We understand it was 11 years ago. But it still resonates till now. That's our problem.

Ray Dib has been cleaning up the mess. Todd Greenberg done a great job as CEO to bring the club back to its feet. Raelene Castle is doing well.

That 2002-2004 period was an absolute nightmare in the history of the club. That premiership win was the reward for 3 years of patience, 2002 inclusive.

Looking at it now, with Thurston and SBW gone. That's what pisses us off.

Agree with you completely on lines 2 and 3. Todd Greenburg was a good CEO. 2002-2004 was indeed are dark time. At the time, it seemed like it was just one thing after the other (it seemed like that anyway). 2004 felt like some sort of retribution.

But on 1 and 4, I guess I just don't let things bother me for THAT long That said, I wouldn't want SBW anywhere near the Dogs ever again.

 

[Dognacious]

Yeah but Thurston for peanuts? We couldn't have him there as depth?

Anasta, like you said, pisses off the next year and Sherwin goes down the scrapper. We haven't had a great combination since then.

You dont often have halves on FG pay for depth. Hence losing Hod this year. At the time the money JT wanted wasnt peanuts, and he was a rookie with some things wrong with his game (particularly defence).

As i said, in 2004 the decision was fine and no dogs supporter i knew AT THE TIME said anything about him going. At the time it was just a rookie trying to get FG starts elsewhere which happens every year at the club. Most dont turn out to be as good as JT got, but as i said, the decision the club made is only bad with hindsight added. Its easy to cry over it now, and i suspect half the people in this thread were like 4 or 5 years old when JT left and wouldnt have known shit about it at the time anyway.

 

[Izy]

You dont often have halves on FG pay for depth. At the time the money JT wanted wasnt peanuts, and he was a rookie with some things wrong with his games (particularly defence). As i said, in 2004 the decision was fine and no dogs supporter i knew AT THE TIME said anything about him going. At the time it was just a rookie trying to get FG starts elsewhere which happens every year at the club. Most dont turn out to be as good as JT got, but as i said, the decision the club made is only bad with hindsight added. Its easy to cry over it now, and i suspect half the people in this thread were like 4 or 5 years old when JT left and wouldnt have known shit about how it went down at the time anyway.

I'm 31 and I remember being absolutely livid after letting him go. I know where you're coming from though.

 

[Izy]

Agree with you completely on lines 2 and 3. Todd Greenburg was a good CEO. 2002-2004 was indeed are dark time. At the time, it seemed like it was just one thing after the other (it seemed like that anyway). 2004 felt like some sort of retribution.

But on 1 and 4, I guess I just don't let things bother me for THAT long That said, I wouldn't want SBW anywhere near the Dogs ever again.

What's best for business at the end of the day I guess. No loyalty in the NRL except for a few. SBW wasn't a few and the way Folkes and that meathead Noad dealt with the Thurston issue was absolutely disgraceful.

 

[Dognacious]

Something i just thought of about the article's title. What exactly is "untold" about the article? Nothing in it wasnt already known by anyone who has followed the dogs since before it happened. The media could make grass growing sound dramatic lol.

 

[Izy]

Something i just thought of about the article's title. What exactly is "untold" about the article? Nothing in it wasnt already known by anyone who has followed the dogs since before it happened. The media could make grass growing sound dramatic lol.

Two words.

Phil Rothfield

 

[HaceDog]

The thing with JT was that the dogs have just signed a new deal with the 2 halfs and didn't need JT . where would they play him Off the bench as a impact player ?

Anasta only had 1 year left, he wasn't just resigned. If the made the decision to keep Anasta over JT folkes should have extended anasta before he told JT to go.

Can't believe people are trying to justify it. JT was always going to be a star and folkes fu(ked up big time.

 

[Izy]

Anasta only had 1 year left, he wasn't just resigned. If the made the decision to keep Anasta over JT folkes should have extended anasta before he told JT to go.

Can't believe people are trying to justify it. JT was always going to be a star and folkes fu(ked up big time.

Amen!

 

[Wolfmother]

Second

:doh:

 

[Realist90]

folkes lost thurston, price and was the cause for sonny bill williams leaving with his remarks about his religion.

folkes should go down as the worst recruitment officer ever.

His religion was Christianity at the time. Folkes remarks were about not letting Mundine and the manager flop get into his head and manipulating him to convert to Islam and ultimately leave the dogs.

 

[Realist90]

11 years ago JT was an ok player with a step and terrible defence. Anasta and Sherwin were the best halves going around. Nothing wrong with the decision until you add hindsight to it.

Thurston took Cowboys to their first ever grand final appearance just the next year after winning a grand final with us. He was and always will be a machine