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

[Rodzilla]

I am not trying to be critical of the recruitment staff of the time but they were pretty hopeless. In 04 we failed to retain Price and let go Thurston. We let go Thurston to keep Anasta and Sherwin and in 2005 the following year Anasta left for the Roosters. In 2006 we let go Nate Myles and Roy Asotasi to keep people like O'Meley, SBW and Mason and in 2007 O'Meley and Mason left for the Roosters, Sherwin left for SL and we got the spoon in 2008. Todd Greenburg and Peter Mullholland really turned this club around when it came to recruitment.

but this is exactly what happens when you have a team full of emerging superstar talent under the salary cap, they get targeted by other teams and there is nothing that can be done to stop some of them being picked off unless you cheat the cap, basically you cant be too good with your recruitment and win a title because you will get punished

what exactly is your recruitment strategy for that time, i want to know what would you do differently?, keep asotasi or anasta? then how would you keep mason or sbw?, keep price? then say goodbye to asotasi or someone else

even if you keep thurston and he becomes the worlds best player then next contract he wants $$$$$ and then you must let go of people to accommodate him, ironically this is eventually what happened except with SBW instead of thurston

so yes we put all the eggs in the SBW basket and yes he did find out that there was more money to be made etc but it was a good plan to wipe the slate clean and build a new 2009 around him, it just looks worse than it was because of the injury/sbw crisis that was unforeseen and because noad was gone before he could buy for 2009

 

[finchie]

This thread title should read "what a fcuking retard dumbass whom let the bulldogs lose the best player in the world and a future immortal"!!!

 

[jo7resh]

This thread title should read "what a fcuking retard dumbass whom let the bulldogs lose the best player in the world and a future immortal"!!!

Yea hindsight is a wonderful thing. you think if they knew he was going to be a 4x dally m and considered the greatest halfback in this era they would of let him go

 

[CroydonDog]

Yea hindsight is a wonderful thing. you think if they knew he was going to be a 4x dally m and considered the greatest halfback in this era they would of let him go

Also, who is to say we would have retained him for another decade, and even if we did, would he have led us to a premiership or two?

So many variables.

 

[K E]

Also, who is to say we would have retained him for another decade, and even if we did, would he have led us to a premiership or two?

So many variables.

Exactly right. It's what I was saying before. Having the best team doesn't guarantee you shit. Roosters. Enough said.

 

[pisssst]

It's crazy when you think about it. Not just jt, we are the only club that can never hold on to our star players. Fu3king hopeless considering we are meant to be a powerhouse club.

 

[pisssst]

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

Exactly right. It's what I was saying before. Having the best team doesn't guarantee you shit. Roosters. Enough said.

Roosters been in 6 grand finals in the last 15 years and won 2.
Should have clearly won more but still better than nothing.

 

[w00t]

Roosters been in 6 grand finals in the last 15 years and won 2.
Should have clearly won more but still better than nothing.

Still better than us...We've been in 3 and only won 1 in the past 15 years.

 

[The DoggFather]

Yea hindsight is a wonderful thing. you think if they knew he was going to be a 4x dally m and considered the greatest halfback in this era they would of let him go

Hey bro welcome back. The fuk have you been?

 

[finchie]

Fcuk hindsight
u live and die by ur decisions in life and that is the fcuk up of all fcuk ups
jt had star written all over him from day one
even in the reserves he was just a cut above

 

[finchie]

How many correct decisions has management made since our premiership in 2004?? And how many premierships have we won since? Get the drift or do I need hindsight to explain!

 

[pisssst]

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

Still better than us...We've been in 3 and only won 1 in the past 15 years.

That's what Im saying

 

[doggi3s]

It's all Anastas fault.. We retained him and let go of thurston & the year after he leaves us for the roosters what a joke

 

[bowleggedwog]

Bullfrog wouldn't have let it happen. The club should be run by the "what woyld bullfrog do theory." Never would jt go to keep anasta and then lose anansta. Lose price/asotasi to be omeally only to lose ogre. Lose hokko to keep mbye only to lose mbye. Lose prichard to keep ---- only to lose ----. Hope the past isnt repeated.

 

[Dognacious]

We will be hearing ppl bitch about losing JT till the end of time. Particularly from people who were too young in 2004 to really know how it went down. If you were there, you wouldnt have a problem with the decision to let him go. At the time he was a fringe player with terrible defence. We had the best 2 halves in the comp at the time. No brainer to let him go. Only hindsight makes it a bad decision.

So how many people did we let go since 2004 that ended up rubbish? A whole lot more than ended up superstars. I have no issue with the decision to let him go at the time, even though like anyone id be pretty happy to have him in the side now.

I wish Anasta had left 1 year earlier. I blame him tbh, we had Anasta signed to 2007 when we let JT go, and Anasta pissed off after 2005 season.

 

[finchie]

How many comps have we won since 2004 champion ^^^
if the answer is zero then ima continue to bitch about the rubbish decisions by the club until we win one then after that il celebrate. That's what footys all about

 

[Kaz]

So your team let TJ go. Big deal.

Him leaving may have been the best for him. Doesn't mean if he stayed, he would be the player he is today.

Having so many superstars in your team, may have hindered him.

 

[Indiandog]

So your team let TJ go. Big deal.

Him leaving may have been the best for him. Doesn't mean if he stayed, he would be the player he is today.

Having so many superstars in your team, may have hindered him.

JT loved the club, others loved the money.

 

[dogie]

this story is re-hashed relentlessly

I am very happy for Thurston now that he's won the title I hope they can stop harping on about this.

Rod is right, management did what they thought was best at the time and there was no foreseeing that we would be burnt by the links of sbw, mason etc. but we were. end of.

we have the best coach in the game and we'll get there... eventually it will all be worth it and the victory will be sweet!

 

[Kaz]

JT loved the club, others loved the money.

He now loves the money, as he always seems to say he will boycott things unless the players get more money etc.