CEO in the hot seat

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Matabele

Journey Man
All the St George Illawarra fans out there, relax. Don't worry that the club's two most experienced players, Shaun Timmins and Lance Thompson, are left in a disturbing quandary about their playing futures.

According to chief executive Peter Doust, who left the country with coach Nathan Brown for a two-and-a-half week tour of the US yesterday, there is no drama.

Doust wanted the fans to be reassured. He didn't contact the players, but he did send out a press release, the first line of which said: "The St George Illawarra Dragons categorically state there is no crisis at the club."

What then, Doust, constitutes a crisis? The club that so dramatically failed to make the grand final, yet again, has sent Timmins off to "ponder his future". The translation of this is, they are trying to convince him to sign a lucrative two- or three-year deal to finish his career in England.

Thompson heard of his imminent fate - the same as that of Timmins - through Doust's mate and St George Leagues club director, Bruce Spaul, who so sensitively dropped the news that Thompson had played his last game for the Dragons just before he was to receive a 200-game presentation at the club's annual night last Friday.

Doust says: "That communication is a normal internal-management process where players are provided the opportunity to assess their own positions and the club is able to facilitate further planning in its short- to medium-term playing rosters".

Thompson, understandably, was a little upset that the club he had remained so loyal to, taking a pay cut and playing his heart out for, was to repay the favour with a termination of his deal 12 months early.

Doust says Thompson is too emotional. What did he expect?

Doust said he was embarrassed and disgusted at Thompson's reaction. Is Doust serious?

If there are any red faces, it should be at the top, where such critical decision-making was left until the season had finished.

Having re-signed Luke Bailey and Clint Greenshields for one extra year before they both head off to the Gold Coast, did Doust only just discover the club is $300,000 over the cap for next year? And how was the most promising hooker, Michael Ennis, allowed to depart to the Broncos?

The timing is such that all other NRL clubs have committed to their salary cap and cannot afford Timmins and Thompson.

If there is any accountability here, the buck has to stop with Doust. The Dragons board should be looking at his performance of late, which hasn't been nearly as impressive as the strident runs Thompson puts in and the brave injury comebacks of Timmins.

Let's see Doust's reaction if he is told to take a walk. Now that may be embarrassing.
 
They'll go to the ESL. Be mad not to cash in when there still in reasonable form. No NRL club could afford them.
 
Magnay is a fool - obviously hasn't played a propoer contact sport.

I get really annoyed when people equate "runs on the field" as somehow superior to other efforts put in.

Who knows how much "overtime" Doust works for instance?

Not to mention the mental anguish that comes when a dumb footballer spits the dummy in every newspaper.
 
It won't be good for harmony at the dragons and i wouldn't be putting any money on them to win the comp next year.

Clubs demand loyalty from players but don't show any in retrun. Loyalty breeds good performances but when clubs aren't loyal to players they only play for the money.

Doust is a goose and the fans should give it to him. Imagine if manly called Beaver in next week out of the blue and said that they were terminating the final year of his contract. A northern beaches riot would more tha likely occur.

If they were going to cut the players why didn't they tell them months ago so that the fans could have given them a proper send off at the final home game.

It would have also allowed them to seek another club. I doubt that many clubs would have too many spots available now.
 
I don't think Beaver and Thompson is a fair comparison.

Beaver has always been a model citizen for us and is a true stalwart.

Thompson is a bad egg.

If Thompson was our I wouldn't mind seeing him being shown the door. It's quite likely that Timmins is similar.
 
Fair enough although at the end of the day if the onfield perfomances are good enough they wouldn't get rid of them just because they are a bad egg - ie Willie Mason.

No problem in them getting rid of whoever they want its just that there are better ways of doing it. It is interesting that they can get rid of these players even though they still have 12 months left on their contracts.

If Manly really wants to get rid of Monnas can we not do the same and pay him out? it doesn't appear that contracts really mean that much anyway.
 
From what I know Tookey in situations such as this the club that signed the player is expected to continue to pay the player unless some agreement can be negotiated. For example Manly is not paying all of Witts salary as Parra are still paying something to top up what Manly are paying to the level of his contract. (My guess is that it doesn't come into their cap though.) Same with Firman who the Roosters are still paying.

Monaghan is a hard one as some club might be prepared to pay him $100 k and Manly would have to come up with $140 k to get him up to what his contract has agreed. This is why I guess that not many clubs are keen on him at the moment - they may want him but are bargaining hard on price to make Manly pay for the mistake of signing him.
 
Tookey - are you suggesting that Mason is a positive?

I reckon we'd be far better off with players of mediocre talent but good attitude than a stable of stars who have no character.
 
No I am definately not saying that mason is a positive.

I was just grouping him and Thompson together as bad eggs (Mason is a lot worse than thompson). The bulldogs tolerate Mason because he is a much better player. Also because the bulldogs have a dirtbag culture about the club and he fits in well.

But even with his problems there were quite a few other clubs chasing him when he was off contract recently.

It makes for an interesting arguement though about him. Would we be better off having Mason as a front rower rather than some of the mediocre talent that we have now? Hmmmm. At least he would make more than one hit up for 13 metres a game.
 
I thought O'Hara was the best front rower to come on the market this year (discounting Bailey). Unfortunately the Toigs nabbed him.
 

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