The No-Look News (Schuster Chronicles)

[ManlyTragic]

Yeah, that's my point mate, why oh why can't we just make it work here? Pay a PT full time to be his motivator, dietician and exercise commander if we have to. GIVE him special treatment if he needs it, it'll be worth it, I just know.

…. You can lead a horse to water … but you can’t make him drink it !

Just sayin’

 

[mickqld]

Fair dinkum what madness. $1million for the shi*t sandwich that he has served up this year and for the next 3. Fuk me we are a dumb club for signing this bloke last year. We all said it and Seibold and Mestrov need to answer for this complete fukup.

 

[Eagle 1]

If the club have clauses in his contract and the evidence is overwhelming that he breached these clauses, then they should enforce this. The game now has no time for sentiment and a million off our cap to pay for a player whos heart is clearly not in it makes no sense at all.

It reinforces the mistake of signing this player out of fear that a rival was going to poach him.

This truly is terrible management and it again follows on from the Fainu farce where we will get ZERO return on investment!

The Schuster contract was done in haste and panic, we never thought this through calmly. Wasn't it supposed to be Wests who were interested in Schuster, how wrong were we, Benji wasn't interested in Schuster even though he talked up Schusters talents a lot. In truth Benji talked up Schusters pay packet tbh. Just hope we've learnt are lessons from the contract fails of Schuster and the Fainu's.

 

[Pete W]

Gus Gould was talking about how it works on 100% Footy. Apparently once the payout is accepted by Schuster and the NRL ticks off on it the club can write it off the salary cap however they deem fit. If we have the room in the cap the full payout can go on this years cap or it can be split up however we like over the 4 years of the contract. Good to know we have some flexibility.

This is good to know. As we most likely won't be recruiting for 2024, 400k of the 600k owing can be written off this year. This means we have an additional 2.2Mil for 2025-2027

 

[QLDSeaeagle]

…. You can lead a horse to water … but you can’t make him drink it !

Just sayin’

I think you missed a whole page of comment mate. Just sayin'

 

[Ryan]

End of the day, we now start the next three seasons behind the eight-ball compared to all the other club's. Wasn't so long ago (2018 / 2019) we had $330k reduced from our salary cap each of those years for breaches, so it's not like we aren't used to it.

For the record, we came 15th from 16 teams in 2018. We came 6th out of 16 teams in 2019.

Our recruitment / retention team continue to lead the industry in poor management, terrible decisions, reactive recruitment, teflon retention as they bumble their way through. I wonder if we've continued to put the feelers out this season for cast-offs, washed-up players, or players teams want to heavily reduce the contract values of? That seems to be our strategy ?????

Lodge - unwanted by Roosters/Broncos/Warriors - point to prove contract
Brown - unwanted by Roosters/Parramatta - point to prove contract
Brooks - offered 50% of previous contract, given time constraints (given BBQ for service)
Woods - given for free from Dragons as a cap dump - we give them young Suli, Fifita, Tuitaveake
Waddell - unsure why Dogs didn't want him - but there's a home here, hey, he knows Jake !
Arthur - Cut by the Eels, and his own bloody father !

Now, by no means does that quantify my opinions of these players, because I think Brown (I worry about him constantly being injured), Brooks, and even to an extent Waddell have been outstanding. I think Arthur should be in the team (way too good for NSW Cup). Lodge, well he made plenty of metres last weekend, but as the eye test goes, geez he looked overweight and slow.

Anyways, I'm at a point where I almost DEMAND this club make a marquee signing (or two). Not a cast off. Not a washed up player. Not an unwanted player. I'm talking an in demand, young, quality player like we've seen move in JFH and AFB. If not, sack the entire recruitment retention team, and employ some proactive, professionals, that can actually get the job done !

 

[Ryan]

Fair dinkum what madness. $1million for the shi*t sandwich that he has served up this year and for the next 3. Fuk me we are a dumb club for signing this bloke last year. We all said it and Seibold and Mestrov need to answer for this complete fukup.

Isn't Peter Gentle (a former assistant coach at the Dragons) our recruitment "team" now. Used to be Cleal and Fulton combined. Honestly, forget the days of Ox, Lyon, Bell, Rodney & others. We are a bakehouse for unwanted and/or washed up players now.

 

[Rocky]

End of the day, we now start the next three seasons behind the eight-ball compared to all the other club's. Wasn't so long ago (2018 / 2019) we had $330k reduced from our salary cap each of those years for breaches, so it's not like we aren't used to it.

For the record, we came 15th from 16 teams in 2018. We came 6th out of 16 teams in 2019.

Our recruitment / retention team continue to lead the industry in poor management, terrible decisions, reactive recruitment, teflon retention as they bumble their way through. I wonder if we've continued to put the feelers out this season for cast-offs, washed-up players, or players teams want to heavily reduce the contract values of? That seems to be our strategy ?????

Lodge - unwanted by Roosters/Broncos/Warriors - point to prove contract
Brown - unwanted by Roosters/Parramatta - point to prove contract
Brooks - offered 50% of previous contract, given time constraints (given BBQ for service)
Woods - given for free from Dragons as a cap dump - we give them young Suli, Fifita, Tuitaveake
Waddell - unsure why Dogs didn't want him - but there's a home here, hey, he knows Jake !
Arthur - Cut by the Eels, and his own bloody father !

Now, by no means does that quantify my opinions of these players, because I think Brown (I worry about him constantly being injured), Brooks, and even to an extent Waddell have been outstanding. I think Arthur should be in the team (way too good for NSW Cup). Lodge, well he made plenty of metres last weekend, but as the eye test goes, geez he looked overweight and slow.

Anyways, I'm at a point where I almost DEMAND this club make a marquee signing (or two). Not a cast off. Not a washed up player. Not an unwanted player. I'm talking an in demand, young, quality player like we've seen move in JFH and AFB. If not, sack the entire recruitment retention team, and employ some proactive, professionals, that can actually get the job done !

The Schuster contract is a complete disaster. but the reality is that after this year it has very little impact, if at all.

To be honest I think Manly had a brilliant offseason. Getting off dead wood or redundant players like Tuilagi, Harper, Keppie, and Tupilotu was great work.

And the cast offs you refer to is all going well. Brown looks great, and Waddell has been one of the best signings on a dollar basis. Brooks has also looked really good and is playing at a high level.

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

The SMH version (numerous sports’ journos credited):

Schuster, Manly agree to million-dollar termination​

Josh Schuster has officially parted company with Manly after the club agreed to a mutual termination payment worth about $1 million. The agreement was struck on Tuesday morning, ending a tumultuous stint on the northern beaches for the enigmatic playmaker.

Schuster hadn’t even began a rich $800,000-per-season contract extension that was poised to begin next season, but both parties agreed the Samoan international needs a fresh start. It means Schuster will finish his Manly stint with exactly 50 games to his credit as he begins the process of looking for a new club.

Schuster had been languishing in reserve grade after a tough pre-season, which included a dose of chickenpox, a spiral fracture of his finger and a calf strain. Then he had to publicly relive the death of his closest friend, Keith Titmuss, in the witness box during a coronial inquest in February.

Manly playmaker Josh Schuster.CREDIT: GETTY

The club had given him leave to deal with other personal issues and he has been training independently in a bid to get himself into playing shape.

 

[Highflier]

Danny telling us the same news and making out like its some scoop.

Moron

Yep he is just adding some lettuce to a **** sandwich is all .
A useless dope

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

If the club have clauses in his contract and the evidence is overwhelming that he breached these clauses, then they should enforce this. The game now has no time for sentiment and a million off our cap to pay for a player whos heart is clearly not in it makes no sense at all.

It reinforces the mistake of signing this player out of fear that a rival was going to poach him.

This truly is terrible management and it again follows on from the Fainu farce where we will get ZERO return on investment!

The thing is they are moving on from those madcap days, that wild (Fulton) existence.* In short, signing young players from the WSB (Western Sydney Boonies) to contracts based on perceived potential, not on actual worth.

Sure, the deal with Schuster last year was an aberration, although it seems like they always knew today’s result might eventuate.

*Don’t cry for me, Manly-Warringah…

 

[ManlyTragic]

Fair dinkum what madness. $1million for the shi*t sandwich that he has served up this year and for the next 3. Fuk me we are a dumb club for signing this bloke last year. We all said it and Seibold and Mestrov need to answer for this complete fukup.

Tough call! If he signed with another club at the time this site would be going off delux! Posters would be complaining that we lost another jnr like the fainus gutterson etc…

I feel that they could see his potential they got Carrol involved re his fitness, Hasler couldn’t get him right now Seibold couldn’t get him right. unfortunately I think he has bigger issues that no one could reasonably predict

Just sayin’

 

[frank stokes]

Tough call! If he signed with another club at the time this site would be going off delux! Posters would be complaining that we lost another jnr like the fainus gutterson etc…

I feel that they could see his potential they got Carrol involved re his fitness, Hasler couldn’t get him right now Seibold couldn’t get him right. unfortunately I think he has bigger issues that no one could reasonably predict

Just sayin’

I would say that you are partly correct…

Scroll back thru these 371 pages and you will see more than a few posters that were more than happy to see the Schu cut long before Manly gave him the new contract… plenty were happy to reluctantly give him the benefit of the doubt (myself included) based on his promise and public statements but certainly not all would have been “going off delux” if they had let him go…

Anyways, gone now and you can’t spend the same money twice…

 

[KNUCKLES]

I don't blame Hasler or Seibold at all, his manager pushed very hard for the huge pay day and that comes with pressure to deliver. Schuster hasn't delivered, so contract over.

Worth noting that coaches like Bellamy don't hire players that they don't like the work ethic of in the first place.

I dont think des would of extended shoe in the first place in my opinion. I think he saw alot many chose not to in playing foran over him.

 

[lsz]

Mental illness has become the biggest excuse of all time, and the more soft cocks who use it just denigrates and disenfranchises those with genuine issues

Mate he is a kid who watched his best friend die in front of him. The same place he has to go to work every day

If the club, who know far more about this than we do, are happy with the situation, then what right do we have as fans to be upset...expecially when we know sweet fa about what goes on

 

[Ryan]

The Schuster contract is a complete disaster. but the reality is that after this year it has very little impact, if at all.

To be honest I think Manly had a brilliant offseason. Getting off dead wood or redundant players like Tuilagi, Harper, Keppie, and Tupilotu was great work.

And the cast offs you refer to is all going well. Brown looks great, and Waddell has been one of the best signings on a dollar basis. Brooks has also looked really good and is playing at a high level.

Mate, not sure if you missed, but I agree, and wrote that Talau, Brooks, Brown have been great, Waddell good, Woods & Paulo not sure atm...BUT, facts are facts, they were discards or downgrades (i.e. getting reduced $$$) at other clubs????

In regards to the dead wood we let go. I actually rated Keppie very highly (both on and off the field). 24 last year and developing nicely. Okay, Tuipulotu's play-the-ball speed was nonsensical, but IS he worse than Paulo or Talau? Harper / Tuilagi have played us once so far, and have beaten us once, so let's see how this weekend goes.

But I HAVE to repeat, no more quantity. We NEED quality now. Someone like 24 year old David Fifita, or 26 year old Keaon Koloamatangi that could slot into that 12 role nicely. We also need a Hooker & lock. Both need to be more explosive and add plenty more in attack.

We've released Schuster. Lawton is gone. Woods is likely to retire. DCE's contract reduction of 500-600k to 800k (or something) You have guys like Matterson / Condon / Parker / Brown / Lodge / Vaega to consider.

Now is the time to get dead serious and bring in a true leader like Ben Kennedy, who can not only talk the talk, but lead with performance.

 

[Ben]

So can someone please confirm that what ever salary cap we don’t use this year/next year ect, we can put towards the total of the Schuster dept?
We most probably have a little wiggling room each year to chip away at it and pay it off early.

 

[Ryan]

So can someone please confirm that what ever salary cap we don’t use this year/next year ect, we can put towards the total of the Schuster dept?
We most probably have a little wiggling room each year to chip away at it and pay it off early.

If both parties are mutual mate, yeah you can do that (cap permitting). There's individual tax implications and things to consider.

 

[Rocky]

Mate, not sure if you missed, but I agree, and wrote that Talau, Brooks, Brown have been great, Waddell good, Woods & Paulo not sure atm...BUT, facts are facts, they were discards or downgrades (i.e. getting reduced $$$) at other clubs????

In regards to the dead wood we let go. I actually rated Keppie very highly (both on and off the field). 24 last year and developing nicely. Okay, Tuipulotu's play-the-ball speed was nonsensical, but IS he worse than Paulo or Talau? Harper / Tuilagi have played us once so far, and have beaten us once, so let's see how this weekend goes.

But I HAVE to repeat, no more quantity. We NEED quality now. Someone like 24 year old David Fifita, or 26 year old Keaon Koloamatangi that could slot into that 12 role nicely. We also need a Hooker & lock. Both need to be more explosive and add plenty more in attack.

We've released Schuster. Lawton is gone. Woods is likely to retire. DCE's contract reduction of 500-600k to 800k (or something) You have guys like Matterson / Condon / Parker / Brown / Lodge / Vaega to consider.

Now is the time to get dead serious and bring in a true leader like Ben Kennedy, who can not only talk the talk, but lead with performance.

It has been hard to get a big name when we don't have the money as have been paying the big 3 contracts and then upgrading all of the younger guys coming through. We haven't lost any big name players in the last few years (since AFB). To do that takes up most of the cap. DCE, Turbo, Jake, Haumole and Koula require big money contracts. Then you have good first graders like Paseka, Garrick, Saab etc that need to be paid well.

To be fair I think Brooks is a big signing. He is one of the class halves in the comp. Manly got him cheap. He is a 800k player all day.

I do agree with you that with the Schuster money they need to target a big name forward.

P.S. I've defended Keppie endlessly on here as well, but he is what he is by now. A fringe first grader who Manly aren't missing.

 

[Once Was Brissie Kid]

Happy 23rd birthday Josh for next week.
Just want to put on record this Cliff Lyons fellow never made his first grade debut until six months after his 23rd birthday.