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Wests Tigers fullback James Tedesco has performed a stunning backflip, reneging on his big-money deal with the Canberra Raiders.
With the ink still wet on the contract he signed just over a week ago, Tedesco informed Tigers chief executive Grant Mayer on Wednesday night that he would prefer to stay at the club.
While the news will be warmly welcomed at the Tigers, the Raiders are obviously less than impressed.
Canberra chief executive Don Furner, when asked if Tedesco had pulled out of the arrangement, replied: “Yes and we are bitterly disappointed at the way it was handled.”
It capped a horror week for the Raiders, who have quickly become the spurned lovers of the NRL, with their advances on Bulldogs hooker Michael Ennis, Panthers winger Josh Mansour and Storm forward Kevin Proctor all rejected over the last week or so.
The rebuilding project under Ricky Stuart is struggling to even get underway, with players so reluctant to play for the Raiders.
Tedesco’s decision raises a number of intriguing questions.
What’s changed in the last week or so that Tedesco hadn’t considered during the negotiations? Is Stuart able to attract quality talent? Is Stuart’s coaching record over the last four years sounding alarm bells for potential recruits? Are NRL contracts worth the paper they’re written on?
Tedesco will rightfully cop a lot of flak. Though we all have the right to change our minds – one Roarer has erroneously and humorously accused me of it a number of times recently – it’s unprofessional to give your word, sign a contract, and then not honour it.
Tedesco had plenty of time to weigh up the offer and decide what it was he truly wanted to do, and he chose to sign with the Raiders for big money. He even said all the right things upon agreeing to the contract.
“Coming down there as a marquee player and someone Ricky expects a lot of, it’s definitely going to be a lot of pressure to perform week to week,” Tedesco said.
“I love watching Milford, he’s a freak. They’re big shoes to fill, but we play similar attacking footy and hopefully I can live up to his standards.”
Those words obviously ring very hollow now.
Tedesco shouldn’t worry too much about the heat that will come his way. The media storm will blow over in a few days, and his only concern will be a chorus of boos whenever he travels to Canberra, which will subside after a season or two anyway.
He’s young player who clearly wasn’t comfortable with his decision, and has sought to rectify it. It many respects, that’s admirable.
You could argue that someone needs to teach him about the basic premise of a contract, but when you consider all the recent NRL contract fiascos is it any wonder that players don’t treat them with any respect?
As for the Raiders, they should console themselves with the knowledge they dodged a bullet. On many levels.
Firstly, and most obviously, no one wants a player on their roster who doesn’t really want to be there. Such individuals are bad for morale, and tend not to perform on the park.
Secondly, Tedesco isn’t worth the money they were going to pay him. When Tedesco was testing his worth on the market, some of the figures being cast around were astonishing. It was reported that the Raiders eventually won the bidding war with a $1.9 million contract over three years.
$633,000 a year for James Tedesco? That’s what I call paying overs.
The young fullback has only played 25 first grade games, and though he has shown an abundance of talent, staying healthy has been a major concern. He has a lot of potential, but $1.9 million is a lot of money to pay for the dreaded ‘P’ word, especially for a player who has missed a lot of games to injury.
Canberra are in the unenviable position of being an undesirable destination, which means they need to offer more money than players are worth.
However, opening up the chequebook to a player who doesn’t want to be at the club, has yet to play a full season of first-grade football, and has a history with injuries, is a major risk. Though the Raiders will be disappointed they didn’t get their man, it may be a blessing in disguise for the Green Machine.
That will be of little consolation to the Raiders and their fans today, as it’s back to the drawing board for their 2015 rebuilding plans. Unfortunately for Ricky Stuart and the club, there isn’t a great deal of talent left unsigned for next season.