Mitchell Moses will turn out for Parramatta this afternoon when he was contracted to Wests Tigers until the end of the season. Are contracts becoming meaningless?
The signing on the dotted line is a guarantee to the club a player just can’t wander off when it suits, and it’s a guarantee to the player that, if he behaves himself, the club can’t punt him unless they pay out the contract. It’s a fair crack of the whip both ways.
But Mitchell Moses is different. All his young life he’s been a Balmain Tiger, watching his uncle Benny Elias strut his stuff with Steve Roach, Paul Sironen, Wayne Pearce, and Garry Jack with Leichhardt Oval sacred ground.
But when Moses was old enough to be among the big boys, the Tiger junior had to play for the Wests Tigers, an amalgamation of the Western Suburbs Magpies and the Balmain Tigers, two foundation clubs from 1908.
The administrators of the day should be pilloried for deciding on three amalgamations that should never have happened: Manly took only two seasons to gobble up another foundation club in North Sydney; the ill-fated Northern Eagles robbed Manly legends Steve Menzies and Geoff Toovey, among others, of one-club status; and St George gobbled up Illawarra very quickly, so the Dragons tag lives on.
But Balmain is there as Tigers in name only. Wests control 75 per cent of the Wests Tigers club, Balmain just 25 per cent.
There’s no culture nor tradition in Wests Tigers, with a shambles board and high coaching turnover despite winning the premiership in 2005. That did the club no favours, as it appeared on paper the amalgamation was a success – but nothing could be further from the truth.
What should have happened in 2000 was that North Sydney, Illawarra and Wests should have been punted, leaving Manly, St George and Balmain intact to continue their status in the NRL – then Balmain juniors like Mitchell Moses, Aaron Woods and James Tedesco would most probably be Tigers for life.
But thanks to Wests Tigers’s shameful handling Moses is an Eel today – and next season Woods will be a Bulldog and Tedesco a Rooster, and all that wonderful talent will be lost to Balmain fans who have been swallowed up by Wests.
So Ivan Cleary had no option but to release Mitchell Moses after the board had told the youngest he wasn’t on the priority list to be retained.
Last night the Wests Tigers were hammered 36-0 by the Broncos. The Wests Tigers board deserved the humiliation. The players do not.
The NRL can correct a major wrong by punting Wests Tigers and bringing back the Balmain Tigers to a full Leichhardt Oval.
If only.
Al
Guest
Exactly.....
Mad Magpie Rob
Guest
Unfortunately Aldo the spivs and charlatans are already running the game. Player contract negotiations, new signings and players leaving clubs throughout a season demonstrates a complete disregard for the fans. I hold the NRL responsible for this. These activities should only be permitted throughout the off season. I also have a great concern with regards the amount of power currently held by the player managers. Wests management and our last coach certainly should be held responsible for the lions share of what eventuated at the club with the "Big Four", but in the shadows, slinking out of sight, were the machinations of the player manager. The writer of this article is ridiculous to say the least in much of what he wrote, although the question posed within the title is valid. Given the circumstances, given the woeful mismanagement of the Wests administration and the sheer stupidity of poor player management by Taylor, given the NRL inaction in preventing contract negotiations throughout the term on a season, and given the slinky activities of the player manager, I can't see that Cleary had much of a choice. He either needed to start to build for 2018 onwards or allow the rot to continue.
Mad Magpie Rob
Guest
Oh Oingo Boingo. Reading your post very clearly explains to me why you would "agree with Mr Lord". And your profound analogy about riding dirt bikes really does help clarify why Mr Lord is right in his view that Balmain should be re-instated - "If Only". Further, to help with your question, with regards Balmain Leagues being levelled? Perhaps you could contact club legend Mr Benny Elias. I'm sure he would be more than pleased to "strut his stuff" and explain to you his perspective on what happened to the leagues club and his modest contribution to the clubs current standing.
Mad Magpie Rob
Guest
Mitcher, hear hear. This article is a complete disgrace.
John
Guest
Good grief...
Al
Guest
We will see about that mate... I don't think you understand the change that has happened and that is happening... but whatever, you keep listening to that bee in your bonnet
Jacko
Guest
Yes Col, in the same way that the Warriors should have held Cleary to contract and dropped him down to coach the U12s when Cleary walked out on the Warriors with a year to run on his contract
Les Mara
Guest
Balmain have 25%. The Wests side of things have money and control 75% so you say the Wests side should of been kicked out? How would of Balmain sustained themselves And kept their players?
John
Guest
You'll be saying that every Sunday night for 5 more years Al.
John
Guest
Always someone else's fault. The Wests Tigers mantra.
Paul Walker
Roar Rookie
I'm very much concerned that the uncle is undermining the new coach and has a hidden agenda
Col in paradise
Guest
If it wasn't for pokies n booze half the NRL clubs would be bust - the over payment of unproven players like Moses will kill the code - the player managers also operate like dodgy mafia dons n need to be cleaned out
Col in paradise
Guest
Cleary should have held him to the contract and if he wasn't playing well drop him but don't release him - he signed a contract hold him to it - anyway he is a unproven Prima Donna and the eels yet again get a dud and pay overs - clowns
Col in paradise
Guest
Clearly should have dropped him for the crap form - I wouldn't cow tow to this unproven Prima Donna and release him to the eels till end of season - show these guys they need to show loyalty and that a contract is a contract - weak letting go - stick him in a lower grade club side - if he isn't playing to form bad luck your not picked
Caryja13
Guest
Key point: James Tedesco was a wests junior. So doubt he had aspirations to play for Balmain. Balmain part of JV is broke, wests tigers is propped up largely by wests Ashfield club. I would think the Balmain base would count themselves lucky to remain. That said maybe is time for everyone to get past the Balmain and wests ideologies, it's in the past and not coming back the team is wests tigers now and despite my past leanings it's who I stay loyal to and support.
Al
Guest
Hahahaha great comment
jamesb
Guest
Jeff, name me an NRL team in Sydney whose crowds are going gangbusters? Also, when there's only four NRL matches in Wollongong per year, then sooner or later there will be a disconnect between the club and the community.
AJL.
Roar Pro
The sad thing is that the headline represents a chance for a good, sensible article discussing the pros and cons of the Tigers' decision to release Moses. Instead we get something that coughs be summed up as "old man yells at cloud".
fazed
Guest
Jeff, you raise a point here that really gets under my skin, not just the fact of the mergers causing grief but more so the plight of RL outside the primary bases that we see these days. That is the slow death of Country Rugby league. With the finish of the City Country games, there's only a few nails needed to seal the coffin on many of the strongholds you mention. Illawarra used to be very strrong, go out to places you mention along with Tamworth, Armidale, Parkes, Bathurst, Albury that had two teams in the same group, what of Junee and Temora, Wagga Wagga? The way the NRL/NSWRL /CRL is promoting the game in the regions these days, its not hard to see why the round ball and AFL is making such huge inroads not just in the city areas but also in the regions.
Al
Guest
Good grief......