Canberra Raiders sign Wigan Warriors half George Williams on three year deal

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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by Cranky Old Man »

His play is very reminiscent of Milford before he became too comfortable.
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by The Nickman »

Cranky Old Man wrote: July 4, 2019, 1:06 pm His play is very reminiscent of Milford before he became too comfortable.
Before he ate all the pies.
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by julian87 »

Don’t agree with the Milford comparison at all tbh.
well, I guess you could say that I'm buy curious.
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by Seiffert82 »

Based on nothing at all, but I expect to see both Williams and Wighton play both sides of the field next season.
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by Raiders_Pat »

Seiffert82 wrote: July 4, 2019, 3:21 pm Based on nothing at all, but I expect to see both Williams and Wighton play both sides of the field next season.
I think you might be on to something here. Players are generally given a licence to roam once the coach trusts their ability to do so effectively. I'd speculate that our players don't roam because Sezer can barely direct play down his assigned side and it's Jack's first season in the halves... so they've been instructed to play mostly down their corridors for the time being. Definitely wouldn't be surprised to see more roaming by our halves next season.
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by Seiffert82 »

Raiders_Pat wrote: July 4, 2019, 3:53 pm
Seiffert82 wrote: July 4, 2019, 3:21 pm Based on nothing at all, but I expect to see both Williams and Wighton play both sides of the field next season.
I think you might be on to something here. Players are generally given a licence to roam once the coach trusts their ability to do so effectively. I'd speculate that our players don't roam because Sezer can barely direct play down his assigned side and it's Jack's first season in the halves... so they've been instructed to play mostly down their corridors for the time being. Definitely wouldn't be surprised to see more roaming by our halves next season.
Yeah, it's nice to without precedent with Leilua doing it quite a lot a few years back. Obviously it's a more natural style in the halves, so all things being equal, if the coach trusts them, he will clearly give them a licence to play what's in front of them.

I'm quietly hopeful anyway.
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by Northern Raider »

Sid wrote: July 4, 2019, 12:51 pm hahah I can just imagine seeing him running the same left channel as Jack all game with both calling for the ball while not having any halves on the right hand side
I like it. We should also shift BJ to the left as well. Load up the right side with Whitehead, Bateman and Tapine. :thumbsup
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by Sid »

Northern Raider wrote: July 4, 2019, 5:09 pm
Sid wrote: July 4, 2019, 12:51 pm hahah I can just imagine seeing him running the same left channel as Jack all game with both calling for the ball while not having any halves on the right hand side
I like it. We should also shift BJ to the left as well. Load up the right side with Whitehead, Bateman and Tapine. :thumbsup
load everyone to the left and leave the right side bare
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by The Nickman »

Sid wrote: July 4, 2019, 5:11 pm
Northern Raider wrote: July 4, 2019, 5:09 pm
Sid wrote: July 4, 2019, 12:51 pm hahah I can just imagine seeing him running the same left channel as Jack all game with both calling for the ball while not having any halves on the right hand side
I like it. We should also shift BJ to the left as well. Load up the right side with Whitehead, Bateman and Tapine. :thumbsup
load everyone to the left and leave the right side bare
I think it's revolutionary enough to work! Sure, we might leak a few points on our right, but we'll be unstoppable on the left!
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by dubby »

Milford has never replicated the form for Brisbane that he showed for us

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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by The Nickman »

dubby wrote: July 4, 2019, 5:25 pm Milford has never replicated the form for Brisbane that he showed for us

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Not so sure about that, he was desperately unlucky to not win the Clive Churchill medal against the Cowboys, he really should've got that even in a losing team. Definitely wins it if the Cowboys don't score with seconds to go to take it to Golden Point.

I agree that he's been absolutely garbage since that Grand Final though.
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

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dubby wrote: July 4, 2019, 5:25 pm Milford has never replicated the form for Brisbane that he showed for us

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That’s just not true. He 100% should have been given the Clive Churchill. A Thurston missed goal and gift field goal wrongly saw him get it.

I remember watching that game just seething that he was so good.
well, I guess you could say that I'm buy curious.
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

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Then he ate the restaurant and they had to close the restaurant

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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by Northern Raider »

Broncos 3 highest paid players are Milford, Bird and Boyd. Got $2.8m tied up in those 3. Ouch.
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by BadnMean »

julian87 wrote: July 4, 2019, 6:02 pm
dubby wrote: July 4, 2019, 5:25 pm Milford has never replicated the form for Brisbane that he showed for us

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That’s just not true. He 100% should have been given the Clive Churchill. A Thurston missed goal and gift field goal wrongly saw him get it.

I remember watching that game just seething that he was so good.
Yep, at that stage he was looking worth the 900k.

Unfortunately for him and fortunately for any bitter Raiders fans that's about the last time he ever looked that good. Since then he's been a mixed bag. His talent flashes through, but he's been shoehorned and misused by coaches a bit and a bit disillusioned or indifferent in attitude in patches.

They probably could/would/may see some value for Milford if they get the team culture and his position right- I don't think Milford is going to lead any change for good, he will follow if it's put in around him though.

Boyd and Bird are just dumb, dumb investments. Hubris maybe thinking that even if it looks silly or a stretch on paper they just assume it will come good when they do it at the Broncos because Broncos?
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by julian87 »

Huge let down since then, yes. I’d still gamble and sign him in a **** heartbeat if the opportunity arose though.
well, I guess you could say that I'm buy curious.
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by Botman »

The Rickman wrote: July 4, 2019, 5:28 pm
dubby wrote: July 4, 2019, 5:25 pm Milford has never replicated the form for Brisbane that he showed for us

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Not so sure about that, he was desperately unlucky to not win the Clive Churchill medal against the Cowboys, he really should've got that even in a losing team. Definitely wins it if the Cowboys don't score with seconds to go to take it to Golden Point.

I agree that he's been absolutely garbage since that Grand Final though.
Absolutely right.
He was insanely good in his first season for the broncos and definitely the best on ground for that GF. Should have won the CCM
Since then... pies on pies.
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by Botman »

Firstly **** ITALL but also
julian87 wrote: July 4, 2019, 8:46 pm Huge let down since then, yes. I’d still gamble and sign him in a **** heartbeat if the opportunity arose though.
Yes, in a heartbeat. Talent over everything.
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by bonehead »

The Rickman wrote:
Sid wrote: July 4, 2019, 12:51 pm hahah I can just imagine seeing him running the same left channel as Jack all game with both calling for the ball while not having any halves on the right hand side
Haha I'm pretty sure that's how Rob is picturing it in his head too.
I can see what rob is saying, GW has that skip step and lovely passing right to left same as Jack, it's going to need some real adjustments to play on the right for one of the two
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by Old School Green »

PigRickman wrote: July 4, 2019, 9:15 pm
The Rickman wrote: July 4, 2019, 5:28 pm
dubby wrote: July 4, 2019, 5:25 pm Milford has never replicated the form for Brisbane that he showed for us

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Not so sure about that, he was desperately unlucky to not win the Clive Churchill medal against the Cowboys, he really should've got that even in a losing team. Definitely wins it if the Cowboys don't score with seconds to go to take it to Golden Point.

I agree that he's been absolutely garbage since that Grand Final though.
Absolutely right.
He was insanely good in his first season for the broncos and definitely the best on ground for that GF. Should have won the CCM
Since then... pies on pies.
Totally agree. Had a cracker of a first season. I remember death riding him every game and getting the **** as he blitzed it. Forever thankful the cowgirls beat them in the GF.
Since then he has been an also ran. I think on balance a classic example of a guy pushed into a chief playmaker role well before he was ready. He will never be your loud, confident game controller. Plays best when he can just float around and play to his natural gifts. Plus, sizing him up for all that frontline defence has definitely impacted his lethal agility/20 metre speed, which was his absolute weapon.

That 2.8 mil figure about Milford, Boyd and Bird is truly frightening if you’re a bronco fan.
IMO his next contract is a massive pay cut. Just not worth that coin on last few years and current form.
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by The Nickman »

Honestly, that grand final destroyed both Ben Hunt and Anthony Milford, and subsequently the Broncos. If they win that I have no doubt those two are still at the Broncos and absolutely killing it as their halves combination, and possibly even Queensland's.

They've seriously both been shadows of their former selves ever since that game.
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

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Yes good point. Hunt especially seems to only ever be a crucial knock-on away from completely breaking down.
Cruel game footy sometimes. Shows you that without a strong mindset and ridiculously self assured perspective all the talent in the world won’t get you to that extra step consistently
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by Raiders_Pat »

The Rickman wrote: July 5, 2019, 10:27 am Honestly, that grand final destroyed both Ben Hunt and Anthony Milford, and subsequently the Broncos. If they win that I have no doubt those two are still at the Broncos and absolutely killing it as their halves combination, and possibly even Queensland's.

They've seriously both been shadows of their former selves ever since that game.
I can't remember whether Hunt was already out the door by the time they played the GF but the Broncos made a big mistake in letting him go with a view to promoting Milford to the chief playmaker role. I was living in QLD at the time and I remember saying to friends who are Broncos fans that they will struggle without Hunt... and it's been very tough road for them since. It was a very bad gamble that didn't pay off in the end (and so was the gamble on Bird).

As Old School Green mentioned, he's not the type of guy you want as your main man in the halves. I think that's the main reason why he looks like a shadow of his former self, more so than any confidence he lost from losing the GF (although I'd probably agree that in Hunt's case he seems to still be haunted by the events of that night). But I think Milford could still kill it playing alongside a traditional half. A team with an established halfback would be doing very well to pick him up at 5/8 on a discounted price tag imo.
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by Old School Green »

Raiders_Pat wrote: July 5, 2019, 5:27 pm
The Rickman wrote: July 5, 2019, 10:27 am Honestly, that grand final destroyed both Ben Hunt and Anthony Milford, and subsequently the Broncos. If they win that I have no doubt those two are still at the Broncos and absolutely killing it as their halves combination, and possibly even Queensland's.

They've seriously both been shadows of their former selves ever since that game.
I can't remember whether Hunt was already out the door by the time they played the GF but the Broncos made a big mistake in letting him go with a view to promoting Milford to the chief playmaker role. I was living in QLD at the time and I remember saying to friends who are Broncos fans that they will struggle without Hunt... and it's been very tough road for them since. It was a very bad gamble that didn't pay off in the end (and so was the gamble on Bird).

As Old School Green mentioned, he's not the type of guy you want as your main man in the halves. I think that's the main reason why he looks like a shadow of his former self, more so than any confidence he lost from losing the GF (although I'd probably agree that in Hunt's case he seems to still be haunted by the events of that night). But I think Milford could still kill it playing alongside a traditional half. A team with an established halfback would be doing very well to pick him up at 5/8 on a discounted price tag imo.
I agree with this. And, given old man Halo’s miraculous recovery from his circa 2014 near death heart issue and the nice new family home built by the incredibly well respected and successful businessman/builder Andrew Gee, a move out of Brisbane should be fine now 🙄🙄🙄
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by Seiffert82 »

Milford can ****. :lol:
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by Botman »

I dont think Milford would have a problem being the primary half, i really dont.
i think his problem is that his style of play, his natural style, his insticts did not fit with the robotic style that Bennett wants and needs for his teams and now what we have is an insanely gifted, talented footballer who's had virtually every element of creativity coached out of him... i dont know if he'll ever find it again, but a team like ours is his best hope to find it... a group of guys who dont score a lot of tries out of routine structure but lean into the idea that if we stack a team with x-factors, one of them will make the play when we need them too.
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by Neeeegz »

I'm just happy to see all QLD teams bottom 4

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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by Cranky Old Man »

PigRickman wrote: July 5, 2019, 8:04 pm I dont think Milford would have a problem being the primary half, i really dont.
i think his problem is that his style of play, his natural style, his insticts did not fit with the robotic style that Bennett wants and needs for his teams and now what we have is an insanely gifted, talented footballer who's had virtually every element of creativity coached out of him... i dont know if he'll ever find it again, but a team like ours is his best hope to find it... a group of guys who dont score a lot of tries out of routine structure but lean into the idea that if we stack a team with x-factors, one of them will make the play when we need them too.
For what it is worth, I agree with this. I think the best thing for Milford is to move away from the Broncos to a team like the Raiders. I am undecided if that move would necessarily be a good thing for the Raiders.
Whatever move he makes or doesn't make I think he will have to take a bit of a salary haircut.
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

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I would totally have him at the Raiders.


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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by -PJ- »

Any confirmation on GWilliams from the club yet ?
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by greeneyed »

-PJ- wrote: July 6, 2019, 1:20 pm Any confirmation on GWilliams from the club yet ?
No.
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by -PJ- »

Are we waiting for the planets to align ?

Or maybe George is struggling with a way to tell his mum....
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by Botman »

How did this play out with Bateman?
Was it confirmed post esl season?

Either way it’s just Wigan doing their thing. He’s coming and he’ll be in the 7 jersey rd1 next year baring injury
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by greeneyed »

Confirmed very late in the season, 9 August.
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Re: Canberra Raiders reportedly settle three year deal for George Williams

Post by Coastalraider »

Just watching the exchange rate.
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