Not when it's still three years owing. Back end of 2022-mid 2023 this becomes a realistic option. An ESL exit would be the only possibility prior to then I can see, but we're not talking a rep star here.
He's not busted so medical retirement isn't an option. He'd still be in the best 32 centres in the game in current shape.
He's under contract for 2 more years, and another in his favour. No way is he retiring at 31 with over $1.5 million owed to him. You guys also believe in the tooth fairy?
I agree with most of your opinions Roger, but not this one. There's a way to deal with things like this: "In December 2014, Campese was released from the final year of his contract with the Raiders to join Hull Kingston Rovers. His form had dipped toward the end of the 2014 season and new coach Ricky Stuart had relegated him to playing New South Wales Cup football for the Mount Pritchard Mounties.[7]" So it's either NSW Cup side or England, or another NRL side like West Tigers, Broncos, Canterbury, Manly, Nth Qld if he really wants to play on for the money. Darius also had an option in his favour for $800,000 but decided enough is enough.
He's not going to be dropped soon, so let's see if his form improves.
Crokes is only 5 rounds into this deal though. I can't think of any examples where buyer's remorse has kicked in and a club legend has been moved on.
yeh raiders wrote:Yeah he’s battling at the moment, but we made our bed letting Cotric and BJ go.
Sure both are stinking it up elsewhere and there’s no way we could’ve kept both, but Ricky knew how to get the best out of them and I’d have kept either one of them over Croker.
Both better ball runners and damaging attackers. The momentum that Joey could produce off the back of a strong carry, was very often underrated.
Kris has what it takes. But we need another and I don’t know if Curtis Scott is the answer.
That is a rosy **** take on BJ. He was already well down the path back to liability in 2019. It was clearly the right decision then. It’s been more than vindicated since.
Cotric was simply impossible to keep at his asking price.
If Croker gets replaced I’d hope Timoko gets a shot.
Letting BJ go was precisely the wrong call. It wasn’t like he was 30+ over the hill, he was literally at the peak of his career. The hope was that Cotric would re-sign, Simonsson would become a star and Croker wouldn’t stink it up for the rest of his contract. Now we have seen that Ricky failed to execute the plan and we are left with a backline that is vastly underpowered and lacking depth. Many predicted this exact thing would happen and it did.
BJ was/is a basket case and getting rid of him was precisely the right call.
Croker just needs to medically retire or join the coaching ranks...he’s lost his speed and footwork and is too small and lightweight to play like a modern winger.
yeh raiders wrote:Yeah he’s battling at the moment, but we made our bed letting Cotric and BJ go.
Sure both are stinking it up elsewhere and there’s no way we could’ve kept both, but Ricky knew how to get the best out of them and I’d have kept either one of them over Croker.
Both better ball runners and damaging attackers. The momentum that Joey could produce off the back of a strong carry, was very often underrated.
Kris has what it takes. But we need another and I don’t know if Curtis Scott is the answer.
That is a rosy **** take on BJ. He was already well down the path back to liability in 2019. It was clearly the right decision then. It’s been more than vindicated since.
Cotric was simply impossible to keep at his asking price.
If Croker gets replaced I’d hope Timoko gets a shot.
Letting BJ go was precisely the wrong call. It wasn’t like he was 30+ over the hill, he was literally at the peak of his career. The hope was that Cotric would re-sign, Simonsson would become a star and Croker wouldn’t stink it up for the rest of his contract. Now we have seen that Ricky failed to execute the plan and we are left with a backline that is vastly underpowered and lacking depth. Many predicted this exact thing would happen and it did.
Letting BJ go was the right call, look at his time at the Tigers. There is a reason he is playing in reggies.
BJ was given his chances and was becoming a serious risk off the field. Guys like that can cause the younger guys to get bad habits
BJ bought his “bad habits” from Newcastle. Despite his “bad habits” he and Rapana were the most dangerous right flank in the competition for years. They were a key reason we made the GF. His brain snaps were evident from day one, it was simply a case of taking the bad with the good. He definitely lost us games, but he won us far more.
As for his current form, I don’t read too much into it. We know Ricky drives high standards at Tigers he probably has more leash and has fallen into old ways. Under the right structure and coach he thrives.
For a few years there his relationship with Rapana, the success of the team in 2016, Ricky’s discipline, and team culture kept the brain snaps down to a manageable level. He was very clearly going off the rails again while still at the Raiders in 2019.
Being released by the Raiders may have hastened the decline, but I think BJ was always headed this way. I don’t think staying at the Raiders avoids this.
gangrenous wrote: ↑April 10, 2021, 12:51 pm
For a few years there his relationship with Rapana, the success of the team in 2016, Ricky’s discipline, and team culture kept the brain snaps down to a manageable level. He was very clearly going off the rails again while still at the Raiders in 2019.
Being released by the Raiders may have hastened the decline, but I think BJ was always headed this way. I don’t think staying at the Raiders avoids this.
I just think it’s great that all of the ****wits from the forum have a little thread they can congregate in and slap each other on the back every week and give each other wristies.
Great Bloke great clubman but **** hes getting completely monstered, A pretty astute judge of Rugby league said to me last year he has never rated Croker, I wasike what the **** and ready to rip him a new one, but started to reflect back through the years, A great under 20s player, half decent centre in his early years and a.passenger in his later, hard one.
Ricky swallowed his pride and punted Campo, I think a tough decision will need to be made on Croker soon if this continues.
The new rules will expose him even more. His body looks shot, he has no pace, he gets dominated in every tackle. In the modern game you can’t carry players anymore. If he was at the Storm or Roosters he would be in Reserves by now.
I do wonder how many other forums take any chance to rip their own players apart like the gh does some of the stuff here is a bit over the top..
I get why to a degree but not to the level demonstrated here.. I'd prefer to show support to people in general rather then rip em a new one at every opportunity..
But then I don't have the professional expertise as u guys I'm just a fan of my team.. And no I am not saying people don't have the right to express their opinion and feelings but this thread is often a bit over the top.. Its like with Jack I'm surprised there isn't a sack jack thread for the first 6 months of the season. It's weird but with the sound off cause I was at a pub I didn't think he was as bad as has been made out here a lot of the mistakes seemed to be from inside him
Question wrote: ↑April 10, 2021, 8:25 pm
Great Bloke great clubman but **** hes getting completely monstered, A pretty astute judge of Rugby league said to me last year he has never rated Croker, I wasike what the **** and ready to rip him a new one, but started to reflect back through the years, A great under 20s player, half decent centre in his early years and a.passenger in his later, hard one.
Croker works best in a system where you have strong, powerful units outside of him. That way he doesn’t have to focus on carries and tackle busts but can play a supportive role utilising his skills set such as his flick pass, kick and chase and aerial ability to add balance and craft to the backline. We had so much firepower from guys like Cotric, Rapana, BJ in the backs we could easily carry a guy like Croker and it was a dynamic that seemed to work well.
Now without elite players to piggyback off he is out of his comfort zone and there are fewer opportunities to play his natural game. He is not fully to blame for the breakdown of the backline but it essentially comes down to a choice between him and Scott. In the modern era at least one of your centres needs to be a wrecking ball type and of the current crop I can only see Kris and possibly Timoko as fitting the bill.
Take the emotion out of it and clearly you can see he’s done.
Nobody is “ ripping him” or unfairly judging him.
The games gone past him.
Time is undefeated in sport and that’s no blight on Croker.
irvste wrote:I do wonder how many other forums take any chance to rip their own players apart like the gh does some of the stuff here is a bit over the top..
I get why to a degree but not to the level demonstrated here.. I'd prefer to show support to people in general rather then rip em a new one at every opportunity..
But then I don't have the professional expertise as u guys I'm just a fan of my team.. And no I am not saying people don't have the right to express their opinion and feelings but this thread is often a bit over the top.. Its like with Jack I'm surprised there isn't a sack jack thread for the first 6 months of the season. It's weird but with the sound off cause I was at a pub I didn't think he was as bad as has been made out here a lot of the mistakes seemed to be from inside him
GreenMachine wrote: ↑April 11, 2021, 6:58 am
Take the emotion out of it and clearly you can see he’s done.
Nobody is “ ripping him” or unfairly judging him.
The games gone past him.
Time is undefeated in sport and that’s no blight on Croker.
GreenMachine wrote:Take the emotion out of it and clearly you can see he’s done.
Nobody is “ ripping him” or unfairly judging him.
The games gone past him.
Time is undefeated in sport and that’s no blight on Croker.
The problem is, we’ve been having this discussion every **** season of the guy’s career, even when he was playing well. Now he’s finally in a poor form period and the people pushing this agenda are somehow feeling justified like they were right all along.
Quite frankly, it’s disgusting behaviour. Instead of celebrating the twilight of one of our true champions, people are celebrating sticking the knife in and twisting it.
GreenMachine wrote:Take the emotion out of it and clearly you can see he’s done.
Nobody is “ ripping him” or unfairly judging him.
The games gone past him.
Time is undefeated in sport and that’s no blight on Croker.
The problem is, we’ve been having this discussion every **** season of the guy’s career, even when he was playing well. Now he’s finally in a poor form period and the people pushing this agenda are somehow feeling justified like they were right all along.
Quite frankly, it’s disgusting behaviour. Instead of celebrating the twilight of one of our true champions, people are celebrating sticking the knife in and twisting it.
I agree it’s been a repetitive discussion and 3 years ago it would have been borderline over critical/unfair.
I’ve never really pushed for it in years gone by because our backline always had other moving parts that compensated.
It’s exacerbated this season because our backline (excluding the halves) is the worst of say the “top 6”.
He can’t be an automatic selection this season, unless we plan to waste another year.
I think your point in the eels game thread has merit. Maybe we select him when it’s a ‘flat track’ and keep him out of the matches we think he might be exposed. I don’t really know because we’re not been given a chance to see who is coming through behind him.
So far, it’s difficult to argue Kris isn’t deserving of a starting spot. He’s been solid and provides some game breaking threat out wide that we clearly lack at the moment.
GreenMachine wrote:Take the emotion out of it and clearly you can see he’s done.
Nobody is “ ripping him” or unfairly judging him.
The games gone past him.
Time is undefeated in sport and that’s no blight on Croker.
The problem is, we’ve been having this discussion every **** season of the guy’s career, even when he was playing well. Now he’s finally in a poor form period and the people pushing this agenda are somehow feeling justified like they were right all along.
Quite frankly, it’s disgusting behaviour. Instead of celebrating the twilight of one of our true champions, people are celebrating sticking the knife in and twisting it.
I agree it’s been a repetitive discussion and 3 years ago it would have been borderline over critical/unfair.
I’ve never really pushed for it in years gone by because our backline always had other moving parts that compensated.
It’s exacerbated this season because our backline (excluding the halves) is the worst of say the “top 6”.
He can’t be an automatic selection this season, unless we plan to waste another year.
I think your point in the eels game thread has merit. Maybe we select him when it’s a ‘flat track’ and keep him out of the matches we think he might be exposed. I don’t really know because we’re not been given a chance to see who is coming through behind him.
So far, it’s difficult to argue Kris isn’t deserving of a starting spot. He’s been solid and provides some game breaking threat out wide that we clearly lack at the moment.
I genuinely disagree with most of that. The guy doesn’t need and has never needed other players around him to “carry him”, he’s just in poor form!
It’s sliding doors moments though, if he grounds that try and we go up 12-nil the whole game changes and people probably aren’t piling in as much as they currently are.
He just needs one or two games to regain some form, selecting him for a “flat deck” or keeping him out of big matches is quite insulting. When he’s on, he’s more than capable of performing at the highest level, without anyone else’s assistance, and I genuinely believe he can get back there.
The challenge now is for Croker and Ricky to get him back to that form, and pretty quickly.
He's shot physically, Nickman. That isn't poor form. He just doesn't have it in his body to do what he used to do, and the chances of getting that back are slim.
Suggestions like dropping him would achieve little to nothing - I have no doubt he's giving us his very best right now, as he always has.
afgtnk wrote:He's shot physically, Nickman. That isn't poor form. He just doesn't have it in his body to do what he used to do, and the chances of getting that back are slim.
Not grounding that ball is not from being shot physically. He grounds that ball and the game and this whole discussion changes considerably.
afgtnk wrote:He's shot physically, Nickman. That isn't poor form. He just doesn't have it in his body to do what he used to do, and the chances of getting that back are slim.
Not grounding that ball is not from being shot physically. He grounds that ball and the game and this whole discussion changes considerably.
Personally I don't think it does, at all. I think the reasons for Croker's decline are clear and I've put more detailed thought to it.
Grounding the ball wouldn't change the fact that he's seemingly unable to cut through the opposition anymore, or have enough toe to evade a chasing defender, or use footwork that he used to have to deceive his opposite number. Those were the staples of his game and what he seems to have completely lost.
afgtnk wrote:He's shot physically, Nickman. That isn't poor form. He just doesn't have it in his body to do what he used to do, and the chances of getting that back are slim.
Not grounding that ball is not from being shot physically. He grounds that ball and the game and this whole discussion changes considerably.
He ices that grounding almost all the time.
I’m not convinced it’s form...
afgtnk wrote:He's shot physically, Nickman. That isn't poor form. He just doesn't have it in his body to do what he used to do, and the chances of getting that back are slim.
Not grounding that ball is not from being shot physically. He grounds that ball and the game and this whole discussion changes considerably.
Personally I don't think it does, at all. I think the reasons for Croker's decline are clear and I've put more detailed thought to it.
Grounding the ball wouldn't change the fact that he's seemingly unable to cut through the opposition anymore, or have enough toe to evade a chasing defender, or use footwork that he used to have to deceive his opposite number. Those were the staples of his game and what he seems to have completely lost.
Agree.
That evasiveness seems gone..,so too the speed.
And this isn’t just from the Penrith game.
He used to have amazing speed and balance while running.
All of our outside backs are a bit of a problem right now. Picking Croker as the one to single out just seems to be continuing some strange agenda a portion of our fans have held for a while.
I don't think dropping him solves the issues we have out there. We probably have enough talent in other parts of our team to beat the top teams anyway, but we need Wighton and Hodgson to be at their very best for that to happen.