Orford looks to be gone - to Souths

[Super Cronk]

i just wanna say im not fussed if orford leaves...i dont think he is as good as people say...sure when he is playing his best footy he is really good its just a shame the next week he doesnt play so good. i think he cant handle pressure of a contract signing and everything esle , fair enough.

he jsut doesnt want to be here with the storm..maybe its the coach, maybe its melbourne , who knows? because who wouldnt want to be apart of the storms future? its starting to look great for us in the future.

- new staduim, hopefully more fans through the gate better playing field etc.

-signings- the storm have re-signed king, have billy and cam for a couple more years...we may be getting crocker and davico...along with alot of younger guys coming through...so we will have the personnel to win a comp.

-waldron- this is only his first year and yet i still get the feeling he is really helping out...im sure in the next few years he will help this club tremendesly(sp) improve and move forward to bigger better things.

so if he doesnt want to be apart of a club that can only get better, then there is something wrong with him. if he has no time for the storm the storm should have no time for him.

[Lucas]

The question now is do we go looking for a replacement? What sort of half backs are out of contract? I doubt we will be able to get a quality replacement. It will be a big ask for Cronk to assume the no. 7 role next year without much back-up. Cameron Smith is a possibility to play half back, I have no doubt he could do it but we would miss him out of dummy half.

I think we should definitely keep Nathan Friend now, we will probably need him more next year. That is if he wants to stay.

[JAMIE]

Cronk will handle it fine, but we also always have Marc Brentnall!

In all honesty, I wouldn't write Matthew off just yet. Last week, he and King had already bought plane tickets back to Manly. Who knows what this new Souths thing is. All I have learnt, is not to listen to the tabloids.

And "Kingy" - Cam and Billy are off contract at the end of next year. As Younge has mentioned a real target for the new Gold Coast franchise. However as long as we keep Bellamy, I think they'll stay.

[jellyhead]

This quote regarding Matt Orford from another forum I frequent. This guy is quite often claiming to have "inside" knowledge so you can make up your own mind.

He will sign with Melbourne and not Souths, its expect that Brian Waldren will offer him a 1 year contract and that is it, they were hoping for 3 year deal but looks like Gold Coast have already made a substaintial offer for his services from 2007 to 2009.

[Lord Reynoldson]

If he does go to Souths, I would love to know why he did. I think I could easily handle it and support him.

No, I don't like the way that things have gone on, I will not respect the way things have been handled. It's been done in an attrocious manner. Muchn worse than when Kimmorley left. At least Kimmorley said "Hey, I may be leaving the club, can I go talk to them so we can get this whole rubbish over with"

I don't think it will be a money thing. If he was after money, he could have gotten a lot more playing over in England.

If his motives behind leaving the club are to take on the challenge of leading Souths back from the tragic point that they are at, then I can accept that. I would have prefered for him to have won a comp with us and then moved on to the next challenge, but hey, I can easily deal with him playing for Souths if it's all about the challenge. If it's about the money....f*** him.

[Earl]

Brett Firman is on the free agent list again.

[Lucas]

Brett Firman is on the free agent list again.

I thought he signed for 2 years when he went to the Roosters? But then again, I thought Matt King signed for 2 years last year, so who knows. Firman would be OK as a back-up to Cronk.

[steaming stormer]

Jamie, I'm almost certain they signed until end 2007... can anyone confirm this either way? They signed 3 year deals last year, which would make 05, 06 and 07.

[Lord Reynoldson]

How funny would it be if tomorrow Matt Orford announced that he'd signed with Melbourne for another 3 years!

[Christabella]

How funny would it be if tomorrow Matt Orford announced that he'd signed with Melbourne for another 3 years!

Funnier things have happened ...

But how about Mr Bullshite Wiedler's latest scoop that the Victorian governement might step in to help keep Orford in Melbourne. I think he has out done himself in stupidity with this one.
What the heck can they do, and more importantly why the heck would Mr Geelong Cats even care?

[simo]

Orford is a quality halfback, It will be dissaponting if he leaves.
Id like to see Marc Brettnall have a shot at halfback though.

[Lord Reynoldson]

We've never really had other "halfbacks", just blokes who filled in for Noddy and 'Ox.

I could handle Kimmorley returning.

[Earl]

Brett Firman is on the free agent list again.

I thought he signed for 2 years when he went to the Roosters? But then again, I thought Matt King signed for 2 years last year, so who knows. Firman would be OK as a back-up to Cronk.

He did, but he has asked for a release now that about 3 players at the Roosters have leap frogged him.

[Lord Reynoldson]

...I would have prefered for him to have won a comp with us and then moved on to the next challenge, but hey, I can easily deal with him playing for Souths if it's all about the challenge...

IMPOSTER!!!

This is not the real LR!! The real LR would be fine if he left in 2006, and would have said something like this: "I have no problem with Orford moving onto the next challenge after he wins the comp with us this year!"

That's what I mean. Like have won a comp and then decided to leave, but if he goes to Souths, the decision would have been made before he had really achieved anything down here. he WILL help us win the comp this year, but it won't be him making the big plays in the finals series. Had he of achieved something more last year, I'd have been happy with him moving on to the next challenge when these negotiations came up. Taking on a challenge is one thing, but what about the current one he's got going on?

[JAMIE]

Outcast Half back that had success with us a few years ago?
KEVIN CARMICHAEL