Force Dumps O'Connor

[Nipper]

Blimey..this will be a difficult one to explain to the kids..shit, it's going to be a rough night..

Same here - after telling my 8-year-old son "sweet, he's staying!" to two days later, "son, I hate to tell you this...".

The best part was his first response was "Traitor!"

After doing the adult thing and saying, "well in professional sport, yadda, yadda", I was secretly proud of the boy.

I think we both learned something today...

[Goldmember]

RugbyWA withdrew their offer and this was Vern Reid's decision.

Despite all the negative "JOC is not that good", "JOC is a money grabber", "JOC is not better than the team" etc. comments, the fact remains that we have lost one of our best players because Vern failed to address James' concerns. Clearly, James wanted to make ensure he'd be part of a winning team before he signed up - it was not just about money. It is obvious that James wanted to play for the Force but was he let down by RugbyWA Management.

JOC's too good not to do well elsewhere. Pitty he had to be dumped by RugbyWA.

[brokendown gunfighter]

you should be a bloody spin doctor,goldmember

[sittingbison]

.... It is obvious that James wanted to play for the Force but was he let down by RugbyWA Management.

Nup, he has been let down by his lawyer, and himself. KPIs and a say in recruits are a disgrace, his mindset is all wrong, all his utterances including twitter are not team based but JOC Centric.

As they pay half his wages, I am also appalled that the ARU has allowed all this anti-team crud to enter negotiations
Posted via Mobile Device

[GAFFA]

I was listening to the radio last night and one of the journos got hold of him in a carpark somewhere asking him all sorts of question about why he left ect... But one thing struck me with what he had to say. After saying how much he loved perth he came out with something along the lines of "I have to do whats best for my Rugby Brand...?" Someone had pumped his tyres up just abit to much i think.

[brokendown gunfighter]

yeah,that inteview was on channel 9 news last night

[zimeric]

sounds a little Beckham'ish doesnt he?

[zimeric]

RugbyWA withdrew their offer and this was Vern Reid's decision.

Despite all the negative "JOC is not that good", "JOC is a money grabber", "JOC is not better than the team" etc. comments, the fact remains that we have lost one of our best players because Vern failed to address James' concerns. Clearly, James wanted to make ensure he'd be part of a winning team before he signed up - it was not just about money. It is obvious that James wanted to play for the Force but was he let down by RugbyWA Management.

JOC's too good not to do well elsewhere. Pitty he had to be dumped by RugbyWA.

Vern did not fail to address James Concerns.. Vern refused to negotiate unreasonable demands put to him by JOC... and if i was in his position i wouldve done the same thing. The team has proved it doesnt need JOC to win games, JOC is not indispensable in fact hes proved more than twice this year that he has been a direct result of tight losses. he should be setting himself KPI's rather than the team.

[blueandblack]

Is this the start of a new committee? Pity if it is.

[PerthGirl]

If James had reached all his KPI's we might have won a few more games this season

[slomo]

Clearly, James wanted to make sure he'd be part of a winning team before he signed up -

and im sure signing for melbourne wont fix that.........

[GIGS20]

Is this the start of a new committee? Pity if it is.

nope......Melbourne don't have a coach to mutiny against!

[blueandblack]

If James had reached all his KPI's we might have won a few more games this season

It might be something from his uni course....or something put in to ensure he doesn't get an agreement, so then he can go somewhere else.

[GIGS20]

BTW I don't have too much of a problem with JOC, sure the move sounds a little up himself, but it seems to me like he wanted one year and the other bits 'n' pieces were a way of making sure it was (to all intents and purposes) a one year. I assume that his manager came up with the little gem of KPIs and recruiting control to make sure he had plenty of escape clauses etc.

I say good on the Force, he's a bloody awesome player, but we all know what happens to bloody awesome players when they get the keys to the city thrown at them.....they start to believe their own press, become petulant princesses and end up playing for a team where they're obviously the best player in the backline because anybody with any real talent has got shot of them and pissed off.

I hope this doesn't happen to him, because it caused a real issue in Aussie rugby when Gits walked that road and we can't afford another one!

I wonder if Melbourne will offer him one year........and whether the Force would take him back on a sensible contract.

[zed]

RugbyWA withdrew their offer and this was Vern Reid's decision.

Despite all the negative "JOC is not that good", "JOC is a money grabber", "JOC is not better than the team" etc. comments, the fact remains that we have lost one of our best players because Vern failed to address James' concerns. Clearly, James wanted to make ensure he'd be part of a winning team before he signed up - it was not just about money. It is obvious that James wanted to play for the Force but was he let down by RugbyWA Management.

JOC's too good not to do well elsewhere. Pitty he had to be dumped by RugbyWA.