West Tigers have given Josh Reynolds permission to look at rival clubs for a new home in 2020, according to chief NRL.com reporter Michael Chammas.
It was revealed that head coach Michael Maguire recently discussed the future of Reynolds, including the opportunity to find a new club.
โThat has been a while coming because despite the fact that Ivan Cleary had big plans for Reynolds, under Michael Maguire he has battled with injury,โ Ben Ikin told NRL 360.
โHe has been mainly playing in the second tier and looks as though he isnโt going to get an opportunity in the top grade under Michael Maguire the way he would have wanted.
โHe is too good a player not to be playing in the top grade somewhere.โ
The move has been linked with Benji Marshall's desire to play on in season 2020.
The Bulldogs now seem as a potential new home home for Reynolds.
However, Reynolds current contract at the Tigers involves big money, which may prove to be a problem for a new team, according to Brent Read.
โIt is all about value for money and he is on $800,000 or more,โ Read said.
โSo it is all well and good for the Tigers to say go and find another club, but you have to find a club willing to pitch in and make it worthwhile.
โIf the Tigers are paying $500,000 you might as well keep him because you only have $300,000 spare and you wonโt get a better player than Reynolds for that.โ
Ben Ikin believes Reynolds would be a handy pick up for a team that is trying to improve their culture on and off the field.
โHe would be a great addition if you are trying to build a culture at a club he is a great club man,โ Ikin said.
โIf you get him at the right price he is the ultimate competitor and I stake a lot on what James Graham thinks about his teammates and he holds Josh Reynolds in the highest regard.
โWhen Reynolds was leaving the Bulldogs to go to the Tigers and the things that Graham said about him, not that I wasnโt already sold, but it just stamped it.โ
James Hopper raised a potential homecoming for Reynolds at the Bulldogs if the right price can be hit.
โSurely all roads lead back to Belmore in a perfect world,โ Hooper said.
โHe is a local junior. He was the heart and soul of that club for so long. He didnโt want to leave, but he met his Allan Bond in that Ivan Cleary came in and threw him the four-year-deal at $800,000 a season.
โIf the Tigers are prepared to chip in a little bit and throw in $300,000, for a club like Canterbury that are anchored to the bottom of the table in a rebuild, he would be a smart buy.โ
Through no fault of his own, Reynolds has not delivered on his marquee salary for the Tigers,. nearly 2 years into his contract he has only played a handful of NRL games. Cleary just like he duded the WT by leaving he duded them with the signings of Packer, Matulino, McQueen and Reynolds all on long term deals and big money.
if I were JR I’d do a “Benji” and head back to the Dogs, where he always belonged.
In all honesty the Bulldogs are better off without him. They need to start building a new team with young players not recruiting 30+ overpaid grubs. I do think he could still play first grade but i think his best role when not injured is as a utility off the bench cause he can cover the halves and hooker. He could be handy for Knights, Eels or Manly but only for about 300k max off the bench.
Could be the missing link at Manly, he did play in grandfinals under Hasler at the dogs.
Titans
2041… The board at the Tigers would have to sign off on any of those deals. They wouldn’t just allow the coach to buy players, say how much they’re going to be paid & for how many years. Not all by himself.
Shows how much over clubs in the West have to pay to actually buy players.