Uate Re-signs!

M

Ms.Nobody

Banned
Knights put final offer to Uate


****ing hurry up knights!

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HE is yet to make his NRL debut, but the Knights face a battle to retain Fijian flyer Akuila Uate, who has attracted the attention of rival NRL clubs and Super 14 franchises.

Uate's manager, Darryl Mather, said yesterday that negotiations with the Knights had been positive and he hoped his client would be able to reach a decision soon.

But he warned that 20-year-old Uate was a player in demand in both rugby codes.

"There's been strong interest from other clubs and rugby union," Mather said. "I don't want to name those parties, but he's a boy with blistering pace and is attracting interest.

"But in saying all that, I think where he is at the moment is good for him, and hopefully we can get a win-win and keep the boy there . . . as the manager of Aku I see the steady-as-you-go approach as a good thing, but it has to be crystallised against what is commercially fair."

Asked how many clubs had expressed interest, Mather replied: "Three at the moment, plus all the [Super 14] rugby union provinces."

Mather was hopeful that negotiations "won't take a long time to bring to a head, one way or the other".

Knights officials are confident the deal they will table to Uate will compare favourably with any offers he receives elsewhere.

It is understood he is already well paid for a rookie who has not yet appeared in the top grade.

Uate said he was unsure about whether staying in Newcastle was the best thing for his future.

"I'm not sure yet," said Uate, who moved to Australia as a 15-year-old after being born and raised in Fiji.

"I want to stay for two more years, but if I'm not getting a chance to play first grade for Newcastle, I might as well you know what I mean find another club.

"I don't mind staying, but as long as I play first grade for Newcastle."

Uate said he had played rugby union before he left Fiji and would consider a return to the code, but he preferred league.

Knights coach Brian Smith has nurtured Uate for the past two years and said last night that he was close to getting an opportunity in the NRL. It is believed he might have played first grade last year but was denied that chance because of salary cap restrictions.

The 97-kilogram youngster is rated Newcastle's fastest player, but Smith said it was hard to fault the form of incumbent wingers James McManus and Cooper Vuna, who have not missed a game this season.

"We'd all like to see him play, but the other boys are doing a good job at the moment," Smith said of Uate's prospects.

"Somehow, some way, at some stage he's going to get a go at it.

"We certainly think it would be a good idea for that to happen here. He knows our club and we know him, and he wouldn't have to start all over again. For a young guy, that can be a risk."

Meanwhile, Mather was hopeful the Knights would soon start negotiations aimed at re-signing in-form prop Jesse Royal.

"We haven't commenced anything," Mather said.

"It's a bit of wait and see.

"I hope he's rewarded with a good new contract because he's playing good football up there.

"I've been of the view that Newcastle will do the right thing and extend [his contract], but in saying that, it's getting very close to round 13, and my view on that might change if we don't get something started shortly."

Newcastle Herald
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I emailed Brian, had enough. If he goes, it will be like Jarryd Hayne all over again.

I'd hate to see McManus or Vuna lose their spot but FMD put him on the bench or something!

RE-SIGN HIM!
 
Had a feeling it would come down to this. As ive said in the other threads, the longer he is kept in reserve grade, we may as well giveup on signing him.

He is surely due for a debut sometime soon.

Sign him up already!
 
This is a very tough situation for Newcastle to be in IMO.

Obviously they would love to re-sign him as they've developed him over the years, and it would be a real shame to see some other club reap the benefits from all of our time and hard work the club has invested in Uate, but in all honesty, what do you do?

Both McManus and Vuna are playing great footy for us this season, so it's not like you can just drop one of those guys to give Uate a go, and just think of it this way, if we do play Uate in FG and he stands out, that'll bring his price range up that much more and will obviously attract other clubs aswell.

You don't want to over pay for the kid just because he's in demand, especially when we have 2 wingers in front of him at the moment who as I said are playing some great footy for us. Uate hasn't even made his debut yet, and I know it's not his fault, but Newcastle want to make sure they're making the right decision here.

I really like Uate and would love to see him stay, but I personally wouldn't know what to do honestly. You don't want to sign him to this big contract then he's still playing in the NSWC as both McManus and Vuna are both still impressing in FG, but at the same time you don't want to let him go as we have no real depth at the position as it is and also because of the fact that you could potentially be letting go of a complete superstar.

As I said though, he hasn't made his debut yet, so you don't know if he'll crash and burn, just be a solid performer, or be a complete superstar. This is definately a huge risk/reward type situation here. I'd love to see him stay and I really do hope we re-sign him, but I don't want all this money invested in him if he's just going to be playing NSWC, as that could really hurt us down the track with signing other players.

Newcastle really have a decision on their hands here. It'll be interesting to see how much money the other clubs who are after him are offering him though. Some club could potentially be offering him something pretty ridiculous for a guy who hasn't made his debut yet, and I think that's what scares me the most.

It all comes down to these 3 things for Newcastle IMO; 1) What are their future plans for him? 2) What are their future plans for both McManus and Vuna? And finally 3) How much are they willing to spend to keep him around?
 
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You've got to give him a go in the 1st team. Even if it means benching Vuna for a week or two just to give him a try out. So many people have been talking about him that I'm surprised he's not got a go already. The club have to keep him - no question. You can't blame the kid for looking out for his own future.
 
pommie_knight said:
You've got to give him a go in the 1st team. Even if it means benching Vuna for a week or two just to give him a try out. So many people have been talking about him that I'm surprised he's not got a go already. The club have to keep him - no question. You can't blame the kid for looking out for his own future.
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Thing is, if you give Uate a go in FG, he could play well then other teams could get involved and the asking price could go way up. If that happens, then we're in an even worse situation then we are now. I don't want to drop either McManus or Vuna who are playing well in FG for Uate who is playing well in NSWC, but I understand what you're saying, as I'm very interested to see how he goes in FG myself, but giving him a go in FG could actually push him further away if you know what I mean.
 
AussieKnight said:
I emailed Brian, had enough. If he goes, it will be like Jarryd Hayne all over again.

I'd hate to see McManus or Vuna lose their spot but FMD put him on the bench or something!

RE-SIGN HIM!
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McManus and Vuna are both playing really well, and there's no room for a winger on the bench. I can't see a spot for him in the side at the moment. Next year with MacDougall gone there should be room, there's no need to panic at the moment. The article does say he is close to re-signing and wants to stay here ...
 
Smith isn't the right coach for Uate.
Bellamy would have had the erratic but brilliant Uate in firstgrade all season and would be running plays for him and have us all talking about how Melbourne comes up with guys with that sort of talent - but Smith is far more likely to go with the selfish and predictable Sau.

I'd hate to see him getting half a dozen runs a year on the wing in Union, so i kind of hope Ricky Stuart, Craig Bellamy or Wayne Bennett make him a huge offer if we don't pull our fingers out.

The worst thing in the world for him is our current NSW cup situation where we have no coach taking him in hand and improving the areas of his game that still need a lot of work.

We should lend him to a ESL club with a good coach if we arn't going to use him this season - or send him to Wentworthville for the rest of the season so Rip Taylor can finish what he started.

He is the best natural athlete the club has ever had - Tahu is a distant second.
 
Not me... I didn't say that, K4P did. What I meant is that's the only way he will get a run. I hate injuries at the best of times, they screw teams up.

I'd like to see:

1. Gidley
2. Uate
3. Naiqama
4. McManus
5. Vuna
 
Roopy, I don't know if you have something against Sau, but Sau's a centre, and Uate's a winger, so yeah, at the moment, Smith probably would be more likely to play Sau over Uate seeing as though both McManus and Vuna have been playing some great footy for us, and with Naiqama now having to shift to fullback because of Gidley, there's obviously a vacant centre position as I'm assuming Lulia has the other one, and with Mad Dog's horrible run of injuries this season, Sau's obviously the next in line because he's a centre, not Uate.

Personally, I really like Sau as a player and think he has a heap of potential (not saying Uate doesn't), but I'm more then happy to see Sau get a run in the centre's if need be because of injury. I'm not sure what the go is with the "selfish" and "predictable" comment though.
 
AussieKnight said:
Not me... I didn't say that, K4P did. What I meant is that's the only way he will get a run. I hate injuries at the best of times, they screw teams up.

I'd like to see:

1. Gidley
2. Uate
3. Naiqama
4. McManus
5. Vuna
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Yeah, I think that's more likely and more reasonable, but personally, I don't want to see McManus shifted to the centre's. I'd rather see Lulia stay in the centre's then having McManus change positions when he's playing great where he is. IMO, he's a winger and is playing great on the wing for us, and I'm not sure why you'd change that for. I want to see Uate get a run in FG just as much as the next guy, but I don't think screwing around with either McManus or Vuna when they've been playing great for us in FG is the answer to getting Uate in the team who's been playing great in the NSWC. FG > NSWC, and it will always be that way obviously.
 
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