Well for a start, Lulia has stayed beyond a year, unlike Matt Orford did, and Lulia was OOC at Newcastle, whereas we paid a fee for Matt Orford to bring him in from Manly. Orford was a disaster, I think everyone can agree.
Essentially, the Matt Orford situation didn't help us financially.

I'm sure Leeds would gladly bring in a big aussie star in the centres, and I think you will.
Just because Lulia is on a large salary, it doesn't mean that we offer bigger contracts to overseas players than you.

Looking at the players Leeds have lost in the past two years (Webb, Buderus, Senior, Lauititi and Smith included), as well as the fact we thought we could make a realistic offer to Garreth Widdop, and you'd think we'd comfortably be able to fit Lulia under cap.

The problem with going for players like Lulia and Joel Moon is that they'll be the highest paid players at clubs who've bankrupted themselves to get them. Even though we could afford them, and even though they're both much better players and not much older than Keinhorst, we couldn't justify bettering their current salary and making them *our* best-paid player ahead of the stars we already have. With Widdop we probably could justify that, but with the new NRL deal even that wasn't going to be enough.

So, unless a rabbit is pulled from the bag or Moon/Lulia reconsider, it looks like we've screwed up recruitment again, following the Buderus "replacement" last year. First world problems, I guess.

Don't think Carmont is a terrible idea if we can't get other targets. We're still short on 3/4s and he was still one of the very best centres in the league last year, unlike the liability Senior was the year before we cut him.

Surely the key here is that he wants to be a Bull for the 2013 season. Who knows after that??


Leeds may have offered a very good deal to the player, however he may feel that signing up to Leeds would require more than 1 years commitment. After 2013, he may get even more money by returning to the NRL, which he could not do if he was on a longer contract at Leeds.

No big loss to us imo.

Why not give another Keith a Years Contract?

Not sure how the Bulls can afford to turn it down tbh.. possibly holding out for more money? And can't believe the lad would turn us down.. no way in a million years.. Just hope we've not left our recruitment too late

Do we know what our offer was, cash, player exchange or probably some of both?

why are Leeds making plays for average centres when they've got two international centres in the team already?

It would be worth it to see the reaction from the Wigan fans...

They thought he was retiring, started an unsuccessful campaign to try get him to change his mind, then saw him eventually signing for us??

No idea, that will be the key to why they've rejected.. i suspect they're holding out for more.

Lulia strikes me as the type of NRL centre signing in the vein of Godden and Carmont. He's not a world-beater but will do a job better than most in SL. He's the kind of player that would complement our relatively inexperienced backline. Unlike Ablett (or Hardaker, Smith etc), he plays like an out and out centre.

Doesn't matter now that he's not coming though. I suspect the key issue is that Bradford don't want to be seen as a selling club again (especially not their best players to LEEDS). I'm sure they would have snapped our hands off if GH made an over-the-odds offer, but that's just not GH. What the player says is immaterial - you only have to look at the Lunt example if further evidence were needed.

Which other Keith?