The last couple of years have shown that there are some serious long-term contract management and salary cap management problems at the club, and you don't fix that problem by adding even more bad value to the cap. Watkins, as he is today, isn't worth marquee money.

I'm annoyed to see him go, there are plenty of players I'd rather see let go and it shouldn't have ended like this, but solving those issues relies on players being as willing to negotiate out of their contract as Kal has been.

Players like Kallum are far from the biggest problem in this regard, but people like Tui Lolohea, Nat Peteru and Tom Briscoe know that they aren't going to gain anything by negotiating their respective deals away - they're on too much of a good thing.

Agree. Even more so older players in their last gig.

why should they? my boss offers me silly money I wont say no

Salary cap implications on getting out of longer term contracts are really hurting us, otherwise you would probably have seen more movement by now.

I was just taking a look on Frosties sticky on the first team, and the number of players we need rid of is easily into double digits. Some of them have contracts for a few years yet so it's very hard to move them on if they are not willing.

strong rumour Ferres not getting a new contract, good riddance aswell.

Quite, I think theres been some real mismanagement of contracts and players over the last few years - which can be a tricky situation to get out of, fair play to Kallum, there was obviously a frank discussion about his contract and wages he coukd have made life really difficult for the management.

Personally I hope he goes to the NRL

there's where then problem is, to get Watkins to surrender the rest of his contract is a very decent and honorable thing to do for your club and it doesn't surprise me one bit as he's been brought up threw the ranks, as for the rest they know they are on a downward spiral and will want to sap as much as they can get from the club, there was a time I'd have him in our side but not on his present form

Fortunately I think just a few very good signings will at least get us out of residing at the bottom half of the table

That should be a no brainer

Watkins has been pretty average since 2015 (arguably his best peak year man of steel for me that year), very poor this year looks completely done mentally and physically, he would be stealing a living if we kept him another year on the big bucks.
I know people say he is coming back from a bad injury, but would expect 4-6 games to get into swing of things, but looks no better, other players have had similar injuries and got back to some form pretty quickly, Peacock did, hall looked pretty solid when making his roosters debut. Watkins has never really lived up to his ability and potential, similar to say Paul Newlove all the ability but not the heart or desire to really be the very best.

I'm not saying that they should. It's not incumbent on the players to fix the club's management issues.

But without willing negotiators, the fans need to accept that the players that need to go aren't the players that will go.

I don't blame any player for accepting a salary that values their abilities at more than they're worth - I blame the people who negotiated those contracts in the first place.

Well if nothing else its a massive statement of intent that this teams days are numbered and there's no favourites.

I can see a few more "negotiations" going on behind the scenes too, but as mentioned correctly above, "wanting" to move deadweight on is one thing, actually being "able" to is another.

Good luck to the lad for the future. He hasn't looked right this season and it seems injuries have taken their toll. I don't think anyone on here is bothered about him going, all I read is that he hasn't deserved his place as a centre.
Good news is that Sinfield has shown some metal and rightly so, one or two more maybe getting the dreaded phone call. We may even see some long term injuries back playing sooner rather than later etc. At last commercialism has taken hold and the planning for next year has started already. Fingers crossed we may see some improvements this year.

It's pretty big news. As said above, it's showed that Leeds won't be afraid to move anyone on, no matter how big a name.

On the playing side of things, I think Watkins has been a decent player for us, but I don't think he's ever dominated games or a season in a way that say Jamie Lyon did for saints. Overall, I don't think he's had the impact he could have done. Part of that I think is the Leeds setup being unable to make the opportunities for him. Under a team with more structure, like wanes Wigan, he's have been much more effective

On the squad side of things it's pretty harsh if he's been promised a long future at the club and they've gone back on it. But if he gets a payoff to write it off and the chance to get a good deal elsewhere will probably work out ok for him.

If direct there will be a lot of offers for him. He'll still have another 5 years at SL level.

I'd have a long list of players to ship out before kallum, but if he can be freed up to sign some real quality then it'll be a good move long term

The players we might have a chance of shifting early are those whose current contracts don't take them to the end of their careers. Its all very well holding out for a while, but if their next contracts continue to shrink due to playing in a bad team then a few may decide to leave while they still have some value.