Genuine question. Why isn't Matt Orford featured centre stage on the "Pledge 10,000" poster?

I would assume it's because he's still in Oz recovering and all the pledge publicity stuff will have happened in the last 4-6 weeks at a guess. And just bolting an old pic of him in wouldn't suit the quite excellent publicity material.

Well I suspect the simple answer is because he is the other side of the World right now.

However I also suspect, that isn't what you're getting at!

Even I could photoshop him into the picture and yes I am wondering if he in fact will not be part of our set-up next year! Seems to me communication with him, his Manager and the Club have broken down. No statements as of yet from him or his Manager down under as requested by the Club. It doesn't look good, but I hope I'm wrong.

you have to wonder why he was allowed to return home anyway.im sure he could have contributed to the team, even as waterboy, giving guidance to our makeshift half back partnerships who were seriously struggling.

I understand and believe the reasons given by the Club for allowing him to go home. I just hope that if he isn't coming back the Club have plans to adequately replace him. We can't go into next season without a quality Scrum Half.

The reason given at the Fans Forum was that because of the surgery, which was done in Aus by a doctor who has previously treated Orford, it would leave him with only one usable arm. Given that Orford is now a single guy he wouldn't be able to care for himself adequately. So his return to Aus to recover is because he'd have family there to help him with the simple things like washing and dressing.

He is covered on his insurance back in Australia not in the uk

Orford has told quite a few people over here in Australia that he dosen't want to go back to Bradford, i would cut him loose and move on.

Nope.

As Roofaldo has highlighted, the reason he went back to Australia was explained at the fans forum. He wanted a specific surgeon to do the job (who had worked on him before) and actually paid for it himself in order to have that.

He also needed looking after following the operation due to his inability to do hardly anything for himself, and he has no family over here.



Regarding not including him on the poster, I would have taken the same decision as the club. Although they have had assurances he is coming back, why risk it? There are other players you can feature, so why risk putting someone on who there's even a small chance of not coming back? All it takes is for him to decide to stay over there and suddenly the club are getting ridiculed for featuring him on next year's poster and are open to people saying "Well I pledged £60 because the advert said Orford would be here".

Had he said to the Bulls board what he's allegedly said to 'few people' 2 months ago I think everybody would have been happy to move on. However, having said precisely the opposite the Bulls cannot cut him loose should they want to. From Orford's perspective he has also carried on taking the money right into the off season when out of contract players are being signed up leaving the Bulls unlikely to be able to attract someone of similar status.

D day here is first day of pre-season training. If Orford's here then all's well and good. If he's not then both parties are in a deep mess. The Bulls because they have no realistic chance of getting a replacement and Orford because he will be in breach of contract.

The legal experts might want to comment here as in those circumstances it could be argued that Orford may have acted in a duplicitous manner considering the assurances he has given Peter Hood.

Not a good situation for the club to be in but what else can they do?

He could well become the most hated player in the history of the club if he leaves us up s*it creek come the start of pre-season. What a change around that would be from last year.

And it will also prove that contracts are not worth the paper they're written on because the likely outcome will be that its simply torn up and both parties walk away as he'll know that we don't have a pot to pee in to pursue legal action.

If he wants to play in Oz, and i say if, he would need to have this situation sorted for say early Nov?

Surely by this time he needs to know, all teams in NRL will have their half backs in place. If there is any mileage in this it must surely come to head in the next 6 weeks or so

You would hope that Potter knows even now what is happening. In terms of contracts etc surely if he doesn not turn up for pre-season he would be in breach and would we then have to pay him. It makes no sense for him to notify us early Nov he aint coming if this is the case and we wont pay him or then need to release him even though this would leave us in the mire. In this case would we be able to not pay him and then only agree a release if a replacement is found

Strangely enough there has been nothing in the Ozzie press for over a month, either his agent or Orford himself have realised the speculation is doing damage to both sides, so unless he actually comes out and tell the Bulls he wishes to say in Oz, one would assume he will be here on Nov 4th for pre season training!

That's spot on imo.

What no-one seems to recognise is the fact that if Ordord actually wants to go, he only has to say so, to the club. There is no club, anywhere, who would attempt to retain a player, no matter how good, how important, or how long his contract, who doesn't want to be there. That is how Eastwood got out of his Leeds deal and that is how Matt could end his deal at the Bulls; if he wanted to!

The fact that all his communications have been the opposite suggests he doesn't want to leave.