G.H Shark
Tiger Shark
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AFB and either Rudolf/BHU
Official Thomas Hazelton
- Thread starter Thresher
- Start date
Vichyssoise
Great White
We're talking 2026. Not that much of stretch. By then Rudolf & BHU will probably be bench props at best.
egg
Jaws
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2010
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Sharks cult hero almost gave up on dream - but dirty path led back to NRL
News
4 hours ago
ROAR
Only 80 minutes separates towering Cronulla prop Tom Hazelton from playing in a Grand Final, but he nearly traded his NRL dream for a career in landscaping.
Running it hard from deep with black electrical tape wrapped around his depilated pate, the 25-year-old is a throwback to rugby league legends past, which may explain why he has quickly attained cult hero status at Shark Park.
But after injury and pandemic lockdowns stymied his burgeoning professional career he very nearly ended up putting his considerable heft to work tackling wheelbarrows and bags of soil instead.
The young Goulburn prospect had just made the move to Sydney with the Sharks’ Jersey Flegg side and was pounding on the door of the senior team when COVID-19 brought the game to a standstill.
“The first year I played one game because of COVID and the next year I actually broke my hand in round two after we had a bye in round one, so that set me out for about 12 weeks,” he told AAP.
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“The game I was due back we had a bye, and then the comp got shut down straight after that, so sort of didn’t have any footy for those two years.
“It was a pretty low time because I gave up so much leaving (Goulburn) and not to be seeing any rewards was a bit frustrating.
“During COVID, it would’ve been easy just to throw the towel in and head home but I got to a point where I had a good chat to a few people around me and decided that this is what I wanted to do.
“And off the back of that to play in the NRL, but now in the finals series and with an opportunity to play in a grand final is unreal.”
It would have been easy for Hazelton to pack his bags and head home.
Instead he found a job as a landscaper and started shovelling.
Thomas Hazelton scores a try. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
“I actually really enjoyed it,” he said.
“Obviously like everything, it has it’s good and bad days. But that kind of line of work makes me appreciate the life I live now as well.”
Now in his second full NRL season and his first preliminary final, the Shire feels like home, even if he’s never embraced the local pastime of surfing.
“I tried it once and did it in budgies and got chafe pretty much all over the front side of my body, so that was enough for me to draw a line in the sand,” he said.
“I love the area, I love the club and everyone involved with it.
“The option to go home is always there, right. But at the moment I’m very happy here.
“Hopefully, all things being equal I’ll continue playing footy for a long time yet and this is somewhere I could definitely see myself settling down after that.”
MMsharks
Jaws
thanks for sharing @eggSharks cult hero almost gave up on dream - but dirty path led back to NRL
News
4 hours ago
ROAR
Only 80 minutes separates towering Cronulla prop Tom Hazelton from playing in a Grand Final, but he nearly traded his NRL dream for a career in landscaping.
Running it hard from deep with black electrical tape wrapped around his depilated pate, the 25-year-old is a throwback to rugby league legends past, which may explain why he has quickly attained cult hero status at Shark Park.
But after injury and pandemic lockdowns stymied his burgeoning professional career he very nearly ended up putting his considerable heft to work tackling wheelbarrows and bags of soil instead.
The young Goulburn prospect had just made the move to Sydney with the Sharks’ Jersey Flegg side and was pounding on the door of the senior team when COVID-19 brought the game to a standstill.
“The first year I played one game because of COVID and the next year I actually broke my hand in round two after we had a bye in round one, so that set me out for about 12 weeks,” he told AAP.
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League
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- NRL News: Luai reveals unconventional ritual, Addo-Carr facing hefty ban for cocaine arrest, Storm legend wary of 'no fear' Roosters
- There's no plausible justification for Tedesco to take a salary cut with Roosters skipper in red-hot form
- Couldn’t care less about Grand Final entertainment - it only works when it doesn’t
- NRL could step in as Ponga pulls out of Kangaroos for Pacific campaign despite being injury free
“The game I was due back we had a bye, and then the comp got shut down straight after that, so sort of didn’t have any footy for those two years.
“It was a pretty low time because I gave up so much leaving (Goulburn) and not to be seeing any rewards was a bit frustrating.
“During COVID, it would’ve been easy just to throw the towel in and head home but I got to a point where I had a good chat to a few people around me and decided that this is what I wanted to do.
“And off the back of that to play in the NRL, but now in the finals series and with an opportunity to play in a grand final is unreal.”
It would have been easy for Hazelton to pack his bags and head home.
Instead he found a job as a landscaper and started shovelling.
Thomas Hazelton scores a try. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
“I actually really enjoyed it,” he said.
“Obviously like everything, it has it’s good and bad days. But that kind of line of work makes me appreciate the life I live now as well.”
Now in his second full NRL season and his first preliminary final, the Shire feels like home, even if he’s never embraced the local pastime of surfing.
“I tried it once and did it in budgies and got chafe pretty much all over the front side of my body, so that was enough for me to draw a line in the sand,” he said.
“I love the area, I love the club and everyone involved with it.
“The option to go home is always there, right. But at the moment I’m very happy here.
“Hopefully, all things being equal I’ll continue playing footy for a long time yet and this is somewhere I could definitely see myself settling down after that.”
In Bloke in a Bar poddy says working on extension with Sharks but also says ‘hopefully sort something out’ and repeats that and laughs and says ‘yeah, yep’ when Denan says ‘Fitzy open the cheque book’
So does sound like maybe the value is a bit of a snag at the moment
So does sound like maybe the value is a bit of a snag at the moment
The Punisher
Bull Shark
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His management apparently want $600k, and at the moment hes on basement contract.
The club will be happy to keep him around at the right price but wont be paying overs for him thats for sure.
Offer $275k - $300k tops
HaroldBishop
Megalodon
If a club is willing to give him 66k he should take it. No chance he's worth that to us.
Blue_Eyes84
Great White
I would like to see some more consistency first before any major upgrade.
HaroldBishop
Megalodon
Definitely had a flat patch last year but I don't blame him for that, he's young. I thought he should have been rested, don't think Fitz handled him well when he was obviously tired.
Blue_Eyes84
Great White
That's a good point.
The Punisher
Bull Shark
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He was also injured from what i got told, had busted ribs and played on injections
Proud Shark
Jaws
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Terell May just got 675k to go to the Tigers. Tommy's dreaming if we're paying 600k to keep him. Upgrade this season and extend for two more years on about 1.2m total and I think we've gotten a good deal somewhere around 400k per year. Anything more and I think you let him go.
Wizard
Bull Shark
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He probably sees the money BHU and Toby are on and feels he is worth it
Hazelton is on my 'probably struggle to keep him' list.
Just feels like even with Royce and Jack having left, another year for Colquhoun and Hau Tapuha and we don't need Tommy to be chewing up big bucks.
Even if BHU or Rudolf suddenly walked off right not I still wouldn't want to give Tommy 600k
We have 12 months to find or bring up another project player in the depth and could easily grab two quite promising ones and still have a lot of 600k left over.
It's too much for him with a fraction of the resume Rudolf, BHU, May etc have and it's also too much against our cap which already has a lot spent in the middle.
Just feels like even with Royce and Jack having left, another year for Colquhoun and Hau Tapuha and we don't need Tommy to be chewing up big bucks.
Even if BHU or Rudolf suddenly walked off right not I still wouldn't want to give Tommy 600k
We have 12 months to find or bring up another project player in the depth and could easily grab two quite promising ones and still have a lot of 600k left over.
It's too much for him with a fraction of the resume Rudolf, BHU, May etc have and it's also too much against our cap which already has a lot spent in the middle.
andrew's_sharks
Great White
Yeah I agree with this. I think Tuks and Kafusi are the ones we can't let get away
Sparkles
Jaws
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- May 21, 2008
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- 13,214
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No-one is paying Tommy $600k. If he leaves it'll be for $100-150k more than he gets here. Surely.
Proud Shark
Jaws
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2015
- Messages
- 10,533
- Reaction score
- 5,116
Not sold on Tuks yet, but agree on Kaufusi. I think a middle of AFB, Kaufusi, McInnes, Talakai, Colquhoun is a good base. Between BHU and Toby for the next two years, Tuks and some decent middle talent coming through I wouldn't be paying big money for anyone else. We need to get better value out of our 5th/6th best middles moving forward IMO. Ideally when BHU/Toby come off contract we either retain them way cheaper if they are going well, or sign someone cheaper in their place.
Tommy not worth anything more than 350-400k max.
sharkboy18
Jaws
I'm not sure on Hazelton yet, probably keep him as depth for another year though then make up an official mind after 2025. He's still quite young. Our top props this year are probably AFB, Kaufusi, Tuks, BHU if he's injury free then Rudolf. With AFB now we can probably afford to have Hazelton in Newtown if he's struggling with form for a bit. Culqohoun will probably be the main prop for Newtown to start with though.