The days of the handshake deal are over and I think the game is poorer for it.

PROBABLY the biggest news story of the 2010 footy off-season – and maybe the entire year, actually – was the seemingly endless contract dispute revolving around Queensland Origin centre Greg Inglis.

You’ve all read the papers or watched the news, I’m sure, so you don’t need me to walk you through it step-by-step again, just as I am sure you can all understand how a tug-of-war might break out over a player of Greg’s incredible ability.

Equally, I don’t think anyone would have a problem with the idea of a player trying to do the best for himself and his future.

But I do have to say, the whole affair was another reminder of how the game has evolved into a business, and how the old-school ways of doing things – like handshake deals and using your word as your bond – are the ways of a bygone era.

Greg’s situation, caught as the prize in a three-way battle between the Storm, Broncos and Rabbitohs got to the stage where no one – including Greg – really knew what was going on.

When comments made on Hollywood talk shows become part of the argument, you know things have gotten out of hand.

The whole thing got a bit messy, and I think there was a bit of underhanded dealing going on.

I am not a fan of that. I am a fan of being honest.

I am a big believer in doing what is right – doing the right thing, and being honest regardless of the advice you get.

Once you filter through all the bulldust, you have to make a decision based on what your value system is, and do what you think is right.

I talked to Greg just after the news first came out about going to Souths, and he seemed pretty happy in himself.

He was looking forward to getting back into training and getting all the off-field distractions out of the road.

He was in a fairly happy spot, looking forward to his wedding, and I got the impression he was in a good stage of his life at the moment.

Greg has had a tumultuous year.

Obviously he has had that court case, the Melbourne Storm salary cap scandal, the Andrew Johns incident during Origin and now this contract stuff all hanging over his head.

He has had a fair bit going on in his life.

When the Andrew Johns thing came to light earlier in the year, Greg was very honest in his approach to the issue.

He was forthright, and in no doubt about what he thought was the right thing.

He got on with it, put it behind him, and played good football.

That is a good lesson for him.

With this latest drama surrounding the contract, if he is comfortable in himself that he has made the right decision and done the right thing, then good luck to him.

Other people might disagree with that opinion, but at the end of the day, if he is happy he has done the right thing, then he will be clear to get on with things and live his life the way he wants to.

I guess it is just unfortunate the way it all panned out.

I am an old fuddy-duddy in a way where I believe that your handshake is your bond, and that’s the deal. But that is not the way modern society works, unfortunately.

But like I said, I guess that is just the nature of the beast at the moment.

The game can be kind to you if you are a survivor, but you really do have to make hay while the sun is shining.

In Greg’s case, I wasn’t a big fan of how it all went.

But in the end, the player has to look after himself.  Now we just have to sit back and see how it all pans out. Whatever the result, if Greg is happy, then I am happy for him.

ON THE Origin front, now that Ricky Stuart has been appointed as NSW coach, we will start making our preparations for next year’s campaign.

I was sitting and waiting to see what NSW would do, to be honest. There was not much point planning if I was only guessing who I would be coaching against in 2011.

Now that we know it is Ricky, we can start anticipating what they will do and prepare for it. As the weeks go on, we can have a look at what system they will be putting in place, what approach they will be taking, and plan our strategy from there.

I am very excited about coaching against Ricky.

He has been one of the top coaches for a long time, he has played at that level and coached there before, so he knows what is needed for success.

He will bring a terrific work ethic to the NSW team.

I think the Blues will be going into next year’s series with a good deal of confidence.

They have a great nucleus of a footy side there now, with Jarryd Hayne, Mitchell Pearce, and Todd Carney to build a team around.

They will also have Brett Stewart back in the mix after his lay-off, and they will be feeling upbeat about the fact that  Game III of this year’s series is probably the best game they have played for a couple of years.

So for us, the hard work of continuing success goes on. We have a terrific nucleus ourselves, wonderful depth and a terrific leadership group. So the signs are good.

And you never know – there might be a few younger blokes starting to poke their heads through in next year’s series as well.