Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

Todd Packer said:
NSW Cup is where our talent goes to die. Playing at that level only drags players down.
Name the last player that got better playing NSW Cup for us.
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I'm no NRL administrator, but that's where I thought the old u20s comp was good, but I would have changed it to u23s and kept it going.

Now players go from playing with talented development squads directly to park football with jaded, part-time reserve graders.

The pathway to NRL seems disjointed. I prefer the old firsts, reserves and u23s model sitting under each club.

You essentially dilute the best players across NSW Cup, QLD Cup and SG ball (u19). If the next best crop of players could all play in the one competition, let's call it 2nd XIII, the quality of development would be much higher.

I hope V'Landys has this on his radar.
 
weststigers said:
I'm no NRL administrator, but that's where I thought the old u20s comp was good, but I would have changed it to u23s and kept it going.

Now players go from playing with talented development squads directly to park football with jaded, part-time reserve graders.

The pathway to NRL seems disjointed. I prefer the old firsts, reserves and u23s model sitting under each club.

You essentially dilute the best players across NSW Cup, QLD Cup and SG ball (u19). If the next best crop of players could all play in the one competition, let's call it 2nd XIII, the quality of development would be much higher.

I hope V'Landys has this on his radar.
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It virtually is an u/23’s comp with a couple of overcharged players thrown into the mix.
The NSW Cup (Reserve Grade) competition plays a massive part in developing players for NRL, unfortunately Wests Tigers have well and truly stuffed our team over the past few years and based on having by far the worst forward pack in the competition, they will struggle to win a game also.
If the club was serious they would have already seen enough to know this is the case and be actively trading players straight away to do something about it.
 
851 said:
I was thinking about this on Saturday, trying to work out how to fit Galvin, Luai and Latu in to the team
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Galvin would need to move to Lock or an edge. I wouldn't be tempted to shift him to centre, mainly because he won't see enough ball. He would then offer cover for the halves during games or injuries/suspensions.

Latu isn't as versatile. I think you can have all 3 on the field in this structure.

The issue is that halves get lots of money, so would be be willing to sit at 13?
 
Vicious said:
It virtually is an u/23’s comp with a couple of overcharged players thrown into the mix.
The NSW Cup (Reserve Grade) competition plays a massive part in developing players for NRL, unfortunately Wests Tigers have well and truly stuffed our team over the past few years and based on having by far the worst forward pack in the competition, they will struggle to win a game also.
If the club was serious they would have already seen enough to know this is the case and be actively trading players straight away to do something about it.
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I disagree. It's a diluted comp. The best reserve players are not playing in the same competition.
 
The Chad said:
While I can agree with that mostly- I do wonder if after chasing Latu Fainu so hard, and securing Luai- would they really let one of these guys miss out?

Obviously Fainu is an unproven commodity & Galvin has 1 game to his name.

But, there is some level of commitment from the club on all three- disregarding Sullivan. It's definitely better to have too many than not enough options- but I wonder if the club will do everything they can to accommodate all three.
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keep in mind that Fainu was a Fulton signing. his talent is undeniable and I believe he's probably got a higher ceiling than Galvin, but Richardson is hellbent on stacking this side with local juniors and I do think that if push comes to shove then they will take precedence.

the beauty of this all is that we actually have options for a change, it's just making the right call. there is a place for both of them, but we have to be weary of too many cooks in the kitchen somewhere down the line as well.
 
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jrtiger said:
to be quite honest I think Galvin will likely remain at 5/8 for the foreseeable future. he has a weapon of a kick, a strong running game and can clearly read shapes on either side of the ball.

if he bulks up to the point where it slows him down then we will obviously have to reassess, but given his fitness levels and talent I do think that Sullivan and Latu may be the odd ones out.
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Latu will force his way in somewhere once he's back.

Bud will be lucky to see out the season in my opinion.
 
Kelce68 said:
Latu will force his way in somewhere once he's back.

Bud will be lucky to see out the season in my opinion.
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Latu will need a month in Cup but I do agree, he'll likely come onto the bench or sit at first drop for injuries / suspensions.

Sullivan is now already facing an uphill battle for a place at the club, let alone in the 17, so I agree there.
 
weststigers said:
Galvin would need to move to Lock or an edge. I wouldn't be tempted to shift him to centre, mainly because he won't see enough ball. He would then offer cover for the halves during games or injuries/suspensions.

Latu isn't as versatile. I think you can have all 3 on the field in this structure.

The issue is that halves get lots of money, so would be be willing to sit at 13?
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Latu can cover all spine positions bar Fullback.

Has played centre in lower grades and is more physically ready than Galvin to handle a position like lock now.

He's definitely not lacking in versatility.
 
Slight sidebar, but I'm thinking that Sione will be a very real lock option this season once he is back.

He handled the collision and ruck control far better than Seyfarth (in the trials) and has a decent pass on him.

Also can't understate the lift playing with his brother/s will give him.

It's not like Seyfarth exactly trumps him in the running threat department either.

Importantly, it would allow Pole to remain on the bench as the impact prop he seems to be growing into slowly.
 
Tom Shines said:
I’m going to agree with you about Reilly … they gave him an opportunity .. played him a few games late last year after he was in reserve game for the previous year and three quarters … they had a look at him and decided to move on..

He was terrible in the last game of the season against Manly last year …

Not up to it and they needed his roster spot

Bring in the next guy…
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Next guys doing a great job 🤣
 
jrtiger said:
Latu will need a month in Cup but I do agree, he'll likely come onto the bench or sit at first drop for injuries / suspensions.

Sullivan is now already facing an uphill battle for a place at the club, let alone in the 17, so I agree there.
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Whilst I totally agree that Sullivan has some catching up to do, I keep thinking about the amount of money we’re paying him. He must have shown something, or someone felt he had potential, so perhaps he can get his act together moving forward, otherwise we have spent heaps on a half that was money down the drain.
And of course he’ll be hard to sell so we’ll either face a big payout or at the very least shared payment.
Like Benji, I’m prepared to give him a little more time before making a final decision !
It’s a long season !
 
king_sirro said:
Well that's just weird. Doesn't make any sense for those to be the only 2 options.

So Galvin plays halback or edge backrow, but not 5/8 or lock. Luai can play 6 or 7, but if he plays 7 it's only with Latu at 6, not Galvin. If he plays 6, Latu goes to 13. The combinations you have make no sense to limit these selections the way you have.
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Well it’s quite self explanatory, I don’t see how it’s weird or doesn’t make sense…. we just invested around $5-6 mill over 5 years for Luai so he pretty much locks up a position within the halves. Which means either Latu/Galvin won’t be able to play their natural positions within the squad. Unfortunately one will miss out.

If Galvin doesn’t play in the halves, I’d only want him on the edge.

If Latu doesn’t play in the halves, I’d only want him at lock.

Otherwise, I don’t think we’d be putting these young future stars in the right positions to succeed and bring the value they’re capable of providing. Personal opinion. I’m not bothered if they’re at 6 or 7. As long as it’s in the halves I think both players are capable of playing either one I was just talking about outside of the halves.

But ideally, I think if Luai was to partner Latu, it would work better with Luai at 7 controlling the team and allowing Latu to roam and provide spark.

Whilst, if Luai was to partner Galvin it would work better with Luai at 6 roaming around providing some spark as I believe Galvin showed signs being a dominant playmaker and demanding the ball finishing sets etc.

But that’s just me.
 
Kelce68 said:
Latu can cover all spine positions bar Fullback.

Has played centre in lower grades and is more physically ready than Galvin to handle a position like lock now.

He's definitely not lacking in versatility.
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Yes but we need a lock, not a hooker or centre. Unless you are saying lock is a spine position?

Secondly, these kids need to play where they will stay at the club. Pushing Fainu to centre, he may look for half opportunities at other clubs.
 
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