Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

Let’s be real - if the Panthers offer 700k + for Stefano he would become the highest external recruit the Panthers have made in the last 5yrs & would make him top 5 salary wise at the club. He would be on the hook to be a game changer, they won’t pay that amount for potential.
I reckon Bulldogs and St George will pay that much for potential.
 
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all this drama over Stef staying one more year …

Even if he plays Origin or they make the 8 (😂) , he is still only signed one more year …

They need to get him signed up for longer …along with trying to recruit a Center and winger for next year …
 
The media have nothing else to whip up about us so they create this old chestnut. It’s all hypothetical beat up crap from the media.

Let’s be real - if the Panthers offer 700k + for Stefano he would become the highest external recruit the Panthers have made in the last 5yrs & would make him top 5 salary wise at the club. He would be on the hook to be a game changer, they won’t pay that amount for potential.

Most of their purchases have been budget pickups and they focus on rewarding players they develop.

If anything the Roosters or Storm would be a bigger threat if he went to market - which he hasn’t & based on Richo’s comments hasn’t asked either.
100%. I can't see penrith offering more than 600K tbh. It wouldn't make sense. Leota would become the pack leader if JFH left, not Stef, at least initially
 
To be honest I remember it first stated that his extra year of contract would trigger if he plays 2 State of Origin games or if Wests Tigers make the top 8.
I assume it’s more or less saying if he can achieve his goals while playing for Wests Tigers he is happy to stay, but if his goals are effected by Wests Tigers poor on field performance he’d be looking head elsewhere.
One thing many overlook with Stephano… Him not playing rep hasn’t all been the club’s fault.
If he didn’t turn out like a big marshmallow during most weekends for the past few years, he may have already satisfied this dumbarse clause.
 
If we don’t start winning at least 50% of our games fast, he will get sick of ripping & tearing for no result and will highly likely depart.
It’s that simple.
Like you BB I’m in disbelief we are doing nothing about strengthening our roster, while all the worthwhile talent are signing elsewhere.
Meanwhile we are in a struggle to hold onto arguably our best forward and best young up and coming prospect.
Didn't we just sign the highest profile player off contract in 2024? I'd say that's a worthwhile talent.

I want us to improve the squad but I'm not going to lose sleep over an 800k centre who his teammates want gone or fringe NRL player like James Schiller.

Richo has a plan and we need to make sure he stays to implement that plan.
 
Wow, that's just crazy talk. We have the weakest roster in the NRL and need quality ASAP.
And yes wing and centre is a position we are sorely lacking in. We have the worst wingers and centres in the comp.
Theirs is absolutely no doubt we will recruit from outside, especially in the outside backs and second row where we have very few prospects and they're still a way away from NRL standard.
Not when it will result in blocking of the juniors. We have Feledy, Saukuru, Makasini, Large (at this stage) coming through for Centre there might be more but those I do know off and wing again I don’t know many but I know Luke Laulili is coming though along with Mason, Craig, Lobb (although technically not a junior but is on development still next year) and Willet as well for wing in the future. Schiller easily blocks them from coming through. Obviously we can’t keep everyone but Richo even said himself we aren’t gonna sign players that will block the juniors from coming through. Schiller and Lomax would have done that. If we’re gonna sign to upgrade our outside backs I don’t know who exactly for wing but for Centre I won’t be surprised if we try and sign Gagai to fill the void until the others are ready. I don’t know much for backrow prospects coming through apart from Sukkar but I don’t think he’s that good so I do see a signing for the backrow elsewhere.
 
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Not when it will result in blocking of the juniors. We have Feledy, Saukuru, Makasini, Large (at this stage) coming through for Centre there might be more but those I do know off and wing again I don’t know many but I know Luke Laulili is coming though along with Mason, Craig and Willet as well for wing in the future. Schiller easily blocks them for coming through. Obviously we can’t keep everyone but Richo even said himself we aren’t gonna sign players that will block the juniors from coming through. Schiller and Lomax would have done that. If we’re gonna sign to upgrade our outside backs I don’t know who exactly for wing but for Centre I won’t be surprised if we try and sign Gagai to fill the void until the others are ready. I don’t know much for backrow prospects coming through apart from Sukkar but I don’t think he’s that good so I do see a signing for the backrow elsewhere.
Gagai??? Too late. we are too slow.. roosters onto that....
 
Gagai??? Too late. we are too slow.. roosters onto that....
Just because Roosters have been linked doesn’t mean they will land him, besides Richo said if it gets into the media us being linked to a player, it won’t happen. The fact that there is nothing being mentioned doesn’t mean we aren’t in it.
 
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Not when it will result in blocking of the juniors. We have Feledy, Saukuru, Makasini, Large (at this stage) coming through for Centre there might be more but those I do know off and wing again I don’t know many but I know Luke Laulili is coming though along with Mason, Craig, Lobb (although technically not a junior but is on development still next year) and Willet as well for wing in the future. Schiller easily blocks them for coming through. Obviously we can’t keep everyone but Richo even said himself we aren’t gonna sign players that will block the juniors from coming through. Schiller and Lomax would have done that. If we’re gonna sign to upgrade our outside backs I don’t know who exactly for wing but for Centre I won’t be surprised if we try and sign Gagai to fill the void until the others are ready. I don’t know much for backrow prospects coming through apart from Sukkar but I don’t think he’s that good so I do see a signing for the backrow elsewhere.
Don’t know about that, u need to sign quality if it’s on offer. Can’t keep hoping that juniors will turn out to be stars! Slomax is carving it up and class like that is hard to come by, parra have good juniors to yet they elected to get Slomax! Yes we need to be smart about it, but I would have rather Slomax with his youth then an ageing Olam. Even as good as Olam is going he is at the point of know return.
 
Don’t know about that, u need to sign quality if it’s on offer. Can’t keep hoping that juniors will turn out to be stars! Slomax is carving it up and class like that is hard to come by, parra have good juniors to yet they elected to get Slomax! Yes we need to be smart about it, but I would have rather Slomax with his youth then an ageing Olam. Even as good as Olam is going he is at the point of know return.
If our focus wasn’t going to be on development moving forward I reckon we may have signed Lomax, but signing him would have resulted in our juniors coming through looking elsewhere. We wouldn’t have been able to sign him for a year or two it would’ve been four years minimum that’s enough to possibly lose all of them, or at least 90% with only a couple staying and they might not have been the best to keep. That’s why I reckon Benji wanted Olam because he’s not gonna block any of our juniors. That’s what Benji and Richo have said moving forward we are a development club, I get the frustration because you want a competitive first grade side and I want that as well. And no doubt Lomax or Schiller would have, but it results in going against what they want in developing our juniors as we have some coming through. If we didn’t have any coming through I bet we would have tried to sign them.
 
Not when it will result in blocking of the juniors. We have Feledy, Saukuru, Makasini, Large (at this stage) coming through for Centre there might be more but those I do know off and wing again I don’t know many but I know Luke Laulili is coming though along with Mason, Craig, Lobb (although technically not a junior but is on development still next year) and Willet as well for wing in the future. Schiller easily blocks them for coming through. Obviously we can’t keep everyone but Richo even said himself we aren’t gonna sign players that will block the juniors from coming through. Schiller and Lomax would have done that. If we’re gonna sign to upgrade our outside backs I don’t know who exactly for wing but for Centre I won’t be surprised if we try and sign Gagai to fill the void until the others are ready. I don’t know much for backrow prospects coming through apart from Sukkar but I don’t think he’s that good so I do see a signing for the backrow elsewhere.
I’ve been harping on about Gagai for those exact reasons. Olam & Gagai in the centres for the next 2 seasons before 2 of Makasini, Laulilii, Feledy, Saukuru, Large, Willett or Mason slot in ✅✅ Another NRL ready middle like Trey Mooney to then take Klemmer’s spot. Feel Samuela Fainu could be our backrow-in-waiting & think Lachlan Broederlow (our Flegg) could be a bolter next 2 years.
 
I’ve been harping on about Gagai for those exact reasons. Olam & Gagai in the centres for the next 2 seasons before 2 of Makasini, Laulilii, Feledy, Saukuru, Large, Willett or Mason slot in ✅✅ Another NRL ready middle like Trey Mooney to then take Klemmer’s spot. Feel Samuela Fainu could be our backrow-in-waiting & think Lachlan Broederlow (our Flegg) could be a bolter next 2 years.
What position does Broederlow play? And I think Mooney might be a possibility, when Klem hangs them up we will need another Prop ready to take his spot and the only one coming through is Miller but he’s still a bit away from playing firsts. And I can see Gagai being a target as like Olam he’s not blocking anyone.
 

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