Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

Cobarcats said:
I said a couple of seasons ago that WT should spend a large chuck of their salary cap on quality forwards, a ½ and a fullback. The rest can be cheap "pathways" players on min wage.
I'm still wondering, is that the best way to go?
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Maybe you are correct but you need to be able to get those players. Like if we paid 1.4 million and got Munster would that screw us for the rest of his career with us. He'd just get on the grog and live it up.

It's an art and not a science.

The whole spine is so important though isn't it.

There are also some good teams in the comp. Manly have a real good squad and they didn't make the finals.
 
Spend the $ we have on developing a decent forward pack and a potent center this year and see how the Hastings, Brooks, AD combination fairs. We have sunk costs in Brooks and unless someone wants him at full freight we can afford to hold off 12 months.

We can then move the three of them on the following year if it doesn't get the results we are after.

Sure if the Munster fairytale comes off run with it - but otherwise - focus on some power to compliment our current purchases and go in big for a marquee 1,6,7 combination when they come onto the market on Nov 1 for 2024.

Cheers n Beers
Jolls
 
Earl said:
In my own little dream world it'd be Hastings at 7 and Munster at 6.

In reality I reckon it'll be Hastings 13, Brooks 7 and Doueihi at 6. Maybe we'll get a year or two of good attacking footy. I wonder if Doueihi or Brooks move on and we play that kid from Queensland at 6 or 13.

I know this is a signing thread but I just don't see the talent out there for us to really improve. I reckon we'll only improve via our juniors.
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What surprise me is that everything else except props/2nd rowers are discussed! While props/2nd rowers continue to be our weakest positions for at least 10 years!
🤐
 
Agreed. There has to be those players on the market.
I notice that managing the cap means staggering recruitment so players contract negotiations don't all come at once.
Slowly building a top pack is an art... I'm glad they don't have me to control it.
Just looking at the Manly pack you mentioned. They have had some internal distractions with Pride and Des but I feel there are too many deficiencies in that pack.
The 2 Josh boys are overweight or sluggish and Marty is on the way out of the club it seems. It certainly isn't a well oiled unit... hence their slide.
 
Long Term Fan said:
Apparently according to "The POM" his contact with St George is with the NRL to approve.

Wonder with David Furner joining our coaching ranks where does that leave Nathan Cayless (unemployed). Furner was a great player and experience in the coaching ranks so hope he can be an asset to WT.
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Furner doesn’t seem to stay for long at the same place. That’s a good thing for experience and increased creativity I suppose?
 
Earl said:
I'm pretty sure he is a club stooge but in a good way. It'd be funny if he was Pascoe.

Sometimes his information is released at the same time as it's released elsewhere. I think it's sanctioned from the club.
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BAGNF05 said:
Our cap has been totally buggered for 5 years - Mbye, Reynolds, Brooks, Packer, BJ Leilua, Matulino, Doueihi, Luciano, Noffa - all on way overs and/or had long term injuries.
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Correct, so now, moving forward, hopefully TS and co have learnt from those errors and avoid has beens and never wases.
Young and keen sprinkled with some experience is our way to go.
 
teddy23 said:
AD to lock
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He can't tackle. He'd be a great ball playing second rower ala Wade Graham. That isn't a criticism because Graham when he was on was so good.

I honestly think 6 is his best position right now but he has so many flaws in his game.

He has probably more upside than any other player in our team though. When he gets the ball and goes at the line hard he is close to unstoppable.
 
InBenjiWeTrust said:
What surprise me is that everything else except props/2nd rowers are discussed! While props/2nd rowers continue to be our weakest positions for at least 10 years!
🤐
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I think Hastings at 13 means our middle forwards are probably okay. Our edge backrowers are in dire straits. I honestly feel that is the position that we are weakest in.

Blore ran terrible lines but defended well. I think Kautoga should play on an edge. I'd go with Blore and Kautoga sharing the role but you can move Blore into the middle as well.

We really need an edge second rower though.

If Hastings plays at 7 then we need a gun prop or a 13.
 
twentyforty said:
OK, sure, I can see the pattern of events unfolding, but it’s always been difficult to convince playmakers to work behind the packs we’ve had.
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100%!
The pattern is easy to spot - the weakest forwards in the NRL!
And when we eventually blind-chicken-luck select one, e.g. Taupau, Aloiau, Nathan Brown they get signed elsewhere faster than one can say Maguire-Pascoe!
We can fool ourselves, but no Munster, DCE, Haines, Tedesco etc. want to sign and play behind out pillow turnstile forwards!
 
twentyforty said:
OK, sure, I can see the pattern of events unfolding, but it’s always been difficult to convince playmakers to work behind the packs we’ve had.
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Exactly....
I would go one further and suggest the Quality across most of the park has been below par for a long, long time.....

Even going back to big Keithy, He was coasting for his last few years - Happy to ring it in.
Imagine if he were a JWH type.... Not only is he putting in at every breath, He's also bringing up the blokes behind him. Really setting the standard....

We've had no one doing this since Gareth.
 
InBenjiWeTrust said:
And when we eventually blind-chicken-luck select one, e.g. Taupau, Aloiau, Nathan Brown they get signed elsewhere faster than one can say Maguire-Pascoe!
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This kills me. Can you remember when JT let Taupau go ? I remember him stating so confidently it was an easy decision to make and they let him go early. The idea was we are building this spine to lead us forward. They left anyway. We lost a guy coming into his peak who was good for nothing.

Aloiai has torn us to pieces. Yep he is a no good person but the dude can play. We let Matterson go as well. Another dud person.

We let Luc go. If we had kept Luc we'd have a gun second row pairing.

Next year will be interesting. We have some good forwards coming through. I hope the club somehow manages their cap better but I don't have any confidence at all with Sheens managing the cap. I have some confidence Sheens might get them playing better footy though.
 
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