Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

Demps said:
Ideal & realistic pack for 2023;

8 Klemmer
9 Api
10 Twal
11 Bateman
12 Papali'i
13 Hastings

14 Offa
15 Blore
16 Utoikamanu
17 Pole

Offa offers some creativity, can play prop, lock and backrow when needed. Good defender.

Blore - can play backrow and prop, was talks of him playing a front row role for us sometime ago which makes sense because he doesn't offer a lot in attack but is an outstanding defender.

Utoikamanu - had a quiet year and a lot are expecting a break out year for him in 2023. Most likely to bend the line and is a physical weapon who can mix it with the best.

Pole - as @batboy said, Offers some different body shapes out there to defend against. High energy wrecking ball and one of my personal stand outs among an incredibly average 2022. Keep the opposition guessing. Good footwork and can more than hold his own.
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I like Twal off the bench. Bring him on after 20 minutes then leave him there.
 
Blocker1963 said:
Watching the WC, thought Bateman was ordinary, yet Whitehead was very good, I dont see Bateman being worth the money being talked about. Would be very disappointing to see Hastings go if the rumours are true, would have been a good move for Brooks, new start to his career.
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Agreed,i am sure the people getting excited about Bateman are doing it purely on what he was doing for canberra years ago.He has not been good in the UK or at the world cup,a horrible waste of money if we get him
 
Mighty_Tiger said:
It all depends on what actually happens next roster wise & how we perform on the ladder.

If Hastings was to leave and we grabbed Klemmer, Bateman and Moses then the experts will say we have improved on paper & no doubts so will our results.

I'm not buying the swap talk though, we don't have to release anyone next year we have plenty of cash and roster spots to fill. Sheens is old school and will only do things for the roster that benefit us not another club. He wants to change the DNA and put attack at the front foot.

Sheens has never said he doesn't want Hastings here, Sheens has said multiple times he is looking forward to having Hastings, Brooks and AD running out together. It spreads the field and sets us up really well attacking structure wise. The width of the park use is huge potential wise.

I think the reality is Hastings wants to play halfback as such he will look at that option 1st over staying here as a lock. Most pundits including Andrew Johns actually think Brooks is a NRL level pivot player. Heck Johns has been after Brooks for 12mths and is now moving onto his 2nd option Hastings based on "reports".

We assume the club doesn't want Hastings atm but I don't buy it. I think Sheens/Benji are doing the right thing and wanting to get these key players into pre-season to see how they respond to the formations/coaching structures they will implement & then look to extend those in the new year that respond favourably.
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Yeah it's crazy how this is reported to be playing out before Jackson steps foot inside the club for preseason.
 
Demps said:
@CCTW Made a great post about Twal a while back.

A lot of his work goes unnoticed but we miss him massively when he's not out there.

An unsung hero.
He tightens up the defence massively.
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I like Twal hes dependable and consistent, i just wish he had an offload in his game. Thats what makes him predictable, i dunno if someone has told him to put it away or he isnt capable. But he'd be a much much better footballer if he had 2 or 3 of them in his game it would also make the opposition pay more attention to him now they know they can drag him down with 2 men and hes not going to pop a ball.
 
Guys we all need to take a deep breath & remember that most of the rumour reported by RL journos comes from player managers, not the clubs.

Clubs rarely leak that a player is on the outer however do leak if they are keen on someone if they feel it serves their interests (i.e. deflect the news as they are after someone else or provide some positive PR).

Most of the stuff we read about Hastings, Brooks & AD, I would be 99% confident is coming from management camps. And yes just as big a rivalry as club v club is managament group v management group.
 
Batmans Parents said:
You can have all the pedigree you want but the fact remains that he has not achieved any sort of success in over 10 years in RL, was sacked from this club and another with poor roster decisions being one of the many reason at BOTH clubs.

So lets not pretend that Sheens is some master administrator or coach these days. I respect what he has done for both Canberra and us but you can't keep living in the past.
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Is the Dolphins coach living in the past too?
 
Coastie_Tiger said:
I like Twal hes dependable and consistent, i just wish he had an offload in his game. Thats what makes him predictable, i dunno if someone has told him to put it away or he isnt capable. But he'd be a much much better footballer if he had 2 or 3 of them in his game it would also make the opposition pay more attention to him now they know they can drag him down with 2 men and hes not going to pop a ball.
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Facts, hopefully it is addressed over the pre season.

He's strong as it gets but could add a few more strings to his bow.

Hopefully the masterminds put the time into it.
 
jrtiger said:
Laulili'i is the one I reckon will end up the 13. signed a long-term deal recently and was the captain of the undefeated HM side. I'd say Matamua will become the utility bench forward long term, can cover prop, lock, back row and even 5/8 if he had to. Fa'agutu might prove the odd one out. not doubting his ability but the fact he isn't training with first grade at the moment while Laulili'i is makes me think he's not on the radar of Sheens and Marshall.

regardless though, it's nice to have options.
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Fa'agutu is only just finishing Grade 12 up in Brisbane. I daresay that's the reason for his delay with preseason training.
 
Demps said:
Ideal & realistic pack for 2023;

8 Klemmer
9 Api
10 Twal
11 Bateman
12 Papali'i
13 Hastings

14 Offa
15 Blore
16 Utoikamanu
17 Pole

Offa offers some creativity, can play prop, lock and backrow when needed. Good defender.

Blore - can play backrow and prop, was talks of him playing a front row role for us sometime ago which makes sense because he doesn't offer a lot in attack but is an outstanding defender.

Utoikamanu - had a quiet year and a lot are expecting a break out year for him in 2023. Most likely to bend the line and is a physical weapon who can mix it with the best.

Pole - as @batboy said, Offers some different body shapes out there to defend against. High energy wrecking ball and one of my personal stand outs among an incredibly average 2022. Keep the opposition guessing. Good footwork and can more than hold his own.
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Ofahengaue to start over Twally every day of the week and twice on Sundays.
Modern game needs a utility of some sort. I'd say a Talau, Rua or Smith find their way onto the bench by default.
 
Demps said:
Ideal & realistic pack for 2023;

8 Klemmer
9 Api
10 Twal
11 Bateman
12 Papali'i
13 Hastings

14 Offa
15 Blore
16 Utoikamanu
17 Pole
Click to expand...

I don't see why we need 4 forwards on the bench. It's a pretty good pack but I think too many players will be playing minimal minutes.
 
Kelce68 said:
Ofahengaue to start over Twally every day of the week and twice on Sundays.
Modern game needs a utility of some sort. I'd say a Talau, Rua or Smith find their way onto the bench by default.
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All very possible.
We got some options.

If we also sign any other guys like Nathan Brown or Woods I'm sure they'll be fighting for a spot too.
 
teddy23 said:
Just my opinion:

If it was another season under Madge, I’d be pushing for Brooks to go too Newcastle and getting it done ASAP - swap or not

However, it’s obvious Sheens/Benji have extreme faith in Brooks and I’d trust both their opinions especially knowing they’ve seen him day in and day out at training etc and know what his capable of over any of us quite frankly - Cleary turned Brooks into arguably the best halfback in the game with a poor forward line, I have faith that Sheens and Benji may allow Brooks to go back to that especially with the pack we’re potentially gonna have along with Api (which is MASSIVE for Brooks) giving him the space which he thrives off

I believe Sheens and Benji deserve there chance with Brooks and do think it might be a match made in heaven, worst case he doesn't perform and he's off contact and we go into the market for a new one - Moses, George Willams or a new name that pops up..... I’m not Brooks’s biggest fan however I don’t think there’s a halfback in the comp that takes our team the last 5-6 years in the top 8

Best case: Brooks performs great and we shake the competition up next year with good performances and Moses gets a call to return to his boyhood club alongside his best mate on good $ and they take us into the promise land under there idol Benji - like him or not but Moses is a top 3 half in the comp and would improve us dramatically

I do like Jacko I do, however the reason I think we all love him is cause we haven’t seen a halfback with that level of leadership/organisation in a long time - however he does struggle to take on the line and break tackles where that’s Brooks’s strength and with the style of play we’re expected to play it suits Brooks more than Hastings it’s as simple as that
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Good to see some more realistic posts in quick succession from @Coastie_Tiger and yourself.

Some, like the MAGA or cooker types, make the decision to never see what is right in front of their faces, but it is good to see much more balanced discussion here after the cesspool swirling around Brooks for some time now.

It is reasonable to pick one as having advantages over the other in different areas, when looking through a discerning balanced viewpoint.
 
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