Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

Given that Rohan Smith is his coach there - moved on from him, took the captaincy, and he wasn’t mentioned in his farewell to the club… I doubt that.

They've certainly has words - none of them good… aren’t you the SL guy?
Sure. But Leeds is a very complicated club. They put the capital "D" in Dysfunction. Not sure Smith understood what he was getting into when he took the job. Suffice to say the team's form has collapsed pretty much concurrently with K-L relationship with the club.
 
We are going to disagree on that based on his last game. He is not an NRL standard full back. His efforts in defense were terrible, both positioning and body on the line. That is not good enough for any of the 17 teams.
If you are dropping players on defensive efforts you're dropping pretty much the entire team after that performance. As for discussions about who is and who isn't an "NRL standard fullback" .... I just saw the Knights come within a hair of beating Manly with a fullback who didn't realise he was defending behind the dead ball line!
 
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Trying to think as Tim Sheens given he has publicly said we are after an experienced playmaker. If we miss out on George Williams, it wouldn't surprise me if Tim/Benji negotiate with their old pal Todd Payten to release Chad Townsend from the last year of his lucrative contract at the Cowboys in 2024 (reportedly $700-$800K).

My reasoning:

- Sheens/Payten have dealt with player transfers in recent times (Luciano) & you would think have a strong mutual respect from the '05 premiership days.
- We could take on his 2024 contract & extend another year making it attractive for Chad (at the backend of his career).
- Cowboys have a future spine in Chester - Dearden - Drinkwater - Robson.
- Chad will be 33 next season but still delivering in key stat areas this season. He is from Sydney originally.
- For leadership & experience for 2 seasons, would be as good as any:


Thoughts???
I will say this again CHAD TOWNSEND in our man!

My thoughts are above plus he has already won a premiership so he can cross that off his career goal list!

Give the Cowboys Doueihi in a swap deal. Get it done Tigers!
 
Whilst we negotiate for Chad Townsend, we should also look into JWH:

SHOOSH

Another barnstorming performance from big Jared Waerea-Hargreaves against the Parramatta Eels has left the Roosters recruitment and retention team with much to think about. JWH is off contract this year and the club has already used his cap money to sign Spencer Leniu. There is now talk that JWH wants to go around again next year.

His leadership, mongrel & experience would be monumental for a season. Surely Benji knows him well from NZ teams.

Yes both are old but would provide leadership, experience & direction and mentor the young guys coming up.
 
I will say this again CHAD TOWNSEND in our man!

My thoughts are above plus he has already won a premiership so he can cross that off his career goal list!

Give the Cowboys Doueihi in a swap deal. Get it done Tigers!

I’d take Chad next season for sure but I don’t think the Cows will try to offload him they certainly won’t entertain taking Doueihi for him. The best and shot of getting rid of Doueihi is to uncle Wayne still can’t fathom why we extended him, a cardboard cutout is more useful.
 
Whilst we negotiate for Chad Townsend, we should also look into JWH:

SHOOSH

Another barnstorming performance from big Jared Waerea-Hargreaves against the Parramatta Eels has left the Roosters recruitment and retention team with much to think about. JWH is off contract this year and the club has already used his cap money to sign Spencer Leniu. There is now talk that JWH wants to go around again next year.

His leadership, mongrel & experience would be monumental for a season. Surely Benji knows him well from NZ teams.

Yes both are old but would provide leadership, experience & direction and mentor the young guys coming up.

Yes to Townsend on a short-term deal to steer us around the park. No to JWH, in principle it's not a bad idea, but our pack isn't the problem so he's not necessary. Plenty of leadership in Koroisau, Klemmer and Bateman. Ofahengaue when he comes back to firsts too.
 
Yes to Townsend on a short-term deal to steer us around the park. No to JWH, in principle it's not a bad idea, but our pack isn't the problem so he's not necessary. Plenty of leadership in Koroisau, Klemmer and Bateman. Ofahengaue when he comes back to firsts too.
JWH would add that mongrel & aggression to our pack with Klemmer & Bateman (and hopefully bring that out in the likes of Uto, Pole, Matamua). I am sick of our pack being nice matey marshmallows!
 
If you are dropping players on defensive efforts you're dropping pretty much the entire team after that performance. As for discussions about who is and who isn't an "NRL standard fullback" .... I just saw the Knights come within a hair of beating Manly with a fullback who didn't realise he was defending behind the dead ball line!
But you wernt taking about the whole team. You were talking about fullback. (And actually, most of the forwards had a cracking defensive effort so I wouldn’t be dropping them anyway)

It’s not a one off. He’s had a couple of good moments but he hasn’t played a full good quality 80 minutes in any position since he’s been back from injury. Many games. He’s out of sorts and we still extended him. I reckon sheens will give him one more chance next game at 1 and if he fails he’ll swap it around after the bye.
 
But you wernt taking about the whole team. You were talking about fullback. (And actually, most of the forwards had a cracking defensive effort so I wouldn’t be dropping them anyway)
Friend, you got forty six points put on you. It could easily have been seventy and not because of any "cracking defensive efforts" but rather Brisbane over-enthusiasm and ... well ... record instances of cramp brought about by attacking exhaustion ...
 
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There were 3 missed tackles between the starting forwards. I feel they work quite well as a unit defensively. Definitely compared to last years squad. I’m not sure why you want to drop them as well using defense as the marker?

I agree that continually swapping positions is not very productive. But I still disagree in this case that we continue to pick and stick with an option at 1 that was already tried and failed under a previous coach and is obviously not working the second time around. If douehi strings 3 good games together at 1 then be happily persuaded.
 
There were 3 missed tackles between the starting forwards. I feel they work quite well as a unit defensively. Definitely compared to last years squad. I’m not sure why you want to drop them as well using defense as the marker?

I agree that continually swapping positions is not very productive. But I still disagree in this case that we continue to pick and stick with an option at 1 that was already tried and failed under a previous coach and is obviously not working the second time around. If douehi strings 3 good games together at 1 then be happily persuaded.
James Tedesco channeling Billy Slater, Minichiello and Garry Jack cumulatively couldn't string three good games together for the Tigers.
 
Wakeham looked completely useless tonight. Don’t underestimate the power of this team to kill careers.
They played brooks at half, and Wakehan at 5/8, BUT Wakeham is a half and not a 5/8, he just offloaded like a half to the centre. Two halves is not the way to go!
Brooks is touted as a running 5/8, then for gods sake put him there!
 
If we try for every player like Kennedy we'll get one or two. We are building and we should be able to pick up at least 5 backline players. Maybe one or two will improve us.
Good chance we end up with none. I don’t see any regular starters for any clubs this year joining the Tigers. Depth players and Cup players are the only players I see joining us.
 
And what have we got, they can sign a decent player, all weve got so far is retirees.
To be fair Kruise-Leeming wouldn't be much use to you. He's not as good as Api and his confidence levels are already low coming out of an equally dysfunctional Leeds. You can make a case that the Titans aren't much better. But Holbrook seems like he has a good relationship with his players. The fact he never lost the dressing room despite some of the horror defeats they suffered certainly suggests so. Their issues seem far less complicated than WT's. The addition of just one good halfback would probably move them up at least four or five spots on the table.
 
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I find it extremely ironic and completely Wests Tigers like that we let go of the only organising halfback we have had in 10 years (Hastings) because apparently he is too slow and then trust placed in Brooks. For us then to enquire about Mitchell Pearce who is older and slower than Hastings and probably more expensive.
Older yes but not slower. Hastings wound up to full speed last weekend and got overtaken by a tortoise.
 

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