Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[liltiger]

Off topic but does anyone know what has happened with NRL journalist Michael Chammas? He usually had good oil on our club but hasn’t been working or on his Twitter for over a month.

Maybe his sources have dried up now the leaks at the club have stopped

 

[twentyforty]

Maybe his sources have dried up now the leaks at the club have stopped

Well worded.

 

[Kelce68]

Unfortunately Fulton has to wear the same brand as McDonnell when he puts forward an offer. It’s not the person it’s the club they represent.

It's very much both.

Hartigan, McDonnell and Fulton will all wear the same colours to the meetings and fight the same stigmas, but negotiating styles and personal networks matter as well.

 

[jrtiger]

Pezet is a pipe dream. locked up at Melbourne until 2025. would be near impossible to prise away from them.

 

[Kelce68]

If I’m Scott Fulton (which I’m not) but if I was I’d putting all my chips in for Latu Fainu and Jonah Pezet.

These two could be the best partnership in the NRL in 4-5 years they have serious serious potential, Pezet has played some FG and didn’t look out of place. Fainu hasn’t yet but if you’ve followed him you know he has FG ability.

With Api and our forwards packs experience, also having a coach like Benji could mentor them it’ll be massive for not only us but them.

Fainu is behind DCE and Schuster
Pezet is behind Munster and Hughes

Offer them decent money with first grade positions and it’ll be appealing idc what anyone say

Fainu has a good relationship with Fulton and his brother is already with us. Whilst Pezet isn’t cracking the team ever over Hughes/Munster will forever be origin back up and Bellamy will be gone end of next year too.

A potential spine where we can build towards with Api eventually retiring could look like this:

1. Bula
6. Fainu
7. Pezet
9. Da Silva

No brainer for me

That spine is incredible.

Obviously plucking the best junior talents from around the country into one side is near impossible, but we're 2/4 already..

Money talks.

 

[Kelce68]

That spine could be greatness.
If that is the plan, I’m all in.
We need a better coach than Benji to bring them through though.

I agree wholeheartedly with the first part. Close to the best young talents per position in the country.

The second part is the large unknown. It may not pan out, but I can see the likes of Benji and Slater being the next mastermind coaches....

.....In time.

 

[Kelce68]

And Tedesco is no Bula. I’m calling Bula to be better than that knob.

That'd be quite the trajectory.

 

[TigerNeddyK]

There's always an ulterior motive with Gus, massive conflict of interest commenting on other clubs and players when he's the GM of the dogs. If Gus told me it was raining i go outside and check.

Exactly this, Gould uses the Tigers as a deflection all of the time. Ask him how the Dogs went on the weekend and why we struggled when he STOLE our coach FFS ! he does nothing but point the finger at our club and when he does it the so called “advice“ he offers is always crap designed to cause uncertainty and controversy.. worry about your own problems Phil, we good thanks

 

[TigerNeddyK]

Rumour elsewhere that we are looking at Jonah Pezet, from the Storm.

For once, just one time I would rather hear “Tigers have signed Jonah Pezet” than Tigers are looking at Jonah PEzet . FFS we always announce that we are looking at or talking with and we always ALWAYS amiss them and embarrassingly of late.. it’s making us a laughing stock, it’s not good publicity and it really needs to STOP!

 

[Kelce68]

Pezet is a pipe dream. locked up at Melbourne until 2025. would be near impossible to prise away from them.

In the short term, absolutely.

At the end of next year, though, his apprenticeship will effectively be over and he will have a decision to make. Munster and Hughes will both be only 29 then, giving them another 5 years in grade you would think.

He won't be short on offers, but you may expect it to come down to a number of cashed-up cellar dwellers in need of a marquee half. Hopefully we're on the up and in the conversation.

 

[jrtiger]

In the short term, absolutely.

At the end of next year, though, his apprenticeship will effectively be over and he will have a decision to make. Munster and Hughes will both be only 29 then, giving them another 5 years in grade you would think.

He won't be short on offers, but you may expect it to come down to a number of cashed-up cellar dwellers in need of a marquee half. Hopefully we're on the up and in the conversation.

it's a very tricky situation at the moment. although we are in strife at the moment for halves, the two best halves prospects (Large & Conti) we've had since Moses and Brooks will be eligible for first grade come 2025. given the focus on pathways and retaining junior talent, if we block their path to firsts it could be a massive issue moving forward.

it's why we were after an experienced half for some time and have looked to retain Brooks, which I think will still happen. the links to Latu Fainu have clearly surfaced via the Fulton connection, but signing two rookie halves and then turfing them both in a matter of years makes zero sense to me, which is why I'm weary of the Sanders and Pezet links. the club has a lot of head scratching to do.

 

[Jedi_Tiger]

if you are Brooks and you have to take 550k you may as well try and take it at a club that might play semi finals in the next 2 years. Big difference taking 550k at Tigers or 550k at Roosters as an example

 

[bathursttiger1]

I agree wholeheartedly with the first part. Close to the best young talents per position in the country.

The second part is the large unknown. It may not pan out, but I can see the likes of Benji and Slater being the next mastermind coaches....

.....In time.

Uncle Wayne said that if Kristian Woolfe didn’t take the assistant job, he would have asked Benji.

 

[jirskyr]

???
Head of Football Operations....
Surely that was a pretty obvious one?

Well I assume that is what Lauren meant, but I was asking for clarification.

The quote was:
"We've already gone off course with our planning by moving Sheens from a job that was not only benefiting our team rebuild but reputation too."

Sheens was brought in as Head of Football Ops to oversee the head coach and other operations. The plan was literally for him to review and decide whether we keep the head coach, because of the poor results in previous seasons and the amount of time and resources Maguire had been provided to that time.

Sheens pulling the kill switch on Maguire is part of the plan; that's what he was brought in to assess. So we haven't gone off course with that.

In the time since Sheens came to the club, we've come last in 2022 and spent most of 2023 also last. We have won 7 matches since Sheens returned. If that is "benefitting our rebuild and reputation", then I obviously operate under a different set of KPIs.

 

[jirskyr]

Exactly this, Gould uses the Tigers as a deflection all of the time. Ask him how the Dogs went on the weekend and why we struggled when he STOLE our coach FFS ! he does nothing but point the finger at our club and when he does it the so called “advice“ he offers is always crap designed to cause uncertainty and controversy.. worry about your own problems Phil, we good thanks

Gould has an agenda with 100% of things he says. I often think he is correct, but since he accepted employment at Penrith and re-entered club-level operations, he is always using his media presence to benefit his employers. Very shrewd man but always "playing the game".

 

[Kelce68]

it's a very tricky situation at the moment. although we are in strife at the moment for halves, the two best halves prospects (Large & Conti) we've had since Moses and Brooks will be eligible for first grade come 2025. given the focus on pathways and retaining junior talent, if we block their path to firsts it could be a massive issue moving forward.

it's why we were after an experienced half for some time and have looked to retain Brooks, which I think will still happen. the links to Latu Fainu have clearly surfaced via the Fulton connection, but signing two rookie halves and then turfing them both in a matter of years makes zero sense to me, which is why I'm weary of the Sanders and Pezet links. the club has a lot of head scratching to do.

I agree, it's pretty delicate, particularly when it comes to the balance of the homegrown mantra and the likes of Conti and Large. I do also think that at 17 years old, they're more like 3/4 years minimum away from regular first grade. I guess the plus side is the halves situation is sitting at a blank slate right now, with roster positions and money not an issue. That's wonderful for the long-term, but tricky for the short term, particularly given the forward pack we've assembled which has another 3/4 years at best left together.

I agree on Brooks, I don't think him leaving is a fait accompli just yet, but I do believe he has, or will have, enough interest elsewhere if he truly would like a change.

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

it's a very tricky situation at the moment. although we are in strife at the moment for halves, the two best halves prospects (Large & Conti) we've had since Moses and Brooks will be eligible for first grade come 2025. given the focus on pathways and retaining junior talent, if we block their path to firsts it could be a massive issue moving forward.

it's why we were after an experienced half for some time and have looked to retain Brooks, which I think will still happen. the links to Latu Fainu have clearly surfaced via the Fulton connection, but signing two rookie halves and then turfing them both in a matter of years makes zero sense to me, which is why I'm weary of the Sanders and Pezet links. the club has a lot of head scratching to do.

That's why I wouldn't be surprised with Lachlam Lam (halfback) with either Luke Metcalf or TM Martin (5/8), given their ages & experience. This combo would certainly suit the Sheens/Benji attacking structure.

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

Think I heard he may have a serious health issue.

Wishing him the best for a full recovery if that's true

 

[balmain boy]

it's a very tricky situation at the moment. although we are in strife at the moment for halves, the two best halves prospects (Large & Conti) we've had since Moses and Brooks will be eligible for first grade come 2025. given the focus on pathways and retaining junior talent, if we block their path to firsts it could be a massive issue moving forward.

it's why we were after an experienced half for some time and have looked to retain Brooks, which I think will still happen. the links to Latu Fainu have clearly surfaced via the Fulton connection, but signing two rookie halves and then turfing them both in a matter of years makes zero sense to me, which is why I'm weary of the Sanders and Pezet links. the club has a lot of head scratching to do.

Ideally we wouldn't be throwing in Conti and Large the second they turn 18. Ideally we'd be able to nurture them and give them time in flegg and Cup to acclimatise. If Fainu, Pezet or Sanders sign it's for the immediate first team. They're starting halves this/next year, see how they go. And they'd have a couple of years to find their feet before the likes of our young halves are ready to push for first grade. If they're doing well then decision are made on whom to keep, easing youngsters in off the bench like Storm did with Cronk etc.

 

[jrtiger]

Ideally we wouldn't be throwing in Conti and Large the second they turn 18. Ideally we'd be able to nurture them and give them time in flegg and Cup to acclimatise. If Fainu, Pezet or Sanders sign it's for the immediate first team. They're starting halves this/next year, see how they go. And they'd have a couple of years to find their feet before the likes of our young halves are ready to push for first grade. If they're doing well then decision are made on whom to keep, easing youngsters in off the bench like Storm did with Cronk etc.

hopefully we’re able to do that, but that’s very much a perfect world scenario. given we convinced Large to come back to us after being in the Roosters’ development squads you’d think that would have a lot to do with making promises, similar with Conti in terms of having options of both league and union on the table.

would love for us to bring Fainu, Sanders, Pezet or anyone else across but they need to be paired with an experienced half. two rookie halves thrown in the deep end at once could kill careers before they really even begin.