Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[earl]

Wish list
Trindal , Taafe , Croft
centre ?
winger ?
defensive lock ?
extend / Resign
Staines , Blore , Bulla , Steph ,
clean out
Tommy , Nofo , AJ , Simpkins , Simpkin , Naden , Wakeman , Smith

This is what gets me. Those players aren't great. I'd keep Wakeham and maybe Smith. I reckon Wakeham has been great for us. He kicks goals consistently and his defense is great. He is a reserve grader playing NRL and performing. I honestly don't think Hastings was any better last night and I haven't seen anything this year to suggest Hastings is better than Wakeham but Wakeham costs a lot less.

The issue is though bringing in quality players. Trindall, Taafe and Croft are guys that maybe improve us a bit but I can't see massive improvements from those guys. We need like two more Bula's in the halves and a gun outside back. Then we can reassess. That might not be enough.

 

[tonza]

Yep. Two fast wingers would make a massive difference. Maybe Tupou can fill one spot but he isn't real quick. We desperately need Staines in the team.

He is dead set slow. Has a great step and biding his time before moving to the centres. Maybe in lower grades to start.

 

[Tiger Stripes]

I tend to agree but depends on how much we offer him. Brooks signed for 700 at manly I think so if Croft is 500 off the cap then I’m all for it. If similar amounts then we are not any better off other than a change of scenery.

Brooks signed for $700 over 4 years.
I'm sure Croft wont be on that size deal even if it is "Like for Like"?

 

[earl]

He is dead set slow. Has a great step and biding his time before moving to the centres. Maybe in lower grades to start.

He got beat by Dom Young last night and he just looked slow chasing but I suppose that is Dom Young. He is a threat with the ball and he can belt it back hard.

He isn't a sure thing at this point. I hope he makes it but he needs to work on his game.

 

[Eternal Tiger]

It would have to be a truly "aggressive recruitment drive."

Many many Heads of Agreements need to be signed

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

I still like him a lot. He can beat players. He is making bad decisions and mistakes and it's not acceptable but that stuff can be worked on.

His ability to actually beat players is something we don't have in our team.

T’oa is one player that could benefit from a sports psychologist. I wonder if the WT actually use one. Bennett has used a guy for his players for years.

 

[Vicious]

Speed is what we need , we looked slow last night

Slow on our edges, far too slow out wide and far too slow in our attacking ball movement.
Add far too slow and lacking energy in our off the ball movement in attack and line speed when defending.
Watch the replay of the first two tries conceded last night, there are players standing behind the defensive line that causes the problem as to why our opposition create an overlap on us so easily.

 

[Moh]

Anyone tried talking Josh Reynolds out of retiring?

Could partner Wakeham well, not sure if they spent much time at the Dogs together.

Lmao.

 

[TurnStyle]

He’s been doing that for a long time, think it comes about by being told you’re a special player at a young age.
A lot of centres in the NRL have similar issues, they can’t set their winger up properly so they completely ignore them.

Exactly. I started out on the wing and know what it's like to play outside a centre who just never passed. It's why I probably notice it more than former forwards and I'm just dumbfounded at how often at NRL level centres have huge overlaps and don't pass it!

Drives me crazy and I seriously can't believe how common it is!

 

[The Chad]

It's easy to feel critical after so many losses. So everybody's points are valid regarding the squad. We are getting shown up. I think it's actually become apparent where our holes really are now since the forward pack was upgraded.

My take, for what it's worth:

Step 1 in getting the forwards upgraded enough to be competitive is pretty much done. There is enough senior talent in the squad & with still a few very promising young players to add to the mix, I honestly believe we are in position to have one of the strongest forward groups in the NRL. Klemmer, Utoikamanu, Pole, Twal, Blore, Seyfarth, James & with Jacob Miller coming through- our available Prop rotation is beyond strong. Papali'i, Bateman, Tumeth, Matamua, Faagutu, Lauititi'i- our backrow might be slightly light, maybe 1-2 more experienced players short, but a couple of those young guys coming through very soon are VERY exciting. And of course, at hooker, Api & Tallyn Da Silva are the now & future of the position. Simpkin is cleary the 3rd best option & isn't terrible as a #3, but there is a noticable slow down of our play with him on the field. Perhaps better halves would help him out?

Step 2 has to be getting the backline sorted out. The few positives- Bula is outstanding. Tupou is promising (might be a centre playing wing..). To'a isn't out of place in the squad, but has a few brain fades. Feledy is promising & might need to be fast-tracked. Galvin & the other promising youngsters are, well, very promising. And this is where the issues start. Because every other outside back is either not up to it, replaceable, or off contract. You can't replace an entire backline, but in our case....you could at least make the argument! Charlie Staines should be retained. I don't think he's amazing, but he IS solid, and offers some versatility. I'd retain Wakeham, I feel there IS a player in there, but he's unpolished. Might never be more than a reserve but they still hold value. Given the....quality...of our backs, we still need Adam Doueihi. Even if it's as a centre. Until we have better, he is potentially our best strike outside back. I'd also retain Daine Laurie as a 5/8, back-up fullback. I think he has to be used as a reserve until he develops, but again- there is potential there & we are a rather non-potential heavy group. Of the guys we currently have, I think Naden will be sticking around. He's on a longer contract anyway, so he is with us regardless. He needs to be depth, not relied on as a starter. He's too inconsistent for that. Everyone else is pretty much expendable. Kepoua could have value, but it NEEDS to be as a depth player looking to push into 1st grade, not the other way around. We need to offload Nofualuma, Will Smith & Talau & Brooks are already gone. Reilly...probably doesn't hurt us too badly as far as contracts go.

A complete re-vamp of our halves structure is required. We need 2 starters & a back-up. Wakeham, Laurie, Galvin & Doueihi should be considered as depth options in the halves. We have discussed the options to death. Whoever they end up being, it needs to be starters at 6 & 7, plus a guy considered serviceable enough to step in if either starter doesn't work out.

Fullback is set with Bula, Laurie, Staines, To'a & Doueihi all capable.

Centre. I've been suggesting 2 new centres. Realistically- we need one. But, they have to be defensively sound. Brad Parker is the name I keep circulating, but to be fair, Paul Alamoti could be considered too. Parker does fit the brief though. Both? To'a needs to be pushed by Naden & then Doueihi (who I'm not giving up on). Feledy needs to sponge off Parker. The wildcard is the rumour of Skelton. If he is up to it, he could fill the role right away. The important thing is still- defensively sound. Alamoti is tempting.

The wingers are the same. We have to find guys that offer sound defensive play, both tackling & in kick diffusing. Staines & Tupou are the options from within the club. This is where at least 2 new additions could be had. It would be great if we found wingers who are good attacking threats too. Those valuable metres found out of dummy half in those first couple of hit-ups after a kick are vital. I still don't mind Okubor as an option. Big body which we don't have. I think Kaito suggested Veaga from Manly- he could help too.

What I noticed last night is that the Knights are really not that much better than us. Bad defensive reads kill us out wide. Lack of crisp decision making kills us in attack. Get those things improved, and instead of the Knights being just outside the 8, it could just as easily be the Tigers.

 

[Todd Packer]

Speed is what we need , we looked slow last night

Croft and Jai Field at 7 and 6.
The dream team of speed.
They'd catch that chicken in the alley every time.

 

[Vicious]

I like Junior Tupou as a player, I can see plenty of potential in him and happy for us to persist with him, BUT there are other similar types of players such as Edward Kosi who is under contract with the Warriors, but I don’t believe it would be a very well paid contract and he currently cannot break into their NRL side.
I think they are similar in age and you could argue if we recruited Kosi and let Tupou go it could be a big improvement for us, particularly as Kosi has appeared to be safe under the high ball when playing NRL.
Another taller, much faster and more energetic target could be Sam Stonestreet who is also under contract, but again it would only be a bare minimum contract with little opportunity of playing NRL anytime soon.
He looks good enough and exciting enough to be an NRL starting player with us straight away.

 

[tiger_one]

T’oa is one player that could benefit from a sports psychologist. I wonder if the WT actually use one. Bennett has used a guy for his players for years.

As we are each 100% invested fans and members, can we also get the service of the sports psychologist too?

 

[Todd Packer]

 

[earl]

T’oa is one player that could benefit from a sports psychologist. I wonder if the WT actually use one. Bennett has used a guy for his players for years.

I think we desperately need a sports psychologist. We've been poor for so long and you can develop bad habits etc. It's not going to turn the team around but it might help players reach and play to their potential more often or even just make better decisions when they aren't playing well.

 

[TurnStyle]

He got beat by Dom Young last night and he just looked slow chasing but I suppose that is Dom Young. He is a threat with the ball and he can belt it back hard.

He isn't a sure thing at this point. I hope he makes it but he needs to work on his game.

I like Tupou a lot, but that overlap Young ran past him, he barely cracked a trot and looked to give up any thought of a chase in practically an instant; It really was horrible to watch.

I don't know if he's getting a free ride in the side, or if something is off with him, but he needs to go either straight to KOE or a break altogether to sort himself out.

He could be burnt out or struggling with confidence, an injury or outside issue and he definitely has the talent and promise to persist with, but he's been terrible and that one play alone showed me he needs a break from first grade immediately.

 

[Vicious]

Jai Field is a player that has been a little bit forgotten about.
As your highlights video shows he’s been a massive standout in the UK and has that explosive speed we are lacking.
Only question is he’s been playing fullback only in the UK and although he was a 5/8 when coming through the grades here, would he be up to the defensive responsibilities to make the transition back to 5/8 in the the NRL ?
At the end of the day our current NRL side is far too slow and do not have enough attacking threat to score long range tries, therefore I believe our recruitment should have a heavy focus on injecting pure speed and attacking threat into our line up.
The negative is most players that fit this description are not great defenders, but if we go back to the 2005 theory that a great attacking team assists the defence as it generally tires the opposition by them turning and chasing to defend regular line breaks.

 

[Todd Packer]

Jai Field is a player that has been a little bit forgotten about.
As your highlights video shows he’s been a massive standout in the UK and has that explosive speed we are lacking.
Only question is he’s been playing fullback only in the UK and although he was a 5/8 when coming through the grades here, would he be up to the defensive responsibilities to make the transition back to 5/8 in the the NRL ?
At the end of the day our current NRL side is far too slow and do not have enough attacking threat to score long range tries, therefore I believe our recruitment should have a heavy focus on injecting pure speed and attacking threat into our line up.
The negative is most players that fit this description are not great defenders, but if we go back to the 2005 theory that a great attacking team assists the defence as it generally tires the opposition by them turning and chasing to defend regular line breaks.

He's played some 6 for Wigan.

 

[gregjm87]

This is what gets me. Those players aren't great. I'd keep Wakeham and maybe Smith. I reckon Wakeham has been great for us. He kicks goals consistently and his defense is great. He is a reserve grader playing NRL and performing. I honestly don't think Hastings was any better last night and I haven't seen anything this year to suggest Hastings is better than Wakeham but Wakeham costs a lot less.

The issue is though bringing in quality players. Trindall, Taafe and Croft are guys that maybe improve us a bit but I can't see massive improvements from those guys. We need like two more Bula's in the halves and a gun outside back. Then we can reassess. That might not be enough.

Mate. Wakeham is hopeless. His defence is woeful and I couldn't give a shit about his good goal kicking as with him at 7 we will rarely score enough tries, converted or not, to win a game.
Trindall, Croft, Taafe and Hastings are all much better, though none are talented enough to cover the rest of the squads shortcomings.

 

[hank37w]

dont know.but Ilias;s father said he wouldnt spit on WT if they caught fire

I can only dream of this team being on fire.