Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

Vicious said:
You will see how it pans out with him playing in a quality team such as the Panthers.
3 games at 5/8 for us and easily in out top 3 players each time.
To do that, make multiple line breaks, multiple try assists in a team with no idea how to attack is exceptional.
Ivan Cleary is sitting back licking his lips knowing they will not miss a beat if Laurie replaces Luai at 5/8 in 2025 and knowing the money they save by not re-signing Luai will help them retain their quality roster.
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Yep. He did everything last night in a team running last against a top 3 side that a quality 5/8th should do and tackles his ring off. Anyone who thinks that he can't produce the same or better at Penrith are kidding themselves.
 
jadtiger said:
He has been terribly overpaid and next to useless since he arrived in Australia,a typical dogs signing just throwing money away
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I think there are bigger issues at the Bulldogs than individual performances. Thompson can play. Nearly that whole squad can play. But something isn't clicking there. Dare I say it- not enough youth development...
 
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Vicious said:
He won’t be getting moved to the wing as he’s now in a position of power being one of our better players, but he’d be a good winger no doubt.
Do you think the Panthers would be a lesser team with Laurie playing 5/8 for them ?
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you must have a low opinion of Luai - On his way to triple premierships, Origin and International player… what’s Laurie achieved so far?
 
Tom Shines said:
you must have a low opinion of Luai - On his way to triple premierships, Origin and International player… what’s Laurie achieved so far?
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It's not a matter of downgrading what Luai has done it's about what Laurie can do in the same environmen. He has demonstrated in the last two games what he is capable of in a team that has won 7 games in 2 seasons. His contribution in lasts nights game was outstanding.
 
Vicious said:
For someone who’s only played 5/8 three or four times over the past 3 years, Laurie has been outstanding.
Penrith will be licking their lips knowing they have him back on a very low wage and likely they have him lined up to replace Luai as their starting NRL 5/8 in 2025 while some club likely to be us will pay Luai 1 million per season for a player no better than Laurie 🤷‍♂️
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I have been calling for Laurie to move into 5/8th since last season. Watched him in juniors and he can become a NRL player for sure.

I think he also shows how bad our previous/current halves have been. Our forwards have been getting us in position and Api has had quick play the balls & space but no one around him who has had any smarts to take advantage of it. Seeing what Laurie has done fills me somewhat with confidence on the attacking halves we have signed for next season.

Wish we had kept Laurie (not popular opinion here but some) but in saying that he isn’t at the Luai level & has a heck of alot if work ahead of him to become at the same level. Time can give him that but can see Panthers offering Luai more than Laurie for 25 hands down to keep him due to the Cleary connect alone.
 
Telltails said:
Yep. He did everything last night in a team running last against a top 3 side that a quality 5/8th should do and tackles his ring off. Anyone who thinks that he can't produce the same or better at Penrith are kidding themselves.
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Should have definitely let him start at 6 ages
ago. His problem is he's immature & like a big
kid. Confidence in him to do a job was low, so
we let him fester in state cup unfortunately
 
The Chad said:
Comparisons to Canberra are not that far off I think. Ricky has had to make a go of it using a mix of local talent & the scraps left by other clubs. Very few big name signings in Canberra.

Yet, you get the RIGHT guys together, and they exceed expectations.

Man for man, they are probably not as talented as most teams. But they play hard & let a few talented athletes run around. I think it shows what you can build if you do things wisely & have a group that plays for each other. They are, realistically, competitive most years under Ricky.

And with who leading their charge? Papali'i, Wighton....not really a bunch of big names in that club.
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I was thinking this about Ricky a few weeks ago he gets winners together hard nose men who won't be pushed around and most weeks they compete for the full 80 minutes if they had one or 2 X factor players they would be top 4 under Ricky
 
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I think a lot of people are overplaying the Laurie situation.

In his entire time at the club he had had one good season and now what? Two good games at 6?

In his time here, he has been behind Brooks, Hastings and Doueihi in the halves with good reason.

Also picked behind Wakeham, which is debatable, but he has also shown a massive lack of motivation, been photographed celebrating the Panthers premiership wearing a Panthers jersey, publicly liked an intagram video of Cobbo scoring a try against the team he currently played for - which the most mitigating excuses I read were along the lines of complete petulance at being dropped and "he's mates with him", got run down by a forward in reserve grade....

He is the sort of player who doesn't have the mental fortitude to play well for a sustained period of time or unless there is a purely personal reason for him to play well.

Does anyone think he would be playing this well if he had signed an extension at the tigers? I reckon he'd be kicking stones, fading into obscurity in the ressies.

He's played a couple of good games, but too little too late imo.
 
TurnStyle said:
I think a lot of people are overplaying the Laurie situation.

In his entire time at the club he had had one good season and now what? Two good games at 6?

In his time here, he has been behind Brooks, Hastings and Doueihi in the halves with good reason.

Also picked behind Wakeham, which is debatable, but he has also shown a massive lack of motivation, been photographed celebrating the Panthers premiership wearing a Panthers jersey, publicly liked an intagram video of Cobbo scoring a try against the team he currently played for - which the most mitigating excuses I read were along the lines of complete petulance at being dropped and "he's mates with him", got run down by a forward in reserve grade....

He is the sort of player who doesn't have the mental fortitude to play well for a sustained period of time or unless there is a purely personal reason for him to play well.

Does anyone think he would be playing this well if he had signed an extension at the tigers? I reckon he'd be kicking stones, facing into obscurity in the ressies.

He's played a couple of good games, but too little too late imo.
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Daine Laurie is, and will always be better than Brandon Wakeham yet the coaches continued to pick Wakeham ahead of Laurie in the halves. Laurie has some X factor about him Wakeham does not and will never have so people who continue to criticise Laurie should be criticising our coach he should’ve been our number six from the start of the season alongside Brooks & I’m sure we would have more wins than we have now. Laurie should have been resigned by our club he could’ve been an ideal utility player on the bench for us next year as you could put him anywhere in the spine even at hooker to give Koroisau a short rest if required.
 
loklok said:
Can anyone in the know confirm that John Bateman wants to return to the UK at end of season ? Heard it from a friend involved at a different club
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I have not heard anything about that but it would not surprise me if he did as he does not see out contracts.If he does go it makes our decision to sign him even worse considering the club had already paid out 250k to an english club for him to break his last contract
 
TurnStyle said:
In his entire time at the club he had had one good season and now what? Two good games at 6?
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He had a cracker at fullback once as well. I still reckon he is a fringe NRL player but he has some spark and he is a spine player. I wish we'd kept him and he'd been given more opportunities. I prefer him to plenty of our spine players since he has been here and value for money he would be the best.
 
earl said:
He had a cracker at fullback once as well. I still reckon he is a fringe NRL player but he has some spark and he is a spine player. I wish we'd kept him and he'd been given more opportunities. I prefer him to plenty of our spine players since he has been here and value for money he would be the best.
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He had a really good whole season at full back his first year.

Yes, he'd be cheap, but to improve the tigers need to make judgement calls on whether a player is going to help get you to the top or not, and he just isn't.

The fact he has signed with Penrith leads me to believe even he is happy to simply be a backup player and at least there he can hang out with his mates.

Unless Luai leaves he should've gone to a team who needs a 5/8th.

I think that sadly - for those of us who remember him - he could very well fade into oblivion in much the same way his incredibly coincidental namesake did all those years ago.

Like seriously, his name was Daine Laurie and I'm pretty sure he came from Penrith too! He was a forward, but it's still pretty freaky.... 😳
 
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