Didn't we just sign the highest profile player off contract in 2024? I'd say that's a worthwhile talent.
Not when it will result in blocking of the juniors. We have Feledy, Saukuru, Makasini, Large (at this stage) coming through for Centre there might be more but those I do know off and wing again I don’t know many but I know Luke Laulili is coming though along with Mason, Craig, Lobb (although technically not a junior but is on development still next year) and Willet as well for wing in the future. Schiller easily blocks them from coming through. Obviously we can’t keep everyone but Richo even said himself we aren’t gonna sign players that will block the juniors from coming through. Schiller and Lomax would have done that. If we’re gonna sign to upgrade our outside backs I don’t know who exactly for wing but for Centre I won’t be surprised if we try and sign Gagai to fill the void until the others are ready. I don’t know much for backrow prospects coming through apart from Sukkar but I don’t think he’s that good so I do see a signing for the backrow elsewhere.
Gagai??? Too late. we are too slow.. roosters onto that....
Just because Roosters have been linked doesn’t mean they will land him, besides Richo said if it gets into the media us being linked to a player, it won’t happen. The fact that there is nothing being mentioned doesn’t mean we aren’t in it.
Don’t know about that, u need to sign quality if it’s on offer. Can’t keep hoping that juniors will turn out to be stars! Slomax is carving it up and class like that is hard to come by, parra have good juniors to yet they elected to get Slomax! Yes we need to be smart about it, but I would have rather Slomax with his youth then an ageing Olam. Even as good as Olam is going he is at the point of know return.
If our focus wasn’t going to be on development moving forward I reckon we may have signed Lomax, but signing him would have resulted in our juniors coming through looking elsewhere. We wouldn’t have been able to sign him for a year or two it would’ve been four years minimum that’s enough to possibly lose all of them, or at least 90% with only a couple staying and they might not have been the best to keep. That’s why I reckon Benji wanted Olam because he’s not gonna block any of our juniors. That’s what Benji and Richo have said moving forward we are a development club, I get the frustration because you want a competitive first grade side and I want that as well. And no doubt Lomax or Schiller would have, but it results in going against what they want in developing our juniors as we have some coming through. If we didn’t have any coming through I bet we would have tried to sign them.
I’ve been harping on about Gagai for those exact reasons. Olam & Gagai in the centres for the next 2 seasons before 2 of Makasini, Laulilii, Feledy, Saukuru, Large, Willett or Mason slot in ✅✅ Another NRL ready middle like Trey Mooney to then take Klemmer’s spot. Feel Samuela Fainu could be our backrow-in-waiting & think Lachlan Broederlow (our Flegg) could be a bolter next 2 years.
What position does Broederlow play? And I think Mooney might be a possibility, when Klem hangs them up we will need another Prop ready to take his spot and the only one coming through is Miller but he’s still a bit away from playing firsts. And I can see Gagai being a target as like Olam he’s not blocking anyone.
Broederlow is a backrower, good size, breaks tackles, good D, can offload & brings plenty of effort (not lazy).
Well if Broederlow is like that then he’s one we need to keep and develop. Benji and Richo should have a relationship with Gagai from thier Souths days so I think we have a chance should we take it. And Mooney I admit I don’t know much about has only played 6 games since 2021 I think but he would be easily stuck at the moment behind Papa and Tapine so if we do sign him I’ll judge when he’s with us.
With ??? on Kepaoa & Tumeth’s futures with the club, Vaihu offers effort but has shown little else, there is a big opportunity for Sukkar who goes into top 30 next year. If Broederlow can maintain his development, he could very well land a Dev or T&T deal next season.
I don’t think Tumeth will be here next year we’ll probably just pay him out and he’ll be on his way. Kepaoa is 50/50 at this stage we may keep him but if we do he probably gets a one year deal. Vaihu I don’t think will make it and Sukkar I don’t think so either but he will at least have a chance to prove others who doubt him. As you said if Broederlow keeps it up I think he’ll get a development contract next year.
I get what your saying but I don’t see class ball playing centres coming through. Maskaski is a tough ball runner by all reports and it’s unknown if Large is in terested in playing centre at this point. No point hoping he will play centre, need to know or move on. I’ve seen this movie before, we develop them hope they come through then they sign with someone else. We don’t have heaps of centres coming through and there are two centre positions that need to be filled! Olam will leave in the next few years, it’s fine if Slomax stays. Anyway no point in crying over spilt milk. Just thinking a recruitment manager would have been pushing fir this one.
I think there’s a chance Feledy will kick on he’s been doing well in Cup from what I hear. Haven’t had a chance to see him play properly yet but heard he’s doing good. I think there must be a plan if they weren’t gonna sign Lomax so it is what it is, just have to wait for it to unfold.
But it doesn't block them. It provides then a steady and more competitive side to be joining. Currently we have no decent quality wingers, and 1 quality centre in our top 30. The names you've listed should all be 1-2 years away from first grade. We shouldn't simply throw every decent 18 year old we have straight in the top grade because we're struggling, we want them to be ready, banging the door down from below and earning their spots.
I agree I don’t want us to throw every 18 year old into first grade unless they are good enough obviously, but Lomax is 24 and Schiller is 22 you can have both of those players for 10 years if they don’t have serious injuries which shorten their careers. And signing a player that young is going to cause a block for players coming through because you can have them for a long period of time, not like Olam or Gagai where you have them for 2 years maybe 3 if needed knowing they’ll be retiring not long to have the young ones come through. I don’t think Mason would make first grade as a fullback he most likely make it on the wing. Yes being competitive and winning does help in retention, but if they find their path to first grade blocked they will most likely leave. Every club faces that dilemma at some stage but Lomax and Schiller do that to us unfortunately because they are still young. If they were 30 or at least 28 it wouldn’t have been a problem but they are young which in this case is unfortunately the problem.
