Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[TSP]

The point we are missing about Stef’s contract clauses is he would have departed the club 2 years ago if it was not for those clauses.
He stayed to see if we improved our results and we haven’t, so if he departs we only have ourselves to blame.

Yeah I saw it that way too when I found out about the strange terms, 2 years ago he’s basically said “like it or lump it” so understandably to keep him….we liked it.

I agree with the recent comment, we should have played hard with him, to put ourselves in a better bargaining possie but against that, someone has had the guts to give him a fair offer and stand by it.

And I thought he was a fringe part of origin before- when we were rubbish too, now he’s not. So I don’t see it as our fault.

Richo was almost taunting him in that interview. He didn’t miss him when he said if he didn’t commit we’d have more cash to sign another player.

So pros and cons.

I’m more worried about coaching and other matters tbh.

If he’s not on the bus, I’m not wasting my time fretting. Wasted energy, get rid of him asap.

The season is mush, give his spot to a kid who actually wants to play for us, someone we can play next year when half the squad is wiped out by injury or whatever.

 

[innsaneink]

Well if he departs we will find out.
Buzz on 360 mentioned he believes the Dragons are expecting the Knights to kick in around 300k of Daniel Saifiti’s 800k contract if they are to sign him.
In my opinion there is no chance the Knights will release a player of his calibre with the intention of clearing up cap space and chipping in 300k per season.
If we ended up even paying 700k per season for Daniel Saifiti, managed to get someone like Royce Hunt for around 450-500k, added a hard nosed aggressive edge forward in Joe Chan from the Storm as well as an experienced no nonsense versatile backbrower such as Jack Williams from the Sharks, I’d say losing Stef and possibly offloading Klemmer and Bateman would see us still finish well in front in regards to our forward strength for 2025.

No...we know what he CAN do when he wants to
He wasnt picked for origin for nothing even if it was way too soon
Weve seen his ability

Agree on the rest of your post

 

[bigsiro]

Of course Stef is a loss even if we were offering him way too much, and no doubt will be on the lament list just like Blore Talau Papalli Brooks Tupou Laurie all strengthening other clubs while weakening ours. Who would have thought that retention would become a bigger problem than recruitment. Two steps forward three steps back.

Really? Talau, Papalii, Brooks and Laurie were dreadful for us. All role players at best, who IMO do not strengthen other clubs or provide leadership, despite their experience. They just look good now because they have a few studs in their team and play in a system with go-forward. Big whoop. I don’t lament their loss.

Blore was just ok for us.
Tupou had potential, so if he becomes something, he may be the only one I’d possibly lament the loss of. No doubt Melbourne will make him look amazing. Heck, they did that for Nofoaluma!

 

[LeichhardtTiger]

The more I think about what we lack compared to ALL other clubs is … consistent leaders.

The only ONE we have is Api.

Out of the others …

Olam - could be one but no consistency in staying fit.
Klemmer - gone backwards in performance this year.
Bateman - too many stupid costly moments.
Sezer - inconsistent & costly suspensions.
Doeuihi / Naden - frail defence.
Twal - concussion concerns, lacks impact.

Our next tier of experience like Stef, Staines, iPap & To’a have their heads elsewhere or too passive. Seyfarth has potential with his effort & aggression if he can fix up his brain snaps at times but he’s not a 1st 13 player anyway.

This lack of leadership amongst our experienced core is nothing short of disgraceful.

We need to address this in our next 1-2 seasons of recruitment as a priority.

The Bulldogs have with Chrichton, Tracey, Kikau, Mahoney, Curran, Hutchison, Mann etc & look at the impact on their emerging leaders in Burton, Kiraz, Preston & co.

Yes we have Luai coming but we need at least 2-3 more, especially those high in effort, high in footy IQ and loud in voice.

Another issue is clearing players to create room for incoming.

Great points - Which makes Bungies comment in the post Bunnies presser when he agreed (with the journo) that the kids played OK whilst the senior players needed to lift seem so fake - S0 which senior players was he referring to?

Api didn't play
Klemmer didn't step up in the 2nd half cos he wasn't put back on
Bateman made his usual mistakes
Papalli didn't play
Sezar made his usual dodgy tackle which I believe was not his fault
Twal didn't drop easy ball or got sin-binned.

I am struggling to find the senior players who let the side down.

Poor Cold Hand Luke let the side down twice.
Jareme Boola let the side down
Even Lachy G let the side down

Oh and Senior player Seyfarth let the side down cos he got concussed the week before and didn't play.

Bungie is the problem. The elephant in the room was finally spotted.

 

[LukeyTuiaki]

He's the only coach we could hire and go backwards

Agree - everywhere he goes the club gets worse… manly, dogs, parra.

 

[Robbie's Love Child]

Really? Talau, Papalii, Brooks and Laurie were dreadful for us. All role players at best, who IMO do not strengthen other clubs or provide leadership, despite their experience. They just look good now because they have a few studs in their team and play in a system with go-forward. Big whoop. I don’t lament their loss.

Blore was just ok for us.
Tupou had potential, so if he becomes something, he may be the only one I’d possibly lament the loss of. No doubt Melbourne will make him look amazing. Heck, they did that for Nofoaluma!

Totally agree some people are delusional when raving about how great these ex Tigers players are going. I reckon Gildart and Bateman would look like stars at the Storm. How is Tuilagi going is a better question.

 

[Telltails]

Really? Talau, Papalii, Brooks and Laurie were dreadful for us. All role players at best, who IMO do not strengthen other clubs or provide leadership, despite their experience. They just look good now because they have a few studs in their team and play in a system with go-forward. Big whoop. I don’t lament their loss.

Blore was just ok for us.
Tupou had potential, so if he becomes something, he may be the only one I’d possibly lament the loss of. No doubt Melbourne will make him look amazing. Heck, they did that for Nofoaluma!

That's the point about strengthening a team. You put players in stronger systems those players faults become less of an issue. Our fans focus on players weaknesses and right them off because we are always losing while admiring players in strong systems, who if put in our system would also struggle to make a difference to results. We did it to Brooks for years. Laurie wasn't dreadful for us at all. His first year he was one of our best.He had one bad game against Newcastle and -he wasn't alone - and never really got a go again from Sheens until he blitzed Canberra at 5/8th late in the season. Stef will be exactly the same if he ends up at Melbourne and Papalli is a perfect fit for Penrith. People use to go insane when Maguire picked TT most weeks - must have seen something fans didn't.

 

[Robbie's Love Child]

That's the point about strengthening a team. You put players in stronger systems those players faults become less of an issue. Our fans focus on players weaknesses and right them off because we are always losing while admiring players in strong systems, who if put in our system would also struggle to make a difference to results. We did it to Brooks for years. Laurie wasn't dreadful for us at all. His first year he was one of our best.He had one bad game against Newcastle and -he wasn't alone - and never really got a go again from Sheens until he blitzed Canberra at 5/8th late in the season. Stef will be exactly the same if he ends up at Melbourne and Papalli is a perfect fit for Penrith. People use to go insane when Maguire picked TT most weeks - must have seen something fans didn't.

Agree to a point, some one like Laurie was never going to be in the picture with Bula on the scene. Papali is okay in a strong pack but nothing special as an individual player. Talau is going well in a slick backline with DCE and Turbo, Gildart would score tries in that team. Stef is the same as Papali, you are right he will go well at strong packs like the dogs and storm but he is not special as an individual player like JWH, Haas, JFH etc. Brooks is a running 5/8 which anyone with a brain should have seen but Madge, Sheens etc thought he was a halfback.

 

[Telltails]

Agree to a point, some one like Laurie was never going to be in the picture with Bula on the scene. Papali is okay in a strong pack but nothing special as an individual player. Talau is going well in a slick backline with DCE and Turbo, Gildart would score tries in that team. Stef is the same as Papali, you are right he will go well at strong packs like the dogs and storm but he is not special as an individual player like JWH, Haas, JFH etc. Brooks is a running 5/8 which anyone with a brain should have seen but Madge, Sheens etc thought he was a halfback.

I think Brooks thought he was a half back too - till he wasn't. The good things he did with us he does at Manly just with better results.

 

[hank37w]

Good mates with Benji

Just wondering if one of the problems we may have is that Benji has too many mates here already.

 

[hank37w]

Agree with the cultural aspect but those aforementioned
guys like Tumeth, Sukkar & Co were already locked
in. My suggestion is sit tight, I just want to get through
this year. Luai's arrival and the buzz it will create around
the club and players will change things, I'm positive

You may be positive, but are you sure?

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

Just wondering if one of the problems we may have is that Benji has too many mates here already.

As long as his mates bust their balls to give him every chance of success & not just cruise along for fun times

 

[Tom Shines]

Totally agree some people are delusional when raving about how great these ex Tigers players are going. I reckon Gildart and Bateman would look like stars at the Storm. How is Tuilagi going is a better question

Even better … how is Talau going ? Wasn’t even first grade standard here last year … now he looks competent

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

Wonder if there is anything in the drop in form & favour of Isaac Moses' players at the WTs since the Galvin saga?

Bateman & Klemmer - decline in form, Klemmer's minutes, Bateman's low IQ plays
Faagutu - trying to work his way out of Jersey Flegg, seems behind the likes of Kit Laulilii & Tony Sukkar in favour, injury & suspension hasn't helped
Tumeth - seems out of favour, relegated to Jersey Flegg

Managers can get in player's heads, just sayin! May just be coincidence!

 

[Kelce68]

In defence of the Paseka decision, he signed for Manly in March 2017. He did not play more than 13 games for each of the first two seasons and only started 2 matches in that same time, the other 24 matches off the bench.

At that particular time our prop rotation was Origin-level Aaron Woods, Ava S, Jesse Sue, Tim Grant, Lawnmower boy, JJ Felise and The Huth. We had also just signed Twal from Parramatta, who played immediately and managed 9 games in total 2017.

I can understand therefore both the desire for the club to want Paseka to stay and bide his time, and also why the player didn't want that. I recall Paseka being huge but struggling with his minutes and the defensive requirements of the game.

I genuinely don't believe Paseka became a legitimate FG prospect until 2021 when he finally began starting matches and played 21 games that season. I still don't think he's a particularly great prop. Guy has never played rep football of any kind, though he would be eligible for both Tonga and NZ.

So if a club wants to buy one of our juniors and invest 4-5 years in their development to get them to consistent FG standard, in that case I say "good luck to them" because it's a very significant investment of both time and money. It's not necessarily the time and/or money we could have or needed to have spent.

It clearly did not help that we were in the process of sacking JT and the further player losses in 2017 would hurt far more than Paseka.

Now if he turned out to be Payne Haas after 1 or 2 seasons then fair enough, but Paseka is not even remotely in that echelon. He doesn't have much competition at Manly, who have always known their prop stocks were low given they headhunted Lawnmower Boy from us, signed both Nathan Brown and Matt Lodge this year from the wilderness, and continue to field Tof Sipley week on week (who is an average player at best).

Nah I'm not going wring hands about Paseka. Your other points are valid but this player isn't a posterchild for our inadequacies in player development.

Great write-up.

 

[Kelce68]

Great points - Which makes Bungies comment in the post Bunnies presser when he agreed (with the journo) that the kids played OK whilst the senior players needed to lift seem so fake - S0 which senior players was he referring to?

Api didn't play
Klemmer didn't step up in the 2nd half cos he wasn't put back on
Bateman made his usual mistakes
Papalli didn't play
Sezar made his usual dodgy tackle which I believe was not his fault
Twal didn't drop easy ball or got sin-binned.

I am struggling to find the senior players who let the side down.

Poor Cold Hand Luke let the side down twice.
Jareme Boola let the side down
Even Lachy G let the side down

Oh and Senior player Seyfarth let the side down cos he got concussed the week before and didn't play.

Bungie is the problem. The elephant in the room was finally spotted.

Next time, when you're analysing the game, it helps to have it on the right channel.

This take is absolutely nowhere.

 

[426Tlgerland]

Losing Utoikamanu opens up the chance to get more physical in the middle.

Look how the Dolphins play.

Think how the Roosters forwards play- JWH, Collins & Radley.

It's great to have big, bustling tackle breaking forwards.

It's just as good to have guys that knock the snot out of those guys too.

Siona Fainu, Sam Fainu & Pole are great for running metres. We don't have the snot knockers.

Yep. We need 2 big aggressive additions , and a big winger , and a centre

 

[J.T]

Am a bit late to the party on the Ravalawa talk but he would be a big no from me. I live down Wollongong way and have a Dragons fan as a housemate so i have gone to WIN stadium and seen him live a few times over the years and off the ball he has to be the one of, if not the, laziest player ive ever seen. He very rarely chases kicks down field and doesnt often turn and chase when a break is made. And defensively he has big issues. He can make some metres when he wants to but he's one of those players where the bad far outweighs the good. You really need to watch him live to fully appreciate why he he has been in reserve grade for a lot of this year.

Also on Stef i have a strong feeling he will be staying with the club. If he does i just hope he can start consistently playing his best footy because i think we can all agree at his best he is an elite prop. We just dont see it anywhere near often enough.

 

[Oldman]

Am a bit late to the party on the Ravalawa talk but he would be a big no from me. I live down Wollongong way and have a Dragons fan as a housemate so i have gone to WIN stadium and seen him live a few times over the years and off the ball he has to be the one of, if not the, laziest player ive ever seen. He very rarely chases kicks down field and doesnt often turn and chase when a break is made. And defensively he has big issues. He can make some metres when he wants to but he's one of those players where the bad far outweighs the good. You really need to watch him live to fully appreciate why he he has been in reserve grade for a lot of this year.

Also on Stef i have a strong feeling he will be staying with the club. If he does i just hope he can start consistently playing his best footy because i think we can all agree at his best he is an elite prop. We just dont see it anywhere near often enough.

Yes hopefully we have learnt to stay away from other teams players on the slide.
No to Ravalawa

 

[twentyforty]

Am a bit late to the party on the Ravalawa talk but he would be a big no from me. I live down Wollongong way and have a Dragons fan as a housemate so i have gone to WIN stadium and seen him live a few times over the years and off the ball he has to be the one of, if not the, laziest player ive ever seen. He very rarely chases kicks down field and doesnt often turn and chase when a break is made. And defensively he has big issues. He can make some metres when he wants to but he's one of those players where the bad far outweighs the good. You really need to watch him live to fully appreciate why he he has been in reserve grade for a lot of this year.

Also on Stef i have a strong feeling he will be staying with the club. If he does i just hope he can start consistently playing his best footy because i think we can all agree at his best he is an elite prop. We just dont see it anywhere near often enough.

The way you describe Ravalawa’s game, coupled with his habit of dropping the ball, makes him sound like he would fit in nicely at Tigers.