Sullivan would be a blessing
Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion
- Thread starter MacDougall
- Start date
Interesting because I've got 3 mates in brisbane who are tragic broncos supporters, and they all think he's a great player.
no, it would be accurate.
rihannafan1
Well-known member
lol people missing the signing tracker is why there is so much misinformation in the world...settle down champNo wonder there’s so much misinformation in the world when folks with a username and password can easily write things that are wrong. Check the signings tracker.
2025 NRL Signings Tracker: Eels release Lomax; Taukeiaho re-signs
Star winger Zac Lomax has played his last game for the Eels after being granted an immediate release from the club while boom halfback Coby Black will depart the Broncos at the conclusion of the 2026 season to join a rival NRL club.www.nrl.com
Faagatu, Kit Laulilii, Saukuru, Sukkar all move into top 30 in 2025, joining Matamua, Feledy, Tumeth, Luke Laulilii, and Miller. That’s 9 players taking up top 30 deals who are clearly still not ready for NRL, and unsure if they ever will be. They should all still be development or train and trial.
So the club has an NRL ready guy in Sione Fainu who doesn’t have a deal, and the club can’t sign him, because all those I’ve listed were offered development deals that rolled into top 30, even though they’ve showed nothing. Just really shit contracting by Sheens or Fulton or both.
In addition to the 9 above, there are Galvin, Latu Fainu, Sam Fainu, and Da Silva who are all under 21. So 13 players in the top 30 are young, raw, and inexperienced, are taking up spots of hardened NRL players which you need for a competitive roster. Furthermore, there’s Naden, Sullivan, Staines, Bateman, etc who some folks think of as list cloggers, so that’s 17 players that are not NRL calibre in the top 30.
Mason will be development, as should some of those 9 listed in the paragraph at the top.
Do folks expect any better next season with such a young, and frankly, average top 30? Yeah, it’s the coach, it’s strength and conditioning, etc 🙄. Look at the roster next year!! Get an injury or two and it falls away massively.
The club has a big task to clean up the mess, and it’ll take several years. If they dump a few kids now, so be it. They’re purely getting by on junior form in age-competitions.
Yep we need Richo to work his magic big time for 2025.No wonder there’s so much misinformation in the world when folks with a username and password can easily write things that are wrong. Check the signings tracker.
2025 NRL Signings Tracker: Eels release Lomax; Taukeiaho re-signs
Star winger Zac Lomax has played his last game for the Eels after being granted an immediate release from the club while boom halfback Coby Black will depart the Broncos at the conclusion of the 2026 season to join a rival NRL club.
Faagatu, Kit Laulilii, Saukuru, Sukkar all move into top 30 in 2025, joining Matamua, Feledy, Tumeth, Luke Laulilii, and Miller. That’s 9 players taking up top 30 deals who are clearly still not ready for NRL, and unsure if they ever will be. They should all still be development or train and trial.
So the club has an NRL ready guy in Sione Fainu who doesn’t have a deal, and the club can’t sign him, because all those I’ve listed were offered development deals that rolled into top 30, even though they’ve showed nothing. Just really shit contracting by Sheens or Fulton or both.
In addition to the 9 above, there are Galvin, Latu Fainu, Sam Fainu, and Da Silva who are all under 21. So 13 players in the top 30 are young, raw, and inexperienced, are taking up spots of hardened NRL players which you need for a competitive roster. Furthermore, there’s Naden, Sullivan, Staines, Bateman, etc who some folks think of as list cloggers. So basically just about half the roster isn’t NRL calibre.
Mason will be development, as should some of those 9 listed in the paragraph at the top. I even think Johannson will be just train and trial. They can’t be fit in.
Do folks expect any better next season with such a young, and frankly, average top 30? Yeah, it’s the coach, it’s strength and conditioning, etc 🙄. Look at the roster next year!! Get an injury or two and it falls away massively.
The club has a big task to clean up the mess, and it’ll take several years. If they dump a few kids now, so be it. They’re purely getting by on junior form in age-competitions.
2026 we will be better off with only something like 15 players signed.
We have cash but no spots.
It's highly tempting to find that balance of who to pay out early or release & pay part of their wage.
As Richo said things fall out of the tree.
We land Montoya I'm happy, hopefully that's a swap with someone to Warriors then our backline is complete unless we are looking at the Fox as well but I doubt it.
Forwards we need 4 spots IMO.
Re-sign Sione Fainu. Add Jack Williams & or Kobe Hethrington. Matt Crocker & or RCG or Lodge.
Bateman is a only issue if he doesn't pull his finger out. We do need an experienced Backrower.
jrtiger
Well-known member
pretty sobering analysis, but it outlines the task at hand.No wonder there’s so much misinformation in the world when folks with a username and password can easily write things that are wrong. Check the signings tracker.
2025 NRL Signings Tracker: Eels release Lomax; Taukeiaho re-signs
Star winger Zac Lomax has played his last game for the Eels after being granted an immediate release from the club while boom halfback Coby Black will depart the Broncos at the conclusion of the 2026 season to join a rival NRL club.
Faagatu, Kit Laulilii, Saukuru, Sukkar all move into top 30 in 2025, joining Matamua, Feledy, Tumeth, Luke Laulilii, and Miller. That’s 9 players taking up top 30 deals who are clearly still not ready for NRL, and unsure if they ever will be. They should all still be development or train and trial.
So the club has an NRL ready guy in Sione Fainu who doesn’t have a deal, and the club can’t sign him, because all those I’ve listed were offered development deals that rolled into top 30, even though they’ve showed nothing. Just really shit contracting by Sheens or Fulton or both.
In addition to the 9 above, there are Galvin, Latu Fainu, Sam Fainu, and Da Silva who are all under 21. So 13 players in the top 30 are young, raw, and inexperienced, are taking up spots of hardened NRL players which you need for a competitive roster. Furthermore, there’s Naden, Sullivan, Staines, Bateman, etc who some folks think of as list cloggers. So basically just about half the roster isn’t NRL calibre.
Mason will be development, as should some of those 9 listed in the paragraph at the top. I even think Johannson will be just train and trial. They can’t be fit in.
Do folks expect any better next season with such a young, and frankly, average top 30? Yeah, it’s the coach, it’s strength and conditioning, etc 🙄. Look at the roster next year!! Get an injury or two and it falls away massively.
The club has a big task to clean up the mess, and it’ll take several years. If they dump a few kids now, so be it. They’re purely getting by on junior form in age-competitions.
we're going to have to move on at least half of those blokes on to try and fill the roster with some experienced campaigners, or players that are first grade very at the very least.
zero doubt Richardson's working his backside off to make it so.
just old magpie
Active member
I counted 5 out of 33 that won't be there next year plus Tumeth who they will probably pay out .Plenty of room to sign Sione .Something wrong somewhere
?
I don’t think it’s racist …. Just not really necessary because it’s pretty obvious. But I will say , it would/is a tough subject to broach and even simply discuss let alone find a solution to .
It’s very easy to deflect with “racism” shouts and virtue signal pandering .
I’m not really sure how you’re supposed to have honest conversation about this type of stuff in 2024 .
To be fair though , it’s really a bulldogs problem and they very well probably are on top of it .
I haven’t lived in Sydney for a long time , but the extreme gang violence circa 1998-2005 when I was coming up , I don’t think is anywhere near the level it used to be . Especially because of the heroin vacuum / shortage of the late 90s , and the ethnic based criminal gangs that sprung from that opportunism . Cabramatta with 5t, Fairfield with Assyrian based gangs , Lebanese gangs out Bankstown / punchbowl .
I also think the anti-terrorism units are all over this shit as well . Ie. drug profits used to fund certain organisations .
I feel like things have simmered the last few years for whatever reason .
the reason I bring up gangs was how influential that culture was , and its spread into more mainstream things like going to the footy . I also think the Bulldogs , whether intentionally or not , had become iconic in the middle eastern community and represented them.
I just felt that last bit needed to be said , as it could have been misinterpreted that I was saying “all middle eastern people are terrorists :gangs” . Which is not at all what my point was for clarity .
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balmain boy
Well-known member
Matamua, Sukkar, Tumeth, Toa, Naden, Sullivan, Bateman, Faatape will/should be the players tapped on the shoulder to leave. That will free up space for us to have some youngsters in our squad but not too many, sign some new decent players, upgrade Sione etcNo wonder there’s so much misinformation in the world when folks with a username and password can easily write things that are wrong. Check the signings tracker.
2025 NRL Signings Tracker: Eels release Lomax; Taukeiaho re-signs
Star winger Zac Lomax has played his last game for the Eels after being granted an immediate release from the club while boom halfback Coby Black will depart the Broncos at the conclusion of the 2026 season to join a rival NRL club.
Faagatu, Kit Laulilii, Saukuru, Sukkar all move into top 30 in 2025, joining Matamua, Feledy, Tumeth, Luke Laulilii, and Miller. That’s 9 players taking up top 30 deals who are clearly still not ready for NRL, and unsure if they ever will be. They should all still be development or train and trial.
So the club has an NRL ready guy in Sione Fainu who doesn’t have a deal, and the club can’t sign him, because all those I’ve listed were offered development deals that rolled into top 30, even though they’ve showed nothing. Just really shit contracting by Sheens or Fulton or both.
In addition to the 9 above, there are Galvin, Latu Fainu, Sam Fainu, and Da Silva who are all under 21. So 13 players in the top 30 are young, raw, and inexperienced, are taking up spots of hardened NRL players which you need for a competitive roster. Furthermore, there’s Naden, Sullivan, Staines, Bateman, etc who some folks think of as list cloggers. So basically just about half the roster isn’t NRL calibre.
Mason will be development, as should some of those 9 listed in the paragraph at the top. I even think Johannson will be just train and trial. They can’t be fit in.
Do folks expect any better next season with such a young, and frankly, average top 30? Yeah, it’s the coach, it’s strength and conditioning, etc 🙄. Look at the roster next year!! Get an injury or two and it falls away massively.
The club has a big task to clean up the mess, and it’ll take several years. If they dump a few kids now, so be it. They’re purely getting by on junior form in age-competitions.
weststigerman
Well-known member
No wonder there’s so much misinformation in the world when folks with a username and password can easily write things that are wrong. Check the signings tracker.
2025 NRL Signings Tracker: Eels release Lomax; Taukeiaho re-signs
Star winger Zac Lomax has played his last game for the Eels after being granted an immediate release from the club while boom halfback Coby Black will depart the Broncos at the conclusion of the 2026 season to join a rival NRL club.
Faagatu, Kit Laulilii, Saukuru, Sukkar all move into top 30 in 2025, joining Matamua, Feledy, Tumeth, Luke Laulilii, and Miller. That’s 9 players taking up top 30 deals who are clearly still not ready for NRL, and unsure if they ever will be. They should all still be development or train and trial.
So the club has an NRL ready guy in Sione Fainu who doesn’t have a deal, and the club can’t sign him, because all those I’ve listed were offered development deals that rolled into top 30, even though they’ve showed nothing. Just really shit contracting by Sheens or Fulton or both.
In addition to the 9 above, there are Galvin, Latu Fainu, Sam Fainu, and Da Silva who are all under 21. So 13 players in the top 30 are young, raw, and inexperienced, are taking up spots of hardened NRL players which you need for a competitive roster. Furthermore, there’s Naden, Sullivan, Staines, Bateman, etc who some folks think of as list cloggers. So basically just about half the roster isn’t NRL calibre.
Mason will be development, as should some of those 9 listed in the paragraph at the top. I even think Johannson will be just train and trial. They can’t be fit in.
Do folks expect any better next season with such a young, and frankly, average top 30? Yeah, it’s the coach, it’s strength and conditioning, etc 🙄. Look at the roster next year!! Get an injury or two and it falls away massively.
The club has a big task to clean up the mess, and it’ll take several years. If they dump a few kids now, so be it. They’re purely getting by on junior form in age-competitions.
Does that link indicate Broaderlow comes into top 30 in 2026? If true, that's another horrible decision.
Only players that should have automatic top 30 progressions are the standout juniors. Galvin, Makasini, Taupau-Moors, Large brothers etc.
balmain boy
Well-known member
Broaderlow is a development player in 2026, train and trial next year.
This is how it should be done.
PrattenParkMagpie
Well-known member
No, Broederlow is on a development contract in 26.
BlackWhiteGold
Well-known member
I think 2 more signings for '25 & then prepare to land 1 or 2 'elite' types from Nov 1 for '26.
We need experience & effort players and strong, metre-eating outside backs so Kobe Hetherington & Marcelo Montoya would do nicely.
AND this is a big AND ... our coaching staff need to put a lot of time into getting Twal & Klemmer back into at least form from a season ago. I think their past season is as much to do with our coaching & strength-and-conditioning than anything else.
Then Nov 1, try to land another 'predator A-type' prop to replace Klemmer & x-factor/fast outside back.
I think Sukkar is a keeper personally . And toa is good for depth . Same for Faatape
Magpies1969
Well-known member
We will always have injuries so depth players are a must
The Chad
Well-known member
That's a lot of bodies to move on.
I think the composition of our depth needs to be looked at. Doueihi, on sub $200k is a keeper alongside Faataape, Feledy, Lualili'i, Saukuru & probably Lobb on a T&T/Development deal. Naden, To'a & Charlie Staines become excess to need that way.
KOE halves- Heath Mason, Latu, Aiden Ackland, Iverson Matai & Noah Ryan can make Jayden Sullivan excessive easily as well. If we get halves injuries in the top grade- Latu, Bird, Doueihi & Mason offer a lot of cover.
Fullback in KOE can be covered by Doueihi, Mason & Lualili'i as well.
Forwards are a little different. Not much experience in KOE at this point. Johannssen, Sukkar, Miller, Kit Lualili'i, Matamua, Broederlow, Aho along with Kobie Wilson, Tristan Hope, Valevatu, Nicholas & Bailey who cover the dummy half role in far too many numbers.
Hope is really the only experienced name there- and that is Q-Cup experience.
Where Jaxson Rahme plays will be interesting. At this point, I have him not far of pushing for a bench spot in 1st grade, depending on position needs. But he would be a good regular in KOE otherwise.
Adding Fa'agutu to the mix & there is a LOT of juniors & not much experienced depth.
I assume Porter stays on at least a T&T. Depending on further top grade signings- Twal or Sione Fainu might find themselves playing some KOE too.
I see no consistant football for Tumeth as a result.
Matamua might miss out due to numbers, so I can see why he's an option.
So Matamua, Tumeth, Naden, To'a, Staines & Sullivan- I imagine that would be the likely names. I actually think To'a & Staines might have interested clubs simply looking to fill their Top 30 with a bit of experienced talent. And clubs looking for ball playing locks make Matamua an interesting player to some clubs too.
Yeah will be interesting who we target.
Origin level middle would be ideal. Most are locked up long term.
Backs are a lock & junior depth.
Spine sorted.
Xavier Williamson on a generous deal? But not over the top.
November 1 could make our 2025 season with signing for 2026 swaying players also.
Luai & Galvin would have to a draw card.
HowDugWT
Well-known member
What's there to be confused about?
He got resigned for 2025.
If you confused abut why he didn't play the last game its because Sukkar can cover the whole forward pack whilst Johanssen is more of an out and out prop.
Harvey
Well-known member
Also if injured needs to stay and rehab. Not get on a 14 flight back to the UK
rugbygoated
Well-known member
Yeah and my point is that most of our fans are great too. A lot of souths fans are as passionate as they come, even now when they are struggling. Penrith has a lot of good loyal supporters but also a lot of new bandwagons recently. Bulldogs are the worst. They're arrogant in the few times they are successful and the comp is 'not going well' when they're winning. Even though I hate broncos and QLD teams (storm included) in general, it's good for the game when they're doing well. Broncos at suncorp in good form is always good for the competition. Bulldogs fans are abusive as it gets, and cry racism whenever you criticise their fanbase. If only they were consistent with the classist remarks directed at souths and penrith fans
