happy_tiger
Well-known member
Jarrod Wallace looking for a club again
Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion
- Thread starter MacDougall
- Start date
crazycat
Well-known member
We do need impact.
It's what I liked about Martin Taupau at Manly and Here. He just did massive impact.
I remember when Cleary joined us, the first thing said was "he isn't bringing people off on fixed minute timeslots. He is waiting till they are tired". I like that idea, see if we can push the impact props from 20 minutes to 22 then 24 minutes... Develop stamina while keeping impact, if impact tapers off... then keep the itme low.
Combine the lack of size with poor hands and I stand by my point
What wingers? Turuva a nd skelton? The rest of the wingers aren't up to NRL level
weststigerman
Well-known member
Staines, Laulilli, Saukuru, Toa, Naden are all top 30 next year as it stands. You might not be happy with them but they all take up to 30 spots and we can't afford to have more than 20% of the squad taken up by wingers.
At least 2 of these need to be moved on before signing another winger.
das tigers
Well-known member
I like Wallace but he's 33 now. Was he the one who got in trouble up there recently?
BlackWhiteGold
Well-known member
Allegedly but nothing pursued
BlackWhiteGold
Well-known member
Given how quiet it is on the WT front this week, going to take a different look at our recruitment for '25 & '26.
Currently we have 31 players under contract (in top 30) for next season.
This does not include:
Sione Fainu (off contract), Alaimalo (off contract), Sezer (departed), Faatape (off development contract), iPap (departed), Stefano (departed), Tupou (departed).
Players still under contract rumoured to be on chopping block (last year of contract in brackets):
Naden (25), Tumeth (PO for 25), Sullivan (27), Matamua (25), Staines (25), Bateman (26), Saukuru (26)
Other Top 30 players off contract in '25 with doubt over their future beyond that:
Doueihi (25), Feledy (25), Klemmer (MO for 26), Faagutu (25), Pole* (25 - if he decides to leave)
Pathways players likely to warrant a Top 30 spot in '26:
Mason, Makasini, Large
Summary:
I'm going to suggest that Sione Fainu (for 25) and Mason, Makasini & Large (for 26) have all been ear-marked for top 30 spots aleady thus we'll need 5 roster spots for them out of those on the chopping block (as we're already 1 player over). Currently the top 5 likely to be released or not re-signed over next 2 seasons would be Naden, Tumeth, Staines, Doueihi & Bateman.
So the number of external recruits we bring in from now until '26 will be dependent on how many others we let go. For shits & giggles, I'm going to say Sullivan, Matamua, Klemmer & 1 of Saukuru/Feledy - that's 4.
So expect around 4 more external recruits to be split between incoming '25 & '26. And given how hard it is to find suitors for those under contract, I'm going to say 2 will be for next season.
1 will be a middle (Kobe Hetherington type) & 1 will be an outside back (maybe Montoya unless we can jag To'o).
How dem apples?
Substitute any incorrect point with a correct one and you have the makings of a strong argument.
Tiger Stripes
Well-known member
Most on here have Turuva as a centre, and if you believe what has been suggested, was enticed to WT as a centre?
I have never seen him play as a centre, and just don't see him as a centre.....attack or defence. He doesn't instill confidence in me it would work. Thoughts anyone on his centre credentials?
So Montoya as another winger and Turuva, Skelton as other wingers we seem to have a wealth of wingers and not many top 30 spots. Can Skelton play centre better than Turuva?
The forwards are my main concern, fingers crossed we get a top Prop. and another Kobe type backrower/lock.
crazycat
Well-known member
I think we need to do things:
Our Juniors are often starting out with other Juniors. This did not work out with the Teddy/Moses/Brooks saga, but it is worth a try and we are trying it with Galvin, Fainu's etc.
The problem is we often have a team of Juniors. Not a few juniors inside a team structure. Penrith did this well where Tamou, Nigel Plum (attitude), really guided the team and helped build up strong juniors.
in the future we should aim to have 1-2 Juniors coming into an experienced side not 6-7 juniors all playing in the backrow. That's like the blind leading the blind.
weststigerman
Well-known member
There must be at least one already gone not announced as I wouldn't think we would have been able to register Bird as player 31. If that's the case I'm assuming it's one of the lesser known players like Tumeth, Matamua or Saukuru otherwise the media would be all over it.
BlackWhiteGold
Well-known member
Turuva played a fair chunk of centre back in 2021 with Panthers in Cup before playing a combo of fullback & wing in Cup in 2022.
I believe Skelton played a bit of centre last season in NSW Cup but all wing this season.
happy_tiger
Well-known member
Yeah his best days are probably past him
Buttface
Well-known member
Before Richo, and mostly before Benji
crazycat
Well-known member
Re Turuva...
No I don't see him as a Center.
Yes the opening is here. But I see him 100% as a wing at the moment and lacking the defense and the combined ability to play center.
Are player managers pushing players to be "Center"? Are wings under-valued??
Center IMHO is very under-valued. Defensively they are the most important position next to wing. A gap or misread in defense means a try. An inability to make that tackle means a try. 100% not the position I would put Turuva in.
Offensively, the right side center is highly involved in the attack. I don't see Turuva as the player who gives good opportunity to his wing. I see him as the wing who scores the try.
No way he is a left side center.
Considering we have Olam and Jack Bird next year. Turuva would need to earn his center stripes. It's easy to push Feledy out at the moment...
yeahcaz
Well-known member
Why does everyone want him to play centre and what is everyone’s obsession with changing players positions…
We have defensive dramas as it is and I’ve seen people already complain about Turuvas defence so our answer is to play him at centre ? We’re doomed. If the starting wingers next season aren’t Turuva and Skelton then Benji has even less of a clue than I thought
The Chad
Well-known member
Unfortunately probably a year or 2 too late.
Otherwise- he'd be the right kind of player, imo.
crazycat
Well-known member
Ryan P
Reece Walsh
Dylan Edwards...
Sorry, I have no idea what your point is?
You have a group of Fullbacks who have premiership rings and regularly appear in the finals/Australian team.
