Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[batboy]

Do you know what mate? You need to take the L on this one instead of constantly moving the goalposts. I was responding to your claim that our recruitment is already the worst in the comp, which is demonstrably nonsense. I am entirely happy to acknowledge:
1) That some of the players we have recruited may not end up as superstars. Have a look at the list I posted and tell me how many teams won't say the same thing. I bet those Roosters fans are delighted they got Chad Townsend instead of Jarome Luai. How they must be rejoicing in Auckland at the thought of shoring up their pack/spine/back line/reserves with an in-demand superstar such as, er, Kahu Capper. On the other hand, signing Luai ALONE gives us about the best haul of the off season. Add Turuva to that and we've probably done best. Get anything much out of Skelton and Hunt and we've aced the pack.
2) That we have also lost some players. This is not "recruitment", which is what we were discussing. But since you want to play with the goalposts all the way over there: I wholeheartedly agree that whoever gave Utoikamanu that ridiculous contract ought to be fired and if you'd like to discuss further I'm here for it. I'd note, though, that since those people were in fact fired a year ago it might not be a massively enlightening discussion. What the hell it has to do with who we've signed I have no idea.
3) That we came last. Ain't no changing that now, chum. Fortunately we've recruited at least as well as anyone in the comp, which is one of the many, many things we needed to change in order to get out of this mess.

You wanna discuss how terrible the parking is at Leichhardt or how the logo on the training shorts peels off after a few washes? Or can you stay still for a minute and admit that you maybe slightly overstated the point on RECRUITMENT?

Again - You missed the bit, where I said Outside Luai...
But you do you.

When another club recruits your Players (some while still under contract) - It's recruitment,
Goes both ways.
Are re-signings considered recruitment?
- Because you've (Conveniently) overlooked those in your list.
Like the Titans re-signing Brimson, Foran, Haas and Fifita....

Like I said, You do you....
Come back and tell me hoe fantastic the recruitment is / was after next year.

 

[king_sirro]

Bateman swap for Keppie

Keppie is at Souths and is a terrible player

 

[Buttface]

IMO Faatape is a very good NSW Cup player. Much like Porter.

Neither of them should be first choice or even top 30.

Yep, as reggies pushing for NRL and coverage for injuries etc I like them. They look like they always try their best. But we need better in the top 30.

 

[Vicious]

How many of those teams are coming off a long last - 3 years in a row?
I'd bet those teams are laughing at the suggestion here that the likes of
Royce Hunt is seen to be replacing Stefano at any stretch.
- I did say, Outside Luai.

I look forward to seeing what the Canterbury Reserve Grade Union 7's player can bring to 27 Weeks of NRL, and Royce Hunts' 20 minute contribution should make quite an addition to our well beaten pack that's just lost 3 of it's better forwards.

You raise some good points and I share your concern that we have not recruited well enough to improve much, if at all.
On the optimistic side of things all our young players should ideally be older, wiser and much better for the experience they have gained in previous seasons.
How much talented young players can improve from one season to the next is like asking how long is a piece of string,
The ones that are highly driven and dedicated can improve immensely and potentially go from being a decent to good quality player into a player that is verging on superstar status.
I still have question marks on Bula’s ceiling, but if he’s even close to as good as many believe he can be, he should be ready to really step up and become the superstar we need in 2025 and if he does that, it will make a huge positive difference to our teams success.

 

[Vicious]

Why is Matamua in the 2nd group - he is 21 and has played 15 games on NRL , the only forwards his age or younger who have played significant NRL are Davy Moale, Jeremiah Nanai, Finefuikaki and our own Sam Fainu.

Matamua came through playing in the halves which was always going to mean some time to adjust but most forwards his age either havent played NRL at all or mayby 1 or 2 games - guys at similar games as him are the Couchmans, Suia Wong but almost all the others have played 1 or 2 if any.

He is also significantly younger then Seyfarth who only just developed into NRL standard this year at 25 and Johannssen who is already older then him despite playing less NRL.

Our NSW cup team won 6 matches out of 24 - When Matamua was playing we won 5 from 11 and 1 of those losses was a 1 point loss to the team that won the comp.

Although different body shapes and different styles of players, Matamua has gone through a similar development path to what Shawn Blore went through with us.
Once young players, particularly forwards go through 2-3 seasons of battle hardening playing NSW Cup, they are then physically and emotionally ready to be the best version of themselves and potentially ready to make their mark at NRL level.
I will say I believe Blore was more of a standout for us while playing NSW Cuo than what Matamua has been, but the point is we are far too often doing all the groundwork in allowing our young emerging players turn into men, but then letting them go and other teams reap the rewards once they are more mature and complete players.
A fitter and more aggressive Matamua can be an exceptionally good NRL player. Whether or not he’s driven enough to quickly get fitter and more aggressive remains to be seen.

 

[Tiger Stripes]

I watched whatever podcast he mentioned this on (might've been a couple, think he was on the JAC/Mansour one too) - it was very much a that was his goal/intention and even what was discussed, but it definitely didn't come across locked in.

It will very much depend on who does enough to get a centre spot. Wouldn't be surprised at all if Taruva ends up on the wing, even if its after an unsuccessful transition to centre.

He's playing fullback for Fiji!!!!! Certainly knows how to pass.

 

[Vicious]

He's playing fullback for Fiji!!!!! Certainly knows how to pass.

What can Turuva possibly offer as a centre ?
He’s not big enough or powerful enough to run over opponents or make tackle busts and he’s not fast enough to run around or beat opponents for speed.
All he offers is someone who is willing to do a lot of ineffective hit ups each game, he’s dependable under the high ball and is a proven good finisher given the opportunity.
Not a player that is capable of digging us out of a hole on his own, that’s for sure.
The upside is he’s still very young and we can hopefully see the best of him in Wests Tigers colours, the downside is he looks to already be over the young and fearless stage and has already transformed into a player who plays with a bit of self preservation.

 

[2041]

Again - You missed the bit, where I said Outside Luai...
But you do you.

When another club recruits your Players (some while still under contract) - It's recruitment,
Goes both ways.
Are re-signings considered recruitment?
- Because you've (Conveniently) overlooked those in your list.
Like the Titans re-signing Brimson, Foran, Haas and Fifita....

Like I said, You do you....
Come back and tell me hoe fantastic the recruitment is / was after next year.

Mate, if you exclude the best player every club has recruited they all look bad. You're making up parameters to defend a ridiculous argument. Point me to a club whose second best recruit is better than Turuva.

And your definition is just outright wrong. It's called recruitment *and retention*. My last comment covered retention.

Keep moving them goalposts...

 

[Demps]

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There's quite a few teams that are looking quite ordinary for 2025

 

[GNR4LIFE]

. Point me to a club whose second best recruit is better than Turuva.

Penrith - Blaize Talagi

 

[balmain boy]

Only thing is, does that move jahream to centres or Sua? Hopefully papi re-signs and we can bargain a loan option which then turns into a opportunity to buy him when his contract is up

Bula. He can focus on just running his lines at centre and has the athleticism to make a go of it.

Sua is faster and far more skilled. Perhaps not as strong defensively yet.

 

[boonboon]

Penrith - Blaize Talagi

The worst defender in the nrl isn't a great recruit - imo very overrated

 

[GNR4LIFE]

The worst defender in the nrl isn't a great recruit - imo very overrated

People would be salivating if he was coming here

 

[balmain boy]

Sure, but equally we can only sign what’s available. There’s no “you’re bad so you can have players who are contracted elsewhere” rule. I think that’s my point, actually: unfortunately, getting out of the hole this club has dug itself into Is a multi-year job. That’s reality. So denying positive progress just because it hasn’t fixed everything overnight is daft.

That's actually not true, and it surprises me people still think like this.

Each year most of the players who change clubs are under contracted and released early. It happens a lot. Clubs changings coaches, tactics or players needing a fresh start and a club happy to offload them.

 

[2041]

Penrith - Blaize Talagi

First being Papali'i? Hmm, maybe. So we're going with: our recruitment has been better than any club with the possible exception of the best club in the comp. I mean: I'll take it.

 

[balmain boy]

3 off them are backs the other two are fringe players at best , weather u like it or not ice and stepho are better than the two we got , wait till u see them preform in there new teams , and again what have we got to fall back on , OUR great nsw cup players , our club never learns , we let players walk whenever they like , even when contracted . The answer is get a coach like Bennett no matter what it costs and see the club go forward, he was available but we stick with rookie coach , no wonder players are walking out the door

None of them are fringe, all walk into our top 17 with ease.

 

[balmain boy]

Reality.

Who are Manly realistically going to swap to take Bateman off our books for us?

I believe Sipley is undervalued as well.

We don't need a pity swap from them. We're the ones offloading trash. If they take him and pay anywhere near half his salary it's a huge win for us.

Us freeing up a roster spot is what's paramount.

 

[balmain boy]

Laulili'i unequivocally earned his way into the first grade side. You do not debut an 18 year old who hasn't earned it.

Naden has tremendous natural ability. Ditto for Sullivan.

2024 Tigers showed plenty of examples of those earning spots through either performance in lower grades, 'coachability', effort areas or training professionalism.

Laulili'i, Johannssen, Faataape, Seyfarth

Conversely, there are many examples of talented or gifted footballers who were held back because they hadn't earned it.

Naden, Sullivan, Matamua

'Earning it' can and does mean more than simply doing time in Cup.

He actually didn't earn it. Not at all. A handful of NSW Cup matches where he was error prone and found out physically. That and some part time training sessions.

He has a much higher potential ceiling than any of the others, but he was picked purely on that potential, not on merit or performance.

I'm not saying he won't get there but he was extremely raw and shouldn't have been thrown in like that

 

[2041]

That's actually not true, and it surprises me people still think like this.

Each year most of the players who change clubs are under contracted and released early. It happens a lot. Clubs changings coaches, tactics or players needing a fresh start and a club happy to offload them.

Some players who are under contract move but you can't just demand the signing of contracted players. You see people on here saying we should sign, say, Payne Haas and Liam Martin on the basis that "contracted players move all the time". That's not how it works.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

First being Papali'i? Hmm, maybe. So we're going with: our recruitment has been better than any club with the possible exception of the best club in the comp. I mean: I'll take it.

Weren’t you just accusing someone else of moving the goalposts? 😅

You made that challenge quite matter of factly my man.