Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

Rock Hopper Steve said:
Not fussed what he does paws don't really want him, there were rumours he was on the nose there and they were trying to get rid of him, you have read that from a reliable source.
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Matter$on is all about the $ so he will see out his contract, even if he does have to play reserve grade to do so. All he sees is money now and doesn't see the value of his next contract diminishing.
 
orange&black said:
In my mind our first priority must be to stabilise our spine for the next 3-4 years. This means we need to straighten out Bula’s intentions, re-sign TDS, extend Api and Latu (if he’s the one) and secure a decent back up half that can step up when needed.
Once this is done we move on positions of weakness such as edge backrow and centre.
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Our spine is fine. Bula is here for another 3 years. Fainu is here for another 3 years and Luai another 5 years. TDS we need to focus on yes, while Api we don't need to rush to re-sign, he will be 34 by the time his next contract ends. He will be an extra 12 months at most. Our spine is fine. Adam Doueihi is a competent 'back up' half and we technically still have Jayden Sullivan on the books, so no more money needs to be tied up in the halves.

Putting some money to our forward pack is critical. We have the weakest forward depth in the NRL as a whole. We literally have no one outside the Top 17 this week who is up to stepping in.
 
yeti said:
But he hasn't played like that since he left us. Hard NO from me.
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We need to find some 'depth' forwards at a cheap price. We need options at the moment for when forwards are out as we have literlaly zero.

I would offer him close to a minimum contract. I doubt he would take it but I would do the same. I would probably throw the same to the likes of Bryce Cartwright etc. Again, emphasis is more on what we pay. Everyone has a value at the right price.
 
Interesting section in the article from Alex McKinnon today:

“Trent Robinson told me one day, and I will never forget it, your whole attacking structure is dependent on your back rowers.”

Given it’s one of our weaker areas wondering how some upgrades in these positions would see us kick up our progress another level?
 
88 said:
Interesting section in the article from Alex McKinnon today:

“Trent Robinson told me one day, and I will never forget it, your whole attacking structure is dependent on your back rowers.”

Given it’s one of our weaker areas wondering how some upgrades in these positions would see us kick up our progress another level?
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100%. Your whole backline sweep (which is pretty much the most used play in the NRL), is dependent on the quality of lines your backrowers run. Respectfully, Fainu and Seyfarth run very soft/slow lines that don't threaten or take defenders away. Look at the best clubs, and look at the quality of those lines. Even look at the quality and pace of Tuilagis line last week for his try. Compare that to the lines our 2RF ran in the final 10 mins when we were in their 20m when we needed a try and its worlds apart.
 
innsaneink said:
I was just thinking this last night watching the game...qld country aboriginal ca nt see him adopting to sydney... might be wrong
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And we don't have a big list of aboriginal players likely to be with us next season (Naden, Mason, any others) who he could connect with. Well Inglis is on coaching staff could be a mentor type.
 
BBTF said:
100%. Your whole backline sweep (which is pretty much the most used play in the NRL), is dependent on the quality of lines your backrowers run. Respectfully, Fainu and Seyfarth run very soft/slow lines that don't threaten or take defenders away. Look at the best clubs, and look at the quality of those lines. Even look at the quality and pace of Tuilagis line last week for his try. Compare that to the lines our 2RF ran in the final 10 mins when we were in their 20m when we needed a try and its worlds apart.
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This comes down to coaching and Hodgson as attacking coach. I loved how the Donkeys used their backrowers in the 1st half last night in the red zone, Willison & Piakura. We need to use Sam Fainu & Seyfarth more than we do if we are be a red zone threat.
 
BlackWhiteGold said:
This comes down to coaching and Hodgson as attacking coach. I loved how the Donkeys used their backrowers in the 1st half last night in the red zone, Willison & Piakura. We need to use Sam Fainu & Seyfarth more than we do if we are be a red zone threat.
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When was the last time attacking the line we seen our second rowers on an angle run against the grain like Nikora does.
 
TheKhan said:
I am so confused about nrls rapid expansion plan. with such a shallow talent pool, The product quality is going to be so poor that it will attract very few new followers. Obviously that just my opinion
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Unfortunately the expansion has nothing to do with the short-term talent pool. It will be a strain for several years.

Expansion is currently about (a) getting a Perth game every second week for TV viewing time slots, (b) using the national security situation to guarantee government investment in a PNG side.

Long-term there is a very clear talent pool pathway because the reality is the East Coast League states are fairly saturated for development and much of the population growth is not from a Rugby League (and Union) background, so for example whilst the W Sydney population may continue to rise, it's a very long-term bet to want to have Indian and Chinese heritage kids playing Rugby League.

WA genuinely has the best and longest-term juniors program of an AFL-majority state. The Western Force are still hanging on by a thread, but any work done by Union in WA is a secondary talent pool for League.

PNG is an obvious talent pool that needed a business case. It will 100% lose money for a long time, but if you can get an effective fat pathway set up, building on what they've already done with the QLD Cup, the players are there. It's like NZ in that way, NZ only has 5 million people but they all live and breathe Union, play it on the weekend etc. The finances transform the player base into elite competition.

PNG has estimated population of 11M and potentially more because they struggle to count all the remote tribes properly. But they play League heavily at a grassroots level, you just need the money and governance to transform that huge and dedicated player base into elite talent. Best part is PNG has very little competition from other codes like soccer or even Union.

So WA was always a business case with the long-term potential to grow their niche junior nursery, but the nursery is there and it's a highly untapped population.

PNG has an enormous talent potential, just previously lacking a business plan. To make some comparisons, NSW has approx 110K registered league players split 85/25 men and women. An obvious huge upswing in female participation over several years. PNG has approx 15K confirmed registered, already half of the registrations in NZ (~30K), and likely not accounting for all the casual players that aren't officially registered. Unknown numbers of female competitors but that's probably ripe for growth as well.
 
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