Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

TIGERS said:
Its a good question to ask greggy!!

I think Bula, like the whole team, could benefit from some legit strike from our outside backs. Our side is so unbalanced right now based on how little our centres are offering in and out of possession. We couldn't have beaten the Titans without Taylan May... no way. We were hopeless That's a fact.

I don't think there is a lot of revolutionary changes left for this team. It just needs a few more points at the right time, a couple of more tries that Doueihi or Toa aren't capable of getting us but a slightly better player is. Even if not a try than a line break or a tackle bust.

Neither Bula or Campbell have the skills to get us where we need to be alone. Not yet anyway. Get another gun Centre to go with Taylan and then we can get serious about who's coming short in other positions.

Ofc Easier said than done.
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With May in and soon Makasini our centres will be set long term if we can lock them down.
 
What players get paid and what they are worth seldom go hand in hand. The salary cap is a real balancing exercise. For every elite contract you have you need plenty of budget contracts to balance your books. Any no7 that has some experience at NRL level candemand a fair chunk of money even if he is a back up. Maden at around 300 to 350 is cheap insurance
 
Vicious said:
You confuse me Tom.
Your post is exactly how I see things, surely we must be sick of losing and the additions of Taylan May and KPP are very good, but doesn’t fill us with confidence that they alone are enough to catapult us into the same style of improvement that the Bulldogs have shown over the past 2 seasons.
Yes I mention the Bulldogs a lot because if they can go from being down the bottom of the ladder for a few years and then make some smart recruitment decisions and suddenly become regularly near the top of the ladder, we be capable of doing the same.
We don’t need a lot, but we need at least 2 more quality additions to our NRL side.
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I have been saying for months that they still need 2 NRL experienced level forwards or 3 now if Douehi leaves … I think this will be the main factor in moving them into finals contention …so still plenty of work to do with slim pickings ahead

Can I respectfully say with your opinions, you want them to try to upgrade a lot of other positions , mostly in the backline which to me is pretty pointless if you are losing the forward battles each week … also I think their best backline 1-7 is realistically mid level now when Bula is back …

Another thing I will add is that you go off players and want to scapegoat some that have demonstrated recent good form like Sam F ( there are others like Toa) ; and want to move him to be a bash and barge player in the middle for some hypothetical player they haven’t signed yet, when he was one of the best players in the team last season on the edge … he is a young dude still learning the craft and there will be ups and downs rather than consistency at this time … you have seen how he can play so why give up on that so soon ?
 
liltiger said:
With May in and soon Makasini our centres will be set long term if we can lock them down.
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How good Makasini and Luke Laulilli can become and how quickly they get there is the million dollar question.
Makasini has the physical attributes and speed to become Israel Folau like and if that happens it will be fantastic for us should we keep him. We need to keep in mind and be prepared that If he does reach that level it will quickly elevate his contract value.
I was initially hesitant on the potential of Luke Laulilli due to his lack of height and size, but every time I watch him I get more impressed. He runs the ball fearlessly which is a slight concern due to his concussion issues, but the way he accelerates and generally wins the collision is a sign of a very good player. He is also improving and more confident under the high ball, just not sure if he will be best suited as a winger, fullback or centre at NRL level ?
The good news is it’s likely Luke’s value will not increase significantly so quickly due to his lack of size, so that hopefully gives us time to continue using him as a fringe NRL player and not have to rush him.
 
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Tom Shines said:
You know what I’m hoping you haven’t missed ? The team has won the past 3 wooden spoons and is 7-11 so far this season. Do you want to compete for finals or are you just happy participating every year and finishing at the foot of the table … if you want to compete for the finals … how is the squad shaping up so far with most players already under contract next season ? Taylan and KPP moving that dial much ?

In the past 10 weeks they have had two scratchy wins against a reserve grade pack and a 1 pt win against the bottom feeders when they were actually the better team on the day … plenty of work to be done still
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Well, if you could just point out the available upgrades that have switched clubs that the Tigers missed out on, we can talk about the club not upgrading.

Have there been many better 2nd rowers than KPP switch clubs?

Better centre options than Taylan May switch clubs?

How many front rowers or lock forwards have switched clubs that the Tigers could have upgraded with?

You talk about 3 wooden spoons & the current season as if they are the same thing.

A win today puts the club 2 points behind the Roosters. The Roosters are considered on the fringe of the finals.

True- a couple of losses and we drop spots. But it's not exactly like looking up from the bottom hoping we finish second last.

If you haven't seen improvement this year, I'm sorry for you. With a clear head, read the article I posted about the 2005 Tigers. Read about how the club went from Terry Lamb to a GF, the process & path. Not all success is immediate.
 
The Chad said:
Well, if you could just point out the available upgrades that have switched clubs that the Tigers missed out on, we can talk about the club not upgrading.
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The first one that comes immediately to mind is Dylan Walker …would he have been an asset to the team as an acquisition mid season ? What are your thoughts on that?
 
Tom Shines said:
I have been saying for months that they still need 2 NRL experienced level forwards or 3 now if Douehi leaves … I think this will be the main factor in moving them into finals contention …so still plenty of work to do with slim pickings ahead

Can I respectfully say with your opinions, you want them to try to upgrade a lot of other positions , mostly in the backline which to me is pretty pointless if you are losing the forward battles each week … also I think their best backline 1-7 is realistically mid level now when Bula is back …

Another thing I will add is that you go off players and want to scapegoat some that have demonstrated recent good form like Sam F ( there are others like Toa) ; and want to move him to be a bash and barge player in the middle for some hypothetical player they haven’t signed yet, when he was one of the best players in the team last season on the edge … he is a young dude still learning the craft and there will be ups and downs rather than consistency at this time … you have seen how he can play so why give up on that so soon ?
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Samuela is a big talent, there is no question asked that we need to keep him long term and keep him happy, so if that means he stays on the left edge rather than move to the middle than so be it.
What I have stated and I still stand by is we lack a touch of explosive speed across the park, including in our forwards.
KPP seems similar to Samuela that he has good size, looks a good athlete and is not slow, but they both seems to take a few strides to wind up, rather than having the explosive speed that some of the best back rowers in the NRL possess.
I reckon there is a good solution to this problem by looking to sign someone like Simi Sasagi or someone with similar attributes who can capably play back row or centre and give us the versatility as a number 15 to not only cover the forwards and backs, but also give us that explosive speed to come into games and make a real impact.
That would essentially mean that either Samuela or KPP may not play the full 80mins each week, although the versatility of Samuela in particular means he can effectively switch between the edge and the middle if required.
Someone like Sasagi would effectively be a very good upgrade on Jack Bird.
As you say our starting 13 is also a problem, if Douehi makes it his own and we retain him that could solve that problem.
As for To’a, I assume he is already on a contract of around 400k and all indications is he’s looking for an upgrade to re-sign with us from 2027 onwards. With all due respect you need to be much more consistently good than what he has demonstrated to be given an upgrade.
 
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The Chad said:
If you haven't seen improvement this year, I'm sorry for you. With a clear head, read the article I posted about the 2005 Tigers. Read about how the club went from Terry Lamb to a GF, the process & path. Not all success is immediate.
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Let’s do a year by year comparison at the end of the season …at the moment they are one win ahead of last year …Im hoping May can make a difference the rest of the year like last week

Do you know the Warriors went from 15th to 4th in one year recently…there are no rules you gotta do things in baby steps either …
 
If we had been beaten with the quality squad the broncos or Roosters have there is reason to be upset with the team. We don’t have that squad and have been ‘competitive’ most of the season, not great but competitive and the future is looking better with Mak, Tiny and KPP. Still not a top 8 squad now, but on the improve and hopefully 1or 2 more additions before 2026 🤞.
 
GNR4LIFE said:
I have zero confidence atm if Makasini makes a name for himself that he’ll stick around. I’m not going to rush and get attached to him just yet.
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Makasini with a bit of luck will be joining a team with far better prospects and a much stronger culture than Galvin and TDS started off in. That should make it easier to keep him happy, although money talks and we know a few clubs don’t seem to be restricted by rules
 
Tom Shines said:
p


Let’s do a year by year comparison at the end of the season …at the moment they are one win ahead of last year …Im hoping May can make a difference the rest of the year like last week

Do you know the Warriors went from 15th to 4th in one year recently…there are no rules you gotta do things in baby steps either …
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for a more accurate comparison, the knights went from 3 wooden spoons like us to 11th. if we can get to 11th happy days
 
As for AD making 13 his own. Can anyone tell me who would seriously sign him as a 13? Lucky to punch out 50mins in the forwards, average defender. Lucky he can kick goals. Now a manager that we dont want to deal with. No thanks
 
Vicious said:
Samuela is a big talent, there is no question asked that we need tj keep him long term and keep him happy, so if that means he stays on the left edge rather than move tj the middle than so be it.
What I have stated and I still stand by is we lack a touch of explosive speed across the park, including in our forwards.
KPP seems similar to Samuel’s on that he has good size, looks a good athlete and is not slow, but they both seems to take a few strides to wind up, rather than having the explosive speed of some of other too rated back rowers in the NRL.
I reckon there is a good solution to this problem by looking to sign someone like Simi Sasagi or someone with similar attributes who can capably play back rower or in the centres, therefore give us the versatility as a number 15 to not only cover the forwards and backs, but also give us that explosive speed to come into games and make a real impact.
That would essentially mean that either Samuela or KPP may not play the full 80mins each week, although the versatility of Samueka in particular means he can effectively switch between the edge and the middle if that is what suits us best.
Someone like Sasagi would effectively be a very good upgrade on the ageing Jack Bird.
As you say our starting 13 is also a problem, if Douehi makes it his own and we retain him that could solve that problem.
As for To’a, I assume he is already on a contract of around 400k and all indications is he’s looking for an upgrade to re-sign with us from 2027 onwards. With all due respect you need to be much more consistently good than what he has demonstrated to be given an upgrade.
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Tiny has played one game and made a difference … Makasini is in the wings …With limited resources assumed available…I would be upgrading the forwards ..

tigahhh said:
for a more accurate comparison, the knights went from 3 wooden spoons like us to 11th. if we can get to 11th happy days
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Let’s see if they get that far … the Warriors went from 6 wins ( us last year ) to 15 in one year …
 
bomberbrown said:
As for AD making 13 his own. Can anyone tell me who would seriously sign him as a 13? Lucky to punch out 50mins in the forwards, average defender. Lucky he can kick goals. Now a manager that we dont want to deal with. No thanks
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Who do you have in our team ahead of him Bomber for 13 ?He is also the goal and field kicker so probably best to find a spot for him somewhere if he is playing here …
 
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