Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[tiger05premier]

Not no idea. No, I’m just disappointed it looks like the same 17 for the next two years. I’m not expecting miracles but I’m not convinced everyone whose remaining is key to this squad growing.

I'm not exactly over the moon with recruitment mate but I don't think it's lack of knowledge or ability from SR

I think is our reputation amongst players

We just need to sit tight and let BM and SR do their job

We sack them and who do we get?

They will face the same problems

Stay strong mate

 

[tiger05premier]

So another arsey lucky signing like Taylan...nothing targetted, nothing planned...that was my fear.
His talk mid year on James Grahams pod resulted kpp
Not good...cant see us moving much with the same.coaches and.players

You must be an insider?

Please tell all

 

[tiger05premier]

Given we've been about the most active club in the player market since this guy came in, incomings and exits, and most of the business he has done has been somewhere between pretty good and excellent, I'd have though he'd have earned the right not to have dribblers just assuming he hasn't got a clue what he's doing.

The point about the mid-season update directly contradicts your argument, incidentally. What Richardson said at the time was that the club knows where it wants to improve the roster and is picking off players who it believes can do that. Specifically, it was back row and centre... and here we are a couple of months later and we've added KPP and Taylan May. What about that doesn't look planned to you? Do you seriously think the idea of signing May was some sort of idle whim?

I think you can also probably assume that there isn't a massive amount of space in the salary cap for 2026. They can't spend money they don't have.

I think the message on the interview was extremely clear: Richardson has spent a lot of time and effort clearing out dead wood and getting the club on an even keel. From here, stability and consistency is going to deliver improvements more than additional chopping and changing does, as well as what I've been talking about for months: building depth through production of our own players and signing for value if and when it's available.

Some are hard to please mate

For some to assume we are doing nothing or have no idea is ridiculous

 

[weststigerman]

well you should.

like it or not HBG are as tight as a fish's arse. the only way we can ensure we can compete with the likes of Canterbury and Parramatta is thru becoming a self sustainable entity that funnels funds directly into the Football Department.

so when Richo says that we've turned a profit, it's a big deal, because being a profitable enterprise is the only way we remain out of the cellar.

Richo mentioned about $1M. Not sure if that was the profit, but we let go of Klemmer, Bateman, Galvin, TDS without replacing them. That’s close to $1M between them, not to mention taking home games away.

So in theory if we played with a top 30 like every other club we wouldn’t have turned a profit.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

Some are hard to please mate

For some to assume we are doing nothing or have no idea is ridiculous

I know right. 15 years of no finals. And some are upset. The nerve.

 

[tiger05premier]

13th

Yep...hard to please...farkin oath im hard to please with 14 years of this shit

You keep clapping happily with old mate mr postcode

Players don't want to come here

Not that hard to understand

Doesn't matter who we hire to change that

That face a fxxxxn uphill battle to change that

Anyone who doesn't understand needs help

Even you

 

[tiger05premier]

I know right. 15 years of no finals. And some are upset. The nerve.

Your another one that doesn't understand

But one day maybe

Just maybe

 

[GNR4LIFE]

Your another one that doesn't understand

But one day maybe

Just maybe

So it’s not understandable to be tired after 15 years? You must love losing.

 

[tiger05premier]

So it’s not understandable to be tired after 15 years? You must love losing.

It is understandable mate

I'm just saying that to fix it is near impossible

I hate it so much

But who do we hire to fix it?

We have tried everyone

I'm starting to doubt that even the great creator ( whoever that may be? God or nature?) Can do better than Shane Richardson

 

[tiger05premier]

So it’s not understandable to be tired after 15 years? You must love losing.

And honestly mate I love our game

But I don't even watch it anymore

I just look at results and watch a replay if I like the result

 

[2041]

If youre content with the current roster/ coaching staff then keep on clapping happily.

Imo KPP has been a passenger at Newie and doesnt fill me with confidence, I hope he shows something different here but going off what weve all seen of him since his announcement its not much to get excited about

Taylan was an arsey pick up....he could be right now sitting in Silverwater thinking what if....thank his bro, Id say thats what tipped it in out favour.

Many would dispute you signing for value statement....Its been a constant topic of discussion all year players like Api, Luai Bird and Hunt

👏👏👏

I agree that this team probably isn't going to win a premiership. But then I'm the one who has been saying for literally years that the only way this club is going to be competitive in the long term is by developing its own talent from within.

More to the point, we can't sign a bunch of players without getting rid of a bunch - that's how the cap works. So what are you actually asking them to do? Tear it all down and start again, again?

You very rarely get players for unders in free agency. It's a crap way to build a roster as the Titans show year after year. We had got so bad that we were able to go from diabolical to respectable just by bringing in some competent players, but no-one thinks that's the end of the job. Unfortunately, we can't go and drop another few million in the open market.

We have to build from within, doing things like making sure we don't have to sign any more Jack Bird type players because we have cheap young options on hand. That's the plan: start by not being a basket case, build a stable platform, focus on bringing in and developing talent.

There really is no other way to do it, however much we as fans might obsess over pricey free agent signings. How often do you see Penrith or Melbourne make big signings at the top of the market? And it's exactly what Richardson is talking about.

 

[jrtiger]

Richo mentioned about $1M. Not sure if that was the profit, but we let go of Klemmer, Bateman, Galvin, TDS without replacing them. That’s close to $1M between them, not to mention taking home games away.

So in theory if we played with a top 30 like every other club we wouldn’t have turned a profit.

salary cap and players salaries are effectively paid by the $13m the NRL hands out. the profit would’ve been made possible by an increase in corporate, memberships and the gate.

 

[2041]

13th

Yep...hard to please...farkin oath im hard to please with 14 years of this shit

You keep clapping happily with old mate mr postcode

If you think what I'm saying means I think everything is fine or I'm happy to be 13th there's no helping you. We came last three years running, including at least one where every team in every grade came last, and you're whining like a spoiled baby because we didn't win the comp this year. The joint was a debacle from top to bottom, mate - it's just not fixable in 12 months. Just endlessly demanding new or different free agent signings is the kind of strategy I'd expect to hear from an 11 year old.

 

[tiger05premier]

If you think what I'm saying means I think everything is fine or I'm happy to be 13th there's no helping you. We came last three years running, including at least one where every team in every grade came last, and you're whining like a spoiled baby because we didn't win the comp this year. The joint was a debacle from top to bottom, mate - it's just not fixable in 12 months. Just endlessly demanding new or different free agent signings is the kind of strategy I'd expect to hear from an 11 year old.

You need to give up mate

You really are taking to 11yo's

 

[GCfan]

Hope the new coach is smarter than he looks, the girls need some better seasons going into the future.

Been an assistant coach in our NRL side in the past. Was fairly good from memory

 

[Odessa]

Been an assistant coach in our NRL side in the past. Was fairly good from memory

Good attacking coach

 

[Rock Hopper Steve]

Good attacking coach

That's good to hear we were sadly lacking in that department this season, dare I say diabolical.

 

[Vicious]

well you should.

like it or not HBG are as tight as a fish's arse. the only way we can ensure we can compete with the likes of Canterbury and Parramatta is thru becoming a self sustainable entity that funnels funds directly into the Football Department.

so when Richo says that we've turned a profit, it's a big deal, because being a profitable enterprise is the only way we remain out of the cellar.

The NRL fund every dollar we spend on players within our salary cap.
If Richo and Benji can’t get that right I don’t see how that’s the fault of the HBG ?

 

[Vicious]

Given we've been about the most active club in the player market since this guy came in, incomings and exits, and most of the business he has done has been somewhere between pretty good and excellent, I'd have though he'd have earned the right not to have dribblers just assuming he hasn't got a clue what he's doing.

The point about the mid-season update directly contradicts your argument, incidentally. What Richardson said at the time was that the club knows where it wants to improve the roster and is picking off players who it believes can do that. Specifically, it was back row and centre... and here we are a couple of months later and we've added KPP and Taylan May. What about that doesn't look planned to you? Do you seriously think the idea of signing May was some sort of idle whim?

I think you can also probably assume that there isn't a massive amount of space in the salary cap for 2026. They can't spend money they don't have.

I think the message on the interview was extremely clear: Richardson has spent a lot of time and effort clearing out dead wood and getting the club on an even keel. From here, stability and consistency is going to deliver improvements more than additional chopping and changing does, as well as what I've been talking about for months: building depth through production of our own players and signing for value if and when it's available.

Our playing roster as it stands for 2026 cannot and will not make the top 8, blind Freddy can see that.
So if we think hopefully finishing somewhere between 10th and 14th is a success, than Richo is doing a great job.
If we are wanting or hoping to finish in the top 8 or better, then we are again setting ourselves up for failure UNLESS we recruit a minimum of 2 players in position of need, who add value to our top 17 between now and the start of the 2026 season.

 

[Bones]

Richo mentioned about $1M. Not sure if that was the profit, but we let go of Klemmer, Bateman, Galvin, TDS without replacing them. That’s close to $1M between them, not to mention taking home games away.

So in theory if we played with a top 30 like every other club we wouldn’t have turned a profit.

You have to spend 95% of the cap to be compliant. Even if we only spent 95% that’s a $650,000 saving, so wouldn’t account for the profit.

I’d be surprised if there were any clubs that don’t spend pretty much all of it, even if some is used to front load players.