I think it is probably very obvious at this point that the club is fairly divided and one side is feeding Chammas, who has really turned on us lately ( and with good reason).
I thought this comment from Chammas tonight was very telling:
**The only two players they’ve signed for next year, Super League duo Jackson Hastings and Oliver Gildart, are both managed by the same player agent who has become increasingly attached to Maguire, as some at the club have noticed.**
Who is their agent you might be asking? Well, it is none other than Sam Ayoub...
Now we have our increasingly unsuccessful coach aligned to him...and our only 2022 recruits coming from his stable.
There are obviously deep issues at the club, but Mcguire and Ayoub seems an unlikely combo to back if you are hoping we turn things around.
Our recruitment doesn't work like that, Hartigan has the reins?
How many times does that have to be stated?
Hartigan has the reins? You really believe that?
Case one: Hartigan did not want Nofaluma long term. The chairman stepped in and overruled him. Nofa 4.5 years.
Case two: Hartigan wants a ball player at 13 as he feels the pack needs balance. Hartigan targets TPJ specifically. Hartigan says we need second phase play. What happens? The club won't pay and now are after Finucane due to media pressure...a non ball playing lock.
Hartigan has landed what exactly? The two wigan blokes are through the Madge-Lam-Ayoub line.
Hartigan has landed.....? A couple of Penrith guys forced out and Stefano for 400 grand whilst unproven (the kid we let go to Manly Taniela Paseka is now killing it and playing much better for half the salary...)
That is pretty much it. Not a single soul ever said "Hartigan built the roosters" when he was there...yet somehow people here are acting like he is a recruitment guru.
I am not saying he is bad, but there is nothing to say he is as good as people on here hope / think.
You know for a fact this is what Hartigan wants, what Hartigan thinks?
If the pom, CCTW, and most journos are correct...
Name one big recruit Hartigan has landed?
I am not here to knock him, but let's be fair. Name one recruit?
Stefano we paid 400 for potential...still not sure if that will work out. Paseka looks a lot better and we could have kept him for half.
Blore I really like...but we basically offered Blore NRL wages whilst out a year and no prospect at Penrith. Not exactly a coup.
Laurie...yes. A good signing.
Dev players? None look likely at all at this stage.
Maybe I am missing something? How many of you here honestly believe he was the Roosters recruitment guru though? Politis and Robbo do all the main recruiting...everyone knows that.
You said "Hartigan wants", "Hartigan did not want" and I ask how do you know this.
Tamou was a big-name signing, but no Hartigan hasn't jagged an elite signature since joining Tigers. Almost got Latrell. But I don't know if I could use that as a measuring stick against a recruiter - how many elite players he can get to one of the least successful clubs?
re Paseka - he joined Manly in season 2017, debuted 2018. If you reckon he's playing alright now, that's fine, give Stefano 4 seasons in FG as well and judge him at that same level of experience. Has Paseka been called into the Origin or Kiwi squad recently?
Also Hartigan has been at the club exactly 2 years - since July 2019. That means he's basically had two recruitment drives in his tenure - for season 2020 and season 2021. And that first year he had been with the club 3 months before we hit offseason. Not really much to go off, but certainly the junior recruitment is doing very well.
In hartigan defence... b4 we got him would y even dreamed of that we would be linked to players like trell, carr, arrow etc
I’m a big fan of Hartigan but no point being linked to players if we don’t land them