Liddle to Bulldogs? - SMH article

Bulldogs' chase of Napa and Liddle sparks chain reaction
Adrian Proszenko
By Adrian Proszenko
15 November 2018 — 7:00pm

Canterbury are preparing to make a $2 million, three-year play for Dylan Napa for the upcoming season and then Wests Tigers hooker Jacob Liddle for the following one in a development that has piqued Wests Tigers’ interest in Damien Cook.

The Bulldogs are resigned to losing unsettled prop David Klemmer to Newcastle but won’t grant him a release until a suitable replacement is secured. The ‘family club’ has been linked to just about every front-rower in the game, contracted or otherwise, but Napa is at the top of their wishlist.

Complicating matters is the fact that Napa is signed to the Roosters until the end of 2019 and is enjoying an off-season break that includes an overseas trip. Napa is a valued member of the premiers and they are happy for him to remain at Bondi Junction. However, the tricolours are unlikely to stand in the Queensland prop’s way if he is able to secure a long-term deal that sets him up for life.

Former Blues teammate Mitchell Pearce has been in contact with Klemmer about the prospect of teaming up at the Knights, where he would become just the second incumbent Kangaroos player to be recruited after Darius Boyd. The Bulldogs and Roosters are hoping the situation will be resolved before Klemmer and Napa are due back for pre-season training.
Advertisement

Canterbury are also looking ahead to the following season and have identified Liddle as their long-term hooker. The Tigers have long considered Liddle the man to replace Robbie Farah as dummy half but a spate of serious injuries – and the return of Farah to the club after a stint at South Sydney – have prevented him from doing so.

The Tigers used a number of options at dummy half including Farah, Liddle, Pita Godinet, Josh Reynolds, Elijah Taylor and Matt McIlwrick during their 2018 campaign. Farah is expected to be their starting No.9 under new coach Michael Maguire in what will be the veteran playmaker’s last year at the club.

If the club loses both Liddle and Farah, they will be forced to go into the market for a new hooker. Fairfax Media can reveal NSW rake Damien Cook is on the Tigers’ radar. Cook has a good relationship with Maguire from their time together at Redfern and the Rabbitohs are yet to meet his asking price.

The 27-year-old is seeking $4 million over the next five years to remain a Rabbitoh. That figure takes into account the fact that he is on a relatively modest salary for next season given his status as representative star. Now that he has taken over the Kangaroos' No.9 jersey long held by Cameron Smith, Cook will test his value on the open market.
 
We have this habit of nurturing players long term then realising that we were wrong all along. Probably heading down the same path. Cook would be an amazing get. At 4 mill, seems like good value to me.
 
Tbh he hasn’t shown any more than Manaia Cherrington. Hasn’t really stood out. That isn’t to say he won’t, but it’s 2019 or never for him imo. If he doesn’t start showing what he’s been hyped up to be, the Dogs can have him.
 
He's had his opportunities here .. unfortunately for him he is always busted / injured .. !! This is Robbie's last season, so really it's up to Liddle to make a decision .. stay or go .. ?? We look like we are in a rebuilding process, but so are the Dogs .. but we seem to have all our ducks in row and moving forward better than the Dogs. With Madge now at the helm for a long term contract .. I'm tipping that we are in better shape then the Dogs now and for next season, so if Liddle wants to go to the Dogs .. that by no means, means he'll get the starters gig with Michael Lichha still at the club. So basically he'll be moving from one club to another as the back up hooker. Plenty of us (including myself) in here have criticised him enough being not big enough, why is always injured .. but now that we hear he is moving on, some are now crying foul.

A number 9 these days is about someone who can pass out of dummy half effectively, someone who can dart out of dummy half now and then and have the defences guessing, and somehow who can make tackles for 80 mins and unfortunately Liddle hasn't been able to do this. For me, no great loss, the kid has to make a living somehow, somewhere .. Im sure we as a team will manage and find a more suited rake for us for next season to replace Robbie .. !!
 
Who is our back up option for 2020\. Is there another young hooker coming through?

This talk may exist because the club rates the next guy.
 
Yes Liddle has had a bad run with injuries, but plenty of other footballers have had a injury ridden start to their careers and gone on to play plenty of football. I would be very disappointed if we let Liddle walk
 
@ said:
Yes Liddle has had a bad run with injuries, but plenty of other footballers have had a injury ridden start to their careers and gone on to play plenty of football. I would be very disappointed if we let Liddle walk
Click to expand...

Agreed .. it's one we will regret still managed 18 games last year combined NRL and ISP. So not that injured..
 
@ said:
Yes Liddle has had a bad run with injuries, but plenty of other footballers have had a injury ridden start to their careers and gone on to play plenty of football. I would be very disappointed if we let Liddle walk
Click to expand...

How many games did Benji miss in his first few years?
 
I wouldn’t let him go, yea he has had a few injuries but so did Benji in his younger days and he turned out fine
He could have a breakout year this year
Who knows Farah could get a long term injury then who do we have to replace him if we let Liddle go ?
 
The club has to be proactive in this situation… Liddle has shown he is capable but on the negative side is his body up to the week to week grind . I would imagine this is already known hence the uncertainty around the situation. I can not criticise the club for wanting to secure the No 9 position moving forward.
 
Looking forward to seeing an 80 min game from Liddle. Hopefully his shoulders are up to it this year. If he can get his defence going up to the level required for NRL he’ll worth keeping as our long term hooker.
At this stage Cook is miles ahead. A few years from now the tables might of turned.
I’m glad the club is being proactive in the player market.
we are lucky to have Robbie as backup or a mentor for Liddle in 2019\. 2020 we be a different story.
 
I'd hope we could fend off the Bulldogs and keep Liddle but if not then Reece Robson at the Dragons would be an option. He's also off contract at the end of 2019 and looks a talent.
 
@ said:
I really like Liddle but boy hes injured a lot, if he wants to go then go, theres always someone else.
Click to expand...

He had two shoulder record done last off season, so he never had the preparation at the start of the year to build up his body.
These types of injuries often happen because young players body have not fully matured.

How many off contracted players have the Wests Tigers approached hardly front page news.

There are a lot of if’s and but’s in situations like these.

Have the Tigers offered big money to Cook so Souths have to up the offer, and in doing so have to punt other players.

Is Madge trying to grab any Souths players that could be moved on to accommodate Cook.

Are the Bulldogs doing the same to us.

Then after all it’s just a story in a newspaper.
 
@ said:
@ said:
Yes Liddle has had a bad run with injuries, but plenty of other footballers have had a injury ridden start to their careers and gone on to play plenty of football. I would be very disappointed if we let Liddle walk

How many games did Benji miss in his first few years?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Marshall was a prodigy though. We all knew what we had with him. Liddle still hasn’t lived up to the hype. Imo anyway.
 
@ said:
I wouldn’t let him go, yea he has had a few injuries but so did Benji in his younger days and he turned out fine
He could have a breakout year this year
Who knows Farah could get a long term injury then who do we have to replace him if we let Liddle go ?
Click to expand...

I don’t think many West’sTigers fans would like to see him go. As an attack DH he could be right up there. It’s just the uncertainty if his body will hold up week to week.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

... and 21 more.
Total: 705 (members: 71, guests: 634)
Back
Top