Salary Cap Issues

[king_sirro]

Praise from Sterling for Moses and Brooks and their defence on Friday night. Also the other three ex halves all said the same thing that the team is still searching for a structure. But Johns did comment supporters should not be disillusioned because in his view there is a v/good team emerging.

I thought Fittler's comment was pretty apt - 'if you don't get the senior/experienced guys right, it won't matter how good the kids are'. Was stressing that we need to get some experienced players in, and the right ones, otherwise all the building from within will go to waste.

It's always a risk reaching for experience though. We were no better with the experienced Adam Blair and look how bad Watmough is going at Parra. I agree some experience would be nice but gee i wouldn't want then job of picking who. I think keeping Lawrence is a better way to go.

 

[jadtiger]

Friday night really showed just how good Sironen is because all of a sudden our right side looked solid and it was all down to him hitting well, hitting hard and being in position and he was 2 weeks back from injury on his non-favoured side

He is a work in progress but he is coming along nicely and i feel we have reason to be optimistic with his future with us

 

[ricksen]

Praise from Sterling for Moses and Brooks and their defence on Friday night. Also the other three ex halves all said the same thing that the team is still searching for a structure. But Johns did comment supporters should not be disillusioned because in his view there is a v/good team emerging.

I thought Fittler's comment was pretty apt - 'if you don't get the senior/experienced guys right, it won't matter how good the kids are'. Was stressing that we need to get some experienced players in, and the right ones, otherwise all the building from within will go to waste.

It's always a risk reaching for experience though. We were no better with the experienced Adam Blair and look how bad Watmough is going at Parra. I agree some experience would be nice but gee i wouldn't want then job of picking who. I think keeping Lawrence is a better way to go.

I'd argue we were actually better with Blair, he was one of our better forwards last season, and has done well up north. We've had Lovett playing 80 mins…. as much as we all love to denigrate Blair, he's definitely much better than KL.
I do agree with your point though, hence the emphasis on the 'right' players. Don't just buy experience for the sake of it, but it in positions of need.
Even with Lawrence on the books, we're still a couple of experienced forwards short IMO.
That said , I'd probably move Lawrence on if we had a buyer, and we could lineup a deal for a good backrower*. As much as he's improved since the move into the forwards, he's still just an average first grader, and yet on top level $$$. It's these sort of errors that we need to iron out to get the salary cap back in order.

* only if we could definitely tick BOTH of these boxes, which is probably unlikely. Too late in the day to properly recruit for 2016.

 

[stevetiger]

Praise from Sterling for Moses and Brooks and their defence on Friday night. Also the other three ex halves all said the same thing that the team is still searching for a structure. But Johns did comment supporters should not be disillusioned because in his view there is a v/good team emerging.

I thought Fittler's comment was pretty apt - 'if you don't get the senior/experienced guys right, it won't matter how good the kids are'. Was stressing that we need to get some experienced players in, and the right ones, otherwise all the building from within will go to waste.

It's always a risk reaching for experience though. We were no better with the experienced Adam Blair and look how bad Watmough is going at Parra. I agree some experience would be nice but gee i wouldn't want then job of picking who. I think keeping Lawrence is a better way to go.

I'm not a fan of having experienced players for the sake of experience. Richards is experienced. You need good players. The problem is that our players as a group aren't performing.

 

[Russell]

I don't think you need a better second row next year than Rowdy and Siro.
Having said that we need at least one more experienced second rower.
Given a front row of Woods, Sue, Ave and Lodge and Marty at 13 the cupboard is a bit bare. If Halatau is not renewed then what do we have realistically in the cupboard apart from Santi.
There is Funaki, Akauola, Fiagatusa and Liolevave - the only thing these peeps have shown so far imo is that they are not up to NRL standard. Besides that some of these may be released and we have bought an unknown in Mark Chee Kam.
We really do need an NRL standard second rower to come off the bench or for injuries.
Manaia replaces Robbie for origin, injury or for experience - desperation we have as a replacement ? (nobody if Halatau goes)

So the pack next year could be ok if we don't have injuries but if the gods are agin us..

As we know we need a centre - me thinks he has Seve playing right side in reggies to get used to it / Simona on right (Kev and Nofa on the wing). Hoeter and Milone will be backups.

Best we can hope for I think unless they can buy an NRL standard centre - not to expensive but knows how to play centre in the NRL.

Any better / more / or alternative thoughts.

 

[Newtown]

Praise from Sterling for Moses and Brooks and their defence on Friday night. Also the other three ex halves all said the same thing that the team is still searching for a structure. But Johns did comment supporters should not be disillusioned because in his view there is a v/good team emerging.

I thought Fittler's comment was pretty apt - 'if you don't get the senior/experienced guys right, it won't matter how good the kids are'. Was stressing that we need to get some experienced players in, and the right ones, otherwise all the building from within will go to waste.

It's always a risk reaching for experience though. We were no better with the experienced Adam Blair and look how bad Watmough is going at Parra. I agree some experience would be nice but gee i wouldn't want then job of picking who. I think keeping Lawrence is a better way to go.

The problem is that our players as a group aren't performing.

That is a coaching issue.

 

[stevetiger]

I don't think you need a better second row next year than Rowdy and Siro.
Having said that we need at least one more experienced second rower.
Given a front row of Woods, Sue, Ave and Lodge and Marty at 13 the cupboard is a bit bare. If Halatau is not renewed then what do we have realistically in the cupboard apart from Santi.
There is Funaki, Akauola, Fiagatusa and Liolevave - the only thing these peeps have shown so far imo is that they are not up to NRL standard. Besides that some of these may be released and we have bought an unknown in Mark Chee Kam.
We really do need an NRL standard second rower to come off the bench or for injuries.
Manaia replaces Robbie for origin, injury or for experience - desperation we have as a replacement ? (nobody if Halatau goes)

So the pack next year could be ok if we don't have injuries but if the gods are agin us..

As we know we need a centre - me thinks he has Seve playing right side in reggies to get used to it / Simona on right (Kev and Nofa on the wing). Hoeter and Milone will be backups.

Best we can hope for I think unless they can buy an NRL standard centre - not to expensive but knows how to play centre in the NRL.

Any better / more / or alternative thoughts.

This is exactly my thoughts on the situation. I think we need a new winger or centre at least for back-up. If not then Seve on the right with Nofo and SImona on the left with Naiqama or Simona can go outside Seve on the left.

The problem will be the back-up players. We really need a gun outside back and some depth.

 

[ricksen]

I don't think you need a better second row next year than Rowdy and Siro.
Having said that we need at least one more experienced second rower.
Given a front row of Woods, Sue, Ave and Lodge and Marty at 13 the cupboard is a bit bare. If Halatau is not renewed then what do we have realistically in the cupboard apart from Santi.
There is Funaki, Akauola, Fiagatusa and Liolevave - the only thing these peeps have shown so far imo is that they are not up to NRL standard. Besides that some of these may be released and we have bought an unknown in Mark Chee Kam.
We really do need an NRL standard second rower to come off the bench or for injuries.
Manaia replaces Robbie for origin, injury or for experience - desperation we have as a replacement ? (nobody if Halatau goes)

So the pack next year could be ok if we don't have injuries but if the gods are agin us..

As we know we need a centre - me thinks he has Seve playing right side in reggies to get used to it / Simona on right (Kev and Nofa on the wing). Hoeter and Milone will be backups.

Best we can hope for I think unless they can buy an NRL standard centre - not to expensive but knows how to play centre in the NRL.

Any better / more / or alternative thoughts.

We desperately need reinforcements and depth for the forwards. We're down a body with Keith going, plus we've been dominated through the middle and at the ruck far too often this year. If we ever want Brooks and Moses to break out, we'll need them to play behind a forward pack that holds its own week to week.

Seve is a fair way off first grade standard from what I've seen, so I'd be reluctant to throw him in at the deep end when we already have so many kids struggling to swim.
But if it came down to it, I'd rather spend money on a FG forward and throw Seve out there than spending it on a FG centre/wing and trotting Lovett out each and every week.

 

[Russell]

I don't think you need a better second row next year than Rowdy and Siro.
Having said that we need at least one more experienced second rower.
Given a front row of Woods, Sue, Ave and Lodge and Marty at 13 the cupboard is a bit bare. If Halatau is not renewed then what do we have realistically in the cupboard apart from Santi.
There is Funaki, Akauola, Fiagatusa and Liolevave - the only thing these peeps have shown so far imo is that they are not up to NRL standard. Besides that some of these may be released and we have bought an unknown in Mark Chee Kam.
We really do need an NRL standard second rower to come off the bench or for injuries.
Manaia replaces Robbie for origin, injury or for experience - desperation we have as a replacement ? (nobody if Halatau goes)

So the pack next year could be ok if we don't have injuries but if the gods are agin us..

As we know we need a centre - me thinks he has Seve playing right side in reggies to get used to it / Simona on right (Kev and Nofa on the wing). Hoeter and Milone will be backups.

Best we can hope for I think unless they can buy an NRL standard centre - not to expensive but knows how to play centre in the NRL.

Any better / more / or alternative thoughts.

We desperately need reinforcements and depth for the forwards. We're down a body with Keith going, plus we've been dominated through the middle and at the ruck far too often this year. If we ever want Brooks and Moses to break out, we'll need them to play behind a forward pack that holds its own week to week.

Seve is a fair way off first grade standard from what I've seen, so I'd be reluctant to throw him in at the deep end when we already have so many kids struggling to swim.
But if it came down to it, I'd rather spend money on a FG forward and throw Seve out there than spending it on a FG centre/wing and trotting Lovett out each and every week.

I agree Mate!.

Seve yes but not at the expense of a backup/another experienced forward.

Trotting Lovett out is right but not onto the field.