Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[Odessa]

The money tied up between him and Ponga is just ridiculous they won't have any money for Sharpe when he will need a significant upgrade then there is Best on think 700k.
Can see significant cap problems developing and the good squad they have will become weaker when they have to shed quality it will end in disaster, good maybe for us if we can pick up a good player.

The winger from Canberra is reported to be on 500K

 

[Rock Hopper Steve]

The winger from Canberra is reported to be on 500K

It's like a nightmare it just keeps on adding up hope the NRL salary cap auditors have the microscope out ready they need to keep a close eye on them.

 

[crazycat]

I just think you don’t need both him and Twal in a first grade 17. We really lacked some leg speed in the forwards for the first 25 mins today. A big backrower who gets quick PTB is a serious need.

Re Seyfarth...

If leg speed is the issue, Seyfarth is not the player to be removed.

Not saying he doesn't have other issues, and speed does explain why we punted Bateman + Klemmer so a fast pack could be what Benji is aiming for.

But Seyfarth isn't our slowest player. Hunt/Twal are our slowest. No I wouldn't be punting either of those battering rams.

Moving Api to lock with Da-Silva or Love as hooker would really give us some speed around dummy half. Maybe not starting there, but 20 minutes in... it would throw some teams.

I would be moving on some of our back row depth. Till the weekends game, that was Starford Toa... Yet Toa aced his first game of 2025 and we appear to have good selection headaches.

 

[crazycat]

The money tied up between him and Ponga is just ridiculous they won't have any money for Sharpe when he will need a significant upgrade then there is Best on think 700k.
Can see significant cap problems developing and the good squad they have will become weaker when they have to shed quality it will end in disaster, good maybe for us if we can pick up a good player.

Agreed

By Newcastle agreeing to this Huge cost for Brown...
We can take a close look at who could be wanting to leave. Jacob Saififi would not be a bad pickup.

 

[innsaneink]

I’m not following Ink. I gave those odds, and not only did he not start in 13, he wasn’t even in the 17. Am I missing something?

As i said...@GNR4LIFE was giving 500/1 he'd start in the 13 jumper in round one

Pretty straight forward

 

[innsaneink]

I’l give you 500/1 odds that he’s 13 come round 1 regardless of his pre season

I had $5 on this offer

thatll be $2.5k thnx

 

[Lestronge]

The money tied up between him and Ponga is just ridiculous they won't have any money for Sharpe when he will need a significant upgrade then there is Best on think 700k.
Can see significant cap problems developing and the good squad they have will become weaker when they have to shed quality it will end in disaster, good maybe for us if we can pick up a good player.

Best is on like 800k . We went hard for him like many clubs only last year .
Their cap is going to be yuck . Especially if the cap doesn’t go up as much as predicted .
To be fair tot hat contract though , by the time 10 years rolls around the best halves will probably be on 2-2.5mil, especially if the cap gets near 20mil . Giving your best player 10% of the cap is roughly what they’re on right now .
I can only think what fletcher sharpe is thinking . He’s a better player than brown right now . I’ve always wondered what the brown fuss was about , but never commented because I don’t watch the eels play because I absolutely hate them for a variety of reasons. I just assumed ignorance on my part .
I’m starting to think my initial instinct was pretty correct . I always felt gutho and Moses and the gravity they attracted on the field created a lot the time and space Brown took advantage of . With neither of them there , he is the focal point and I’m not sure about that .
To be fair though , maybe with sharpe and Ponga something similar will occur in Newcastle .

 

[Rock Hopper Steve]

Agreed

By Newcastle agreeing to this Huge cost for Brown...
We can take a close look at who could be wanting to leave. Jacob Saififi would not be a bad pickup.

Their second rower Dylan Lucas is a gun he would be my pick.

 

[Rock Hopper Steve]

Best is on like 800k . We went hard for him like many clubs only last year .
Their cap is going to be yuck . Especially if the cap doesn’t go up as much as predicted .
To be fair tot hat contract though , by the time 10 years rolls around the best halves will probably be on 2-2.5mil, especially if the cap gets near 20mil . Giving your best player 10% of the cap is roughly what they’re on right now .
I can only think what fletcher sharpe is thinking . He’s a better player than brown right now . I’ve always wondered what the brown fuss was about , but never commented because I don’t watch the eels play because I absolutely hate them for a variety of reasons. I just assumed ignorance on my part .
I’m starting to think my initial instinct was pretty correct . I always felt gutho and Moses and the gravity they attracted on the field created a lot the time and space Brown took advantage of . With neither of them there , he is the focal point and I’m not sure about that .
To be fair though , maybe with sharpe and Ponga something similar will occur in Newcastle .

You put Brown in their team right now he would probably excel they have a pretty good squad at the moment, it would be hard for him to standout at the eels now they look like dog crap to me but I watch a lot of games and never really rated him, inconsistent like Brooks used to be with us.

 

[weststigerman]

Any news on Taylan May signing on.

The background checks will take a bit of time with this one.

 

[Needaname]

He's not average at all. He's not trying. There was a time where he was the best defensive 5/8 in the game for a few years. He also has a lot of great attacking stats in a bad side. With Ponga, he will get so much better

That’s the key. With Ponga. For their sake they must hope he stays, I think Ponga has 2 years of the new combination to determine if he is happy with the way the clubs going.

 

[jirskyr]

Is Matamua just another star junior player that does not have the ability or drive to play NRL week after week. Plenty examples of these talented kids that never kick on.

Unfortunately the stats are that most of the star juniors don't really kick on. It's something entirely different switching from being tackled by kids to being tackled by seasoned hard men.

 

[tiger_one]

Who on the forum edited wikipedia it says Taylan May plays for the Wests Tigers lol

Jumped the gun .......

 

[pawsandclaws1]

I don't honestly understand Newcastle they have been trying to get out of over paying players for the last two years and now they do this

I believe the Knights have concerns Ponga will go to the Roosters so having Brown ensures a big name (and big $) player is at the club.

 

[Magpies1969]

I can't believe that in NSW or QLD teams there is not an up and coming Second Rower waiting for a chance we should entice over.

 

[PabloX]

Re Seyfarth...

If leg speed is the issue, Seyfarth is not the player to be removed.

Not saying he doesn't have other issues, and speed does explain why we punted Bateman + Klemmer so a fast pack could be what Benji is aiming for.

But Seyfarth isn't our slowest player. Hunt/Twal are our slowest. No I wouldn't be punting either of those battering rams.

Moving Api to lock with Da-Silva or Love as hooker would really give us some speed around dummy half. Maybe not starting there, but 20 minutes in... it would throw some teams.

I would be moving on some of our back row depth. Till the weekends game, that was Starford Toa... Yet Toa aced his first game of 2025 and we appear to have good selection headaches.

You must've missed the game on the weekend. Hunt showed some speed

 

[seijai]

You must've missed the game on the weekend. Hunt showed some speed

 

[seijai]

Not only speed. But his effort giving chase in the last minute against a winger. Great effort

 

[Lestronge]

You put Brown in their team right now he would probably excel they have a pretty good squad at the moment, it would be hard for him to standout at the eels now they look like dog crap to me but I watch a lot of games and never really rated him, inconsistent like Brooks used to be with us.

Brooks unfortunately showed he’s not over his inability to be clutch on the weekend , as much as I wish the best for the guy .
He really struggled when DCE went down .
He’s now at a value though , where there’s no expectation on him to really be that player , outside of leadership which I’m sure he would provide that , maybe not in clutch moments .
If you’re the knights though , youre all in on Ponga, and his ability to command respect and gravity on the field . Because if he does go to the roosters , and you make a mistake with sharpe and let him go ( you’re now paying brown 1.4 mil and duck eggs everywhere else .
That’s right up there with paying Brooks 1.1m . Just bad business regardless.

 

[rusted-on]

Are people watching the same Alex Twal that I watch each week take every dirty hit up into the meat of the opposition and run like his life depends on it ? The same Twal that makes tackle after tackle and cleans up every half chance around him with a 98% rate ?? I cannnot fathom the lack of support he cops on here .. he tried week in week and when you put a few other go forward middles with him he looks awesome..

I said a while ago that every team needs an Alex Twal, and I still have that opinion. Nothing flash, but very under-rated and extremely reliable. He is even showing a willingness to ball-play to an extent so far this year. Hopefully a good year for him.