Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

crazycat said:
Unsure if you are talking Charlie Staines or Max Lehmann.. But I think that makes the point.

Charlie Staines > Max Lehmann... That said, I believe Charlie was on 400k. Trading down as I am pretty sure Max Lehmann is worth 150k makes sense. Free up cap for the top 13
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The $ associated with Staines were already factored in when he wasn't offered a contract. This guy is only trialling for NSW Cup - his situation will have no bearing on the top 30 salary cap.
 
crazycat said:
Unsure if you are talking Charlie Staines or Max Lehmann.. But I think that makes the point.

Charlie Staines > Max Lehmann... That said, I believe Charlie was on 400k. Trading down as I am pretty sure Max Lehmann is worth 150k makes sense. Free up cap for the top 13
Click to expand...
Max isn't in our top thirty...thank christ. Charlie was replaced by Makasini. Some were suggesting we retain Staines, which I am opposed to, as I don't want to waste one of our two remaining spots on him.
 
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Wests Tigers rookie Pheonix Godinet has always been a goal setter.

And he hasn’t let multiple rejections derail him.

As an eight-year-old, he scribbled down his dream of making an NRL debut as an 18-year-old, but it wasn’t at the Tigers.

All the young Godinet wanted to do was play for western Sydney rivals Parramatta.

“The first ever highlights I watched were of Jarryd Hayne, I watched him a lot growing up,” Godinet said.

“Hayne was the reason I supported the Eels growing up and wanted to play for them.”

The 18-year-old Godinet, an Australian Schoolboys star and the Tigers’ SG Ball (under-19s) player of the year, took the first step in making his first grade dream a reality, has kicked off his first NRL pre-season at Concord.

'That's my goal': Tigers junior Phoenix Godinet on preparing for the NRL

Coach Benji Marshall has not shied away from blooding the club’s best teenage prospects, handing Lachlan Galvin a debut in Round 1 in 2024 and Heamasi Makasini a start in Round 27 this year - both at the age of 18.

Godinet’s Magpies teammate Christian Tupou-Moors and Balmain Tigers hooker Jared Haywood, both highly rated prospects, will also complete their first NRL pre-season.

But Godinet, who is and one of the hottest prospects in the game, is also widely viewed as the Tigers’ next blue chip talent to be rolled off the club’s Western Suburbs Magpies production line after Galvin and Makasini.

“I’m excited but I’m also a bit nervous because all the boys talk about how hard it (pre-season) is,” Godinet said.

“I just came back from a Jersey Flegg (under-21s) pre-season, yeah, and that was hard, so I’m just wondering what the NRL will be like.

“When I was eight, I wrote down that I wanted to debut when I was 18-years-old.

“Benji reckons I can debut next year. I just need to keep improving on my game, yeah, and then we’ll see what happens from there.”

These days, Godinet’s goals - which included Australian Schoolboys selection and a Jersey Flegg and NSW Cup debut - are hung on his bedroom wall in a picture frame as daily motivation.

The back rower, who turned 18 in June, ticked off every goal except for one - selection in the NSW Blues under-19s.

This year, the note scribbled as a kid will be at the top of a list of new goals ahead of the 2026 season.

“I’m still eligible for SG Ball but if I go really well in pre-season, they’ll probably take me out of SG Ball and just focus on Flegg and NSW Cup,” Godinet said.

“I’m about to set out my new goals and once they’re written, I’m gonna go hanging on my wall just like the last one.

“One of them is going to be an NRL debut, obviously that’s the one that’s been my goal since I was eight.”

BRUSHED BY THE EELS​

Godinet, a Cabramatta junior from Parramatta’s nursery, did try to make his dream of playing for the Eels come true, not once but twice.

He was rejected for a spot in the club’s development squad both times.

“When I was a little bit younger, I never made the Parramatta development squad. I missed out on that,” Godinet said.

“There were a number of clubs that didn’t really want me.

After that initial knock-back, Godinet landed in the lap of the Canterbury Bulldogs - who immediately identified the youngster’s potential, and tried to lock him in on a long-term deal.

“I ended up at the Bulldogs, and they wanted to sign me for three or four years. But it just felt like too long, especially as a young player,” Godinet said.
 
“I ended up at the Rabbitohs for a little bit but they didn’t want me.”

Still, a fire burned in Godinet’s belly for the club he cheered for as a kid.

“So then, I tried out at the Eels again, that was just before I turned 16, and I didn’t make it again.

“I wanted to stay in Parramatta because that’s the team I supported.

“I guess that one really hurt.

“Because I thought when I tried out, I thought I had a really good trial.”

So how did development coaches at Parramatta, even South Sydney, let a talent of Godinet’s promise slip through the cracks?

Back then Godinet wasn’t the still-growing 188cm, 95kg barnstorming back rower who was ranked in the top-10 of this masthead’s best schoolboy players in the country in 2025.

Turns out, he was a budding halfback yet to meet the fate of mother nature.

“When I was 14, I went through a pretty big growth spurt and my left leg was longer than my right one,” Godinet said.

“I was uncoordinated and things like that. I lost a lot of speed when I was playing, and power.

“That lasted for about two years or so before everything was normal again.

“I just prayed every day that it would be O.K. and I feel like God had answered my prayers, so everything’s coming together now.”

Without a clear path in any NRL system, the Bass Hill High School student joined rugby club the Randwick Warriors.

With his parents Henry and Pauline hailing from New Zealand, Godinet, who moved to Australia from across the ditch as a baby, grew up surrounded by the 15-man game.

“My family, they’re all from New Zealand and we were all All Blacks supporters,” Godinet said.

“So I grew up watching the All Blacks, that was actually another of my goals when I was really young was to play for the All Blacks so that’s why I really liked union too.”

RUGBY PUT GODINET ON NRL PATH​

Godinet didn’t know it yet, but the decision to try his hand at rugby union would pave the way for his shot at an NRL dream.

He quickly earned a spot in the Waratahs Academy and was selected in the under-16s Gen Blue squad in 2023.

It was during that time Godinet was spotted by Western Suburbs Magpies Harold Matthews Cup (under 17s) coach Stephen Isdale.

“I had decided to stick with rugby, and I made the Waratahs but there was a Tigers coach, he had been keeping an eye on me,” Godinet said.

“He saw how much I had developed. He told me to come to the Tigers’ summer squad and to train in the pre-season with them.

“I went really well and I ended up in the Tigers system playing with the Magpies Harold Matthews team.”

LIFE AFTER FOOTY​

Godinet has rocketed through the Tigers pathways, playing two NSW Cup games this year despite still being eligible for SG Ball in 2026.

But the talented teen isn’t just in a hurry when it comes to his NRL debut, he is already laying the foundations for life after football.

His father Henry runs a performance coaching business, which Godinet wants to take over in the future.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to work on, the coaching business,” Godinet said.
 
“My dad has his own business, Iron Up Sports, as a performance coach and he told me after footy, I have to take over.

“Yeah. So I’ve been just trying to work on my business skills and my coaching,

“I coached my brother’s under-12 team at Liverpool Catholic Club last year. At the start they couldn’t pass the ball properly, couldn’t tackle. Then we ended up winning the grand final

Godinet’s Instagram page is filled with rugby league instructional videos on things like ‘one on one plays’ and ‘being a threat as a ball runner’.

He’s even already held a series of in-person skills workshops, where 60 young aspiring rugby players showed up to learn from the rising star.

“So I had three workshops, three different locations, and there were 20 kids at each,” Godinet said.

“I was surprised it sold out. I’m usually shy but in coaching I find my voice.

“I ran the workshops in the school holidays.

“Seeing them improve after one session makes me really happy. I’m hoping to keep doing more of it.”

His skills videos, posted to his Instagram, have also captured the attention of even his senior Tigers teammates.

“I didn’t even know they see my posts until Jarome Luai brought it up one day,” Godinet said.

“He came up to me at training and just said, ‘Oh, it’s Mr Coach ay’. I was shocked it even popped up on his phone. Terrell May was asking me questions about what I’m doing. That’s pretty cool.”

STRONG BLOODLINES​

Godinet’s father Henry, who played reserve grade for the Magpies, is actually the first cousin of former Tigers playmaker Pita Godinet, who played for the joint venture club back in 2018.

The teenager is hoping to be the next Godinet whose name appears on a wall of Tigers players at the club’s base in Concord.

“It’s awesome to be at the same club as him. I see his name on the wall. He messages me to congratulate me when I’m doing well,” Godinet said.

“It’ll be pretty cool to have my name on that wall one day too.”

ENDS
 
BlackWhiteGold said:
“My dad has his own business, Iron Up Sports, as a performance coach and he told me after footy, I have to take over.

“Yeah. So I’ve been just trying to work on my business skills and my coaching,

“I coached my brother’s under-12 team at Liverpool Catholic Club last year. At the start they couldn’t pass the ball properly, couldn’t tackle. Then we ended up winning the grand final

Godinet’s Instagram page is filled with rugby league instructional videos on things like ‘one on one plays’ and ‘being a threat as a ball runner’.

He’s even already held a series of in-person skills workshops, where 60 young aspiring rugby players showed up to learn from the rising star.

“So I had three workshops, three different locations, and there were 20 kids at each,” Godinet said.

“I was surprised it sold out. I’m usually shy but in coaching I find my voice.

“I ran the workshops in the school holidays.

“Seeing them improve after one session makes me really happy. I’m hoping to keep doing more of it.”

His skills videos, posted to his Instagram, have also captured the attention of even his senior Tigers teammates.

“I didn’t even know they see my posts until Jarome Luai brought it up one day,” Godinet said.

“He came up to me at training and just said, ‘Oh, it’s Mr Coach ay’. I was shocked it even popped up on his phone. Terrell May was asking me questions about what I’m doing. That’s pretty cool.”

STRONG BLOODLINES​

Godinet’s father Henry, who played reserve grade for the Magpies, is actually the first cousin of former Tigers playmaker Pita Godinet, who played for the joint venture club back in 2018.

The teenager is hoping to be the next Godinet whose name appears on a wall of Tigers players at the club’s base in Concord.

“It’s awesome to be at the same club as him. I see his name on the wall. He messages me to congratulate me when I’m doing well,” Godinet said.

“It’ll be pretty cool to have my name on that wall one day too.”

ENDS
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing, mate.

I wasn't aware he'd bounced around so much as a junior.
 
JB9918 said:
Read saying on Triple M. Bula word is positive. Likely to take his option or renegotiate & extend. Meeting next week & should get an update/results in the next week or two.
Click to expand...
Let’s hope he’s right for once and we get this contract cleared up before the season starts. The last thing we need is another media driven BS hoopla surrounding one of our young players mid year that will only destabilise our season yet again.
 
BlackWhiteGold said:
“My dad has his own business, Iron Up Sports, as a performance coach and he told me after footy, I have to take over.

“Yeah. So I’ve been just trying to work on my business skills and my coaching,

“I coached my brother’s under-12 team at Liverpool Catholic Club last year. At the start they couldn’t pass the ball properly, couldn’t tackle. Then we ended up winning the grand final

Godinet’s Instagram page is filled with rugby league instructional videos on things like ‘one on one plays’ and ‘being a threat as a ball runner’.

He’s even already held a series of in-person skills workshops, where 60 young aspiring rugby players showed up to learn from the rising star.

“So I had three workshops, three different locations, and there were 20 kids at each,” Godinet said.

“I was surprised it sold out. I’m usually shy but in coaching I find my voice.

“I ran the workshops in the school holidays.

“Seeing them improve after one session makes me really happy. I’m hoping to keep doing more of it.”

His skills videos, posted to his Instagram, have also captured the attention of even his senior Tigers teammates.

“I didn’t even know they see my posts until Jarome Luai brought it up one day,” Godinet said.

“He came up to me at training and just said, ‘Oh, it’s Mr Coach ay’. I was shocked it even popped up on his phone. Terrell May was asking me questions about what I’m doing. That’s pretty cool.”

STRONG BLOODLINES​

Godinet’s father Henry, who played reserve grade for the Magpies, is actually the first cousin of former Tigers playmaker Pita Godinet, who played for the joint venture club back in 2018.

The teenager is hoping to be the next Godinet whose name appears on a wall of Tigers players at the club’s base in Concord.

“It’s awesome to be at the same club as him. I see his name on the wall. He messages me to congratulate me when I’m doing well,” Godinet said.

“It’ll be pretty cool to have my name on that wall one day too.”

ENDS
Click to expand...
Thanks BWG.
A really good read on his ambitions, now and into the future, at such a young age!
Truely amazing insights. Looking good.
Just hope Mr. Moses doesn't become Mr. God and spoil the party?
 
Flippedy said:
Let’s hope he’s right for once and we get this contract cleared up before the season starts. The last thing we need is another media driven BS hoopla surrounding one of our young players mid year that will only destabilise our season yet again.
Click to expand...
He would know. From memory he djd all the galvin side of things reporting in that drama .
 
BlackWhiteGold said:
“My dad has his own business, Iron Up Sports, as a performance coach and he told me after footy, I have to take over.

“Yeah. So I’ve been just trying to work on my business skills and my coaching,

“I coached my brother’s under-12 team at Liverpool Catholic Club last year. At the start they couldn’t pass the ball properly, couldn’t tackle. Then we ended up winning the grand final

Godinet’s Instagram page is filled with rugby league instructional videos on things like ‘one on one plays’ and ‘being a threat as a ball runner’.

He’s even already held a series of in-person skills workshops, where 60 young aspiring rugby players showed up to learn from the rising star.

“So I had three workshops, three different locations, and there were 20 kids at each,” Godinet said.

“I was surprised it sold out. I’m usually shy but in coaching I find my voice.

“I ran the workshops in the school holidays.

“Seeing them improve after one session makes me really happy. I’m hoping to keep doing more of it.”

His skills videos, posted to his Instagram, have also captured the attention of even his senior Tigers teammates.

“I didn’t even know they see my posts until Jarome Luai brought it up one day,” Godinet said.

“He came up to me at training and just said, ‘Oh, it’s Mr Coach ay’. I was shocked it even popped up on his phone. Terrell May was asking me questions about what I’m doing. That’s pretty cool.”

STRONG BLOODLINES​

Godinet’s father Henry, who played reserve grade for the Magpies, is actually the first cousin of former Tigers playmaker Pita Godinet, who played for the joint venture club back in 2018.

The teenager is hoping to be the next Godinet whose name appears on a wall of Tigers players at the club’s base in Concord.

“It’s awesome to be at the same club as him. I see his name on the wall. He messages me to congratulate me when I’m doing well,” Godinet said.

“It’ll be pretty cool to have my name on that wall one day too.”

ENDS
Click to expand...
Eels talent scout getting a clip around the ears atm missing Galvin and Godinet
 
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