Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

Jolls said:
As the great man Jack Gibson said many moons ago, you only need to kick it as far as you can chase. This, along with his general kicking philosophies still ring true today. The big differnece from when Jack was coaching is that the good kickers now have greater height (hang time) and greater control than the superstars of the 70s an 80s.

Jock, and AD for that matter, would be wise to go back to improve their games. If I recall correctly it was Peter Sterling that was going through a slump in his kicking game when Gibson cryptically told him to "kick it to the seagulls." then walked away leaving Sterling to figure out the lesson: at the SCG seagulls only congregated on empty spaces of the field.

If you look at the core logic of Gibson's kicking and chasing philosophy it was based on three main rules:
  • The Chase Dictates The Distance: A long kick is completely useless if your defenders can't get downfield fast enough to pressure the catcher. You only kick the ball as far as your team's line can realistically sprint to pin the opposition down and this is where hang time (height) is more important than distance.
  • Find the Open Space: Kicking directly to an opposing fullback or winger allows them to catch it cleanly and build up momentum for the kick return.
  • Force Mistakes: Kicking into the "seagulls" where the bounce forces the opposition to turn around, run backward, and gather the ball under pressure from a well-timed defensive chase.
It is a simple game and if we stuck to a simple kicking philosophy we would do much better than trying belt the ball out of sight with no control or kick too long for the chase. Jock and Latu need to be one on one with a kicking coach that understand old Jack's philosophy. It is not until you understand the basics that the Cleary and Johns skills need to be practiced.
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First game I was taken to, very young, playing Rugby on the weekends, had no idea about anything footie, was at Henson Park, Jets v Roosters half time 2-0.
They, bring local Marrickvilles asked me, so do you support Newtown?
I said wait til full time I’ll tell you then. I had hair like Fairfax, and Gibson’s team nailed it.
 
king_sirro said:
The stats are wrong. He has kicked many times. His long kicking game is ok and there is plenty to work with there. His distance is fairly good. Haven't seen much of his short kicking game
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I hope you're right, however I cannot remember one game this year that he kicked for field position or to put pressure in the red zone.

I get he played primarily off the bench this year, so maybe he wasn't confident enough to take charge.
 
king_sirro said:
The stats are wrong. He has kicked many times. His long kicking game is ok and there is plenty to work with there. His distance is fairly good. Haven't seen much of his short kicking game
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Can you post a YouTube link of Latu's in game kicking, as well as the correct stats?

I'm happy to send them to the NRL.
 
Leck said:
Can you post a YouTube link of Latu's in game kicking, as well as the correct stats?

I'm happy to send them to the NRL.
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I’ve seen Latu kick a few times playing NRL.
He doesn’t look overly eager to be the teams primary general play kicker, but more eager than Luai ever looked, so that’s a win already.
In addition to that his kicking game was quite good when he was paired with Javon Andrews in their lone NSW Cup game together in 2026.
Not sure what is wrong with the stats, but he has definitely kicked the ball a few times at NRL level, I’d say somewhere around 10 times, maybe more at a guess.
David Brenton is certainly an interesting signing.
Regarded as one of the best emerging young backs in the game, it certainly dispels some opinions that nobody of note wants to play for Wests Tigers.
He played in the halves just as much as he did at fullback for the Bulldogs early in the 2026 season, before returning to Queensland with reports that he didn’t settle well in Sydney.
Obviously those reports were false, unless he has just grown up a little bit and is now willing to play wherever he sees an opportunity to move through the grades quickly.
 
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Vicious said:
I’ve seen Latu kick a few times playing NRL.
He doesn’t look overly eager to be the teams primary general play kicker, but more eager than Luai ever looked, so that’s a win already.
In addition to that his kicking game was quite good when he was paired with Javon Andrews in their lone NSW Cup game together in 2026.
Not sure what is wrong with the stats, but he has definitely kicked the ball a few times at NRL level, I’d say somewhere around 10 times at a guess.
David Brenton is certainly an interesting signing.
Regarded as one of the best emerging young backs in the game, it certainly dispels some opinions that nobody of note wants to play for Wests Tigers.
He played in the halves just as much as he did at fullback for the Bulldogs early in the 2026 season, before returning to Queensland with reports that he didn’t settle well in Sydney.
Obviously those reports were false, unless he has just grown up a little bit and is now willing to play wherever he sees an opportunity to move through the grades quickly.
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Was that first grade or reggies? I can’t find a single example or stat that backs that up. Maybe the statisticians are all wrong…

I hadn’t heard of David Breynton until the online article today. I watched some videos and he looks the goods, but I’m unsure why the Dogs would have released such a young top prospect.
 
Leck said:
Was that first grade or reggies? I can’t find a single example or stat that backs that up. Maybe the statisticians are all wrong…

I hadn’t heard of David Breynton until the online article today. I watched some videos and he looks the goods, but I’m unsure why the Dogs would have released such a young top prospect.
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NRL.
The games @king_sirro has referenced against the Cowboys and Roosters in 2025.
As for Bryenton, just a guess but it wouldn’t be the first time recently that the Bulldogs have fallen out with young players. I reckon they are signing too many quality emerging players and cannot fulfill their promises to all of them.
 
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Vicious said:
I’ve seen Latu kick a few times playing NRL.
He doesn’t look overly eager to be the teams primary general play kicker, but more eager than Luai ever looked, so that’s a win already.
In addition to that his kicking game was quite good when he was paired with Javon Andrews in their lone NSW Cup game together in 2026.
Not sure what is wrong with the stats, but he has definitely kicked the ball a few times at NRL level, I’d say somewhere around 10 times, maybe more at a guess.
David Brenton is certainly an interesting signing.
Regarded as one of the best emerging young backs in the game, it certainly dispels some opinions that nobody of note wants to play for Wests Tigers.
He played in the halves just as much as he did at fullback for the Bulldogs early in the 2026 season, before returning to Queensland with reports that he didn’t settle well in Sydney.
Obviously those reports were false, unless he has just grown up a little bit and is now willing to play wherever he sees an opportunity to move through the grades quickly.
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Media reports suggest he looks up to Marshall. He seems to be a half.
 
Lestronge said:
Don’t twist things . This has nothing to do with that . It has to do with the same people continuously posting the same negative shit, over and over and ultimately feeding into everyone’s worse impulses . I never said we will do this and that . All I said was there’s reasons to be optimistic , and stated those reasons.
I think the bookies have completely over valued luai , and completely undervalued May and KPP , and Latu . I think frizell , brailey and Mann add some adults in the room , and real depth around key positions . Especially 9. Our season fell apart when we had to field Hope and Lanyon .
hopefully we never have to see AD in the halves again and that experiment is done forever . We do need another half . And the rumours are brooksy on a couple of years . I’m ok with that . He can tackle and has a good long kicking game allowing the defensive line to get down field .
But like I said stop posting negative shit over and over . It brings everyone down . You and gunner are doing my head in , along with a few others . I get it , you love being an Eeyore but if you think this team is the same as teams like the 2023/24 teams or worse I think that’s absolutely silly .
The moment we get Latu and Andruws bodies right and ruggedised for nrl , that’s the moment we will be a force in this comp. They will both be wearing blue and maroon by 2030 IMO. We just have to get them on the field . Latus time is now . I believe in him. Javon needs 2 pre seasons probably .
Cheer up is all I’m saying . Fark the bookies what do they know ? It’s pretty easy to look at last years ladder and then predict your 8 to be exactly the same . Which is what every “expert” does every year . And they’re always wrong .
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It’s just an opinion on football mate. It’s not like someone is mocking your wife and kids. After years of what we’ve been through, it’s only natural some will disengage on some level, feel jaded and would rather wait till they see results, rather than feeling a perpetual state of optimism. Feel free to disagree and not feel that way yourself, but long winded rants like this are way OTT. Feels like you are taking it personally.
 
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