Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[DJG]

Mavoni Taufua - rumours he has gone blue and white

Anybody know?

Hope not.... would be spewing...

Pole is a very good young prop.

Just watched a short video of him from EverythingWestsTigers on instagram.. but have also been watching when I can of him when I can.. freak!

 

[Demps]

Mavoni Taufua - rumours he has gone blue and white

Anybody know?

Hope not.... would be spewing...

Pole is a very good young prop.

Just watched a short video of him from EverythingWestsTigers on instagram.. but have also been watching when I can of him when I can.. freak!

Shout out @compensate

I gotta feeling we won't be too upset over losing Mavoni, if that's the case.

Gang affiliated and unfit.
Not a massive loss and we got other kids coming through who are just as good, better imo.

 

[tony soprano]

Any further word on Innes Senior, the big English winger/centre? Not so fussed on his brother, but Innes would be a good pick up.

Looks good mulins turbo bodyshape. Where smoke there is fire

 

[Devon Head]

Mavoni Taufua - rumours he has gone blue and white

Anybody know?

Doggies forum had one punter claiming he saw a post on Facey from a bloke who stated Mavoni has signed with them though no official source.

 

[cqtiger]

Does anyone think we will announce a signing this week before deadline or are most people thinking we will just upgrade internally ? It just blows my mind that we have all this money but can not sign anyone and not even talking about top line players. Some of the big clubs have players not even playing and watching from the bench and they would be a starter with us.

Internal

 

[Demps]

Mavoni Taufua - rumours he has gone blue and white

Anybody know?

Doggies forum had one punter claiming he saw a post on Facey from a bloke who stated Mavoni has signed with them though no official source.

Common islander name.
Could be some one else.

Either way, not bothered.

 

[WT46]

How can we lose Mavoni to the Dogs? it's like we love getting f*** by them numerous times.

 

[avocadoontoast]

Any further word on Innes Senior, the big English winger/centre? Not so fussed on his brother, but Innes would be a good pick up.

This isn't meant to be bagging your suggestion at all but if our recruitment is centred around signing backs playing in the super league we are well and truly rogered.

 

[Rowdy12]

Hahaha has anyone blowing up actually watched Mavoni in anything other then the highlights video? The bloke takes about 3 hit ups a game. Also had off field problems. He’s probably the 4th best prop in the lower grades.

 

[rihannafan1]

Mavoni Taufua - rumours he has gone blue and white

Anybody know?

Hope not.... would be spewing...

Pole is a very good young prop.

Yep. But since the emphasis is on developing our youth we need to keep the good ones like Taufua. He is raw and seems to have a lot of attitude but he is a beast.

 

[tony soprano]

Does anyone think we will announce a signing this week before deadline or are most people thinking we will just upgrade internally ? It just blows my mind that we have all this money but can not sign anyone and not even talking about top line players. Some of the big clubs have players not even playing and watching from the bench and they would be a starter with us.

Internal

That's worrying

 

[TillLindemann]

Any further word on Innes Senior, the big English winger/centre? Not so fussed on his brother, but Innes would be a good pick up.

This isn't meant to be bagging your suggestion at all but if our recruitment is centred around signing backs playing in the super league we are well and truly rogered.

All good, I understand that most on here are less keen than me on English signings, especially backs.
But I think that it is a good approach to look there, as even if the ESL is generally below the NRL, is still produces stars as we see with the likes of Burgess, Graham and our Ellis. And I think if you are prepared to move to the other side of the world, for equal or lesser pay, to test yourself in the NRL it already means you have the right attitude. In other words, there might be a few Poms who come over and fail due to not being good enough, but there won't be many who come over and fail because they're too lazy and more interested in opporto.

 

[Wildcat777]

Wow whats this thread about? Thankfully all in here thatvget really side tracked are not involved with the Football Club.

 

[avocadoontoast]

Any further word on Innes Senior, the big English winger/centre? Not so fussed on his brother, but Innes would be a good pick up.

This isn't meant to be bagging your suggestion at all but if our recruitment is centred around signing backs playing in the super league we are well and truly rogered.

All good, I understand that most on here are less keen than me on English signings, especially backs.
But I think that it is a good approach to look there, as even if the ESL is generally below the NRL, is still produces stars as we see with the likes of Burgess, Graham and our Ellis. And I think if you are prepared to move to the other side of the world, for equal or lesser pay, to test yourself in the NRL it already means you have the right attitude. In other words, there might be a few Poms who come over and fail due to not being good enough, but there won't be many who come over and fail because they're too lazy and more interested in opporto.

My view is that English forwards are really good, and i'd be very keen to pick up a few back rowers and middles from there. But their backs have a terrible record here. Ryan Hall is leading try scorer over in the ESL this year and scored zero tries in 2 years here. Sam Tompkins failed badly and so did Zak Hardaker. These are three of the top backs over in the ESL and they were all badly outclassed in the NRL.

 

[balmain boy]

Does anyone think we will announce a signing this week before deadline or are most people thinking we will just upgrade internally ? It just blows my mind that we have all this money but can not sign anyone and not even talking about top line players. Some of the big clubs have players not even playing and watching from the bench and they would be a starter with us.

Internal

Well we've got about 400k to spend on someone this season, for a few months work. Lots of options out there, just gotta get someone over the line!

It would be incredibly insulting to the members if we promote internally given the resources we have available to offer someone to join us now.

 

[TillLindemann]

Any further word on Innes Senior, the big English winger/centre? Not so fussed on his brother, but Innes would be a good pick up.

This isn't meant to be bagging your suggestion at all but if our recruitment is centred around signing backs playing in the super league we are well and truly rogered.

All good, I understand that most on here are less keen than me on English signings, especially backs.
But I think that it is a good approach to look there, as even if the ESL is generally below the NRL, is still produces stars as we see with the likes of Burgess, Graham and our Ellis. And I think if you are prepared to move to the other side of the world, for equal or lesser pay, to test yourself in the NRL it already means you have the right attitude. In other words, there might be a few Poms who come over and fail due to not being good enough, but there won't be many who come over and fail because they're too lazy and more interested in opporto.

My view is that English forwards are really good, and i'd be very keen to pick up a few back rowers and middles from there. But their backs have a terrible record here. Ryan Hall is leading try scorer over in the ESL this year and scored zero tries in 2 years here. Sam Tompkins failed badly and so did Zak Hardaker. These are three of the top backs over in the ESL and they were all badly outclassed in the NRL.

I think Ryan Hall would have killed it if he came over here in his early to mid 20s. He always matched it with Aussies and Kiwis in international matches. He was I think 32 when he joined the Roosters, and was nowhere near as fast as he used to be.

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

Our signings record over the past couple of years has been abysmal. The two teams I think we're most like in terms of size, reputation, location etc are the Bulldogs and Sharks. Both teams have completely outgunned WT in the quality of their signings this year. It has become an embarrassment how we are consistently out-manoeuvred time after time for quality players. Surely at some point this will have an effect on retention of WT fans and sponsors and ultimately on retaining our own quality players. I can't imagine the likes of Stefano and Simpkin wanting to stay with a club which is a consistent non-performer. Put simply, something has to change if we are to change botrh the perception and reality of our club's performances on and off the field.
Not much point having a whinge without proposing a solution. Here's mine:
a) get rid of Hartigan. We have stuffed up too many recruitments. I'm sure he was a great recruiter at Easts. But it's not that hard to recruit players to Easts because they desperately want to go there and will go there for less money than clubs like WT. His style just doesn't work with a club like ours.
b) get rid of Maguire. The players don't respond to him and he's had more than enough time to get better results than he's getting. Nice guy but he's part of the problem and will not be part of the solution. I'd sign Flanagan in a heartbeat. He knows how to coach and will have a better chance of attracting quality players. I think the mere fact that we make the switch to Flanagan will change the dynamic for WT and will open us up for business with better quality players. I know plenty of forum members have no time for Flanagan but he's a winner and I would ensure his contract had strong behavioural clauses in it.
c) get rid of Pascoe. He's been at WT for long enough to improve the culture of the club and he just hasn't been successful. He just does not have the vibe of a COE. His position would be the easiest of the three to recruit to, there would be a good field of applicants.
d) Once those three changes have been made I'd have Sheens and Flanagan go through the playing roster and get rid of / pay out any player that doesn't fit with the culture and uncompromising playing style that the new WT represents.
Once those changes have been made I think players would be more willing to come and play with us but it could take three years to build a finals-ready roster. I'd be prepared to wait.

Flanagan attracted players by breaking the salary cap. CHEAT

I know you don't like the guy. Fair enough, I don't either. But, give me a totally honest answer here - would you take Bellamy if he was willing to come?

I would take Bellamy, I'd also take Flanagan if it wasn't for his inability to look after the welfare of his players.

So it's not the salary cap cheating that's the deal breaker with Flanagan, it's the peptide stuff. Not downplaying it, just trying to clarify.

I don't think you can use his record as a coach to advocate for his signing as he hasn't proven he can coach without cheating, Bellamy has shown he can do it without cheating since then. Though if it was just cap cheating I would be willing to give Flanagan a go, the major problem for me is his inability to do what I believe is the number 1 priority of a coach and that is protect the welfare of their players.

Drug cheating is unforgiveable to me, Stuart O'Grady was close to my most respected sportsperson until the day he admitted to performance enhancing drugs. I saw him on TV again this morning and I was disgusted that he would be given a platform to earn an income from sport.

I'm interested in the forum's view on player welfare. In my view, Maguire has form in this area. What is the difference?

Keeping an injured player on field is not even remotely the same as putting your players through a routine doping programme, especially if you believe the claim that the players didn't know what they were being given. The fact that you try to even equate the two reinforces the opinion that you have an agenda. Are you telling us that Sam didn't want to stay on the field and win the GF as well? Never once has he complained about being kept on.

If you want to complain about Maguire's attitude toward player welfare because he didn't take a player that was injured off once and then in the same breath advocate that he's equally as bad as a coach who has been done for doping, cap cheating and breaching bans all within the space of a few years then it's very clear you have a set against him. You also have repeatedly stated that Morris would be a good alternative, while he was playing under Flanagan at the Sharks during the years they were doping.

Refer my comments in earlier post. What happened at Cronulla and leaving badly injured players on the field are in my opinion unacceptable. Please confirm that you have the same view.

I am not sure what Morris has to do with this but I suspect it be nothing more than a look over there tactic.

Leaving a badly injured player on the field is not acceptable. To try to even equate that to the wrongdoings of Flanagan as a coach isn't acceptable either.

Neither are acceptable.

They are not equatible either, so stop pretending that they are.

According to you? I needed a laugh for today.

Not as funny as one player playing with a knee injury being compared to multiple years of cap cheating, and administering a doping programme.

I'd love to know what Madge did to facilitate the type of mental gymnastics you're employing.

The standard you walk past is the standard you accept. 2016 David Morrison Australian of the year.

My standards are different to yours.

Yes, your standards are different to mine, they're double standards.

You've advocated for one of the players who played under him during the doping scandal to be our coach after he was sacked for another unproven first grade coach.

Standards indeed.

 

[Guest]

I would be disappointed if we have lost Mavoni, with the junior development systems now being put in place, it would have been obvious he is one to keep. Had the opportunity to train with FG last off-season so he's obviously rated by the club.

Pole is another very good prospect - not particularly tall - built more like Tom Amone, but he's mobile and will hopefully end up in FG with us in the next 2-3 years. The Saukuru brothers are worth keeping an eye on - they've got size and talent.

 

[jrtiger]

Hahaha has anyone blowing up actually watched Mavoni in anything other then the highlights video? The bloke takes about 3 hit ups a game. Also had off field problems. He’s probably the 4th best prop in the lower grades.

he has the explosiveness in both attack and defence to be a damaging, 25 minute stint prop off the bench that could switch momentum off his own back. he's not a workhouse, he's an impact forward, which is exactly what we need, especially with Stefano starting long term and Twal on the bench. the club had him training with first grade during pre-season as well, I'll back their judgement.

 

[avocadoontoast]

Any further word on Innes Senior, the big English winger/centre? Not so fussed on his brother, but Innes would be a good pick up.

This isn't meant to be bagging your suggestion at all but if our recruitment is centred around signing backs playing in the super league we are well and truly rogered.

All good, I understand that most on here are less keen than me on English signings, especially backs.
But I think that it is a good approach to look there, as even if the ESL is generally below the NRL, is still produces stars as we see with the likes of Burgess, Graham and our Ellis. And I think if you are prepared to move to the other side of the world, for equal or lesser pay, to test yourself in the NRL it already means you have the right attitude. In other words, there might be a few Poms who come over and fail due to not being good enough, but there won't be many who come over and fail because they're too lazy and more interested in opporto.

My view is that English forwards are really good, and i'd be very keen to pick up a few back rowers and middles from there. But their backs have a terrible record here. Ryan Hall is leading try scorer over in the ESL this year and scored zero tries in 2 years here. Sam Tompkins failed badly and so did Zak Hardaker. These are three of the top backs over in the ESL and they were all badly outclassed in the NRL.

I think Ryan Hall would have killed it if he came over here in his early to mid 20s. He always matched it with Aussies and Kiwis in international matches. He was I think 32 when he joined the Roosters, and was nowhere near as fast as he used to be.

I guess my point is he couldn't score a try here in two years and he's gone back as a 33 year old and is leading try scorer. I think our backs are vastly superior to theirs.