@momo_amp_medo said in [Signing Suggestions & Rumours](/post/1245088) said:
If we want a fullback than I would enter the race to get Suaalii’s signature.
This kid is special talent. You just need to look what benefit Knights got from identifying Kalyn Ponga early.
He is a Souths kid....
And the Wallabies...and Roosters want him...
The hottest prospect in either code....
Honestly, we would be zero chance of his manager even taking a call. Don't want to sound negative....but there is no way. We could offer double and still not get a meeting.
Preposterous. Money talks and he'd be a mug not to engage all legitimate parties.
What a stupid stupid comment you've made at the end there. Sorry, just stupid comments that players wouldn't engage Tigers at any cost.
We have signed NO current NSW or Kangaroo players ever in their prime. None. When was the last time any of us read "Current Kangaroo joins Wests Tigers".
Why? If money talks, we would have landed someone by now. Reality is most see us a bad option. When we land two current Kangaroos you can raise my comments again...I hope it is soon.
Not being negative...I just don't think players see us like they see other clubs. Even Canterbury, no matter how low, have always been able to sign rep players.
We signed an Origin player just 2 years ago - Moses Mbye. He played 3 Origins half a season after joining us. James Tamou is both an Origin and Kangaroo rep. Benji Marshall was NZ captain and played rep football after we signed him for a second time. Adam Blair was NZ rep and Gareth Ellis was a guaranteed England rep. Blah blah.
But if you want to be technical and say only "current" Australian rep players, being pedantic and excluding all Pacifica players and Kiwis, well if JAC signs then you have it.
Because I'll give you an interesting stat: of the 34 players that contested Origin III in 2019, 53% (18/34) have only ever played for one first grade club. Of the remaining 16 players, 10 of those (62.5%) have only ever played for 2 teams. And of those 10, 50% were not rep players when they were signed up by their second club.
From that sample it is clear that there is very little trading done in AUSTRALIAN rep-level players, and if it does occur, it's very common to be a single trade, i.e. moving to one club.
"When we land two current Kangaroos you can raise my comments again". You must be high to think teams go around signing on 2 current Kangaroos. Not even Roosters are doing that - future Kangaroos perhaps, but not multiple current ones.
Anyway you were talking about Suaalii who has done diddly squat in rugby league and my post was specifically in reference to that.
You are being negative, you are assuming to understand how players view Tigers, and I assume you haven't spoken to a single player about the topic (but please enlighten us if you have). We land lots of players all the time and many of them have rep experience. The issue for Tigers is not landing big-name players, the issue is getting maximum consistent performance out of a balanced side.
2 cases in point: Newcastle landed several "big name" players recently. Ponga was just a kid and a calculated risk, so he technically does not count as a "current rep player". Mitchell Pearce was not selected for Origin the year he signed for Newcastle. Klemmer was in Origin. Tim Glasby played Origin too though nobody trumpets that much.
Good for Newcastle, landing these "big fish", sum total output was to finish 11th in both 2018-2019, then make the finals and bomb out first go 2020. That is not a rousing case study the "signing of rep players" to be a cornerstone of your roster strategy.
Titans 2021 will also be a real test given the big-name talent they've landed - we can judge that in a year. However, Gold Coast already have some history of signing rep-level players and it has not resulted in any consistent success. In fact lots of those rep signings turned out rather poorly (here is a list, not all were poor): Jai Arrow, Dan Sargison, Tyrone Peachey, Shannon Boyd, Kallum Watkins, Jarrod Wallace, Koni Jurrell, Chris McQueen, Agnatius Paasi, David Shillington.
Didnt Roosters sign Teddy and Cronk in the same year? Both of them were Aus rep players.
But valid points, and all of them I pretty much agree with.
