Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[TSP]

My take on the latest @THE_POM update:

- Good news on those juniors signed up. If we can add Solomone Saukuru & Lachlan Galvin out of our Harold Matts, that would be fantastic. I would think Solomone would stay with his brothers & dad at the club.

- I wonder whether The POM means Jahream Bula (rather than CJ Mundine). Mundine has showed little from what I have seen unless he wows them on the training paddock. Bula is a good talent with some exciting athletic attributes.

- Our priority should be the extensions for Hastings & Offa first which is what the club is working on.

- Doueihi is rolling the dice. If he dishes up more of last week, I can only see his value staying the same or dropping. I know the Club wants to invest in our own but if we can GO HARD for and land Dylan Brown for 2024, that would be a game changer. I honestly think we'd be able to offer Brown the most $$$, his desire to stay in western Sydney and with his relationship with Benji, we are the only threat to the Eels.

- Crossland would be a good backup halfback (instead of Madden) in case of injury to Brooks. Some forum members think it would be terrible but these are the players you need in a squad. Low cost, backup & position specialists.

- I hope we still go for John Bateman and try to get this done asap. Maybe a Peachey, Liddle or another we would like to release could come into the negotiations for Wigan.

- If not Bateman, I'd get Jack Murchie. If it's Murchie, I'd still go for Liam Martin or Teig Wilton for 2024.

- Depending on what Sheens wants or knows he's going to get for our backrow, I don't think we'd go for Charlie Staines if it would jeopardise getting Liam Martin.

- I would be confident Spencer Leniu is on our hitlist depending on his price tag. Otherwise possibly Toafofoa Sipley or our own Aitasi James (he should be a T&T in offseason in my opinion).

- Ricky Leutele from Super League, is an experienced powerful centre who would be on our radar.

- I personally think sanity will prevail & Tumeth will re-sign. Best for his career in my opinion.

Spencer and Ricky as a minimum.

This development ethos sounds great, but unless we can recruit marquee and developing marquee from other clubs, we will struggle.

 

[rihannafan1]

I doubt O'Kane will be here next year either.

Why you say that? Surely he's in the club's plans.

 

[tony soprano]

I believe that Newcastle will be going after Brooks or Adam D.
That’s probably why Adam is not signing anything at the moment.Just waiting for their offer.

Like Greg Alexander said what hope do you have if your hope is Brooks (or Douehi) turning your season around .

 

[diedpretty]

They buy first then make it work later. So basically they overspend then offload players to make the new player fit.

Thats how it appears. I fail to see why the NRL allow it. Its a a stupid system that allows a club to sign a player 12 months in advance. IMO you should only be allowed to sign that player if you can prove to the NRL that those funds are available - not some lame hail mary excuse that you intend to get rid of contracted players in 12 months time to accommodate them. I would love to see them miss out on Kikau becasue they couldn't offload players and he turns around and sues them for breach of contract.

 

[Cobarcats]

and sues them for breach of contract.

It's going to have to take something like this to stop the rot.

 

[GCfan]

The dogs are literally the roosters at this point how are they able to get all this players

Maybe Laundy gives all the upper end players bar jobs and the glass rack is full of brown paper bags 🙄

 

[GCfan]

He wants to stay

But at the price he wants?

 

[momo_amp_medo]

Brent Read article in todaysTelegraph

TIGERS NEED TO HUNT BRIGHTEST NRL STARS
WESTS SHOULD BE APPLAUDED FOR TRYING TO LAND A MARQUEE PLAYER THEY CAN BUILD BATTLING JOINT-VENTURE CLUB AROUND

THE Wests Tigers are coming from a very low base. So the only thing they can do is aim high. That said, it seems the Tigers are aiming very high in their quest to fast-track their rebuild and end a finals drought that stretches back a decade.
Good on them. No use trying to escape mediocrity by recruiting average players. The Tigers have made that mistake for far too long.
Tigers officials insist reports of a $7 million offer to Storm star Cameron Munster this week were wide of the mark.
Contact was made though and others will tell you the Tigers were quietly confident they were in with a chance at one point, only for Melbourne to respond with a multimillion-dollar deal of their own that gave Munster fresh food for thought.
Munster is the latest big name to seemingly attract interest from the Tigers. People close to the club are said to have informally reached out to James Tedesco and Mitchell Moses to gauge whether they would be interested in returning home at some point in the future.
One or both would revolutionise the club. Their signatures would shift the needle. They’re big names and local juniors. Nothing wrong with buying back the farm. It won’t be easy.
Both are well paid and playing finals football. Joining a struggling club in the midst of a rebuild wouldn’t seem that alluring.
In Tedesco’s case, he has two years remaining on his deal but there is a logjam forming at the Roosters for the No.1 jersey and as good as Tedesco is, at some point in the future age will tell and Joseph Suaalii will go past him.
The Tigers clearly sense an opportunity.
The same applies to Moses, whose talks with Parramatta over a new deal have been delayed until after the season, meaning there is every chance he could head to November 1 unsigned.
If he does, expect the Tigers to weigh in with a monster deal. While they are at it, perhaps it is time to take advantage of the slow negotiations at St George Illawarra to make a play for Ben Hunt.
The Dragons captain is coming to the end of a stunning season that is likely to result in him taking home the Dally M medal. It is richly deserved.
He has one year remaining on his deal with the Dragons and negotiations have slowed after the club made an initial offer, believed to be worth $1.45m over two years.
Hunt has instructed his representatives to put off talks until after the season is over but the Tigers have the ability to blow the Dragons out of the water.
It’s worth some thought, particularly if Luke Brooks isn’t keen on staying at the club. Hunt would provide leadership and direction. He would send a message to the rest of the NRL that the Tigers are ready to mix it with the big boys.
Significantly, the Tigers play the Dragons at CommBank Stadium on Sunday with a wooden spoon at stake. Hunt may help drive another stake into their season. With a bit of luck and a splash of cash, he may help pull them out of their hole as well.
The Tigers will already be better next season with the addition of Api Koroisau and Isaiah Papali’i.
The Eels have stepped up their attempts to sign a back rower, suggesting they realise they are fighting a losing battle in their attempts to keep Papali’i.
The Tigers need to surround Koroisau and Papali’i with class and quality. They are taking their time with new deals for Daine Laurie, Jackson Hastings and Adam Doueihi, cognisant of the fact that the trio have been key players in a side that has struggled to make an impact this season.
The Tigers need a star. A superstar. A circuit-breaker. Hunt fits the bill. It won’t be easy to climb the ladder. The past decade has shown that.
Nothing wrong with aiming high though.
THE queue at South Sydney training on Monday was at least 10 deep. The entire Rabbitohs first grade squad took a seat in the grandstand but the frothing media wanted a moment with one player.
Sure, you can debate whether Latrell Mitchell is the best player in the game right now, but it is hard to dispute he is its biggest star.
Mitchell accommodated most requests. He did it with a smile on his face. He sat there for over an hour and stayed long after his teammates had left. When Mitchell is in the mood, he is one of the most engaging players in the game. Not just a spokesman for Indigenous people, but for a generation of young Australians who are confronting a world where social media has become both a help and a hindrance.
Mitchell is prolific on it, promoting both his club and himself.
It has come at a cost at times but Mitchell has held his most radical and vitriolic critics to account.
He has refused to be silenced and rugby league is the better for it. So too South Sydney, who are locked in talks with Mitchell’s camp over a new deal that could send his earnings north of $1 million a season.
He is worth every cent. Mitchell is box office. He is adored by Rabbitohs fans. He is a magnet for eyeballs. His return bout with the Sydney Roosters in a week will be required viewing.
He is unfiltered and unafraid. Most of all, he is unerringly brilliant. Rugby league is much the better for having him.

 

[Roar_Power]

What's the situation with Freebairn and Dias for 2023? Hopefully not top 30...

 

[WT2K]

Barry Toohey (knights jurno) info via knights forum.

 

[PJ2]

I believe the children are our future....

 

[GCfan]

I believe the children are our future....

You can teach them well but you gotta let them lead the way (as Jack Black would say) 🤪

 

[TSP]

Brent Read article in todaysTelegraph

TIGERS NEED TO HUNT BRIGHTEST NRL STARS
WESTS SHOULD BE APPLAUDED FOR TRYING TO LAND A MARQUEE PLAYER THEY CAN BUILD BATTLING JOINT-VENTURE CLUB AROUND

THE Wests Tigers are coming from a very low base. So the only thing they can do is aim high. That said, it seems the Tigers are aiming very high in their quest to fast-track their rebuild and end a finals drought that stretches back a decade.
Good on them. No use trying to escape mediocrity by recruiting average players. The Tigers have made that mistake for far too long.
Tigers officials insist reports of a $7 million offer to Storm star Cameron Munster this week were wide of the mark.
Contact was made though and others will tell you the Tigers were quietly confident they were in with a chance at one point, only for Melbourne to respond with a multimillion-dollar deal of their own that gave Munster fresh food for thought.
Munster is the latest big name to seemingly attract interest from the Tigers. People close to the club are said to have informally reached out to James Tedesco and Mitchell Moses to gauge whether they would be interested in returning home at some point in the future.
One or both would revolutionise the club. Their signatures would shift the needle. They’re big names and local juniors. Nothing wrong with buying back the farm. It won’t be easy.
Both are well paid and playing finals football. Joining a struggling club in the midst of a rebuild wouldn’t seem that alluring.
In Tedesco’s case, he has two years remaining on his deal but there is a logjam forming at the Roosters for the No.1 jersey and as good as Tedesco is, at some point in the future age will tell and Joseph Suaalii will go past him.
The Tigers clearly sense an opportunity.
The same applies to Moses, whose talks with Parramatta over a new deal have been delayed until after the season, meaning there is every chance he could head to November 1 unsigned.
If he does, expect the Tigers to weigh in with a monster deal. While they are at it, perhaps it is time to take advantage of the slow negotiations at St George Illawarra to make a play for Ben Hunt.
The Dragons captain is coming to the end of a stunning season that is likely to result in him taking home the Dally M medal. It is richly deserved.
He has one year remaining on his deal with the Dragons and negotiations have slowed after the club made an initial offer, believed to be worth $1.45m over two years.
Hunt has instructed his representatives to put off talks until after the season is over but the Tigers have the ability to blow the Dragons out of the water.
It’s worth some thought, particularly if Luke Brooks isn’t keen on staying at the club. Hunt would provide leadership and direction. He would send a message to the rest of the NRL that the Tigers are ready to mix it with the big boys.
Significantly, the Tigers play the Dragons at CommBank Stadium on Sunday with a wooden spoon at stake. Hunt may help drive another stake into their season. With a bit of luck and a splash of cash, he may help pull them out of their hole as well.
The Tigers will already be better next season with the addition of Api Koroisau and Isaiah Papali’i.
The Eels have stepped up their attempts to sign a back rower, suggesting they realise they are fighting a losing battle in their attempts to keep Papali’i.
The Tigers need to surround Koroisau and Papali’i with class and quality. They are taking their time with new deals for Daine Laurie, Jackson Hastings and Adam Doueihi, cognisant of the fact that the trio have been key players in a side that has struggled to make an impact this season.
The Tigers need a star. A superstar. A circuit-breaker. Hunt fits the bill. It won’t be easy to climb the ladder. The past decade has shown that.
Nothing wrong with aiming high though.
THE queue at South Sydney training on Monday was at least 10 deep. The entire Rabbitohs first grade squad took a seat in the grandstand but the frothing media wanted a moment with one player.
Sure, you can debate whether Latrell Mitchell is the best player in the game right now, but it is hard to dispute he is its biggest star.
Mitchell accommodated most requests. He did it with a smile on his face. He sat there for over an hour and stayed long after his teammates had left. When Mitchell is in the mood, he is one of the most engaging players in the game. Not just a spokesman for Indigenous people, but for a generation of young Australians who are confronting a world where social media has become both a help and a hindrance.
Mitchell is prolific on it, promoting both his club and himself.
It has come at a cost at times but Mitchell has held his most radical and vitriolic critics to account.
He has refused to be silenced and rugby league is the better for it. So too South Sydney, who are locked in talks with Mitchell’s camp over a new deal that could send his earnings north of $1 million a season.
He is worth every cent. Mitchell is box office. He is adored by Rabbitohs fans. He is a magnet for eyeballs. His return bout with the Sydney Roosters in a week will be required viewing.
He is unfiltered and unafraid. Most of all, he is unerringly brilliant. Rugby league is much the better for having him.

Thanks for posting.

Hunt would be ok, but I’d take a bunch of other players over him.

Read has conveniently forgotten that Lats felt it was more important to smash his mates face into a million pieces ( and hurt his career) than help Souths win a premiership.

In my honest view, he’s a bit twisted in the head to do that, I can’t forgive him anyway.

He’s not the best player in the game, that’s Yeo at the moment. Yeo is consistently excellent, humble, a leader of men and cant quite hide his intelligence. 100 effort week in, week out.

He’s the type of marquee we desperately need. That’s ambitious, preposterous even, but I truly think he answers so many questions.

Special Ops Tigers Recruitment, whatever it takes. Bring home the fekking marquee bacon or don’t bother showing up for work tomorrow.

The days of cafe lattes and welfare checks on spent players without a club are over.

Swimming around in cash, we haven’t managed to sign anyone of note for almost a year and that was Madge anyway. Even Harto dragged in Laurie, Stefano, Doogie… so of course he got sacked.

I guess we have “ development” recruiters at the moment.

I wonder which star r&r officials are making their way up through our recruitment and retention junior pen pusher pathways?

Maybe Gus has an idiot son who’s signing up our U12s, offering Pokémon games and grand theft auto XIII ( Camden valley way).

 

[tigerap]

Anyone know what happened to Liam Scolari?…he was supposedly a real flyer….and should be NRL ready by now ….he has not been mentioned

 

[TurnStyle]

Brown would be a coup. Wouldn't mind him at all.

I'm very disheartened to read Ofahengaue is unlikely to stay, but can't say I'm surprised.

I think he's been a massive standout this season and I would love to have him in the pack with Api, Papi and Crapi.... Sorry, I mean someone like Martin. Even Hunt from the Sharks would be a very handy signing.

Just one more quality forward and the young guys will continue to come along in leaps and bounds. Hopefully.

I've said it many times, but if I were head of recruitment I would go very hard for Rueben Garrick. He's far better than Laurie (imo) and one of the best conversion kickers in the comp. I'd seriously offer him $700k a year because he vastly improves two very important aspects I think the tigers are sorely lacking in, and have been for too long.

Now I think about it, he'd probably be the best centre at the club too!

And yes, that much money; To Manly he is worth well short of that because he's just a goal kicking winger. Same as for all of the other teams who have great fullbacks and kickers.

It's all about what the side needs and as far as I can see, in Garrick they'd cover those two areas way better than currently and he gets to play fullback, for fullback money.

*Apologies to Laurie fans!

 

[pawsandclaws1]

Anyone know what happened to Liam Scolari?…he was supposedly a real flyer….and should be NRL ready by now ….he has not been mentioned

Injured.

 

[Tigers_Wests]

Anyone know what happened to Liam Scolari?…he was supposedly a real flyer….and should be NRL ready by now ….he has not been mentioned

Did his ACL in pre season.

 

[TSP]

Brent Read has lost all credibility.


This is the real Latrell Mitchell and this is the result of his grub footy.


Mr Read has concluded that the game is “ much the better for having him”

That’s not the evidence, that’s spin and lying.

Read is a seal clapping cretin of the highest order.

Don’t read or believe anything he says. It will give you irreversible brain damage.

Latrell is clown, a stomping, self loathing, man child boofhead trying to be a modern day Greg Inglis. Worlds apart.

A Lamborghini v Lada comparison.

Thank goodness we have forums like this to resolve these matters.


Full shoulder to the face, arm back, not trying to tackle.


Grubs over him, Manu vulnerable and defensive.

The pathetic sight of roosters players running past or staring in ghoulish fashion instead of defending their own.

For all our problems, despite our differences, we can all agree that no Wests Tiger would ever be left behind like this.

 

[finnzo]

Brent Read has lost all credibility.

View attachment 2421
This is the real Latrell Mitchell and this is the result of his grub footy.

View attachment 2422
Mr Read has concluded that the game is “ much the better for having him”

That’s not the evidence, that’s spin and lying.

Read is a seal clapping cretin of the highest order.

Don’t read or believe anything he says. It will give you irreversible brain damage.

Latrell is clown, a stomping, self loathing, man child boofhead trying to be a modern day Greg Inglis. Worlds apart.

A Lamborghini v Lada comparison.

Thank goodness we have forums like this to resolve these matters.

View attachment 2423
Full shoulder to the face, arm back, not trying to tackle.

View attachment 2424
Grubs over him, Manu vulnerable and defensive.

The pathetic sight of roosters players running past in ghoulish fashion instead of defending their own.

For all our problems, let’s be honest, no Tiger would ever be left behind like this.

Yeah it would be horrible if he was in our team haha it’s rugby league mate you need aggressive characters in the game it’s what makes it great to watch

 

[Stevec]

For those with a historical bent Balmain played various home games at Birchgrove Oval 1908-1942,Drummoyne Oval 1932-34 and LO from 1934 - present day. LO went from a round cricket oval to current configuration in 1970s.

Are you the Hal Browne I remember playing center for Balmain and scoring tries for fun at Leichardt Oval all those decades ago ?