Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[magpies forever]

I think it's a waste of a roster spot. That is the issue.

MIddle forwards:- Klemmer/Stef/Joe O/Pole/Twal/Blore/Seyfarth/Matamua.

Where do you play him ?

Suspect Seyfarth might be encouraged to explore options elsewhere

 

[loklok]

Hastings or Douhie won't take us there either don't you worry

I think it's a waste of a roster spot. That is the issue.

MIddle forwards:- Klemmer/Stef/Joe O/Pole/Twal/Blore/Seyfarth/Matamua.

Where do you play him ?

Woods offers no sting in defence .a serial flopper after other players do the damage .twal is the one who holds the middle coming off the bench

 

[diedpretty]

douhie at 13 worth a shot, defensive side of things could be a worry though

Personally i think its easier defending in the middle - admittedly you have to make more tackles but in most cases there are 2 other defenders to help out. Centre is a hard position in defence. You have to know when to slide out or when to push in. You have to be able to count numbers in the attacking line and i am convinced Douehi can't count given the number of times he dummys and goes alone with players umarked on the outside. I don't know where you play him -i'm not convinced he is a 6, or a centre.

 

[Tucker]

I reckon the signing of Ellery Hanley was the biggest signing ever for the Tigers .. 🙂

Yes he was a massive addition. Complete cheatery derailed his grand final contribution.

 

[Tucker]

Woods offers no sting in defence .a serial flopper after other players do the damage .twal is the one who holds the middle coming off the bench

Woods also never takes a tough carry. The vast majority of his runs are tackle 3 or 4.

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

Anyone know simpkin gonna stick around?

Contracted for 2023 and back in training with the squad from last week. For 2024, who knows!!!

 

[cktiger]

like others on here who are not a fan of Brooks I am able to express I am not a big Hastings fan no crime in that.
Merely stating 7 clubs in 11 years over 2 competitions
I am sure it will go well at Newcastle with Hastings ponga,ponga's old man and Adam O'Brien

You realise he only had problems at one club.
The last clubs he has been to loved him.. as did their fans.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Does he currently play for the Tigers or do we need to sign Lebanese Lover ?

AD

 

[cktiger]

So.... You're comparing Brooks to the best 3 Halves in the last 20 years?
- There's your problem.
No one is comparing him to them, And yes - We'd all prefer to have them playing for us.

News flash Dennis - There's only one of each of those guys, And they play for other teams.

The 4 years you pointed out - We had Woods, Galloway (Done) And Ava (Ordinary) as our primary Props yeah? Marty was not here long enough - Nor Gavet to have any real impact.
And the 4 years you pointed out, How old was Brooks early 20's - 20-40 Games?
And he's supposed to do what at that age? What were Cronk and Thurston doing at that age?

- And you think anyone whos' opinion isn't your defeats their own argument.

Who were the Back Rowers Dennis - And what Level players were they?
Furthermore, Let me know the last team that won the come without rep players in the back row...
Have we had a decent rep back rower since Ellis Dennis (And don't say Leilua or Tuilagi)

You confuse your opinion on a player and those differing as fandom....
There's 17 teams in the comp Dennis - And about half as many top line / rep halves....
Unfortunately, Not everyone is going to get one....

What you need to do, Is accept we're not going to get/have the best player in every position....
It will really free up your day.
Brooks is the best half at the club, has been for some time - And until we have another one...
Or there's potential to have one.....
We are where we are.

Lol- he wasn’t the best half at the club this year… are you forgetting they moved him out of the position and then moved him back only so Hastings could do two jobs ( one of them his)?
He’s a perennial loser… can’t wait for his bullet passes back on the inside tor our forwards to drop.

 

[earl]

Talk to you next year to see how its worked out.

We have to wait and see what happens. For once maybe we perform better than expectations.

I've been critical of Sheens so far but he has made some significant changes and they were required. I'm not really worried about Brooks. He isn't as bad as the bashers make out. He is the target of the team being ordinary because he has been our 7. Hopefully on lower dollars with a better team around him he'll go okay.

The thing is you have to adjust your expectations. Brooks isn't Andrew Johns or Clearly or Thurston.

 

[Tucker]

Woods on a cheap and short contract , could be value as a mentor. I watched most of his games last year, and although he was not the player he used to be, he was valuable',. With the big bodies today, you need big bodies in defence. It slows their play the ball, saps their energy, plus he can offload, which Tigers forwards can;t ,. Him and klemmer interchanging makes sense. I'm 50/50 to be honest, but i think his heart has always been with the club, (wait for the hate!)

The guy is a bludger.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

and Douehi at 13 - that will give him the poos and he might leave as well. Seriously though i think Douehi would make a reasonable 13. Big Body, good ball skills, can break tackles, a lot easier defending in the middle compared to centre where his reads are often hopeless.

Prob better in the centres. Less defence.
Needs a solid preseason learning how to put his shoulders into tackling. Serial arm grabber

 

[earl]

I don't know where you play him -i'm not convinced he is a 6, or a centre.

I think he is an edge backrower if he gets his defense right but I suppose that is the same for whatever position you play him in.

He is becoming a massive disappointment. He has shown more ability to make a bust than any player we have but he has so many flaws in his game.

Maybe Sheens can get him playing well but his ideas about playing in the halves and earning top dollar makes me think we'd be better off just letting him go.

 

[The-moP]

Did someone say big Ken mite be a medical retirement because of his knee ?

It was reported about a month ago that he carried a knee injury most of the 2022 season .. and that he underwent knee surgery at seasons end. It read that Ken will take the offseason to monitor his options and to evaluate the injury to his knee .. and a medical retirement was one of his options if the knee didnt work out properly. I havent seen him in any of the preseason pics as yet .. though most of the pics are of the trial and train players at this stage. I think the NRL squad has just returned this week .. and those involved with the World Cup squads return a few weeks later.

 

[gregjm87]

Cannot understand how you brooks supporters cannot admit that he is a half with no great ability.

So if thurston had not had good forwards, or cronk or cleary, then they would have been as bad as brooks.

You brooks fanatics defeat your own argument, you are blaming the forwards because brooks cant play.
And when I point out that in that 4 year period we had good forwards,
You then start to argue that those forwards weren't that good.

if he is as good as you say, will the forwards sheens has set up be good enough in your mind to allow brooks to perform like the champion you brooks supporters say he is. ????????

Talk to you next year to see how its worked out.

I've never claimed he is a champion. I think that we do not know how good he could be because he has never had a decent pack. But I think he has enough talent to perform well in a good team.
We don't know if Thurston, Cronk, Cleary would perform behind poor forward packs. They've rarely had to. I think they would still perform better than Brooks has, but not by much
Will the new look pack be enough? Well, first they need to perform to their potential. Is Bateman really coming and if so is he still an elite backrower or is his body breaking down and he a shadow of his former self? Will Papallii have the motivation to perform in a side he reportedly didn't want to be in? Can Utoikamanu perform to the expectation we had of him post 2021 or will he continue the struggles he had in 2022. Most importantly will our starting pack stay on the field or will injuries/suspensions mean we are relying heavily on a bunch of kids?

If the forwards do in fact perform to their abilities then yes they are good enough that Brooks should thrive. If the forwards perform to their abilities and Brooks does not perform I will be happy to attribute blame to him. But, I won't blame the results on a halfback that is playing behind a poor pack as Brooks has his whole career.

And back to my original question what did you rate about the pack in that 4 year period? I argue they weren't that good because they weren't. I would love to see an argument that they were.
I think I read yesterday (can try to find confirmation later if you like) 2015 we ranked 15th for running metres. Then the pack imo got worse in 2016 and 2017.

 

[Jedi_Tiger]

Lol- he wasn’t the best half at the club this year… are you forgetting they moved him out of the position and then moved him back only so Hastings could do two jobs ( one of them his)?
He’s a perennial loser… can’t wait for his bullet passes back on the inside tor our forwards to drop.

Sheens and Marshall believe he is a better proposition in the halves that Hastings for 2023

 

[Telltails]

like others on here who are not a fan of Brooks I am able to express I am not a big Hastings fan no crime in that.
Merely stating 7 clubs in 11 years over 2 competitions
I am sure it will go well at Newcastle with Hastings ponga,ponga's old man and Adam O'Brien

Your perogative to dislike Hastings - and hard to resist merely stating something to justify your dislike for Hastings that might imply to anyone who also dislikes Hastings that there was more to him leaving than a good business deal. I got it the first time.

 

[Jedi_Tiger]

We have to wait and see what happens. For once maybe we perform better than expectations.

I've been critical of Sheens so far but he has made some significant changes and they were required. I'm not really worried about Brooks. He isn't as bad as the bashers make out. He is the target of the team being ordinary because he has been our 7. Hopefully on lower dollars with a better team around him he'll go okay.

The thing is you have to adjust your expectations. Brooks isn't Andrew Johns or Clearly or Thurston.

would be nice in 2024 to get Moses or George Williams and play Brooks as a 6
2023 does not leave many options other than Brooks at 7

 

[loklok]

So.... You're comparing Brooks to the best 3 Halves in the last 20 years?
- There's your problem.
No one is comparing him to them, And yes - We'd all prefer to have them playing for us.

News flash Dennis - There's only one of each of those guys, And they play for other teams.

The 4 years you pointed out - We had Woods, Galloway (Done) And Ava (Ordinary) as our primary Props yeah? Marty was not here long enough - Nor Gavet to have any real impact.
And the 4 years you pointed out, How old was Brooks early 20's - 20-40 Games?
And he's supposed to do what at that age? What were Cronk and Thurston doing at that age?

- And you think anyone whos' opinion isn't your defeats their own argument.

Who were the Back Rowers Dennis - And what Level players were they?
Furthermore, Let me know the last team that won the come without rep players in the back row...
Have we had a decent rep back rower since Ellis Dennis (And don't say Leilua or Tuilagi)

You confuse your opinion on a player and those differing as fandom....
There's 17 teams in the comp Dennis - And about half as many top line / rep halves....
Unfortunately, Not everyone is going to get one....

What you need to do, Is accept we're not going to get/have the best player in every position....
It will really free up your day.
Brooks is the best half at the club, has been for some time - And until we have another one...
Or there's potential to have one.....
We are where we are.

That's y we need a back up half .

 

[earl]

Brooks is the best half at the club, has been for some time - And until we have another one...
Or there's potential to have one.....

I think Hastings was better last year but everything else you stated is spot on. The difference between Brooks and Hastings isn't much either. It's more the style they play. Hastings is an organizer in the middle whereas Brooks plays on an edge.