I'd be going for his understudy Ronald Volkman
Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion
- Thread starter MacDougall
- Start date
I think he's currently in career best form. In saying that I would rather Volkman from the Warriors
innsaneink
Well-known member
Are any of the good young local juniors halves?
king_sirro
Well-known member
I dont think any of the "really highly rated" juniors are halfbacks. Large is the most highly rated junior we have and he is a 6. Some may say Alex Conti is rated high enough, maybe due to Fittler getting him into that future origin camp, but I'm not convinced he is a future star. He is a very good player, just not sure I see him stand out the way you imagine a young star to. That being said, he has continually nailed pressure moments year after year as a kid and has a big boot, so those 2 attributes are a hell of a place to start I guess. 17 this year.
This is just my summation, someone like King Robbie would be more accurate, but the following is my order of promise and position
1. Large, 5/8
2. De Silva, Hooker
3. Laulilii, lock
4. Miller, front row
5. Matamua, lock
6. Faagatu, lock, front row
7. Saukuru, centre
8. Conti, halfback
9. Isdale, halfback
10. Mason, fullback, Galvin, 5/8.
Many would have that order very different , and maybe other players in the top 10, but that's just my take.
Mighty_Tiger
Well-known member
I peoples views interesting on players and yes/no’s.
Right now we don’t have a single half or 5/8th signed for next year that will be fit round 1.
Schuster and Lomax form have been terrible and SJ funny enough has been great but yet its an absolutely not.
Realistically we need a stop gap for 2yrs and SJ would be better than Pearce & Townsend under the Shenji style of play. We won’t get Dodd next season so who else do we go after better than SJ?
If you're recruiting based on a patch of form (or lack of) you're doing it wrong.
SJ is playing well, but have you seen him the seasons prior. Patches of decent stuff, but he is well on a decline. Especially next year and the year after.
Schuster and Lomax have both shown they have what it takes, and plenty of time to get the best out of them in a new environment.
Mighty_Tiger
Well-known member
I think making a play for SJ or Volkman is a smart move pending what happens with Hook/Hunt over coming weeks. Either would be an uplift for next season.
I think we are the only club atm without anyone signed in the halves for next season (AD not counting with his injury).
Mighty_Tiger
Well-known member
I don’t disagree with you, I’m skeptical of SJ form & lets see how the season goes and teams work the Warriors out. In saying that if we nabbed all 3 I wouldn’t have an issue at all. We currently have worse and could do alot worse next season than having SJ and JS in the halves.
Lomax & Schuster have been all over the shop and the declines are very concerning though. Having Naden, Nofa and Lomax in the backline could be an utter disaster.
tigerballs
Well-known member
Helps to have Tommy T running onto his passes. His attempted tackle on Doorey was atrocious.
Galvin wasn't great in the Parra semi but was probably the best five-eighth in SG Ball this year, so would probably have him somewhere in the top three or four.
Would have Feledy somewhere too and I'm more of a Sukkar fan than most.
Ali Karnib is an outstanding wing/centre prospect too.
Regarding halfbacks, I agree though, not 100% sure if there's a clear-cut, guaranteed future NRL #7 already there in the system, although Conti seems to be the one with the most promise.
Would need to see more of Oliver Lawry (who's just returning from injury now) to get more of a read on his future potential but the club rates him highly (did a few sessions with NRL over pre-season).
Betterdays22
Well-known member
Can't believe he would actually come back to Aus. Maybe Tigers trying to force Warriors to make a decision re Volkman and he is the actual target.Sport Confidential: Wests Tigers target Warriors favourite Shaun Johnson in shock transfer move
In a move which throws massive doubt around the future of halfback Luke Brooks, the Wests Tigers are set to make a play for one of the competition’s biggest crowd pleasers.
Wests Tigers are considering making a shock play for Kiwi veteran Shaun Johnson in a move which would throw up question marks surrounding Luke Brooks’ future at the club.
The Tigers have made it known they want a controlling half having missed out on the likes of Mitchell Moses and Mitchell Pearce in recent weeks.
That has led to the unexpected interest in landing Johnson. Discussions have occurred between the parties with Johnson facing an uncertain future at the Warriors.
After a poor season last year there was little chance that Johnson would have been at the Warriors beyond this year.
But his stellar start to this season now has the Warriors reconsidering their position. He could earn about $700,000 if he returns to Australia.
One of the issues will be the second season of the deal. Johnson would be reluctant to relocate his young family to Australia for just one year.
Whether the Tigers would be keen on a second season or the parties discuss a potential option for 2025 remains to be seen.
It is also unclear if the Tigers shake-up in recruitment this week will change the negotiations.
The Tigers are after a short-term fix in time for some of their young halves to be ready for first grade. Johnson is the best experienced player on the market and at 32 has been rejuvenated this year.
There were calls for him to retire last year after a poor return to the Warriors after three seasons at Cronulla. He has thrived living back at home.
The Warriors are yet to open any meaningful dialogue but have not ruled out extending Johnson’s career. They do however have high hopes for Luke Metcalf and Ronald Volkman while Dylan Walker and Te Maire Martin are also contracted and more than capable of playing in the halves.
If Johnson opts to join the Tigers he would reunite with Benji Marshall – after he made his Kiwi debut playing in the halves with Marshall. Johnson’s career has followed a similar trajectory to that of Tigers coach in waiting Marshall with both transforming from carefree, attacking superstars to controlling halves.
Chad Townsend is another experienced playmaker but he has another 12 months to run on his deal with North Queensland. The Tigers will no doubt be among the clubs keeping an eye on Ben Hunt’s situation at the Dragons.
The St George Illawarra skipper appears certain to spend some time at hooker this weekend, a switch that is likely to test his patience with the club given he is already frustrated over the treatment of coach Anthony Griffin.
While Hunt has played representative football at hooker, he has always considered himself a halfback at club level. Hunt has also made no secret of his support for Griffin, who is expected to be moved on at season’s end.
It could prompt the likes of the Tigers and potentially the Bulldogs to test the resolve of the Dragons to hold onto Hunt, who has two more years on his contract at the Dragons
What all this means for Brooks is unclear. Brooks, who produced his best performance this season against Penrith on Saturday, is still awaiting word from the club about his future.
The injured Adam Doueihi is the only half the Tigers have on their books next season with Brandon Wakeham also a free agent.
I thought the plan is to have Galvin transition into 2nd row?
king_sirro
Well-known member
Oh I forgot about Feledy
Probably is but he just hasn't filled out as quickly as some of the others his age.
Hence why he played five-eighth this year + why he hasn't trained with the NRL squad yet when Da Silva, Miller, Laulilii etc. have.
king_sirro
Well-known member
If that was a poor game from Galvin in the semi then he must be pretty good. I thought he went OK on the semi. Played the short side too much and there was too much defence there, but the way he went to the line and just the way he carried himself looked alright. I would have loved to see him roam a little, too much short side stuff that day. A little Scott Hill like?
tigerballs
Well-known member
I'm not sure about Feledy. I don't think he'll make NRL.
