Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[DUCK]

I guess we'd only make a play for Connor Tracey if we could secure him for next season. Not sure if any of our 'available' players would interest the Sharks for them to release him early.

We may enquire about Turuva but I would put $100-1 on him leaving the Panthers. He seems indebted to them for the support the club provided after a family tragedy & I think their 'brotherhood' will see him accept unders when the time comes.

Taylan May is an interesting one! Has yet to be part of a Panthers GF team, the last two years due to injury. Panthers will have Turuva, Tago, McLean, To'o, Alamoti & May fighting for 4 outside back spots. BUT reports have suggested Tago & Alamoti could be converted to the backrow in time. If Luai re-signs, then we could offer May much more (but again does the brotherhood reign supreme).

Personally I'd be going hard for Dane Gagai offering him an extra year for more money than the Knights. Newcastle will have Best, Marzhew, Tom Jenkins (from Penrith), Tuala & the two Poms as possible outside back options. Maybe AJ Kepaoa would interest them as an exchange.

Your post lost me at Dane Gagai.

 

[Bigscreentv]

The

The old aged pensioner lady from down the road with a guide dog would be light years ahead of flippers Kepoa in this team! 😉

True that. Although I don't think he's that bad as a bench backrower, just got a centre, and not a wingers' little toe! I think the coaching staff know this and only put him there out of necessity.

Here's an interesting one...play Tupou at centre long-term and try and sign some more wingers.

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

Your post lost me at Dane Gagai.

Reasoning, he brings experience & leadership to a young backline. Bringing in a player of his calibre instils confidence in players around him. Given his age, we'd only offer him 2 years so it would not halt the progress of future pathways talents (that 2 years should help the development of T'oa, Tupou, Feledy etc & also help progress fellow indigenous backs Naden & Reilly). He would help the club use up some of the salary cap we have to use. Yes he is prone to the odd error but is still quick & a good tackle-breaker, fairly good defensively & these positives far outweigh the negatives I believe.

 

[Camel2281]

Might make getting Dane Gagai from Newcaslte even more possible? Though he did buy in the area and when he left Newcaslte he always planned to return to finish off his career / football retirement there.

Jenkins is a straight replacement for Dom Young

 

[Camel2281]

There’s a difference between going to a club because you have mates and them “getting in their ear” and telling the player how they should come to the club. And it shouldn’t happen either. Can you imagine the fit if an opposition player got in Bula’s ear?

Api is a relative of Turuva though

 

[Camel2281]

That’s where he has played his best footy so where would you put him genius

NSW Cup

 

[jadtiger]

Under 21 = Reserve Grade = First grade.
meat pie , hot dog , can cold beer , Rain hail,or shine

I remember the days when it was 1st grade 2nd grade and 3rd grade, Leichhardt Oval ran east/west and the grand final was played Saturday arvo.Change can be but is not always a good thing

 

[Odessa]

Now the Grand Final is over, I can't wait for Lee's "aggressive Recruitment Drive" to actually start. Should be some elite players heading to Concord 👀👀

Yes Little Man Lee's Aggressive Recruitment Drive

I heard from a friend just the other it's on pause because the car is back in the shop he is getting the seat adjusted again so it's easier for him to reach the peddles

Then he will put on his Big Boy Pants and make the announcements

 

[Hmm]

Gagai or Olam plus Treacy would automatically make us a much better team, that defensive frailty we have out wide especially in the centres makes me wanna cry every time a team goes out wide.

 

[weststigerman]

I think the difficulty is supporters see signings of other lowly clubs and the tigers aren’t even going close to matching them

Signings aren’t going to change anything for us. We signed Papali’i, Api, Klemmer, and Bateman and we went backwards. No doubt they are all on overs to come here. Bulldogs are in the same mess.

The junior pathways is the only hope that we can unearth a couple of stars and hope they don’t leave.

 

[tigertuff]

Signings aren’t going to change anything for us. We signed Papali’i, Api, Klemmer, and Bateman and we went backwards. No doubt they are all on overs to come here. Bulldogs are in the same mess.

The junior pathways is the only hope that we can unearth a couple of stars and hope they don’t leave.

Patience is key. We have always had the kids, holding on to the good ones has been our biggest issue.

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

Signings aren’t going to change anything for us. We signed Papali’i, Api, Klemmer, and Bateman and we went backwards. No doubt they are all on overs to come here. Bulldogs are in the same mess.

The junior pathways is the only hope that we can unearth a couple of stars and hope they don’t leave.

I disagree. I believe all 4 of those recruits have really steeled our forward pack. We really needed to recruit in the halves to bring some structure & better attack to our backline which we have done (hopefully well). A key recruit is John Morris who will assist Benji greatly with structure so we'll see some better flow & combinations in both A & D.

 

[Kelce68]

U are so short sighted, we don’t need that calibre of player we need to pick up solid players just like the warriors have done , yes it would have been nice to pick up that type of class , but all we need is some grunt in the forwards and there’s plenty around in the nsw cup and a few in the super league, Bevan French would be a gun signing and he has said I want to come back , just contact me

Bevan French would be a gun signing?

Ah, ok. Can't see how anyone missed that one.

 

[tigerbenji]

I remember the days when it was 1st grade 2nd grade and 3rd grade, Leichhardt Oval ran east/west and the grand final was played Saturday arvo.Change can be but is not always a good thing

I can remember the same thing mate, you must be my vintage.

 

[426Tlgerland]

Patience is key. We have always had the kids, holding on to the good ones has been our biggest issue.

That’s the one , keeping them , but I still feel we are 2 players short of a bit more success , these players only need to be like Olam , Tracy , we could not score , we have secured the pack and Half’s now , just need to get centres , kids will stay if they see a competitive team for them to look forward to joining , not wooded spooners

 

[2041]

I think the difficulty is supporters see signings of other lowly clubs and the tigers aren’t even going close to matching them

Dragons: Kyle Flanagan and Hame Sele.
Bulldogs: Stephem Crichton, Jaeman Salmon, Bronson Xerri, Blake Taafe.
Titans: Keenan Palasia.
Dolphins: Jake Averillo, Herbie Farnworth, Thomas Flegler.
Manly: Luke Brooks, Aitasi James, Jaxson Paulo, Tommy Talau.
Cowboys: Jake Clifford, Viliami Vailea.
Parra: nobody.

That's the bottom half of the ladder and I'll give you two clubs we could perhaps be envious of. The Dolphins I think are a bit of a special case given their combination of cap room, the Queensland factor and Wayne Bennett. With the Dogs we're talking about one player, aren't we? I'd rather have anyone we've signed than the second best player they've signed.

So what you're saying basically comes down to "I wish we'd signed Stephen Crichton". Even there, isn't the story that he wants to play fullback - which we don't need?

 

[Tucker]

Who should we have signed then, we tried for Moses, Haas and Munster, also Pearce, they didn't want to come, who are these players we could have got that reach your high standard

Brisbane and Penrith just lost 5 or 6 blokes combined who played the GF. That’s a beginning. There were heaps available that we as fans only heard about after deals were signed. Our people in recruitment should have been aware and had a crack.
We need better props and centres. Brisbane and Penrith proved on Sunday you are screwed without them.
Our props are ok but have no mongrel.
Our centres are terrible.
Our wingers are pretty shit too.
These new halves are on a hiding to nothing currently.
Maybe we should bring Madge and Sheens back as a recruitment managers…They are the only guys who landed proper talent here in over a decade….and then we sacked them.

 

[Tucker]

Exactly. This club is in a deep, deep hole and it's not going to turn round overnight. The people who are being unrealistic are the ones who think a handful of free agent signings is going to make everything ok. It's always the same spoiled kid nonsense: "Why don't we just sign a bunch of players who aren't on the market?" "Why don't we sign all the players who decided they wanted to go elsewhere?" "I don't want to do another rebuild." (waa).

As it happens, I complete agree that the club is run by idiots and TBH I don't hold out a great deal of hope on that basis. But I'm equally sure that "let's balls up our salary cap for the next half decade, again, by blowing it on anyone who'll sign for us" isn't going to improve that situation.

We’ve made the finals 3 times in 24 years.
This isn’t overnight…you been having a nanna nap for the past 12 years?

 

[2041]

Patience is key. We have always had the kids, holding on to the good ones has been our biggest issue.

We actually haven't produced much talent for a long time: Moses debuted in 2014 and between him and Bula there's not a single Tigers junior who played his first game for the club who is a difference making talent. The best we've done is players who came through who we thought were going to be good but ended up disappointing: Liddle, Suli, Marsters, Talau and Simpkin, for instance. Compare our list to what the Raiders or Panthers have brought through in the same period and it's screamingly obvious where the problems lie: we're perpetually trying to build a roster out of cast offs.

 

[Telltails]

You cant overlook the role of managers when signing talent. We are the last option unless the player is looking for the last big pay out and trading on past achievements. Still can't believe we got Api and Papi - it was a possible turning point - but our actions/results since then have demonstrated to others exactly why those type of players dont see us as a good option.