Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

(Telegraph website)

NRL Market Watch: Addin Fonua-Blake to check out Dragons, Bulldogs and Tigers over Christmas​

One Sydney NRL club looks set for an early Christmas present with want-away Warriors forward Addin Fonua-Blake making a flying visit to determine his next destination, writes FATIMA KDOUH.
It comes as the Wests Tigers, who met with Fonua-Blake last Friday, prepare to table the Kiwi and Tongan international an offer, as soon as this week, for a deal that could run up to four years from 2025.
Tigers recruitment boss Scott Fulton met with Fonua-Blake at Haberfield Rowers last week to discuss a potential move to Concord.
Fulton, and his late father Bob, played a key role in Fonua-Blake’s arrival at Manly back in 2015 that connection could give the Tigers the upper hand in negotiations.
One of the NRL’s elite props, Fonua-Blake is on a deal worth around $1 million at the Warriors.
It’s believed the Tigers are in a position to not only acquire Fonua-Blake but also star Penrith five-eighth Jarome Luai who has reportedly been offered a four-year deal worth around $4.5 million for season 2025 onwards.
 

NRL Market Watch: Addin Fonua-Blake to check out Dragons, Bulldogs and Tigers over Christmas​

One Sydney NRL club looks set for an early Christmas present with want-away Warriors forward Addin Fonua-Blake making a flying visit to determine his next destination, writes FATIMA KDOUH.


New Zealand Warriors forward Addin Fonua-Blake will return to Australia over the Christmas break to tour the facilities of the three Sydney clubs vying for the prized prop’s signature.
It’s expected Fonua-Blake will visit Canterbury, Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra in a move that will help the 28-year old determine which Sydney club will be his new home.
It comes as the Wests Tigers, who met with Fonua-Blake last Friday, prepare to table the Kiwi and Tongan international an offer, as soon as this week, for a deal that could run up to four years from 2025.
Tigers recruitment boss Scott Fulton met with Fonua-Blake at Haberfield Rowers last week to discuss a potential move to Concord.
Fulton, and his late father Bob, played a key role in Fonua-Blake’s arrival at Manly back in 2015 that connection could give the Tigers the upper hand in negotiations.
One of the NRL’s elite props, Fonua-Blake is on a deal worth around $1 million at the Warriors.

Addin Fonua-Blake meeting with Phil Gould.
It’s believed the Tigers are in a position to not only acquire Fonua-Blake but also star Penrith five-eighth Jarome Luai, who has reportedly been offered a four-year deal worth around $4.5 million for season 2025 onwards.
As well as meeting with the Dragons while he was in Sydney, Fonua-Blake, who is looked after by Sportsplayer Management, was snapped meeting with Canterbury supremo Phil Gould at the airport last Friday.
Like the Tigers, the Bulldogs are one of the few Sydney clubs with enough wriggle room in their salary cap to be able to meet Fonua-Blake’s hefty price tag.
The Bulldogs are believed to be the frontrunner in the chase for the gun prop’s signature, as the club ramps up its recruitment drive aimed at turning around the outfit’s on field fortunes.
Gould has made no secret of Canterbury’s need to add some power, starch and class to the struggling side’s engine room.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s.../news-story/c6dc2413556fd4a0b96ca1782ee8f58b#
Fonua-Blake ticks all those boxes for Canterbury.
The club turned their attention to Fonua-Blake after a failed attempt to secure former Sydney Roosters premiership winner Sio Siua Taukeiaho.
Taukeiaho returned from England to join the Bulldogs only to have the deal fall through after it was revealed he required surgery on a foot injury that would prevent him from training during the pre-season.

​

New St George Illawarra head coach Shane Flanagan is also in the midst of a roster overhaul and has identified Fonua-Blake, who was part of the Dragons under 20s set-up before joining the Sea Eagles, as a recruitment target for 2025.
Fonua-Blake has three years left on his Warriors deal but will return to Sydney at the end of 2024 after the club granted him a release on compassionate grounds.
A request for an immediate release was rejected by the Warriors, but Fonua-Blake has since reaffirmed his commitment to the club for next season.
 
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You would imagine after tonight’s review is tabled there will be a head or two roll. My guess Pascoe will be out the door before Xmas and a major board shake up.

Bottom line nothing is going to change while we struggle to recruit top shelve players and pay overs for average players. I think Benji, Morris and Farah will make a difference but they are not JC
 
WestsEffTheRest said:
The way you keep trying to talk up Scott Fulton as 'that guy' is embarrassing.
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The message below is aimed at
tony soprano statement about Benji keeping out of the recruitment side of things.


And you are going to be the first to demand Benji's head if he fails.

But you want Fulton to have the say as to whom Benji has to coach.
Is that what you are really saying.
 
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2041 said:
All I can see in the Bulldogs is a club that has tied up its salary cap for the next 2-3 years building a roster that might dream about scraping into the bottom couple of spots in the eight and realistically probably isn't even that good. Maybe we've been so poor for so long that a couple of years running 10th-12th would seem like success. But so far as I'm concerned if we're going to actually commit to rebuilding we might as well do it properly for the first time in a decade, rather than using every spare dollar of cap room to sign whoever happens to be available then wondering why we don't have a coherent unit on the field and can't hang on to our youngsters.
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Not sure our club can rebuild without the FG team showing some form of growth and expect that you will retain the best, or attract players from other stronger clubs.
WTs Is the only club to my knowledge who tries to sell what might happen in three years time.
Even the Dolphins in their maiden year performed better than us and in doing so have recruited some very handy players to strengthen their team.
Gould has recruited players that strengthen the depth at the club with players who were blocked from playing FG in strong teams. To me that is smart recruiting and with Crichton as the cherry on the top. From where I sit they are looking far more likely at this stage than us.
 
tigermate said:
all Wests tigers supported, administration and coaches “please don’t talk about recruitment to media”

Lee Hag on radio today: I will not be talking about retention other than to say that we are looking at Jerome Luai, he is a quality player, and yes you can assume we have made in offer.

Lol
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So he’s been told to shut up and that is the best he could manage?
He’s detrimental to the club except for his money.
 
2041 said:
All I can see in the Bulldogs is a club that has tied up its salary cap for the next 2-3 years building a roster that might dream about scraping into the bottom couple of spots in the eight and realistically probably isn't even that good. Maybe we've been so poor for so long that a couple of years running 10th-12th would seem like success. But so far as I'm concerned if we're going to actually commit to rebuilding we might as well do it properly for the first time in a decade, rather than using every spare dollar of cap room to sign whoever happens to be available then wondering why we don't have a coherent unit on the field and can't hang on to our youngsters.
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If we finish 10th .....Benji should win coach of the year
 
king_sirro said:
You haven't seen much of the Tigers and Magpies over the years if you think he is one of the worst. He would have walked into the starting lineup of many Balmain, Magpies and Wests Tigers teams over the years.
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Are you kidding? That blind?

He can barely make the 17 for the worst side we've ever had. Thus far in his career he has proven that he is currently not an NRL standard player. He has some potential but he hasn't improved whatsoever since his debut, and after years off fluffing around it's time for someone else to get a shot. If he had been toiling away in SNW Cup for the past 4 years then yeah maybe i'd think he deserves a shot in the nrl if he was dominating at cup level.

If he plays more than a couple of first grade games for us next season we're totally screwed.
 
Telltails said:
Not sure our club can rebuild without the FG team showing some form of growth and expect that you will retain the best, or attract players from other stronger clubs.
WTs Is the only club to my knowledge who tries to sell what might happen in three years time.
Even the Dolphins in their maiden year performed better than us and in doing so have recruited some very handy players to strengthen their team.
Gould has recruited players that strengthen the depth at the club with players who were blocked from playing FG in strong teams. To me that is smart recruiting and with Crichton as the cherry on the top. From where I sit they are looking far more likely at this stage than us.
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Other than the Panthers. In completely unrelated news, which team do you think has accomplished the most successful rebuild in the past couple of decades?
 
earl said:
It's not even this simple. Who is better - Pauga or Kepaoa ? I reckon Kepaoa by miles. Pauga gets a starting job for the rorters. Remember how highly rated Momo was. The guy was ordinary. He isn't a first grader. For some reason people still mention him on here as a signing target.

I'm not sold on Kepaoa but I'd state he is a borderline first grader who can play much more first grade over his career than guys like Momo or Pauga.
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Momo is no star, but he's still 2-3 times the player that Kepaoa is currently. I can't believe any would even question that.
 
WestsEffTheRest said:
Fulton was the one who told Blore he's free to leave which is why Melbourne reached out in the first place, he believes Blore is blocking Samuela Fainu's path & suggested Schuster as an upgrade to Blore.
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Do you know this for sure ? Surely Benji and the coaching staff were involved in telling Blore to leave if true.
 
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balmain boy said:
Momo is no star, but he's still 2-3 times the player that Kepaoa is currently. I can't believe any would even question that.
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I would definitely question it. Momo is the more well rounded or technical footy player but Kepaoa is the better athlete. That matters a lot in today's game. I'd prefer Kepaoa in our squad compared to Momo. Momo isn't a first grader. Kepaoa is a borderline first grader.
 
jrtiger said:
it's hard to get a read mate. I don't think they have any players on anything above $850k. there's definitely money to play with and roster spots to fill but who they prioritise and chase is the question.
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I would estimate they have at least 5 players on 800k+ which is HUGE!

Burton (1mil), Crichton, Mahoney, Kikau, RFM. With JAC on 700k too. All of their signings would be on at least 300k too.

We in comparison have no one on 800k+....
 
balmain boy said:
Are you kidding? That blind?

He can barely make the 17 for the worst side we've ever had. Thus far in his career he has proven that he is currently not an NRL standard player. He has some potential but he hasn't improved whatsoever since his debut, and after years off fluffing around it's time for someone else to get a shot. If he had been toiling away in SNW Cup for the past 4 years then yeah maybe i'd think he deserves a shot in the nrl if he was dominating at cup level.

If he plays more than a couple of first grade games for us next season we're totally screwed.
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Are you kidding? I don't want to start naming past players, but I could name 3 full backlines of players that are much worse. Short memories
 
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