Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[TigerSJ]

This issue of our poor attack in the red zone…there’s a pretty simple solution to it. Start actually running some shape for the set of tackles, guys moving off the ball, running angles and decoys. Make the opposition defenders make decisions.
We are so predictable and obvious, we throw up absolutely nothing.
I don’t get it - are we not fit enough such that most of the players are standing there watching the guy with the ball run one out??? What do we practice at training??

 

[bbobb]

100 percent we must be the worst attacking team in the redzone, we get there enough. Hopefully we improve a lot

I thought Galvin (admittedly only a short stint against the Dragons) looked like he may be able to help in putting the back rowers and centres into gaps

 

[boonboon]

Thinking ahead…if Luai makes the club more attractive to other players, I wonder who aloud who those players might be specifically? The obvious thought is compadres from the riff. But what kind of player ideally compliments him across the park?

Turuva - off contract next year, Apis cousin and we need outside backs

 

[BAGNF05]

I thought Galvin (admittedly only a short stint against the Dragons) looked like he may be able to help in putting the back rowers and centres into gaps

He did look to have some good instincts and soft hands.

 

[BAGNF05]

This issue of our poor attack in the red zone…there’s a pretty simple solution to it. Start actually running some shape for the set of tackles, guys moving off the ball, running angles and decoys. Make the opposition defenders make decisions.
We are so predictable and obvious, we throw up absolutely nothing.
I don’t get it - are we not fit enough such that most of the players are standing there watching the guy with the ball run one out??? What do we practice at training??

Our problems generally start when we’re attacking about 10-15 metres away from the try line. We normally work to the middle and then inevitably teams lay all over us. This lets them set their defensive line and race up and cut off our shift before it gets to those players you mentioned should be in motion / running shapes. Maybe they aren’t deep enough or are missing their assignments. Teams do a lot of work on defending patterns.

But I tend to think we just run the shift even if the PTB is too slow. We’re better off working the same way again until we get a faster PTB and/or a numerical advantage. An old adage in rugby league is you need to earn the right to play footy, for mine we don’t really do that.

One solution I would try is to chuck Lobb on a wing and kick across to him the first time we are on the attack. You probably don’t score, but their outside men might not be racing up as quickly next time you’re down there.

Also, a lot of tries come from simple one on one tackles where the attacking player is just too hard to handle. We have a real lack of those guys who can create something out of nothing. Long post, but that’s how I view our red zone struggles.

 

[lathami]

This issue of our poor attack in the red zone…there’s a pretty simple solution to it. Start actually running some shape for the set of tackles, guys moving off the ball, running angles and decoys. Make the opposition defenders make decisions.
We are so predictable and obvious, we throw up absolutely nothing.
I don’t get it - are we not fit enough such that most of the players are standing there watching the guy with the ball run one out??? What do we practice at training??

Nothing u mentioned, Is what we do at training. No shape, no angles just opposed sessions and simple training drills. It’s worried me for a while now, maybe they just do it on days I don’t get to their training??
It’s also the intensity doesn’t seem enough to me, but I haven’t been to other teams training. I almost want to see players get into a fight, ti show some passion!

 

[jrtiger]

some players in the lower grades I would love for us to enquire about

- Sam Stonestreet
- Nick Cotric
- Harrison Hassett
- Trey Mooney
- Edward Kosi
- Jazz Tevaga
- Egan Butcher
- Angus Crichton
- Connor Watson

 

[BAGNF05]

some players in the lower grades I would love for us to enquire about

- Sam Stonestreet
- Nick Cotric
- Harrison Hassett
- Trey Mooney
- Edward Kosi
- Jazz Tevaga
- Egan Butcher
- Angus Crichton
- Connor Watson

Egan Butcher is the real quality player on that list. Should be a first grade starter.

 

[Demps]

some players in the lower grades I would love for us to enquire about

- Sam Stonestreet
- Nick Cotric
- Harrison Hassett
- Trey Mooney
- Edward Kosi
- Jazz Tevaga
- Egan Butcher
- Angus Crichton
- Connor Watson

All walk into our starting team I'd say.
Great options.

 

[tigerballs]

Our problems generally start when we’re attacking about 10-15 metres away from the try line. We normally work to the middle and then inevitably teams lay all over us. This lets them set their defensive line and race up and cut off our shift before it gets to those players you mentioned should be in motion / running shapes. Maybe they aren’t deep enough or are missing their assignments. Teams do a lot of work on defending patterns.

But I tend to think we just run the shift even if the PTB is too slow. We’re better off working the same way again until we get a faster PTB and/or a numerical advantage. An old adage in rugby league is you need to earn the right to play footy, for mine we don’t really do that.

One solution I would try is to chuck Lobb on a wing and kick across to him the first time we are on the attack. You probably don’t score, but their outside men might not be racing up as quickly next time you’re down there.

Also, a lot of tries come from simple one on one tackles where the attacking player is just too hard to handle. We have a real lack of those guys who can create something out of nothing. Long post, but that’s how I view our red zone struggles.

It appears we only attempt an organised play on the fourth tackle, and like you said, from the middle. We can't organise anything from there. It's like we're trying to fool them into thinking we're going one way, then we go the other way but they never fall for it. DOH!

 

[balmain boy]

I like Corey Oates .. he gives you a great attacking weapon in the air for across field bombs .. plus he is a big body, hard to stop out wide close to the line .. and is capable of playing in the back row .. BUT .. i think he wont come to anther to play on the wing .. he wants a 2nd row gig ..

I think he wants first grade most of all. Playing Qld cup 100km away from Brian is a massive insult to him.

 

[Roar_Power]

some players in the lower grades I would love for us to enquire about

- Sam Stonestreet
- Nick Cotric
- Harrison Hassett
- Trey Mooney
- Edward Kosi
- Jazz Tevaga
- Egan Butcher
- Angus Crichton
- Connor Watson

Mooney, Stonestreet, Tevaga, Butcher would be nice additions. I wouldn't want Cotric anywhere near the starting line-up. He has had his day.

 

[Vicious]

Mooney, Stonestreet, Tevaga, Butcher would be nice additions. I wouldn't want Cotric anywhere near the starting line-up. He has had his day.

James Schiller is definite NRL standard, crazy to think he’s still playing NSW Cup.
He’d be a brilliant centre/winger signing for us and wouldn’t come at a big cost either.
We will definitely need a big bodied winger to replace Tupou.
jrtiger mentioned Edward Kosi who wouldn’t be a bad option. Others are Semi Valemai, Jeral Skelton and although contracted Tony Francis from the Titans.
None of them are currently playing NRL, all are well over 6ft tall, weigh over 100kgs, are reasonably fast for their size, generally good under the high ball and score plenty of tries. Grab any two of those 4 and we would have competition for our big bodied winger position.
Or is Nick Cotric possibly looking to rejuvenate his career a better option than all of them ? He’s only 25 and if you get him at his highly motivated best he’s a high quality winger who is seemingly unwanted at the Raiders.
Matt Doorey and Billy Burns are both stuck playing NSW Cup. Both are big bodied mobile edge forwards who make plenty of line breaks and score their fair share of tries.
If we are adamant Kepaoa won’t work as an edge forward, then we need a decent replacement. These two would add plenty of depth to our squad, Doorey in particular looks NRL ready and could become a regular on our bench or even push for a starting spot.
Mat Croker currently not in the Knights top 17 and off contract at the end of 2024. I believe we are short on quality props if we get any injuries, signing both Trey Mooney and Mat Croker would fix that problem.
They would add good size and mobility to our middle forward stocks and the added incentive that at least one of them should be a regular part of our top 17 each week.
Aaron Schoup is a young aggressive ball runner with good speed and line breaking ability. He already has plenty of NRL experience, but not currently a part of the Titans top 17 so could be ripe for the picking. He’s a solid build weighing in at over 100kgs and although predominantly a centre, he had a few standout games playing as an edge forward in Qld Cup last season and I think his versatility would be very valuable, particularly if Kepaoa departs at the end of this season.
Ben Condon a big tall and mobile prop or edge forward from North Qld who has been with Manly for the past 2 seasons.
He’s played a couple of NRL games and didn’t look out of place, but now stuck playing NSW Cup. He’d be another forward who could add good size and mobility to our forward depth.
I’ve already mentioned and can see jrtiger agrees that Jaz Tevaga would be a good recruit, maybe even for this season. He would bring valuable hard nosed experience to possibly even start at 13 with his ball playing ability, otherwise could cover 9 or 13 off the bench.
I’ve long been a fan of the up and coming big, tall, speedy outside back from the Sharks Sam Stonestreet. At 21 he’s clearly ready to play regular NRL, but stuck behind some pretty good ones at the Sharks. He’d be a great fit for our NRL backline,
Egan Butcher would be a great signing, but I cannot see the Roosters letting him go, even though he’s currently playing NSW Cup. Likewise with the young emerging Harrison Hassett at the Panthers.
All these players would come at the lower and of the wage scale and would add plenty of size, speed and depth to our top 30.

 

[jrtiger]

Mooney, Stonestreet, Tevaga, Butcher would be nice additions. I wouldn't want Cotric anywhere near the starting line-up. He has had his day.

I think Cotric is definitely an improvement on what we currently have, but I can see where you're coming from. at 25 he needs a fresh start and a new coach, similar to DWZ at the Warriors.

 

[jrtiger]

James Schiller is definite NRL standard, crazy to think he’s still playing NSW Cup.
We will definitely need a big bodied winger to replace Tupou.
jrtiger mentioned Edward Kosi who wouldn’t be a bad option. Others are Semi Valemai, Jeral Skelton and although contracted Tony Francis from the Titans.
None of them are currently playing NRL, all are well over 6ft tall, weigh over 100kgs, are reasonably fast for their size, are generally good under the high ball and score plenty of tries. Grab any two of those 4 and we would have competition for our big bodied winger position.
Matt Doorey and Billy Burns are both stuck playing NSW Cup. Both are big bodied mobile edge forwards who make plenty of line breaks and score their fair share of tries.
If we are adamant Kepaoa won’t work as an edge forward, then we need a decent replacement. These two would add plenty of depth to our squad, Doorey in particular looks NRL ready and could become a regular on our bench or even push for a starting spot.
Mat Croker currently not in the Knights top 17 and off contract at the end of 2024. I believe we are short on quality props if we get any injuries, signing both Trey Mooney and Mat Croker would fix that problem.
They would add good size and mobility to our middle forward stocks and the added incentive that at least one of them should be a regular part of our top 17 each week.
Aaron Schoup is a young aggressive ball runner with good speed and line breaking ability. He already has plenty of NRL experience, but not currently a part of the Titans top 17, so could be ripe for the picking. He’s a solid build weighing in at over 100kgs and although predominantly a centre, he had a few standout games playing as an edge forward in Qld Cup last season and I think his versatility would be very valuable, particularly if Kepaoa departs at the end of this season.
Ben Condon a big tall and mobile prop or edge forward from North Qld who has been with Manly for the past 2 seasons.
He’s played a couple of NRL games and didn’t look out of place, but now stuck playing NSW Cup. He’d be another forward who could add good size and mobility to our forward pack.
All these players would come at the lower and of the wage scale and would add plenty of depth to our top 30.

Schiller's one I absolutely should've put on there. we will be doing ourselves a massive disservice if we aren't asking questions there. I'm not saying he's better than Lomax, but if you want a value for money option with massive upside I think he'd be a wonderful addition at right centre.

Pompey, Kosi and Leiataua at the Warriors I feel would all improve us and are all stuck behind this current backline. Valemei will be hard to prise away from NQ, and while I really like Skelton I think he's a little too inconsistent for first grade at a time when we need polished OBs. Francis is a good'un as well.

not a fan of Burns but I do like Doorey, he's decent depth and cover. I can't see Croker leaving Newcastle for anyone or anything, he bleeds for that club. Schoupp had his chance at the Titans and squandered it. Condon's solid albeit unspectacular, in a similar mould to Seyfarth.

 

[AdelaideTiger]

I think Cotric is definitely an improvement on what we currently have, but I can see where you're coming from. at 25 he needs a fresh start and a new coach, similar to DWZ at the Warriors.

Absolute insanity that Cotric is just 25, being the arm chair expert that I am, he just looks too big (not fat). I think if he got a bit leaner and a bit quicker he'd benefit.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

Absolute insanity that Cotric is just 25, being the arm chair expert that I am, he just looks too big (not fat). I think if he got a bit leaner and a bit quicker he'd benefit.

He was one of the hottest properties in the game 3 or 4 years ago. Ever since he went back to the Raiders, he’s been friendless.

 

[batboy]

I think Cotric is definitely an improvement on what we currently have, but I can see where you're coming from. at 25 he needs a fresh start and a new coach, similar to DWZ at the Warriors.

He's had 2 'fresh starts' in the last couple years....
His game is a slight evolution with a bigger body than the nofoaluma type game....
It's passed, The athleticism of the Wingers these days is next level.

Montoya has been fun to watch of late, He's a big quick monster.....

 

[gregjm87]

Back on topic in regards to potential recruitment options.
When you consider we have made it pretty clear young Simpkin is not really in our long term plans, we can’t just let him go without a suitable replacement who could be a tough tackling NRL dummy half if Api misses any games.
Da Silva is a special talent, but is not ready to play 80 minutes at NRL level yet.
I believe Jazz Tavaga is on the outter at the Warriors and at age 28 still potentially has a couple of good NRL seasons left in him.
A player like him who doesn’t take a backward step and would also be a 13 option would be ideal for our bench when we are full strength. I think he’d be interested in coming now if we showed interest.
Mat Croker and Trey Mooney are young, mobile props with their best years ahead of them, both off contract at the end of 2024 and would add much needed competition to our front row stocks.
We need a solid edge back row back up option. Matt Doorey currently at the Eels played a few solid games for them at NRL last season, but he’s now well down their pecking order. It is likely he’d jump at the chance to move now with a much better chance of getting on the bench on a more regular basis.

I'd love if we could get Tavaga or Mooney. Unfortunately all the noise around Tevaga in the past is he does not want to leave NZ.
Mooney looks achievable but there would be plenty of competition for his signature.
Croker would be a handy signing but not at all good enough to change our results.
No way I'd want Doorey. There's at least a dozen better backrowers on reserve grade contracts.

 

[gregjm87]

This issue of our poor attack in the red zone…there’s a pretty simple solution to it. Start actually running some shape for the set of tackles, guys moving off the ball, running angles and decoys. Make the opposition defenders make decisions.
We are so predictable and obvious, we throw up absolutely nothing.
I don’t get it - are we not fit enough such that most of the players are standing there watching the guy with the ball run one out??? What do we practice at training??

Agree with all this but a forward that can win thr contact and get a quick play the ball is also needed. But the 2 go hand in hand. Can't win the contact running one out into multiple defenders.