Apologies for being a bit harsh but building a team doesn't come from signing big names, it comes from finding the next big names. Warriors have more good young forwards coming through than anyone but thought they'd rush things and buy JFH. Didn't quite work out. Gold Coast bought 2 x million dollar forwards from the Storm and Broncos. How are they going? How do you think Newcastle will go with Dylan Brown?
It’s hard to see 1.3 million dollars of value in Dylan Brown, but he’s no lesser of a 5/8 than our own Jerome Luai, so if we are questioning Newcastle we should also be questioning ourselves.
I thought we were?
For minimal difference in cost, would you prefer a right centre and wing combination of To’a and Turuva, or Farnworth/Nawaqanitawase and Laulilli ?
Vicious my good friend get some sleep.😃
God, are you really that invested in this? Who cares. I didn’t say I didn’t like him. I do. Just don’t think he’s in the elite bracket. Not yet anyway.
At this stage, I have not seen Mark or Purdue at fullback to offer them $1m like you said, or whether they would be better than Bula at fullback.
They have not yet played fullback at NRL level,
He is currently off contract for 2027 and someone will pay him a million dollars per season, whether that’s the Roosters, another lucky NRL club or the ARU.
Pretty sure Jerome has won 4 NRL premierships as a key spine player. Pretty sure Dylan Brown has won none. Similar players in some regards, but objectively JL is the more accomplished and at $1.2M is better value than DB at $1.3M.
Only place he’s getting $1M per is back with ARU. He’s potentially an elite winger, which at best gets him to $650k, a possible centre option which maybe gets him to $750k, but who’s gunna sign him as an untried fullback?
I think Pat Richards, Loti Tuquiri, Taniela (too briefly unfortunately) might have something to say about that, but he has been a great signing and worth the coin we paid for him. One of our best all year, consistently starts sets well for us and goes looking for a ton of work. He’s not perfect defensively and maybe a little vulnerable under the high ball as a shorter winger, but he’s not Robinson Crusoe in that regard. He’s a lock in as a starting winger in most NRL teams, including the one he left to join us.
No club has bought a premiership since the 70’s when Manly silvertails raided Western Suburbs and Roosters raided Souths. Most premiership clubs identify talent early and develop them into a winning squad. Buying a Monte Burns all star team hasn’t worked in the NRL era.
There is not a team in the comp that would pay Purdue or Nawaqanitawase more than Bula. Bula is probably fair value at around $800K per, the other two would be lucky to get within $50k of that.
I was waiting for some silly sausage to come and say that, which is exactly why I put "one of the best wingers".
The exception is the Roosters.
