Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[avocadoontoast]

Anyone have any signing suggestions or rumours?

I do but ..it's not allowed...apparently..

Perhaps we could start a thread for such things?

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

encouraging results!
https://twitter.com/al_jemima/status/1288078213848150016?s=21
https://www.statista.com/chart/21411/share-of-doctors-using-Hydroxychloroquine (a drug which the clinical evidence shows is ineffective as has danger side-effects)-for-covid-19/

Yes it is, but can any of them kick goals?

 

[851]

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/teams/storm/even-if-cameron-smith-leaves-kent-says-storm-will-still-lose-one-young-gun-hooker/news-story/a75f573357d6860c3bcdbf979cb60023

Reckon grant or Brandon Smith won’t be at the storm next year

Maybe we could give them Liddle, I like the last bit, Grant might want to ditch his storm deal and stay at Concord

 

[Russell]

I thought Triguboff said that he would only help if he could buy the whole club? Didn't want to be in partnership with anyone...that was the driving reason why

He doesn't want to invest because he knows it's wasted money. You don't get involved in club rugby league to make big profits, you build massive apartments in Sydney. My problem with him isn't that he hasn't invested, it's that he talks crap in the media and gets positive marketing attention for free off the back of pretending like he has some emotional connection to the club. It was always business with him, and that's why he didn't save Balmain and won't do anything for the Wests Tigers. What's in it for him?

A sticker and a lanyard.


Long time major sponsor Harry Triguboff, the managing director of Meriton, was also made a life member IN 2017.
I think he tips something in but does it on the quiet, maybe an Apartment for Harry Grant down in Woolongong ????

It's pretty simple right. He isn't dipping into his pockets for the team. I'm fine with that decision but I'd prefer if he did chip in and we were the ones that could continually sign players on unders.

If truth be known - none of us know what he is doing, what he isn't doing.

Is he putting money in or not - none of us know.

It gets up my nose though that people keep having a go at him because
THEY think he isn't doing anything.

He put in millions to keep us going when we were a lot less than flash.

I for one wish to thank him for that. Thanks Harry, good on ya!!!!

Did he ? I find it interesting that people assume he is putting in millions when it doesn't appear to be the case. I said I have no problems with him not chucking in. He can do whatever he wants with his money. That is his decision. Let's not make him out to be the Tigers savior or anything like that though when it's pretty clear that he isn't.

How much do you think it costs to be a major sponsor over a great number of years?

45 cents.

If it wasn't for Harry, the Tigers wouldn't have been there for Brydens to chuck in.

Don't lose the fact that Brydens chuck in for a number of clubs, wouldn't be business for them , would it?

We should have a thread for Harry T Haters.

 

[the_third]

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/teams/storm/even-if-cameron-smith-leaves-kent-says-storm-will-still-lose-one-young-gun-hooker/news-story/a75f573357d6860c3bcdbf979cb60023

Reckon grant or Brandon Smith won’t be at the storm next year

Maybe we could give them Liddle, I like the last bit, Grant might want to ditch his storm deal and stay at Concord

GeeZe we almost had it back on track.

I reckon either way we end up ok for hooker. Grant is the top option for us now though

 

[InBenjiWeTrust]

encouraging results!
https://twitter.com/al_jemima/status/1288078213848150016?s=21
https://www.statista.com/chart/21411/share-of-doctors-using-Hydroxychloroquine (a drug which the clinical evidence shows is ineffective as has danger side-effects)-for-covid-19/

Yes it is, but can any of them kick goals?

Too easy!:grinning:

 

[Aesopian]

Officially on the up lads. It’s written in the stars. Madge has come to save us...

 

[Blocker1963]

They love belittling our club, I am sure the Roosters with their big fan base meet all the criteria, what a joke.
https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/sydney-club-mergers-dragons-sharks-wests-tigers-panthers-brad-fittler/7cd630fa-301d-4d33-8956-a1c4e9d40fe6

 

[GNR4LIFE]

They love belittling our club, I am sure the Roosters with their big fan base meet all the criteria, what a joke.
https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/sydney-club-mergers-dragons-sharks-wests-tigers-panthers-brad-fittler/7cd630fa-301d-4d33-8956-a1c4e9d40fe6

Whose they? That whole article is based off one man”s opinion.

 

[balmain boy]

Thoughts on loaning Liddle out to a club that needs a hooker?

Bronocs have Turpin coming back so may not be interested. Newcastle, Warriors, Canberra perhaps..?

He's not going to get any gametime with us, but would be good to see him get some fitness up at another club.

 

[Cairnstigers]

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/teams/storm/even-if-cameron-smith-leaves-kent-says-storm-will-still-lose-one-young-gun-hooker/news-story/a75f573357d6860c3bcdbf979cb60023

Reckon grant or Brandon Smith won’t be at the storm next year

Maybe we should go real hard for Brandon
Offer him the Hooker roll
Lets apply some real pressure at Melbourne
Something will have to give
And will these guys even want to stay at Melbourne with Rumours of Bellamy leaving the club or retirement
This is a real opportunity for us
Hell, Madge could even employ Bellamy as a part time advisor
Call it the Bellamy retirement fund
Just bring Brandon, Harry and Addo-Carr with you

 

[jirskyr]

didnt Harry T try to do something a few years back with Meriton in relation to third party deals and the nrl ruled he couldnt be a tpa as he was too close or attached to the WT's i think this was just after brydens took over sponsorship

Harry's support of the tigers is weak. I'll give him credit for providing sponsorship to the club when they couldn't get any, but I don't think the deals were ever big money and he's let Balmain get merged, the leagues club fold and then Balmain die. Maybe he does stuff behind the scenes for us but it seems more that he likes to attract a lot of public attention for meagre offerings and doesn't mind seeing his supposedly beloved club die. I'm not blaming him for Balmain's death but he didn't help when surely they were desperate and asking.

Mate you are shooting your mouth off, and do not know the story.

How many millions did you want him to tip in? He was the major sponsor
for Wests Tigers for many years.

He wanted to help out with the Leagues Club Upgrade,but Balmain did not
want him to be part of it. They instead chose to go with "Backdoor Benny"
and his associates and get totally rorted.

He was always really a "Balmain side of it" sponsor, they snubbed their
nose at him.

Personally I don't blame him for snubbing them back.

However you go on casting black net on the Harry's name.

Is your source Harry Triguboff? I read that article too. That was him talking, not the club when he talked about how desperate he was to help out with the leagues club development. But they just wouldn't let him throw his money at them! Where has anyone talked about what he's done for the club beside cut price sponsorship for a budget club? Corporates don't sponsor large sporting teams out of charity, it's a marketing decision. Steggles should be given an award for sponsoring the roosters, right? They've been a sponsor 'for many years'. Samsung also a great sponsor of the roosters, because I'm guessing they both just love the club and they should both be hailed as great Roosters fans because of it!

You act like I'm talking about him helping Wests Tigers, I'm talking about his 'passion' for Balmain. I remember in 98 when he got headlines claiming he was going to save our club and would never let us die. The Balmain board bungled just about every financial opportunity they had, but he never helped. I think he was actually just interested in proposals around Callan Park and he saw sponsoring the Tigers and talking the big talk as endearing him to the community. But since Callan Park stopped, where's he been beyond saying no to helping Balmain and not sponsoring Wests tigers with even the smallest sponsorship package? Gee, you just can't hold him back, can you? Why sponsor when all you need to do is talk about how much you care? Get all the positive press that way.

Look at Souths, Brisbane, Melbourne, The Warriors, Manly, The Roosters and even Penrith: big corporate money or well connected people throwing money at the clubs they love and even taking them over because they want success for their team. Russell Crowe fought against his own fans and the greats of his club to take the club over and make them good. Even our current Chairman has done more for our club in his recent involvement than Triguboff ever did. And you're talking up Triguboff? For what? Being good at talking to the media?

But go on believing the Meriton corporate propaganda! And good luck waiting for him to contribute anything useful to the club. You guys are way too naive and should look at what he does, not what he says.

100% in your corner.
What’s that saying, put your money where your mouth is.
He did provide us with a major sponsor when things were looking bad for a a while but since we’ve found a new major sponsor in Bryden’s Lawyers he hasn’t been sighted.
He is 80 something years old so I’ll give him that.
But wasn’t him moving away from sponsoring the club supposed to give him a pathway to providing funds for the club in other areas, and I’m not talking about 3 party deals.
What or where is he actually contributing if at all?
In comparison the struggling Bulldogs have just landed a new major sponsor that has been part of the Bulldogs family for decades. And he not only wants to part with his money to help the club, he wants to be involved in the operation of the club, support the players with whatever they need for the club to be a powerhouse again...

I think we can all agree that nobody really knows what Harry T does or does not put into the club, or how much he has or has not put into the club over the past decades. I'd rather have him as a supporter than not have him, but I think it's rich of people to expect X amount of involvement from famous or wealthy people simply because they are famous or wealthy.

I've heard all sorts of stories about harry T. I heard in the 90s when Balmain sucked he used to personally go to the sheds hand out player bonuses if they won. I heard Harry guaranteed club sponsorship via Meriton when nobody else would touch us. I heard he offered to be involved in some capacity with Balmain Leagues Club. I heard he paid for the kitchen renovation at Concord when Tigers needed a bit of a fix-up. I heard at one point he was willing to tip in decent coin to player salaries but the NRL told him he had to stay at arms-length from the club. I've heard he would buy and run the club but only if he had total control, which Wests objected to. Maybe they objected to save themselves or maybe Harry T is knows nothing about running a professional sports club. I've seen his Bentley at LO many times. I've never met the man. By all reports he's frugal despite his immense wealth. Apparently his kids aren't into rugby league. He's a Russian Jew who was born in China, grew up learning Russian, English and Chinese, moved to Australia when WWII finished. Interesting story all around.

So I think we can agree Harry T has definitely tipped more money into Tigers than any of us ever have, but also only a fraction of his total worth. Why this is and to what extent he wants to support the club, perhaps only the club bosses and Harry T know. Not much point debating it. Some blokes like the coverage and the ego of pumping money into a team, some don't. Maybe there's no noise because Harry doesn't supply much cash, or maybe there's no noise because Harry doesn't care much to trumpet his involvement.

Last one:

Fair summary. I read all those stories too. I'm increasingly jaded about the source of that information and feel that looking at what's actually happened at balmain (90s struggles, problems financially, merger, slow death, death) suggests his passion is more talk than action. We still have crap facilities at wests tigers, we're still one of the struggling clubs and he's still there in the media talking up his passion and desire to help out if only people would let him. In the meantime we've seen businessmen who actually care about clubs in the Warriors, Souths, Manly, Penrith and even Lee at Wests tigers actually do something to save their teams or help them to thrive. Those people should get credit, not someone who pays to have puff pieces in the newspapers.

Exactly. It's pretty obvious he isn't chucking in a tonne of money. Look at Lee at the Tigers compared to Harry. Lee appears to be much more deserving of praise from Tigers fans than Harry.

Maybe, but there's a difference between deserving of praise and deserving of criticism. I read criticism of Harry T, and I say there's really no basis for it. Anyone who contributes in any fashion is valuable to the club, especially those who don't have full wallets. But that doesn't mean rich supporters deserve criticism.

 

[Eca]

Thoughts on loaning Liddle out to a club that needs a hooker?

Bronocs have Turpin coming back so may not be interested. Newcastle, Warriors, Canberra perhaps..?

He's not going to get any gametime with us, but would be good to see him get some fitness up at another club.

Sounds good for his development & change of environment might do him some good.. problem is if Grant goes down during the later rounds & Lids starts to get match fit & helping another club potentially hurting our top8 chances 😅

 

[jirskyr]

Anyone have any signing suggestions or rumours?

I do but ..it's not allowed...apparently..

Congratulations everyone, 50K posts in the signings suggestions thread, at least 456 of which are actually about signings.

 

[jadtiger]

Anyone have any signing suggestions or rumours?

I do but ..it's not allowed...apparently..

Congratulations everyone, 50K posts in the signings suggestions thread, at least 456 of which are actually about signings.

That would be about the ratio to expect on a forum.Its like parliament most of the hot air has nothing to do with the topic

 

[avocadoontoast]

Anyone have any signing suggestions or rumours?

I do but ..it's not allowed...apparently..

Congratulations everyone, 50K posts in the signings suggestions thread, at least 456 of which are actually about signings.

And 450 of those were Smoking Gun aka New Smoking Gun aka nug gnikoms.

 

[TillLindemann]

They love belittling our club, I am sure the Roosters with their big fan base meet all the criteria, what a joke.
https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/sydney-club-mergers-dragons-sharks-wests-tigers-panthers-brad-fittler/7cd630fa-301d-4d33-8956-a1c4e9d40fe6

If a Sydney club has to go first on the chopping block should be the no-fans, no-juniors, non-RL-area Roosters.

 

[jirskyr]

Anyone have any signing suggestions or rumours?

I do but ..it's not allowed...apparently..

Congratulations everyone, 50K posts in the signings suggestions thread, at least 456 of which are actually about signings.

And 450 of those were Smoking Gun aka New Smoking Gun aka nug gnikoms.

Personally I was a rather big fan of nug gnikoms, he was so excessively polite, he sounded like a Dr Seuss character.

 

[avocadoontoast]

Anyone have any signing suggestions or rumours?

I do but ..it's not allowed...apparently..

Congratulations everyone, 50K posts in the signings suggestions thread, at least 456 of which are actually about signings.

And 450 of those were Smoking Gun aka New Smoking Gun aka nug gnikoms.

Personally I was a rather big fan of nug gnikoms.

Me too. I hope he returns one day as nug gnikoms wen.

 

[jirskyr]

They love belittling our club, I am sure the Roosters with their big fan base meet all the criteria, what a joke.
https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/sydney-club-mergers-dragons-sharks-wests-tigers-panthers-brad-fittler/7cd630fa-301d-4d33-8956-a1c4e9d40fe6

If a Sydney club has to go first on the chopping block should be the no-fans, no-juniors, non-RL-area Roosters.

Any open-minded league supporter can see that the obvious mergers are Cronulla-Saints and Roosters-Souths. It doesn't matter that Roosters and Souths hate each other, that's not a sufficient rationale.

Close-minded folks think Tigers need to be in the discussion because they just don't feature enough in the finals, but they aren't looking at financial pulling power, TV viewership, sponsorship and corporate backing, reported # fans, membership figures, bottom line etc. If it's based on business case, Tigers survive ahead of other Sydney-based clubs. And blokes like Nick Politis and Rusty Crowe are not around forever.

My honest opinion of the pecking order long-term realignment:
1. Any Sydney club moves to another major city like Perth
2. Cronulla + Saints merger
3. Roosters + Souths merger
4. Tigers + Bulldogs merger
5. Penrith + Parra merger

These are logical steps of geography and business, without thought for fan sentiment or backlash. There's no reason why Tigers should move but Bulldogs remain - Bulldogs' territory was basically backed onto Western Suburbs in 1934, and themselves were sandwiched by Parramatta only 12 year later.

Manly should be a legitimate Northern Sydney and Central Coast team, though they've never really managed to consolidate outside of Brookvale, which is a failing of them over a long period. Nonetheless at least Northern Sydney should have its own team that goes over the top of the Coastal and Inner West teams.

You end up with the Coastal team, the Southern team, the Inner West team, the Western team, the Northern team. Sydney's geographical boundaries are set, physically, now and forever, it's only the population that will change.

Roosters being a dominant side literally does nothing for the NRL. They don't smash TV ratings, they don't grow their members, crowds or junior base, they don't bring big corporate dollars. Like Souths they basically have a few heavyweights of rugby league politics and money, but are not central to any NRL plan of development or expansion. They are simply vestiges of the original 1908 plan for Sydney rugby league, with all their 1908 contemporaries having modernised or died (Balmain, Wests, Norths, Cumberland, Glebe, Newtown, Newcastle).

Even Souths would have been dead if not for the wranglings of the legal system and then a big-name Hollywood backer.