Flanno's New Signings

[Auntie.Gerald]

Ronald Volkman's Dragons nightmare: Coach opens up on halfback's arrival

Shane Flanagan says the former Warrior arrived at the Dragons injured.

www.nzherald.co.nz

 

[Parko1310]

Given the lack of quality front rowers on the market at this stage for 2025, I wouldn't mind the Dragons putting in a good offer for Trey Mooney. We need to fill our cap, and don't have many quality options to do so for 2025 anymore.

Only 21, and if we can land Luki who's 22/Finefuaki who's 19 as well, we have all these young quality forwards coming through together like Loko, Latu, Halangahu, Stewart, Egan, etc with them. Makes good competition for spots going forward, and much easier to manage a salary cap when you can promote from within and be confident in your roster turnover given replacements have been in and around the system.

 

[possm]

I do not doubt that the next two signings must be very high-quality players who will fill essential gaps in our top 30 squad.

Manu - I have not given up on the possibility that we sign Manu. He can fill in at center or five-eighth. He wants to play at fullback.

1. Manu
2. Sloan
3. Suli
4. Lomax
5. Ravalawa
6. Flannigan
7. Hunt

May - I say make a good offer for Penrith prop May. Such a signing would give our forward pack a ton of confidence. Young props such as Coric and Fifita would benefit greatly with May in the 17.

Prop Rotation
May - leader of the pack
Molo - improved fitness and defensive structure
Lawrie - improved fitness and defensive structure
Sele - a solid workhouse

Fifita - a young giant who can bend the line and with bruising defense
Coric - fit and ready to go

Backrow
Eisenhuffe - to plug the problems we had on the left side of the field.
Suli - is still our best edge-forward
De Belin - with improved fitness/coaching, he will return to SOO

Couchman

If Flanno has improved defense and fitness, the whole team will be able to compete in each game in 2024.

 

[TheRev]

It has been said that our coffers are overflowing with cash for us to sign several decent players and yet we find it very difficult to get those decent guys to put pen to paper for this year and importantly for 2025.

Now that the Panthers will lose Luai to the Tigers from 2025, they will have extra money to go out into the market and sign some beauties if they need to bearing in mind that they have other players within their system who can step up. So if we were after the likes of Metcalfe or Manu or Terrell May or David Fifita etc., we could be competing with the Panthers to sign either of them and you can bet London to a brick they would prefer going to the Panthers.

While we might have some quality juniors coming through our system, we do need one or two quality marquees to help us improve for the future and I know that what I have said Flanagan has already got this in his head but I am just emphasising this need.

Its interesting because we still negotiate pretty hard on players we've signed.. which is good practice I know.. but were going to have 1-2million unspent this year, even if we try to frontload players for a 2nd year straight (i.e. as we did in 2023)... I mean we have given ourselves a massive handicap playing with 2/3 of the cap... i.e. we could have overspent by 200-500k on AFB or Deardon or some young kid and it makes no difference to any other player.. I know it upsets peoples idea of "value for money" but if it strengthens our squad short-term.. thats crucial, cause if we keep losing games in 2024-2025,all the promising young ones we want to build around will be very eager to get out on their first external offer.

 

[Auntie.Gerald]

I’d say one of the two spots available would be looking for that player that another club doesn’t want to loose but has to let them go to get a marque player done at their club

North qld
Brisbane
Warriors
Roosters
South’s

These clubs would be fairly tight right now with their cap due to fairly expensive list of players

Yet equally they would want keep everyone as they arguably seem themselves at top8 teams and or having a go deep into September

 

[Auntie.Gerald]

Race for Dragons No.1 jumper underway, favourite emerges

It's a two-way race between Tyrell Sloan and Zac Lomax.

www.zerotackle.com

Actually

Just read this article with talk of Sloan and Lomax swapping from the wing (left) I’m guessing? Maybe just against certain teams and or certain situations if behind on the scoreboard or attacking in the 20m red zone?

Given Lomax sees himself as a 5/8 or FB I wonder how how he will enjoy the wing for large parts of the season lol

So Bird starting at right centre with Rava ?

So Sione and or Tamale not rated as yet for left wing?

Hopefully Tamale gets a stack of games at centre in ressies fighting for that FG centre spot

 

[Revesby boy]

Race for Dragons No.1 jumper underway, favourite emerges

It's a two-way race between Tyrell Sloan and Zac Lomax.

www.zerotackle.com

Actually

Just read this article with talk of Sloan and Lomax swapping from the wing (left) I’m guessing? Maybe just against certain teams and or certain situations if behind on the scoreboard or attacking in the 20m red zone?

Given Lomax sees himself as a 5/8 or FB I wonder how how he will enjoy the wing for large parts of the season lol

So Bird starting at right centre with Rava ?

So Sione and or Tamale not rated as yet for left wing?

Hopefully Tamale gets a stack of games at centre in ressies fighting for that FG centre spot

I dare say that what E.L.Chalk and Flanno thinks may be worlds apart

 

[baggygreen man]

Lawrie - improved fitness and defensive structure

Also a solid workhorse. You under rate Blocka. Check out his stats from last year. Be even better after Dan Lawson added muscle over tummy flab. Word coming out of pre season is, all our blokes are stronger and fitter starting this season than past.

 

[baggygreen man]

So Bird starting at right centre with Rava ?

Tell me thats a typo. No way is he in same class as Lomax. I was reading that Bird trained at centre because Lomax trained at the back, as they were expecting Sloan to not make game one.

 

[baggygreen man]

but those lower grades better be fighting out grand finals, our juniors are the only way out of this mess.

There is optimism there for this bloke too. All this bellyaching about recruitment is way off the mark. You only have to look at the youngsters we have brought to this club over the past two years. Three alone played Junior Kangaroos in the off season. What I am riled over is the lack of faith we have in our own pathway juniors, otherwise our scouts aint going shopping for imports. Apart from a handful of forwards and even less outside backs we have very few juniors being groomed for the top grade, specially halves.

 

[qld redvee]

Also a solid workhorse. You under rate Blocka. Check out his stats from last year. Be even better after Dan Lawson added muscle over tummy flab. Word coming out of pre season is, all our blokes are stronger and fitter starting this season than past.

Just shows how bad our training was and how the players accepted their fitness levels..

 

[Sage63]

Also a solid workhorse. You under rate Blocka. Check out his stats from last year. Be even better after Dan Lawson added muscle over tummy flab. Word coming out of pre season is, all our blokes are stronger and fitter starting this season than past.

Sorry, but who says that all our blokes are stronger and fitter starting this season than past. ??

 

[BlackDuckSaint]

Also a solid workhorse. You under rate Blocka. Check out his stats from last year. Be even better after Dan Lawson added muscle over tummy flab. Word coming out of pre season is, all our blokes are stronger and fitter starting this season than past.

I agree. I reckon Block is very underrated.

One of my favourite moments was when he put a good shot on that might have crept a tad high and the attacker stayed down playing for the penalty which wasn't awarded.

Ol Block came out with my new favourite sledge for that type of behaviour. "Mate, I used to respect you"

 

[Illusion]

Can't believe the Dogs are still signing players ...... Wether they are first grade players or not .......

 

[justadragon]

Sorry, but who says that all our blokes are stronger and fitter starting this season than past. ??

The guys in charge of our performance levels. I'm sure they would have stats on every player from last year to this one. Even Flanno said they are stronger and fitter than they used to be, you dont have to be Einstein to realise that we were one of the most unfit clubs if not the worst.

 

[Victoire]

Souths lock in Cook’s successor; Dragons boost halves stocks with NSW Cup veteran: Transfer Centre

Souths lock in Cook’s successor; Dragons boost halves stocks with NSW Cup veteran: Transfer Centre

www.foxsports.com.au

I'll say one thing for Marschke, he played more games in the halves last year than Kyle Flanagan did

 

[rasaint]

Must agree with a couple of other posters; how do we know the team is fitter and faster? Presume comparing some like for like testing from last season maybe? Flanno aiming to win first 3 of 4 games; I’m positive just hoping not getting ahead of ourselves.

 

[Hound of Dracula]

Must agree with a couple of other posters; how do we know the team is fitter and faster? Presume comparing some like for like testing from last season maybe? Flanno aiming to win first 3 of 4 games; I’m positive just hoping not getting ahead of ourselves.

"Best pre-season EVER"
The trials will tell a story

 

[Sage63]

Must agree with a couple of other posters; how do we know the team is fitter and faster? Presume comparing some like for like testing from last season maybe? Flanno aiming to win first 3 of 4 games; I’m positive just hoping not getting ahead of ourselves.

"you dont have to be Einstein to realise that we were one of the most unfit clubs if not the worst."

 

[Sage63]

"Best pre-season EVER"
The trials will tell a story

"you dont have to be Einstein to realise that we were one of the most unfit clubs if not the worst."