Rumours (signings, sackings & other NRL stuff)

[Tiger05]

Any remote chance we had went out the window with the three egos contract negotiations. The writing was on the wall late 2016 that we did not have the quality to be a real chance. Next year trying to get a heap of new players playing a new structure is going to be a real challenge, but we will see a hard competitive side

I honestly think these guys have been shit for most of the year. Brooks has been injured a lot as well. Our team isn't that bad though. Yes we have flaws but it's been the on-field application across the squad and especially from our supposed gun players that has let us down.

 

[super_coach]

Our problem for the last few years we have had a massive difference between our best players and our worst. Next year it would appear that there is going to be a flat line across the squad with the line set pretty high

 

[Shredder]

Yeah super-coach - more of a squad than a team. I like the way its shaping up

 

[Tiger Ted]

Our problem for the last few years we have had a massive difference between our best players and our worst. Next year it would appear that there is going to be a flat line across the squad with the line set pretty high

It's certainly been a glaring problem the huge disparity in quality between the minority of genuine NRL players on our roster & the pathetic mediocrity of the majority.

 

[The Charlatan]

A poster on the official forum who seldom posts but usually has good mail has said that if the Force go down, Rona is 100% signed for us.

That means the backline is sewn up for us next year.

 

[Clifferd]

I reckon we've just about had a word to every off contract player. Has there ever been a bigger recruitment drive than what we've done?

Imo we still should sign Adam Elliot & then a bunch of depth forwards and I'd be more than content for next year

 

[Clifferd]

8 – Alex Twal
Club: Wentworthville Magpies; 2017 TOTW selections: 4.

14 total runs, 124 total metres, one try-assist, one tackle-break, 40 tackles.
Twal is fast becoming the most consistent member of the Intrust Super Premiership NSW Team of the Week following his fourth consecutive selection in the no.8 position. That came due to another fine showing against the Warriors last weekend – while he didn’t match the running metres of previous weeks, he was superb defensively with 40 tackles.


4th consecutive placing in the team of the week. This kid will be a great buy, does a lot of work and makes a lot of tackles. You could probably even play him at lock

 

[super_coach]

I reckon we've just about had a word to every off contract player. Has there ever been a bigger recruitment drive than what we've done?

Imo we still should sign Adam Elliot & then a bunch of depth forwards and I'd be more than content for next year

Apparently over at the kennel they are saying Elliot has signed on for another three years. If true you would have to think the Dogs are up to their old tricks. Maybe the NRL have caved into the cheque book clubs

 

[super_coach]

It's certainly been a glaring problem the huge disparity in quality between the minority of genuine NRL players on our roster & the pathetic mediocrity of the majority.

It also has to be noted that it is very hard to shine in a busted team and maybe some of our lesser players might step up a level next year when we have a pack that should be one of the better ones in the comp. Of course there are a few who have failed to deliver for a few years and they need to be nicely shown the door

 

[Clifferd]

Apparently over at the kennel they are saying Elliot has signed on for another three years. If true you would have to think the Dogs are up to their old tricks. Maybe the NRL have caved into the cheque book clubs

Bulldogs management will say "what salary cap?" As they resign Graham, Elliot etc plus the addition of Foran and Woods for a combined 2mil per season

 

[The Charlatan]

I reckon we've just about had a word to every off contract player. Has there ever been a bigger recruitment drive than what we've done?

Imo we still should sign Adam Elliot & then a bunch of depth forwards and I'd be more than content for next year

The only recruitment drive that was bigger would have been 2000.

I had a look at the probably 17 based on the signings we've made, over 50% will be new recruits. That doesn't count the likes of Fonua, Thompson and Twal who will likely start the year in ISC. It's a depth drive as well as FG.

 

[super_coach]

Bulldogs management will say "what salary cap?" As they resign Graham, Elliot etc plus the addition of Foran and Woods for a combined 2mil per season

Just read that Grant is not seeking reappointment (that is John Grant chairman of the commission) so maybe uncle Nick and Dibbs have got the cap at level they are happy with now!!! Would not trust any of the power brokers of the game, they are motivated by self interest and have very little interest in the long term welfare of the game

 

[WT Unity]

Apparently over at the kennel they are saying Elliot has signed on for another three years. If true you would have to think the Dogs are up to their old tricks. Maybe the NRL have caved into the cheque book clubs

Ray Dibb whilst being interviewed (GRILL'D) on Talkin Sport yesterday by Graeme Hughes indicated that they were very close to announcing the re-signing of Adam Elliott. Given the pressure the Dogs management are under presently I immediately thought there was no way he would have gone out on a limb saying that if he was not 100% certain it was a done deal.

So they've signed Woods, Foran and the upgrade for Elliott must have been significant. What does that equate to in terms of $ spent that is currently only being off-set by Reynolds & Kasiano's departure. Surely they have significantly more cap space to free up. As well as that it is a well known fact that many of their key players are on back ended deals which means their total spend rises incrementally even without releasing players.

Does anybody seriously believe that the cap fits the Roosters or the Dogs?

 

[Tiger05]

Does anybody seriously believe that the cap fits the Roosters or the Dogs?

I don't believe that they are within the cap. There are some scams going on. The NRL should do something about it.

I just contacted the NRL on this issue because it doesn't seem right to me. It'll be interesting if they even respond.

Personally I think the cap should be managed in an open fashion so that if we for instance offered Tedesco $1.2 million and he is on $1.4 million at the Rorters then the Rorters need all of that sum to be under the cap. Nothing else makes sense.

I'd also be cool with that.

 

[Clifferd]

The nrl won't do anything to Brisbane, Bulldogs or Roosters for that matter, particularly Brisbane because they are the biggest club in the NRL by quite some margin and it would do more harm to the nrl than good

 

[Crazyperpman]

The nrl won't do anything to Brisbane, Bulldogs or Roosters for that matter, particularly Brisbane because they are the biggest club in the NRL by quite some margin and it would do more harm to the nrl than good

I dont understand that. Sure Broncos fans want to win and the club makes money for the NRL but if they make them follow the cap and cut out TPAs, what will Brisbane do? Can they join another comp? Would the fans suddenly follow AFL or Soccer?

The sooner the NRL cleans up the murky dealings of TPAs the better. They will make the competition fairer, encourage clubs to nurture talent instead of just poaching players developed by other clubs, make up ground on other codes which are becoming very popular in previous league heartlands, they they will also be able to expand with another team in the Brisbane market (Good luck doing this now with Broncos owning Friday nights and having all the sponsorship of a capital city) and also a Perth team if they want.

I might be biased here (Alright I am), but at the end of the day how is it fair that some clubs spend double what other clubs do, whats the use in having a salary cap in the first place? Makes no sense at all to me. At least acknowledge the gap between the "haves" and "have nots" and maybe even let the fans know how much extra the "haves" are spending.

Banging on about a fair competition with different winners each year ....Blah Blah. Does my head in.

End Rant.

 

[axl rose]

The sooner the NRL cleans up the murky dealings of TPAs the better. They will make the competition fairer, encourage clubs to nurture talent
.

That will be the day, as long as the status quo of Roosters,Broncos and Storm are at the top they are happy.

 

[Clifferd]

I dont understand that. Sure Broncos fans want to win and the club makes money for the NRL but if they make them follow the cap and cut out TPAs, what will Brisbane do? Can they join another comp? Would the fans suddenly follow AFL or Soccer?

The sooner the NRL cleans up the murky dealings of TPAs the better. They will make the competition fairer, encourage clubs to nurture talent instead of just poaching players developed by other clubs, make up ground on other codes which are becoming very popular in previous league heartlands, they they will also be able to expand with another team in the Brisbane market (Good luck doing this now with Broncos owning Friday nights and having all the sponsorship of a capital city) and also a Perth team if they want.

I might be biased here (Alright I am), but at the end of the day how is it fair that some clubs spend double what other clubs do, whats the use in having a salary cap in the first place? Makes no sense at all to me. At least acknowledge the gap between the "haves" and "have nots" and maybe even let the fans know how much extra the "haves" are spending.

Banging on about a fair competition with different winners each year ....Blah Blah. Does my head in.

End Rant.

Brisbane have the most supporters by far out of any team. Look at their membership numbers, tv viewers and crowd averages, it blows every team out of the water. Could you imagine if they had a wooden spoon year? Or worse even got done for salary cap cheating

The nrl won't allow it I dare say

 

[axl rose]

Brisbane. you imagine if they had a wooden spoon year? Or worse even got done for salary cap cheating. The nrl won't allow it I dare say

I live in Brisbane and run into a retired cop or two in my line of work. If even half the stories are true, the amount of shit their players got away with back in the day is unbelievable. I'm sure its all changed now though..

 

[super_coach]

Just on the salary cap, it was introduced to create a even comp and save teams from spending beyond their means.

The funny thing is the teams it was designed to protect are now the teams most disadvantaged by it. Take a team like us, we can only spend up to the top of the cap and if we are lucky scrape up a small TPA. On the other hand the Chooks can spend all their cap than spend to the top of the TPA limit.......and than there is the mystery stuff.

We will become just like the EPL where you see the same teams every year at the top and once every 100 years there will be a Cinderella story where a team flukes a comp win