Rumoured signings 2014 / 2015

[Galeforce]

Bulldogs recruitment is naively sinister

First they screwup values with Fifita and now who knows what they have offered the brothers to walk away from the Knights in in 2016.

All we are going to hear about for offseason and for half of 2015 is will the Knights be able to convince the M brothers to stay......Knights fans will be in limbo, Bulldogs will be in a smirking limbo. Meanwhile prices for other top young players will all be pushed up by their agents in response.

Bulldogs and Rooster are a blight on the game. Relocate Bulldogs to Adelaide and Roosters to Perth and give them missions to actually develop players from their new areas.

 

[ek999]

If the Broncos didn't sign Barba who we could have kept for another 10 years, we wouldn't have had to sign someone from another club.

 

[McNulty]

Welcome home young Bulldogs Juniors

 

[perverse]

I don't think any of them played any junior football for the Dogs whatsoever. Maybe Pete when he was very, very young. They've lived in Newcastle for 12+ years. They are Newcastle juniors and each of them has played at every level for the Knights from Harold Matts up.

But yeah, Bulldogs juniors of course. Derp.

I wouldn't count your chickens just yet, though. This isn't a done deal until July next year.

 

[Nice Beaver]

The Roosters have a policy in place to try and skim the best 2 or 3 from each clubs juniors. I'm sure the Dogs are not far behind by the looks of it.

 

[nick87]

I'd love nothing more than to sink the boot into the knights, but its impossible to feel anything but endless empathy for them on this
the system is broken, and clubs like theirs and mine are being abused by big market clubs and the NRL simply does not give a single shit.

Those boys should be playing for the knights and helping bring them back to the top, they've developed them, they deserve to get the spoils. Same with us and Milford.

It sucks

 

[perverse]

I'd love nothing more than to sink the boot into the knights, but its impossible to feel anything but endless empathy for them on this
the system is broken, and clubs like theirs and mine are being abused by big market clubs and the NRL simply does not give a single shit.

Those boys should be playing for the knights and helping bring them back to the top, they've developed them, they deserve to get the spoils. Same with us and Milford.

It sucks

Yep, exactly. The way the Milford situation went down with the Raiders was a total travesty. It's pretty clear that there are at least 2 classes of team in the NRL.

The Knights still have 8 or 9 months to fix this. The boys themselves definitely want to stay in Newcastle... it really should be very easy for the Knights to keep these guys.

Also we need a transfer window implemented. This free-for-all with recruitment 1.5-2 seasons in advance is a total joke. The NRL is such a goddamn mickey mouse competition.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

Don't worry. The NRL have a brilliant plan to stop this poaching of juniors.

It's called the draft...

 

[TheViking]

I'd love nothing more than to sink the boot into the knights, but its impossible to feel anything but endless empathy for them on this
the system is broken, and clubs like theirs and mine are being abused by big market clubs and the NRL simply does not give a single shit.

Those boys should be playing for the knights and helping bring them back to the top, they've developed them, they deserve to get the spoils. Same with us and Milford.

It sucks

Sione, Milford, Barba...

Idris, Carter, Sezer, Burr all talented kids poached at stages. Some paid overs to get them, some offered better chances like Burr. Though none the less. They are quality kids brought through to be poached. Happens all the time.

Goes around every club.

Go back further Mason, SBW, JT, Price etc.

The difference is the Dogs are trying to get some good talent as well and are more attractive due to the coach, quality and place isn't ran like a mad house.

 

[nick87]

Sione, Milford, Barba...

Idris, Carter, Sezer, Burr all talented kids poached at stages. Some paid overs to get them, some offered better chances like Burr. Though none the less. They are quality kids brought through to be poached. Happens all the time.

Goes around every club.

Go back further Mason, SBW, JT, Price etc.

The difference is the Dogs are trying to get some good talent as well and are more attractive due to the coach, quality and place isn't ran like a mad house.

The trouble with that is it doesnt go around for every club. When was the last time the knights or raiders signed up some sydney club's best junior? or star player? Blake Austin would be our biggest signing in a decade, FFS :lol:

The deck is stacked unfairly against these small market clubs and the NRL has no interest in doing anything about it

 

[perverse]

The Knights have had a bunch of blokes follow Bennett into the club over the past few years - but that was Bennett's doing, not the Knights. Prior to that, and seemingly in a post-Bennett era, we can't hold onto or recruit a good junior to save ourselves.

It blew me over backwards that we signed Tariq Sims even with Bennett leaving. Aside from the Bennett era, that would be our best signing since Ben Kennedy. No doubt the most of the negotiation happened whilst Bennett was still at the club and in his ear, but he still signed the deal when Bennett left. A massive coup for us, it would just be a regular signing for a team like the Dogs or the Roosters. Hell, it'd probably even be a bit underwhelming for them.

It's pretty obvious that the playing field is completely uneven in the NRL. I get why the clubs that benefit from it don't see it, they just think it's normal to sign whoever you like.

 

[Packy]

Honestly I couldn't care less if they took Chanel or Pat either. Losing Sione would be a massive kick in the guts though.

Seriously, what's even the point in investing in junior development when the scummy rich clubs just come along and buy whatever squad they want anyway?

Scummy rich clubs that are allowed to spend the same amount of money on a roster as all the other clubs.

 

[Noname36]

The trouble with that is it doesnt go around for every club. When was the last time the knights or raiders signed up some sydney club's best junior? or star player? Blake Austin would be our biggest signing in a decade, FFS :lol:

The deck is stacked unfairly against these small market clubs and the NRL has no interest in doing anything about it

Sad part is, the only reason the NRL stepped in the keep the Knights afloat when Tinkler left is because they need them to keep producing juniors to sustain the game. They don't want the area to become an AFL or soccer heartland. They have absolutely no interest in seeing them succeed themselves at the top level. Same with the Raiders. If they went belly up the NRL would step in, if only to ensure that there actually are juniors available for the big clubs to poach.

Part of me thinks the likes of Newcastle, Canberra, Penrith, West Tigers, etc. won't be around in 10 years. I wonder where all the players will come from then?

The very few juniors the Bulldogs have brought through in the past 10 years have been pissed off in order to poach another club's young players anyway.

 

[Noname36]

Scummy rich clubs that are allowed to spend the same amount of money on a roster as all the other clubs.

Please. Brown paper bags and dodgy third party deals exist and happen left, right and centre. Don't be naive.

 

[Packy]

OK as long as you don't be naive about "Ring Gids"

 

[Noname36]

OK as long as you don't be naive about "Ring Gids"

WTF :lol:

1) I'm not, and
2) That has absolutely zero relevance to this discussion

 

[Packy]

For the record. I would prefer that things like this don't happen and all clubs had a wonderful backyard and surplus of juniors. I would prefer that all 4 brothers stayed in Newcastle...

However, that isn't the way the world works. If someone gets a better offer, you can't blame them for taking it? If we were happy to offer all 4 brothers a spot and that was what got us over the line then why isn't Peter at the Knights?

You can whinge all you like but the first place to look is your own backyard and head office.

Not to mention that NONE of this is even confirmed.

 

[Tommy Smith]

The Knights would only have themselves to blame.

The management set up there, led by Matt f**king Gidley, is incompetent beyond belief.

If you want to adopt nepotism as a system as governance then this is what happens.

 

[perverse]

However, that isn't the way the world works. If someone gets a better offer, you can't blame them for taking it? If we were happy to offer all 4 brothers a spot and that was what got us over the line then why isn't Peter at the Knights?

For starters, there's no chance that the Dogs can offer as much as the Knights can in this instance in raw dollars. Secondly, if you're happy to offer all 4 brothers a spot, then why isn't Pete on his way as well as a part of this deal?

You're right about 1 thing though, none of this is confirmed until round 13 next year. At least we've got a long time to counter this.

 

[Noname36]

For the record. I would prefer that things like this don't happen and all clubs had a wonderful backyard and surplus of juniors. I would prefer that all 4 brothers stayed in Newcastle...

However, that isn't the way the world works. If someone gets a better offer, you can't blame them for taking it? If we were happy to offer all 4 brothers a spot and that was what got us over the line then why isn't Peter at the Knights?

You can whinge all you like but the first place to look is your own backyard and head office.

Not to mention that NONE of this is even confirmed.

Peter isn't at the Knights because he's older than the others and when he came through he had an established backline and the likes of Kevin Naiqama also ahead of him in NSW Cup. The Knights were happy to offer him a contract extension but Bennett advised him that his best shot of playing FG more regularly was finding another club. It was a completely different scenario. And FTR Pete isn't going to the Bulldogs anyway so your argument doesn't even stand up.

Trust me, we've all whinged about head office (take a look in the Knights forum), but at the end of the day this issue is two fold and it shows how broken the game is. This isn't an issue isolated to the Knights. The same cries have been coming from Raiders and Tigers supporters for ages too.

There needs to be rewards put in place for clubs that develop players. Simple as that. If not there is absolutely no incentive for them to keep doing it. Why should they use time and resources developing players so that clubs like the Bulldogs that have access to more under the table money and third party agreements can poach them before they get to reap the rewards for their time and effort to get them to that place?