What's new
The Front Row Forums

Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Rumours (signings, sackings & other NRL stuff)

Vic Mackey

Referee
Messages
24,496
Napa, Scott and Elliot would all be horrible signings

Napa wasnt wanted by the team who won 3 games all year

Scott has huge off field problems and has been let go by the best club of the last 20 years and a side who has played a GF and prelim recently but yes, our culture will turn him around. Id rather keep Jet, seriously

Elliot is just bog average and again off field issues. Id rather give Blore and Tuilagi a chance to establish themselves over him

Ash Taylor is an interesting one. In your squad of 30 you need 4 halves. We have Brooks, Doueihi, Madden and Hastings. Doueihi will miss the first 4-8 weeks and apparently Hastings is being looked at as a utility. I actually dont mind it. He has a great kicking game, gets a lot of set restarts which is Brooks weakest point. A 1 year deal on smallish money and he isnt a bad get IMO
 

WT Unity

Juniors
Messages
236
I've gotta say I'd be pretty happy with either Burns or Cotric as additions to our squad. Although I didn't see that much of Cotric last year what I did see made me think he certainly wasn't the player he was at Canberra. I was wondering all along why we hadn't been linked with going for Burns. Now I'm kinda thinking....I might prefer we were getting Burns. Anyway regardless if Vic's mail is good then Cotric is as good a signing as we would have landed for a while.
 

Vic Mackey

Referee
Messages
24,496
I've gotta say I'd be pretty happy with either Burns or Cotric as additions to our squad. Although I didn't see that much of Cotric last year what I did see made me think he certainly wasn't the player he was at Canberra. I was wondering all along why we hadn't been linked with going for Burns. Now I'm kinda thinking....I might prefer we were getting Burns. Anyway regardless if Vic's mail is good then Cotric is as good a signing as we would have landed for a while.

I have no mail at all, just murmours on that net and the fact that Dogs are still signing backs like they are going out of fashion
 
Messages
3,211
I think Ash Taylor and the Warriors is nearly a done deal isn't it?
Just dotting i's and crossing t's...
apparently so,

Ex-Titans half Ashley Taylor is reportedly closing in on an opportunity with the Warriors — but he’ll have to accept almost a 90 per cent pay cut.
 

stryker

First Grade
Messages
5,277
Looks like the Dogs are signing Braidun Burns. Theres rumours Cotric isnt happy there, if so wouldnt surprise if hes shopped around and we land him. He's good mates with Doueihi, Id take him at right centre
The Cotric rumours, as far as I am aware are fan based only.
 

Magpies Forever

Juniors
Messages
2,208
Have to say in my depressed state I strongly doubt we will get anybody that is valued by other clubs. As per usual end of season WT wait and wait and we end up with the bargain basement sale items / players no one else wants. Might be great in balancing the books but terrible in actually improving the squad with experienced players which is a integral part of WT improving.

If we miss Taylor by inaction especially if Brooks is on the nose with the club and we sit on our hands and then decide later to push Brooks someone needs to fall on their sword and be accountable.
 

Tigerm

First Grade
Messages
8,902
Have to say in my depressed state I strongly doubt we will get anybody that is valued by other clubs. As per usual end of season WT wait and wait and we end up with the bargain basement sale items / players no one else wants. Might be great in balancing the books but terrible in actually improving the squad with experienced players which is a integral part of WT improving.

If we miss Taylor by inaction especially if Brooks is on the nose with the club and we sit on our hands and then decide later to push Brooks someone needs to fall on their sword and be accountable.
But no one (from the club) has said Brooks was going anywhere? In fact, I think they have said he was staying?

I would have thought Taylor may have only been needed to cover Doueih’s injury, but we do have Hastings, though he probably would have been alright if the money they are stating is factual Imo?
 

Das Hassler

Bench
Messages
2,960
I honestly cannot imagine what anybody has seen with Taylor to get a hint that he might somehow find his spark with us. We need enigmatic "when they're in the mood" talents like we need another 3 home grounds ...take a tip from the dragons ...it doesn't work.
 

WT Unity

Juniors
Messages
236
I honestly cannot imagine what anybody has seen with Taylor to get a hint that he might somehow find his spark with us. We need enigmatic "when they're in the mood" talents like we need another 3 home grounds ...take a tip from the dragons ...it doesn't work.
I'm in agreement here - Three reasons
1 - As stated above enigmatic when in the mood talents sums it up perfectly. Please no more thinking we're the career rehab clinic.
2 - If we do need recruit someone with Douehi's injury (and Talau's for that matter) in mind then Peachy would surely be a better option. Can play centre, can cover 6 and when others are back he's still a handy 14.
3 - With Douehi out we still have Hastings / Brooks / Madden and personally I'd like to see how a Hastings / Brooks combo works. Jackson -> Steer the team around, kick and scheme. Luke -> Run!
 

BrotherJim05

Bench
Messages
3,399
I'd take Elliot and Cotric from dogs, and then Peachy from Titans provided price is right for all. Cotric is as good as we can hope for. Scott will just cause issues so I think Cotric would be better option. Elliot is bog average but apparently he is a very hard worker and puts in 100% at training. I have a feeling Madge could get something out of him that the Dogs couldn't. Peachy would be very handy utility, especially with all our injuries he would make a great jack of all trades for the right price.

Garner for Taupau would be good for us as well. If Taupau is willing to come back to Tigers then it would indicate he does have some love for the club and he has enough games up his sleeve now to provide some leadership for the younger fowards. I see Blore and Luciano ahead of Garner but it does then wear our 2nd row pretty thin. We would probably be looking to then sign another 2nd rower, so if the Tariq Sims rumours are true then this would certainly be an upgrade.

All 5 of these players would be an improvement for our squad overall, and if we can get them on 2-3 year deals for a total of 1.6 million per year (or whatever is left in our cap) then overall it's a massive win for us.
 

MasterTiger

Juniors
Messages
95
Hi fellow supporters.....The days of paying off cut players from other failed teams are over. It appears that we will keep some of our internal failures {Brookes} BUT invest in future youngsters both internally and externally. There is no other way. Mind you I would love to pick up Sims but commonsense tells me he will go to a powerbroker team.
 

BrotherJim05

Bench
Messages
3,399
Hi fellow supporters.....The days of paying off cut players from other failed teams are over. It appears that we will keep some of our internal failures {Brookes} BUT invest in future youngsters both internally and externally. There is no other way. Mind you I would love to pick up Sims but commonsense tells me he will go to a powerbroker team.
At 31 years old his next contract will be his last. Do you take a decent bit of cash at a struggling club or a cut price deal and actually have a real shot at winning a premiership?

Usually I'm against signing these sorts of players, but Sims has his Blues spot to keep so I think we could expect 100% from him week in week out.
 
Messages
14,795
The way I see it we need at least two centres, another winger, another half for at least next year, one or two quality second rowers, a hooker, a quality prop plus another bench prop and a back who can play 1-5.

We are a f**king shambles. Nofoaluma, Brooks, Tamou and Mikaele should have all been shipped off at the end of this year.

We're going to be starting the year with Brooks and Hastings in the halves. We won't see AD for at least 2/3rd's of the year, Madden isn't ready, and that's assuming he'll ever be.

Razor thin in the centres, relying on a guy who's been injured a bit in England to come here turn things around along with Talau who may not stay in the backs. Outside of him we have a kid who has feet for hands recovering from an ACL injury who may come good as a centre (based on the 30 minutes he played at centre before doing said ACL,) and a busted 30 something whose only asset is pace and doesn't have a halfback who can give him any space to utilise it. Kei and Hoffman are in the lower grades and virtually untested.

Same with wingers. Ken is solid, Nofoaluma is routinely found out by his opposite number and lets in more tries than he scores. Evident that Cini will not be a first grader now. Apart from that there's untested young fellas in the lower grades.

If Laurie goes down for any extended period of time, we're f**ked.

Luciano is not an 80 minute player and his lateral movement is non existent, Blore is coming along well IMO, very solid defender, gets good metres post contact and might become useful if we have a halfback who might actually do something more with him than throw a short pass at the line. Garner I think has hit his ceiling, what you see is what you get. He's a loose defender at times as well. Tuilagi has shown some glimpses of what he can do, but he's still raw. Tuki is still only young, could be anything.

Liddle is made of tissue and spit and Jake is still learning his trade. Really need to land a good quality nine. If Api Koroisau is pushed out of Penrith they should have a go at him and let Liddle go. Would prefer Cheese but he's going to Brissy #2 or Easts.

We need one good prop to lead the forwards. Tamou is not that guy. Adding to him we have Stef, Twal, Musgrove, Amone, Mikaele.

Stef is starting to push a case as our premier prop, Twal while not explosive is my first player picked every week as he's a dependable workhorse in defence and in grunt work. Musgrove looks like a cheaper Packer that will be perpetually injured for the remainder of his contract, Amone has shown nothing and Mikaele doesn't have the brains to be a first grader.

We have a lot of holes that need plugging, and they can't all just be kids.
 

Magpies Forever

Juniors
Messages
2,208
I think we have 2 x high value, not great return players on our books for a few more years in Brooks and Nofoaluma. If we could/should/would tap one of them on the shoulder to move on for next season who should it be? If the rumours are true that Brooks doesn't like working with Maguire and as he holds an essential spine position critical for the clubs improvement surely it should be him. Nofo is the lesser problem of the 2 at this stage. Thoughts?

Yes I know we will have to subsidise his contract elsewhere
 

Vic Mackey

Referee
Messages
24,496
The way I see it we need at least two centres, another winger, another half for at least next year, one or two quality second rowers, a hooker, a quality prop plus another bench prop and a back who can play 1-5.

We are a f**king shambles. Nofoaluma, Brooks, Tamou and Mikaele should have all been shipped off at the end of this year.

We're going to be starting the year with Brooks and Hastings in the halves. We won't see AD for at least 2/3rd's of the year, Madden isn't ready, and that's assuming he'll ever be.

Razor thin in the centres, relying on a guy who's been injured a bit in England to come here turn things around along with Talau who may not stay in the backs. Outside of him we have a kid who has feet for hands recovering from an ACL injury who may come good as a centre (based on the 30 minutes he played at centre before doing said ACL,) and a busted 30 something whose only asset is pace and doesn't have a halfback who can give him any space to utilise it. Kei and Hoffman are in the lower grades and virtually untested.

Same with wingers. Ken is solid, Nofoaluma is routinely found out by his opposite number and lets in more tries than he scores. Evident that Cini will not be a first grader now. Apart from that there's untested young fellas in the lower grades.

If Laurie goes down for any extended period of time, we're f**ked.

Luciano is not an 80 minute player and his lateral movement is non existent, Blore is coming along well IMO, very solid defender, gets good metres post contact and might become useful if we have a halfback who might actually do something more with him than throw a short pass at the line. Garner I think has hit his ceiling, what you see is what you get. He's a loose defender at times as well. Tuilagi has shown some glimpses of what he can do, but he's still raw. Tuki is still only young, could be anything.

Liddle is made of tissue and spit and Jake is still learning his trade. Really need to land a good quality nine. If Api Koroisau is pushed out of Penrith they should have a go at him and let Liddle go. Would prefer Cheese but he's going to Brissy #2 or Easts.

We need one good prop to lead the forwards. Tamou is not that guy. Adding to him we have Stef, Twal, Musgrove, Amone, Mikaele.

Stef is starting to push a case as our premier prop, Twal while not explosive is my first player picked every week as he's a dependable workhorse in defence and in grunt work. Musgrove looks like a cheaper Packer that will be perpetually injured for the remainder of his contract, Amone has shown nothing and Mikaele doesn't have the brains to be a first grader.

We have a lot of holes that need plugging, and they can't all just be kids.
It’s depressing how correct this entire post is
 

Latest posts

Top