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!

2023 Rabbitohs Rumors, Signings and News

callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,611
The Mole - Souths sign 'special talent' Shaqueil Saunders but new deal 'almost didn't happen': https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/the-mo...kout-try/63ad33fa-470c-49be-a516-c246b7c430fb

I know nothing about the kid, and I'd have to see more than one try, as amazing as it was, before I have an opinion on him. But good luck to him! Hope he thrives and works his way through. He obviously has some talent to be rated as 'special.' Will watch with great interest!
 

Runrabbit14

Juniors
Messages
149
The Mole - Souths sign 'special talent' Shaqueil Saunders but new deal 'almost didn't happen': https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/the-mo...kout-try/63ad33fa-470c-49be-a516-c246b7c430fb

I know nothing about the kid, and I'd have to see more than one try, as amazing as it was, before I have an opinion on him. But good luck to him! Hope he thrives and works his way through. He obviously has some talent to be rated as 'special.' Will watch with great interest!
If another club had signed him we would probably be saying we wished we had signed him !
Good to read Latrell getting involved in spotting upcoming talent.
Still very young so give him a few years in our system and who knows where he will end up ?
 

GGTSS

Juniors
Messages
46
Anyone know about Leon Te Hau? See he's in the top 30 but not heard or seen anything about him.
Given Kalo Kalo and Karapani no doubt ahead of him for making their debut assume he's one to watch grow for future seasons.
 

Thumper

Juniors
Messages
347
Anyone know about Leon Te Hau? See he's in the top 30 but not heard or seen anything about him.
Given Kalo Kalo and Karapani no doubt ahead of him for making their debut assume he's one to watch grow for future seasons.
Kid from Marsden High. Bully obviously pointed him in the right direction. Only 18. Didn't set Flegg / u/20's on fire last year. See how a pre season with the big boys helps.
 
Last edited:

callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,611
The Super League's revolutionary new rule... and how it could solve NRL's biggest issue: https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...s/news-story/9e844cf857bfeab80243c08f64fc8586

From Zero Tackle,

NRL make comment after salary cap announcement dispute

The drama between the NRL and Rugby League Players Association continues into the New Year as the RLPA shared an embittered email to its members.

The email was critical of the NRL's salary cap announcement from late December, stating there had been little communication on how clubs were going to implement changes.

The NRL announced a 25 per cent increase in the salary cap at the end of last year - moving from $9.6 million to $12.1 million.

Club's development list caps had also been significantly increased from $240,000 to $650,000.

Despite the increase in figures, the RLPA was furious that the new salary cap was made public before negotiations for the new Collective Bargaining Agreement had been finalised.

“For a governing body to set its own salary cap disrespects the entire player representation movement and the importance of collective bargaining," RLPA chair Deidre Anderson said in a release at the time.

According to an NRL spokesperson via The Daily Telegraph, the NRL is committed to resolving the confusion surrounding the salary cap implementation.

“The NRL have indicated they will continue to work with the clubs to implement the changes,” said the spokesperson.

There was pressure on the NRL to finalise the salary cap figures so that clubs could finalise their top 30 rosters before the 2023 season.

Negotiations around the CBA are expected to be finalised by mid-January according to Australian Rugby League Commission chairman, Peter V'Landys - however, it will be interesting to see how the RLPA's reaction to the salary cap announcement will affect future proceedings.
 

callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,611
From Zero Tackle,

RLPA urges players not to sign new deals despite salary cap figure

Though the public may widely believe that the salary cap issues between the NRL and RLPA have been resolved, the union has this week issued a fresh call for players not to sign any new contracts until a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is in place or face potentially perilous circumstances.

While the ARLC announced a record $12.1 million figure for the 2023 salary cap just prior to Christmas, negotiations related to the wider CBA are still at an impasse.

RLPA chair Deidre Anderson also hit back at the NRL for suggesting that union chief Clint Newtown has been scaremongering after expressing his concerns about the sudden announcement of a new deal.

Despite the attractive surface value of the announced cap figure, the RLPA have urged players not to rush into any new deals, spellbound by a dollar value without other conditions being confirmed.

“Our advice (to players) would be to ask, ‘where's the detail?',” Anderson told AAP.

“None of the CBA detail has been presented from the NRL. All we have is the salary cap amount.

“A young player is going to get very excited when he sees a few zeroes.

“If he gets injured part-way through, the money that should have been applied to support him medically may not be there and he could be left out on his own.”

It's also been reported that the RLPA have given NRLW players the same advice, especially as they don't yet know the length or starting date of the newly-expanded competition.

Anderson has urged V'Landys and the rest of the ARLC to remember that the players and their livelihoods, not monetary figures, should be the primary concern.

“It's a negotiation about people and that's probably the sticking point,” Anderson said.

“(V'Landys) is looking at it from a dollar value. I disagree with the way he's interpreted some of Clint (Newton's) comments.”

While the ARLC advised they would re-open CBA negotiations in January, the RLPA also confirmed they had received no correspondence in relation to the talks since the pre-Christmas announcement.
 

callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,611
No new rules for 2023 Season: https://www.nrl.com/news/2023/01/12/no-new-rules-for-2023-season/

I'm a fan of all these new rule amendments for this year onwards. They provide real clarity on what has been a number of grey areas for a few years now, particularly the try scoring stuff. Sounds good!

This, on the other hand, doesn't sound so good. From Sporting News,'

'Lack of trust' between the NRL and RLPA sees CBA negotiations drag on

Christian Welch has described the negotiations between the NRL and Rugby League Players’ Association (RLPA) over the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) as “frustrating” with discussions continuing to drag on.

“There’s been a real lack of trust between the two parties which has been really disappointing because we’re not close to an agreement at all,” Welch told SEN.

The NRL hasn't taken the RLPA "seriously" during negotiations

On the eve of Christmas last year, the NRL announced a landmark change to the salary cap which included a 25 per cent hike to $12.1 million for 2023 and included an increase on the minimum salary for all male players in a club's top 30 squad.

However, this news was met with criticism from the RLPA who claimed the announcement had “resulted in great confusion and chaos” following the NRL’s alleged refusal to consult with the playing group during the process.

"To announce new salary caps for players without their agreement and bypassing their association is unprecedented," RLPA chair Deidre Anderson said.

"To the best of our knowledge, clubs were also not provided with the details of the new salary caps and player payment structure until approximately five minutes before the ARLC's public announcement.

“For a governing body to set its own salary cap disrespects the entire player representation movement and the importance of collective bargaining.

“The announcement goes against negotiating in good faith and only damages the trust between the players and the governing body.

“While we are fully supportive of increases to the players’ salaries and other key player support programs – increases and support programs which we were attempting to negotiate – a CBA negotiation is more than just agreeing to a new salary cap.”

The Melbourne Storm forward reiterated these points when revealing how the negotiations have dragged on for an extended period due to the NRL’s steadfast refusal to engage with the RLPA in a timely manner around key financial details.

“It’s been a really frustrating process,” Welch said.

“14 months ago, we tried getting the ball rolling on financial information and trying to get requests to the NRL. It took 7 months to get there when we got there in June.

“We’ve really been waiting to get to the table and talk with the NRL but there's been a real lack of…I don’t think they take the RLPA seriously.”

Andrew Abdo announces record salary cap for 2023

Upon the surprise announcement of the deal, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo championed it while underlining how setting a salary cap in stone for 2023 was a move in the right direction for the game.

“The ARL Commission are taking a leadership position, we don’t have to do this, but we want to provide certainty for contracting purposes, certainty for clubs and certainty for the players,” he told The Sydney Morning Herald.

“There are record increases for the male and female players, which is exciting.”

He also stressed how the negotiations were still ongoing and that there was plenty of room left for further negotiation.

However, the RLPA claimed they only received a sparse financial proposal and a 24-hour deadline in which to respond to the offer.

The terms related to player payments and benefits along with future representative fees and education funds.

"It is not appropriate for the players to be rushed into agreeing to a financial proposal two days before Christmas," Anderson argued at the time.

Playing group want a quick resolution to the CBA discussions as NRLW continues to be impacted

As a result of the original deadline in October having long since passed, stagnation has started to set in across the code with clubs and players forced to operate in line with the old agreement.

“We’ve been ready to go since last November and it’s just been delays, delays and delays,” Welch declared.

“The women’s teams are the ones who are doing it particularly tough at the moment.

“None of them are able to sign any contracts so if you get injured at training or at work, your chances of securing a contract are small.”

This was highlighted by Jillaroos star and former Dally M medal winner, Emma Tonegato, when she explained how her life had essentially been in limbo since a deal hadn’t been agreed upon.

She claimed hundreds of other women in the NRLW were also experiencing similar circumstances.

“In terms of clubs, I have had a few meetings here and there, but I can’t really decide on anything until things are sorted,” Tonegato told the NCA NewsWire.

“The CBA is a bit tricky, so I’m just trying to figure out where we stand, when the competition will start and what we’re going to do for work.

“I work full-time, so I need to know if I’m going to transition into part-time work or focus full-time on footy next year.

“It’s all up in the air at the moment and that’s really frustrating when I’m trying to sort out my life because I need to let my employers know what’s happening.”

Welch underlined how the playing group as a whole had become tired of the negotiations and now wanted to reach a resolution quickly with the new season drawing nearer.

“We need the NRL to bring us along on the journey and I just feel like there’s not a whole lot of respect for the RLPA,” he said.

“Hopefully, we can build that relationship back up. We just want to get a deal done, stop talking about this and focus on footy.”
 

callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,611
Rabbit Hunting - Burgess leads pursuit of Dom Young: https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/ra...ths-pursuit-of-dom-young-20230112-p5cbz4.html

How bloody good would this be?!! Now, I'm certainly not getting my hopes up as it's very early stages but it's great signs that we've identified him and are actively going after him. He'd be an incredible signing if we could somehow pull it off and I think myself and many have said he'd be exactly the kind of player we need.

Our recruitment and retention has copped plenty since Reyno departed but where are those critics now? We've just retained our entire spine and are now going after one of the brightest young talents in the game. granted, we might not get him but you never know!!

Go Sam!! Get this done!!!
 

Rabbits20

Immortal
Messages
41,611
Depends how much he will cost. If he’s gonna be 500-550k we might be better off going with some of young guns we have coming through.

I wouldn’t pay over 450k for Dom. But yes he is a fine young player
 

Rabbits20

Immortal
Messages
41,611
I asked 2 of my Knights mates one is a member and he said that he believes Dom has already extended with Newcastle but it’s not announced yet so let’s see
 

callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,611
Depends how much he will cost. If he’s gonna be 500-550k we might be better off going with some of young guns we have coming through.

I wouldn’t pay over 450k for Dom. But yes he is a fine young player
I'm not too fussed on how much we pay, the club knows what it's doing either way and we are not a club that pays overs.

In some other news, from Zero Tackle,

NRL clamping down on concussion crisis with new reported mandate

The NRL are looking to take further steps in their battle with concussion, with a reported mandate to require all clubs to provide footage of contact drills at training to the league.

In a bid to collect further data surrounding head injuries, the NRL is set to ensure all contact training, including pre-season drills, is captured on video, with recorded concussion issues to be reported to the league along with the necessary footage, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

The mandate follows the announcement of an alteration to the 18th man rule, with two failed head injury assessments to allow the extra bench player to be added into the game, down from three HIAs.

Seeking to continue placing the health and well-being of players as a top priority, the new training protocols are another step in the right direction for the league.

Speaking to The Herald, NRL football boss Graham Annesley detailed the new measures that will assists the league's ability to combat ongoing concerns with concussion.

“We've put a range of measures in place to initially, in the first instance, treat head contact injuries at training the same way it is treated on game day,” he said.

“Clubs have to apply ‘spotters' at contact training sessions and additional training is available if needed. And any incidents of head contact where a player suffers indicators of a possible concussion needs to be reported. That has to then be reviewed by the doctor.

“We are requiring clubs to provide us with details of their contact training sessions and to videotape those sessions.

“So that when an incident does take place, we can review it medically. We are also requiring them to provide GPS data of their contact training sessions and we'll be collating all of that data.

“It might be that nothing has to change based on the data. But rather than just make a subjective decision on what someone thinks is the right amount of contact training in any given week, we want to do it on the basis of scientific data.”

The NRL has recently weighed up placing limitations on the amount of contact training during pre-season programs for clubs.

Annesley said a decision on capping contact training requires further data before making the change.

“Any decisions on limiting contact training sessions have to be based on scientific evidence and there hasn't been any wane, in any way, shape or form, for the upcoming season when it comes to contact with the head or neck," he added.

The Concussion Legacy Foundation has looked to sway major sporting codes to remove tackling in sports involving kids prior to the age of 14.
 

handyman2190

Bench
Messages
3,386
I'm not too fussed on how much we pay, the club knows what it's doing either way and we are not a club that pays overs.

In some other news, from Zero Tackle,

NRL clamping down on concussion crisis with new reported mandate

The NRL are looking to take further steps in their battle with concussion, with a reported mandate to require all clubs to provide footage of contact drills at training to the league.

In a bid to collect further data surrounding head injuries, the NRL is set to ensure all contact training, including pre-season drills, is captured on video, with recorded concussion issues to be reported to the league along with the necessary footage, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

The mandate follows the announcement of an alteration to the 18th man rule, with two failed head injury assessments to allow the extra bench player to be added into the game, down from three HIAs.

Seeking to continue placing the health and well-being of players as a top priority, the new training protocols are another step in the right direction for the league.

Speaking to The Herald, NRL football boss Graham Annesley detailed the new measures that will assists the league's ability to combat ongoing concerns with concussion.

“We've put a range of measures in place to initially, in the first instance, treat head contact injuries at training the same way it is treated on game day,” he said.

“Clubs have to apply ‘spotters' at contact training sessions and additional training is available if needed. And any incidents of head contact where a player suffers indicators of a possible concussion needs to be reported. That has to then be reviewed by the doctor.

“We are requiring clubs to provide us with details of their contact training sessions and to videotape those sessions.

“So that when an incident does take place, we can review it medically. We are also requiring them to provide GPS data of their contact training sessions and we'll be collating all of that data.

“It might be that nothing has to change based on the data. But rather than just make a subjective decision on what someone thinks is the right amount of contact training in any given week, we want to do it on the basis of scientific data.”

The NRL has recently weighed up placing limitations on the amount of contact training during pre-season programs for clubs.

Annesley said a decision on capping contact training requires further data before making the change.

“Any decisions on limiting contact training sessions have to be based on scientific evidence and there hasn't been any wane, in any way, shape or form, for the upcoming season when it comes to contact with the head or neck," he added.

The Concussion Legacy Foundation has looked to sway major sporting codes to remove tackling in sports involving kids prior to the age of 14.
I beg to differ brother we pay overs take gagai we had to pry him loose with 750 a year, mansour was on 400k and was a passenger, if we give young 500 even 550 for a 20year old id pay it
 

Thumper

Juniors
Messages
347
I beg to differ brother we pay overs take gagai we had to pry him loose with 750 a year, mansour was on 400k and was a passenger, if we give young 500 even 550 for a 20year old id pay it
Gagai was definitely paid overs.
best thing he did was leave. 700k a year to miss some of the tackles he used to miss was embarrassing.
I can't see them paying overs for a winger. We have the best finisher in the league and he's on about 200k.
 

handyman2190

Bench
Messages
3,386
Gagai was definitely paid overs.
best thing he did was leave. 700k a year to miss some of the tackles he used to miss was embarrassing.
I can't see them paying overs for a winger. We have the best finisher in the league and he's on about 200k.
You know gagai was offered 400k to stay 1 year but left for the same money because he got a 3 year deal,that was a f**kup on our part becayse he would have stayed for 2year deal, he was last year newcastles best player and if we had him may have won 22
 
Top