Flanno's New Signings

[since77]

I hear you mate, but I can't blame Blake. I'm saying you are by the way.
As a Club we should be able to see the fluid changes in the game and how out of his depth he was.
The collective "we" love seeing Saints juniors do well, sometimes to our detriment.

Honestly, i hope Blake goes and makes a mint in the Super League.
He is not NRL standard by any measure.

I feel a bit bad being so hard on Blake all the time as I know he's a human being like the rest of us. Not his fault our front office just loved signing crap for a decade.
I agree with you and I hope he gets a gig in England and can set himself and his family up. Being a professional footballer in England is still a pretty cool job to have. And I would honestly like to see him do well over there so I can finally watch him run on to a football field and not be annoyed.
My anger is directed at the deadset idiots who decided to give valuable salary cap space to a player that an average dumb fan like me could see 3 years ago wasn't ever going to be NRL quality, particularly as the game evolves.

 

[matPORTS]

This is why people like RCGs manager could attempt to play us for fools. I'm glad for them that they were able to extract the three years they wanted out of the Titans. They know we are somewhat desperate at this time for at least one first grade quality front rower. Thank god we've got Flanno and not Hook in charge now, because we would be falling even further behind and our cap in a big mess going all the way to 2028 !

Come this Friday, there is going to be a lot of movement starting in the player market. There will be more than an handful who are under contract for 2025 who will be allowed to leave their posts early. Fingers crossed we have bode our time correctly and are in a position to swoop.

Gutho and JAC are positive moves, at the right price, at the right length of contract and at the right T&Cs in terms of disciplinary issues, etc.

We've still got to land that front rower though... who that is I'm not sure (have lost track of the available options having been away for the past three weeks), but more options should open up this week.

 

[TheRev]

I think Lawrie & Fifita will be let go potentially mid-2025, sort of 2 free spots sitting ready for early-season signings.. cause I dunno if were gonna be able to fill all the positions we need before the new season starts (its somewhere between 3 to 8 positions to be filled yet + a few dev positions), and we cant just leave them empty.. we need 29 out of the Top30 locked in.

Fifita I think we will get most of our money back, Lawrie were probably gonna have to take a 2yr hit.. maybe we can front-load it.

 

[Jubilee]

I think Lawrie & Fifita will be let go potentially mid-2025, sort of 2 free spots sitting ready for early-season signings.. cause I dunno if were gonna be able to fill all the positions we need before the new season starts (its somewhere between 3 to 8 positions to be filled yet + a few dev positions), and we cant just leave them empty.. we need 29 out of the Top30 locked in.

Fifita I think we will get most of our money back, Lawrie were probably gonna have to take a 2yr hit.. maybe we can front-load it.

Gee, two years is a big hit. This is why I am in favor of remediation if the UK is not possible.

 

[matPORTS]

Lawrie will be free to go to the open market come 1st November 2025. Unfortunately, it's going to mean him being here all of next season. But with any luck, we will freely let him go searching and he will look for options in the Super League - hopefully getting him off our books for 2026, and no salary cap hit.

Patience is a virtue.

 

[Ronnie Dobbs]

I've always thought Sloan would be well worth a shot on the wing - give him a Blacklock like role and I think he'd kill it.
There will be the people who will blah blah blah about the way modern wingers are "meant" to play but a good coach would work out a game plan around that. We had a guy last last season who I'm betting none would have predicted would have turned into one of the NRL's top wingers and would become a rep player at SOO and International level before the season started.
People talk about his physique but frankly I see very little difference between Sloan's physique and the physique of JAC and he's survived the NRL just

How good is a Mexican stand off!

 

[Ronnie Dobbs]

Lawrie will be free to go to the open market come 1st November 2025. Unfortunately, it's going to mean him being here all of next season. But with any luck, we will freely let him go searching and he will look for options in the Super League - hopefully getting him off our books for 2026, and no salary cap hit.

Patience is a virtue.

Agree. It’s a bad contract inherited.

Look on the bright side though - Nicho Hynes is on a mill plus for the next FIVE YEARS!

Blake is nothing in comparison to that.

lol

 

[Ronnie Dobbs]

I hear you mate, but I can't blame Blake. I'm saying you are by the way.
As a Club we should be able to see the fluid changes in the game and how out of his depth he was.
The collective "we" love seeing Saints juniors do well, sometimes to our detriment.

Honestly, i hope Blake goes and makes a mint in the Super League.
He is not NRL standard by any measure.

You reckon he’d make Country if he was playing for Dapto?

 

[Jubilee]

Agree. It’s a bad contract inherited.

Look on the bright side though - Nicho Hynes is on a mill plus for the next FIVE YEARS!

Blake is nothing in comparison to that.

lol

Not many 5 year players around. Ponga, Cherry-Evans,...it is such a risk if they go off the boil, like Taumalolo, who was signed in 2017 until the end of 2027. And now the cows have more young forwards coming through...that ten year contract doesn't look so smart.

 

[mattw5]

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, Flanno understands this. Hunt must go for the signing of Wishart or Atkinson, Rava, Laurie bye, bye and Sloan IMHO has the first have 6 weeks of 2025, before move to the wing or moved on completely, hopefully by mid to the end of November we have a clearer picture of what to expect in 2025.

Sloan has had his shot.. cya later

 

[Jubilee]

Sloan has had his shot.. cya later

On the positive side, 30 tries in 59 games. 13 in 23 this year. That is okay. In contrast, Bulldogs just signed a fullback with a 6 from 36 strike rate. Will Kennedy scored only 5 in 26 this year.

Anyway, Sloane is signed until end 2026 and I am sure he will score a few beauties in games to come, following around Cook and Liddle and Holmes.

 

[matPORTS]

To summarise our recruitment & retention issues at the moment.

1. Front row stocks still need to be boosted (from outside the club - rep quality or at least solid regular first grade standard, leader, big minutes, platform setting, metre eating type)

2. Moving on Blake Lawrie (the majority of us are of the notion that he is a passenger and time is up)

3. Sloan (it's split down the middle as to whether we all think he's going to make it as our long term full back or not - and if not where do we go in terms of a long term full back option)

4. Hunt (does he go this off season - is Gutho the viable halves replacement partnering K Flanno if this does happen at least short term... are we a chance of enticing T Wishart back home at some point)

5. Who can we expect to see step up another level from the juniors in the next 12-24 months (i.e. Buchanan, LokoJnr, Pasifika-Tonga, Egan, etc - this is going to be important especially if we continue to have trouble attracting outside talent to Wollongong).

6. Who is off contract and can go to market come this time next year (who do we lock in and re-sign before the deadline and who is free to start looking at options, etc)

 

[Jubilee]

1. Front row
5. Who can we expect to see step up another level from the juniors in the next 12-24 months (i.e. Buchanan, LokoJnr, Pasifika-Tonga, Egan, etc -

Tonga is only 19 y.o. but 196cm and 121kg. The Couchman's were introduced at 21 y.o., so I guess Flanno might do the same with him in late 2026, give him a few runs. But we do need someone big to help him out. Ofc, by then the Couchmans will be established 1st graders and they will both have added 10kg by then too.

I am also sure that Flanno is waiting for the next prop-sized bird to fall out its nest at another club and he will scoop it up.

 

[Auntie.Gerald]

Couchmens played their first games at 19yrs old

Tonga will no doubt get some game time midway thru this season u would suspect

I suspect Ray may get a tap on the shoulder along with Lawrie

it will come down to a few more players we recruit and if they make it very hard for Ray and Blake to make the 17

even if u have a 2025 contract and or a 25:26 like Blake …….. no real athlete that has played significant NRL level footy wants to play NSW cup week in week out.

 

[JubileeJeffro]

Lawrie should go to the UK, he will do well over there. Unless Zac can convince Ryles of his value as post RCG depth for the eels.

 

[Trifili13]

Lawrie should go to the UK, he will do well over there. Unless Zac can convince Ryles of his value as post RCG depth for the eels.

If Zac can convince Ryles to sign Lawrie, it's best that Zac is no longer with us if he wants Lawrie as a player, although he would have done us a favour, and best that Ryles pulled out of coaching us if he thinks Lawrie is worth signing to strengthen your squad.

 

[Parko1310]

3. Sloan (it's split down the middle as to whether we all think he's going to make it as our long term full back or not - and if not where do we go in terms of a long term full back option)

If we do decide to go in a different direction from Sloan long-term, then fullback is a position where there is absolutely no shortage at the moment. There's heaps of options, so if we got Gutho and theoretically Sloan moved on my pick would be Connor Votano from Newcastle. Very good young fullback and going to be stuck behind Ponga and Sharpe for a while to come. But there's so many options that would be good to have. I hope Sloan realises his potential, but if Flano decides to move him on we shouldn't be struggling to find a replacement

 

[TheRev]

If we do decide to go in a different direction from Sloan long-term, then fullback is a position where there is absolutely no shortage at the moment. There's heaps of options, so if we got Gutho and theoretically Sloan moved on my pick would be Connor Votano from Newcastle. Very good young fullback and going to be stuck behind Ponga and Sharpe for a while to come. But there's so many options that would be good to have. I hope Sloan realises his potential, but if Flano decides to move him on we shouldn't be struggling to find a replacement

This.. I cant believe how many cracking young fullbacks are sitting behind other NRL clubs, im in disbelief how we have so few... Newcastle had Armstrong brain 1st grade, who was only there because Sharpe was injured whos also braining the top grade in his debut year.. in behind Ponga whos close to best in the NRL.. followed by Votano ur telling me lol.. how did they get so many this close to first grade without having them pinched... I know Manly have 3-4 gun fullbacks also.. Sharkies have the same..

Sloan has to brain it early 2025.. its such a difficult situation now.. I personally wanted him gone years ago (as I wanted dufty gone before we wasted years on him), but now we have invested so much time and pain into Sloans development.. thats very hard to 'start again' because there is 1-2yrs of learning that needs to go into rookie fullbacks... who may not even make it.. we cant really afford to suck for 2 more years.. but everyone said 2024 was Sloans make it or break year.. but I think its early 2025.. 1 injury-free preseason and if hes ever gonna be rdy, he has to prove it.. be rly good for 1-2mths in a row.. and if Flanno isnt convinced, its still possible Gutho or Holmes end up back there..

Benny Rumble is our only young guy who is close to being considered.. he will play NSW Cup fullback (unless Sloan drops back), he is very impressive offensively.. but has a LOT to learn and improve in the defensive side of the game.. not even close to thinking hes a sure thing for 1st grade.. but his highlight reels r very very good..

 

[Budpower]

been a huge huge Rumble fan for ages, praying he comes along as I believe he will, utter superstar in the making at fullback or centre to me

 

[matPORTS]

....and when we talk about the line of fullbacks that the Knights (among others) have on their books, you can't help but sit and wonder what's happened to our junior system over the past 15 or so years (since we won the comp in 2010).

If we had at least one of Armstrong, Sharpe or Votano on our books (or an equivalent type) - Sloan would already be gone and we probably wouldn't be talking about him ever again (much like Dufty is but a mere footnote in our history now).

We all saw what happened when we tried to drop Sloan - Matt Feagai our best replacement option, against the Panthers & Cleary (aka the best in the comp) on a windy day down in the Gong? Wow! Jeez...