Rumoured & Confirmed Signings (2025 Season)

[snickers007]

I think we are over for next year

We can't be over the cap next year. The NRL don't register contracts if the value will push us over.

Sure things like rep payments, and second tier salaries may push us over, but we can't load up on players with high salaries and just promise to cut some people further down the line to stay compliant.

 

[BossleyPanther]

Even though his ceiling is miles higher than Jenkins, Alamoti being released would make more sense.

I'd be letting Marto go, I truly believe he's peaked.

I think Martin has peaked as an edge player, put him on the bench as a forward and he will go wako

 

[Chins]

I think Martin has peaked as an edge player, put him on the bench as a forward and he will go wako

The worry is hes openly said he's not keen on the middle, bit soft really.......

 

[betcats]

No ones cutting Garner. If he leaves early it will be at his request. If we extend him he will be 31 going on 32 by time that contract kicks on. It would be stupid to do so if he is looking for more money. We are stacked for back rowers, Paps and Marto are signed longer and younger. The writing was on the wall.

Personally i think it would be downright stupid to upgrade Garner at 31 given our playing stocks, absolustely shocking cap management based on emotion. Garner is great value for money for what he is on, if he was 27 id happily pay him more. But hes about to be 30, weve got great value out of him, lets not f**k it up by making an emotional decision.

 

[Chins]

No ones cutting Garner. If he leaves early it will be at his request. If we extend him he will be 31 going on 32 by time that contract kicks on. It would be stupid to do so if he is looking for more money. We are stacked for back rowers, Paps and Marto are signed longer and younger. The writing was on the wall.

Personally i think it would be downright stupid to upgrade Garner at 31 given our playing stocks, absolustely shocking cap management based on emotion. Garner is great value for money for what he is on, if he was 27 id happily pay him more. But hes about to be 30, weve got great value out of him, lets not f**k it up by making an emotional decision.

Releasing him earlier is far sillier

 

[betcats]

Releasing him earlier is far sillier

He has been good for us, if he wants to get more money for next season and he can arrange it somewhere i think we would be assholes to refuse him. We arent in some desperate situation that we need to force him to stay if he wants out. The ball is in his court. No one is going to force him out but its just f**king common sense to let him go if he request it.

 

[Chins]

He has been good for us, if he wants to get more money for next season and he can arrange it somewhere i think we would be assholes to refuse him. We arent in some desperate situation that we need to force him to stay if he wants out. The ball is in his court. No one is going to force him out but its just f**king common sense to let him go if he request it.

Lukey disagrees but I can't see a single other player in our squad who can offer what Garner does. Others get to watch more juniors than me so maybe we do.

I don't see how holding a guy to a contract is some evil thing

 

[betcats]

Lukey disagrees but I can't see a single other player in our squad who can offer what Garner does. Others get to watch more juniors than me so maybe we do.

I don't see how holding a guy to a contract is some evil thing

At this point if he request a release we should just do it, whats the benefit to refusing him? We keep him for one year, he is potentially not happy at the club anymore becuase we ruined the retirement deal he has arranged.

 

[Chins]

At this point if he request a release we should just do it, whats the benefit to refusing him? We keep him for one year, he is potentially not happy at the club anymore becuase we ruined the retirement deal he has arranged.

Im sure he'd be ok going for 6 in a row before Perth giving him a pay day

 

[betcats]

Maybe he would be in which case we happily keep him, its a decision for him to make IMO. He's got permission to negotiate, im sure his manager is finding out what he can get for 26 and 27, maybe he decides to just sign somewhere for 27 and stay here which would be great for us. But if he decides he cant leave the money on the table for 2026 are we really going to say "no sorry we need you to stay coming off the bench for another year", i dont think so, you thank and let him go. He isnt leaving us in a hole, its not coming out of the blue like Fish, the club can plan for it if thats what he decides.

 

[age.s]

Yeah I'm (almost) never a fan of keeping around a player who doesn't want to be here. Bad for culture.

 

[BxTom]

Lukey disagrees but I can't see a single other player in our squad who can offer what Garner does. Others get to watch more juniors than me so maybe we do.

I don't see how holding a guy to a contract is some evil thing

We couldn't replace Korisau or Kikau or Crichton or Luai either...

 

[Chins]

We couldn't replace Korisau or Kikau or Crichton or Luai either...

We certainly haven't replaced those first 2, not even close.

 

[Luke Bowden]

Are we at the point now when winning a premiership is no longer hard???

I mean I hear all this complaining about players we’ve lost and not replaced. Players we should be signing and aren’t.

yet, we just keep racking up premierships…

How many premierships in a row does it take, before we can agree that not re-signing Api or Kiks or Burto, was the right move???

 

[Luke Bowden]

We certainly haven't replaced those first 2, not even close.

We just won 3 more premierships… that’s all

 

[Chins]

We just won 3 more premierships… that’s all

Lukey is learning to count how nice

 

[Fangs]

Lukey is learning to count how nice

Its important point though.

Winning a premiership > losing players.

It's not that you can't critique cap management. But when you win 4 straight premierships and are favourites (At least in my eyes) to win a 5th its very difficult to argue we are doing things the wrong way.

We are the benchmark for half a decade when it comes to cap management.

 

[PANTHERMIKE]

We couldn't replace Korisau or Kikau or Crichton or Luai either...

But won comps after all left - less Romey.

If we won only 1 more after all those left, id be happy for the next decade, ignoring we won comps after ALL of them left.

We are just spoilt with success.

 

[Fangs]

I don't see how holding a guy to a contract is some evil thing

Well we did it with Burton when the Dogs tried to steal him early in 2022.

We didn't release JFH same year either. He stayed on board and went the year after to the Warriors.

 

[snickers007]

Maybe he would be in which case we happily keep him, its a decision for him to make IMO. He's got permission to negotiate, im sure his manager is finding out what he can get for 26 and 27, maybe he decides to just sign somewhere for 27 and stay here which would be great for us. But if he decides he cant leave the money on the table for 2026 are we really going to say "no sorry we need you to stay coming off the bench for another year", i dont think so, you thank and let him go. He isnt leaving us in a hole, its not coming out of the blue like Fish, the club can plan for it if thats what he decides.

We could very well be left in a hole.

We have 6 edge backrowers in our Top 30:
2x signed until 2027 - Martin and Papali'i
2x signed until 2026 (but given permission to shop around) - Sorenson and Garner
2x off contract this year - Geyer and Hassett

And 2 more in our extended squad who have yet to debut - Zac Lipowicz (already signed with SL) and Riley Wake
And then a few that are Flegg aged.

We need 4 NRL standard edge backrowers to get through the season - not withstanding long-term injuries.
Yet we're facing the possibility of only having 2 left come Nov 1.

What happens if both Geyer and Hassett sign else where? Do we then go back to Soro and Garns and tell them that we're pulling their permission to look elsewhere? What if they were days away from getting themselves an extra $500k? I can't imagine that would go down real well.

What if we release Garns and Sorro, expecting Hassett and/or Geyer to re-sign, and they get stupid offers from a desperate club like the Tigers?

Will we only agree to release one of Sorro or Garns? First one to get a good deal gets the golden handshake?

All sounds a bit risky to me.