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Flanno's New Signings

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redv13

Bench
Messages
3,356
I’d be going after Trey Mooney from Canberra, Davvy Moale from Souths, Jayden Campbell and Khan-Pereira from the GC for next year
 
Victoire

Victoire

Juniors
Messages
1,460
www.smh.com.au

‘I was ashamed’: Departing Dolphin’s impassioned plea in fight for change

A Dolphins’ enforcer has shared his journey finding pride in his Indigenous roots, and his push to inspire cultural change before shifting clubs.
www.smh.com.au www.smh.com.au

‘I was ashamed’: Departing Dolphin’s impassioned plea in fight for change​

ByNick Wright
August 7, 2025

There was a moment in the Dolphins’ preseason when Josh Kerr laughed at any suggestion of his captaincy credentials, chortling there was no chance coach Kristian Woolf would appoint him as the club’s leader.
Yet soon after, he was called up on stage as co-skipper of the Indigenous All Stars in their triumph of their Maori counterparts, offering the inspirational words “culture elevates culture”.
“I didn’t know I had to do a speech, I’d never been a captain before so I didn’t realise I had to get up on stage,” Kerr jokes.
“I was shaking and stuff – ‘oh, thank you, Harvey Norman’.”
But Kerr’s pride in his Indigenous roots had not always been so obvious.
Growing up, he reveals he simply wanted to fit in at school, and was not so willing to express his cultural background with admiration.

“I’ve been very blessed in my life, but when I was going through school I was probably ashamed at points in time to identify as proudly as I was as an Indigenous Australian,” Kerr says.
“The thing is I now feel embarrassed looking back on that and being that kind of person I was. But it was probably one of the best things for me because you learn to be proud within yourself.
“When you get older, and you realise the impact you can have on the younger generations, that’s what made me really want to dive in and be a great leader to my family and cousins.”
Kerr will enter this week’s NRL Indigenous Round the same larrikin and charismatic presence which has made him an endeared figure to media, but now driven by a higher purpose.
As an ambassador for Deadly Choices, the 29-year-old has cast a keener eye on issues impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture – namely the angst generated this year regarding Welcome to Country.
The prop cuts a more frustrated demeanour when discussing his anger at social media critics of the ceremonies – “I’m sick of hearing ‘why do I have to listen to Welcome to Country?’”

But while he laments it’s “crazy that there’s still a lot of that going on in the world”, he stresses his role as an Indigenous leader and advocate was to help educate the “arrogant” sceptics of the impact racial vilification has caused.
And he implored the rugby league community to not limit their education on Indigenous culture and issues to NRL rounds dedicated to such awareness and celebration.
“You don’t really like looking back at the past and all those atrocities that happened, however you need to have that bit of pain, look back and say ‘how can we do better?’” Kerr says.
“Everything seems impossible until it’s done. I would just love to be able to leave a legacy knowing I did my part for my kids when they grow up to make sure they’re not ashamed, and they’re very proud of who they are.”

Kerr will enter Saturday’s clash with the Roosters at Suncorp Stadium to begin his final stretch with the Dolphins, as the club confirmed he had not been re-signed beyond his 2025 deal.
He will instead return to the Dragons, where he played his first 68 games, on a two-year contract.

While Kerr was ushered into the Queensland Maroons’ fold for their State of Origin game three preparations, Woolf said in July the squad’s plethora of injuries – including forwards Daniel Saifiti, Tom Gilbert, Thomas Flegler and Max Plath – had opened doors for other prospects to make their case for extensions.
“It [the salary cap] is evolving all the time, what this year has given us with the injuries we’ve had is a real opportunity for other guys to step in and have a presence, and put their own mark on the team,” Woolf said, while expressing hope they could squeeze Kerr into their roster.

“Some guys have put their hands up to say they need to be in this club going forward.”
Despite his desire to remain in Redcliffe, Kerr refused to get caught up in the hysteria of his next move, believing whenever he did his form plummeted.
He now stands a key pillar in his side’s finals charge, averaging 85 running metres a game off the bench at a time when he and his fiancée welcomed their first child – Atlas – into their lives.
“I’ve had this drama before where I’ve been in contract negotiations and I start really overthinking things,” Kerr admitted last month.

“I start trying to do things in games. At the start of these contract negotiations I said, ‘what’s the go’ and I started not playing too good.
“I’ve got my family … [but] I know what it does to my head if I think about it, or it’s on my mind.”
 
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Parko1310

Juniors
Messages
1,810
Daptodragon said:
No Sam Stonestreet would be better.
Click to expand...
Stonestreet's no good. Don't get this obsession with him, he's just part of a squad that's made the top 4 last couple years and can't get a crack, and that seems to be why people think it's a good idea. He's not really got much to him to be honest. That's not to say Simmonson is any better
 
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TheRev

TheRev

Coach
Messages
14,374
They both seem like 1st graders to me, and we would kill for some aerial skill of any type.. mostly to help with short drop outs.. I just dont think its an option to run pure forwards in your backline, you need 1-2 aerial specialists due to the rule changes.

That said I dunno anything about the defensive side of things with other teams wingers.. leave that to the club to assess... I definitely dont want another fringe winger in our club, but with SFinau and Tamale gone, I dont think there is a winger in our system that I would trust to play 1st grade.. CT barely.. if he can stay fit..

We just need 1st graders.. we dont need rep players as such.. we just cant have these massive chinks in our defensive line each game.. it loses so many games that guts and effort should win for us.

Fast forward 1 or 2 yrs and then we can be looking at upgrading our 1st graders into higher ceiling players.. and/or some of the kids might be pressing by then.
 
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steerlerbab

Juniors
Messages
347
I am glad we did not get Doueihi and I am not sure how he would have gone at lock. Within a year either Dylan Egan or Jacob Halangahu may surpass him. The same way that LKT surpassed Elias. Furthermore, I really had not seen that much of Doueihi. He had one great performance in yonks last weekend and that was that.

But there is a lesson in Doueihi offer that we must work it out. Doueihi was initially offered 1 year 350k by tigers. We offered him 500k for 2 years. Doueihi was then extended 1 more year. If all this is true (what is reported), Doueihi throw away 300k over 2 years. At his level and age throwing away 300k is big money. In Tigers case he cannot stick to "oh I am going to win the comp with Tigers". This cliche has got too old now. It only worked for Cooper Cronk and few elite players before him. So seriously what is happening here.

Our team has to learn the art of deal making. Work out what makes other teams even bottom dwellers like Tigers more attractive at 150k less a season. We have a lot of young guns coming up. they need to be strengthened with couple of astute buys. Then we can talk finals and winning the comp.
 
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getsmarty

Immortal
Messages
37,266
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