The Way too Early Team 2026 Thread

[Yosh]

1. Ponga
2. Young
3. Gagai
4. Best
5. Marzhew
6. Brown
7. Sharpe
8. Mooney
9. Smith
10. Saifiti
11. Lucas
12. McEwen
13. Frizell

14. Crossland
15. Saulo
16. Croker
17. Salesa-Leaumoana

Better than this years I reckon. Still missing a gun middle forward I reckon.

 

[ryan.a87]

Yeah, I’m a fan up to 16 and 17

very worried about foward depth if they are our full strength bench fowards

 

[perverse]

Yeah, I’m a fan up to 16 and 17

very worried about foward depth if they are our full strength bench fowards

We're simply going to need more out of Hopwood, ESL and the like - because the depth we've signed is just more of the same that we've let go. Basically, we're going to need more out of our players than we know they're capable of so far, and honestly that's not a good place to be starting.

Not much has changed really, the club always seems to assume the future is going to play out in our favour with our actions. We always seem to bet on futures rather than figuring out the now. Shit like KPPs contract are a perfect example of it. Paid on what we think he'll be worth, not on what he was worth. It's the same but with the whole roster now in a way. We're banking on what we hope players can provide us, rather than what they've provided thus far. Scary stuff, this new coaching appointment is going to be critical.

 

[macavity]

Wouldn't be surprised to see Marz drop off for someone who is better in the air. A lot of coaches won't run choad wingers.

I've always been a Croker fan but his efforts against the Eels were disgraceful (he wasn't alone).

Hoping Crouch or Sullivan can leapfrog him over the offseason. We are in a better place when the likes of Crokes and Jones can't make the side.

 

[PhilGould]

All hinges on where Smith plays.

With the idea they've signed him as a hooker:

1. Ponga
2. Young
3. Gagai
4. Best
5. Marzhew
6. Sharpe
7. Brown
8. Saifiti
9. Smith
10. Mooney
11. Lucas
12. McEwen
13. Crossland

14. -
15. Saulo
16. Frizell
17. Hola / Croker / Crouch / Salesa-Leaumoana / Hopwood / Manuleleua / Jones / Cant / Sullivan

If Smith plays half:

1. Ponga
2. Young
3. Gagai
4. Best
5. Sharpe
6. Brown
7. Smith
8. Saifiti
9. Crossland
10. Saulo
11. Lucas
12. McEwen
13. Mooney

14.
15. Frizell
16. Hola / Croker / Crouch / Salesa-Leaumoana / Hopwood / Manuleleua / Jones / Cant / Sullivan
17. Hola / Croker / Crouch / Salesa-Leaumoana / Hopwood / Manuleleua / Jones / Cant / Sullivan

Not sure what they do with the 14 jersey but my gut feeling is Arthur/Graham won't be there in round 1. If Crossland is at lock they may run 4 forwards on the bench and have him still moonlighting as the backup hooker as they did a few times this year. Hunt theoretically has the skillset, size and versatility to be a valuable utility there if we don't need a hooker but there'll need to be a big improvement over the offseason before I'd be comfortable pencilling him in.

 

[macavity]

Wonder if they have fever dreams about training Sharpe at 9

 

[Old dog]

On those teams listed above, 14 Gamble

 

[jonno_knights]

Id back Fletcher Hunt to be on a wing to start 2026.

Still only 19. Only been in the system for about 2 years if reports are correct. Currently his biggest deficiencies are things you can train and work on in the gym. But the guy just seems to be a natural footy player.

Another nrl off-season should see him continue to rise.

And if he doesn't un-seat marzhew, he would be a smokey for the 14 jersey, especially if you put crossland in 13 and can get a 60min+ hooker.

Crossland can cover 6,7,9,13, Hunt can cover 1-5.

Although, personally I would be going a bigger bench given our issues up front.

 

[HarVeeGee]

1. Ponga
2. Gagai
3. Sharpe
4. Best
5. Young
6. Brown
7. Smith

13. Mooney
12. Lucas
11. McEwen
10. Saulo
9. Crossland
8. J Saifiti

14. Gamble/Arthur
15. Frizell
16. Jones
17. Salesa-Leamoana

Just on what I’ve seen from guys this year, I would be open to young guys like Crouch who’ve been going good in NSW Cup for a while now taking a spot in the team.

With Gagai approaching the end of his career we should be thinking about grooming a successor for what it, in my opinion, the most important non-spine backline position. I think Sharpe has the attributes to do it and he can do just as much good at centre as he was doing at 6, with part of Sandon's role being to get him early ball in space when we get a bit of a roll on. That chat about how dummy half scoots were planned to be a big part of Sharpe's game at 6: guess which centre has done a lot of those in his career.

For all the chat about how Hughes and Munster were converted from fullback to half, the way, way, WAY more common successful transition is fullback to centre.

 

[Zoidberg]

On those teams listed above, 14 Gamble

Not sure about Gamble on the bench. I like having him as a backup half though. Apart from all the injuries keeping Gamble out for most of this year, I don’t know why he wasn’t given a few more chances to play when he was fit.

 

[mozza91]

Like this year we can name a decent 17 but it falls off a lot after that unless some kids develop ahead of time. Hopwood certainly didn’t look out of place against the Eels. Don’t think he’s ready for regular First Grade though. Nice to have some decent halves options though. It’s been a while.

 

[Rod]

Like this year we can name a decent 17 but it falls off a lot after that unless some kids develop ahead of time.

Pretty much exactly what I was going to say. The 17 is better than this year but still not a lot behind it (at this stage). Hopefully we have a better injury run next year, especially in key positions.

 

[HarVeeGee]

Not sure about Gamble on the bench. I like having him as a backup half though. Apart from all the injuries keeping Gamble out for most of this year, I don’t know why he wasn’t given a few more chances to play when he was fit.

I would also be very on board with Arthur 14 and Crossland moving to 13 when he comes on, but IMO for that to be viable Matt needs to be ready for 50-60 minutes of NRL, not 30.

Either way I think we need to open games with three true middle forwards with size and strength, our pack got monstered by a lot of teams we came up against and it seems like too big a weakness to start games with a small hooker AND a 90kg ball playing lock.

 

[Knight Tales]

We look stronger with Brown and Smith as the halves. The rest is pretty self explanatory.

 

[Old dog]

Recent signings have us looking pretty good but for Hooker.
Sandon Smith is a half back not a hooker.
Crossland has shown he’s better at 13 but ok at 9
Arthur still needs time,maybe 1-2 seasons and then he is maybe.
Others, Flegg players don’t have a 9 jumping out with any hope of a likely future star.
We need a quality 9

 

[HarVeeGee]

Recent signings have us looking pretty good but for Hooker.
Sandon Smith is a half back not a hooker.
Crossland has shown he’s better at 13 but ok at 9
Arthur still needs time,maybe 1-2 seasons and then he is maybe.
Others, Flegg players don’t have a 9 jumping out with any hope of a likely future star.
We need a quality 9

Honestly if you asked me a few months ago, Matt Arthur is maybe the one area in which I thought the club was being smart.

If you want a top spine, internally developed players have to be key components. I can’t see any team with a really good spine who didn’t have at least one of those players before they broke through as a first grader & develop them. Usually at least two.

Matt’s a very highly rated junior rep player who the worst thing you can say about him is that he has gone about as well in Cup this year as last year, and my #1 fear now is that the club will decide this means he’s stagnated and move him on. That that’s what Sandon Smith’s signing signifies.

Development isn’t linear though, players don’t get incrementally better at an even rate. “Breakthrough seasons” where they put it all together suddenly are very common.

That’s exactly what happened with Tom Starling, Browny was off him, he goes to Mounties in NSW Cup and takes a giant leap, Raiders pick him up, and they’ve had a good to very good hooking situation from the moment Tom hit first grade for them. Meanwhile for us it’s remained a problem position.

Phoenix being okay at 9 & good at 13 is why we can afford to think long term, right? I would have thought so. We may need to protect Matt from the opening 20-30 mins of NRL games when we bring him into the team as part of how we develop him, and we have the perfect player to do that with, once he’s ready. Can we for once show a bit of patience?

Stability and players who know their roles is how the team improves and it’s a better environment for player development. All four spine players still having their L plates on in the role we’re playing them in, in the toughest rugby league competition in the world, is Keystone Kops shit.

 

[Yosh]

Is Matt Arthur really going to be NRal standard hooker? I haven't seen anything from him that suggests he will be.

 

[alexwilliams_66692007]

Is Matt Arthur really going to be NRal standard hooker? I haven't seen anything from him that suggests he will be.

That's a bold statement for a bloke that's only 20 years old

 

[HarVeeGee]

A few years ago people thought Jeremy Marshall-King sucked. It’s a position where you have to give players time.

 

[Old dog]

As things stand we don’t have a back up, assume 6 Brown, 7 Smith, , 9 Crossland our only likely backup for those positions is Gamble and will likely require a reshuffle if Crossland is out.
Can move Smith to 9 but then weakening one to fill the other, as it is Gamble is likely 14.