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Around the Grounds

Yosh

Yosh

Coach
Messages
11,949
Question - how are they allowed to just get rid of May? Can't we do the same thing with Hastings for example? Maybe I don't understand the May situation?
 
Mr_Knightside

Mr_Knightside

Juniors
Messages
2,383
The May thing was pretty simple. He was on unders at the Roosters and they knew that other clubs would be willing to pay him a lot more and they could give him permission to sign elsewhere so they could make room for Ben Hunt. As it turns out Hunt is heading to the Broncos now so they didn’t quite get it right but they didn’t tell May to leave or cut his contract in any way. They knew that by giving him permission to talk to other clubs he’d get way more money elsewhere and he’d be happy to leave for the right deal. Both parties got what they wanted, Roosters freed up space in their cap and May got a bigger contract elsewhere.
 
Zoidberg

Zoidberg

First Grade
Messages
6,512
Watched a few classic matches on Fox over the weekend, 2001 Prelim vs Sharks and 2002 game at home vs Sharks. I was in my teens/early 20’s during the Joey years and over the years you forget a bit how good he was.
When people ask who I think the greatest player of all time is, I sometimes think I have bias when I say Joey, but he really is.
 
mozza91

mozza91

Coach
Messages
14,305
Zoidberg said:
Watched a few classic matches on Fox over the weekend, 2001 Prelim vs Sharks and 2002 game at home vs Sharks. I was in my teens/early 20’s during the Joey years and over the years you forget a bit how good he was.
When people ask who I think the greatest player of all time is, I sometimes think I have bias when I say Joey, but he really is.
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No player who I’ve seen has had close to the influence on the game that he had week to week. He’s number 1 and daylight is a distant 2nd.
 
Woody90

Woody90

Juniors
Messages
2,259
Zoidberg said:
Watched a few classic matches on Fox over the weekend, 2001 Prelim vs Sharks and 2002 game at home vs Sharks. I was in my teens/early 20’s during the Joey years and over the years you forget a bit how good he was.
When people ask who I think the greatest player of all time is, I sometimes think I have bias when I say Joey, but he really is.
Click to expand...

Yep, I was still a kid/early teens when he was at his peak but I’ve heard interviews with opposition players that played at the same time and many comment that he had them beaten mentally just by his presence before the game even started. Can’t think of another player that’s had that type of influence.
 
Yosh

Yosh

Coach
Messages
11,949
Is he has good as Cleary's game management and dominance plus Ponga's brilliance?

As a kid watching him play I just assumed every halfback was that good. I thought that was normal for an NRL halfback. Realized how wrong I was as I watched other teams and Newy after he retired.
 
Zoidberg

Zoidberg

First Grade
Messages
6,512
I think Joeys biggest/only downside was if things started going wrong, he sometimes tried to overplay things and it just got worse.
 
Woody90

Woody90

Juniors
Messages
2,259
Yosh said:
Is he has good as Cleary's game management and dominance plus Ponga's brilliance?

As a kid watching him play I just assumed every halfback was that good. I thought that was normal for an NRL halfback. Realized how wrong I was as I watched other teams and Newy after he retired.
Click to expand...

I rate Cleary highly but he’s not in the same conversation as Joey. Need to remember that Cleary’s in a brilliant system where they easily win without him. It even made Cogger look good. We literally couldn’t win if Joey didn’t play.

I’d genuinely like to see Cleary step out from Penrith and his Dad at this stage of his career and test himself in a struggling side. If he did that and turned them around he’d definitely be in the same conversation as Joey. If he can perform out of Penrith though still remains to be seen. His NSW performances haven’t been awful but not particularly good either. Opposed to Joey who was rushed back into the side in 05 and won the Blues the series off his back.
 
R

ryan.a87

Juniors
Messages
816
Woody90 said:
I rate Cleary highly but he’s not in the same conversation as Joey. Need to remember that Cleary’s in a brilliant system where they easily win without him. It even made Cogger look good. We literally couldn’t win if Joey didn’t play.

I’d genuinely like to see Cleary step out from Penrith and his Dad at this stage of his career and test himself in a struggling side. If he did that and turned them around he’d definitely be in the same conversation as Joey. If he can perform out of Penrith though still remains to be seen. His NSW performances haven’t been awful but not particularly good either. Opposed to Joey who was rushed back into the side in 05 and won the Blues the series off his back.
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Cleary to Newcastle in 2028?
 
Knight Tales

Knight Tales

Bench
Messages
3,032
Cleary will be in Europe then. I honestly feel this season will be his last year in the NRL for some time. He and Mary look to be a future wedding deal.
 
Mr_Knightside

Mr_Knightside

Juniors
Messages
2,383
Woody90 said:
I rate Cleary highly but he’s not in the same conversation as Joey. Need to remember that Cleary’s in a brilliant system where they easily win without him. It even made Cogger look good. We literally couldn’t win if Joey didn’t play.

I’d genuinely like to see Cleary step out from Penrith and his Dad at this stage of his career and test himself in a struggling side. If he did that and turned them around he’d definitely be in the same conversation as Joey. If he can perform out of Penrith though still remains to be seen. His NSW performances haven’t been awful but not particularly good either. Opposed to Joey who was rushed back into the side in 05 and won the Blues the series off his back.
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It’s basically this exact thing that makes me very intrigued about watching Luai and the Tigers this year. Luai has always been (somewhat unfairly) maligned as just Cleary’s sidekick but now he has the chance to forge his own legacy which will be interesting to watch.

It really annoyed me tbh when Cronk left the Storm and went to the Chooks. Obviously it worked out for him given what he achieved there but it would have been so interesting to see him at a struggling team and actually get to witness his influence on a club that’s rebuilding. Obviously we were a club that needed a player like him at the time but there are always a number of clubs in that boat. Cronk has proven that he’s a very good player who won a few comps when surrounded by superstars. Not saying that it’s a bad legacy by any stretch but jeez I would have had so much respect for him if he’d gone to either the Knights or another struggling club and dragged them up the ladder. Anyway we’ll never know will we.
 
Mr_Knightside

Mr_Knightside

Juniors
Messages
2,383
But hey, it’s easy to say all that being a fan of a team that hasn’t had real success for over 20 years. Being an elite player in any team sport gives you options and I can’t blame a player for going to an organisation where you’re going to spend most of your time winning…
 
Apey

Apey

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
28,284
People tipping Tigers to be at the bottom again are cooked. They were a bit like us, their attack in the 20 was hopeless and their inability to score ended up putting pressure on their defence. Luai is going to help them a lot.
 
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