Confirmed Signings

[JD359]

I honestly hope Luke Brooks really steps up now, proves a few of us wrong & leads this Tigers team for quite a while, winning a p'ship in the process jus' to spite the other three

 

[wibble]

"realistic"

None of the top 4 are signing with a bottom club.
Hayne/Dugan if you over-pay them
The Knights already have Gagai and he isn't exactly winning games for us
Matulino yes
Gordon has one season left
Lewis will re-sign or retire

try again.

Gordon is a great choice. Tigers need a few seasoned players to pass on their professionalism, even if only for a year, and a few good young/ mid career options. They could also try Kahu, or Nightingale or Tupou at fullback. Roberts is going great and might get squeezed out if Hayne re-signs with the Titans.

They probably need a centre. SKD, Ferguson, Lafai, Beale, Chambers all solid options.

Tigers could probably get a fullback and a centre from those lists for under the cost of Tedesco.

They need a new half, or maybe stick with Littlejohn. Otherwise, Townsend is a strong option, or Nu Brown as Townsend is keeping him out of firsts. Josh Reynolds would be a great fit, bringing some passion to the games. Widdop would be near marquee without quite the highest price. Roberts could also come over as a half. Mitch Cornish hasn't had a real crack at the top grade and could go well under Cleary.

They really need a hard edged, experienced forward. James Graham would be ideal, but they could also go for Guerra, Heighington for a swan song back at his old haunt, Glenn (if he hasn't re-signed- not sure if all these suggestions are still available), Hoffman, Lewis, Tupou, Blair, Matulino.

Then some more hard workers or potential forwards currently under achieving, like Tagatese, T-Rex, Gubb, Grant, Ofahengau, Taylor, Lillyman, Asofa-Solomona, and Thompson.

They could try for Peats, and make him a leader of the club, or stick with McIlwrick, who is doing well.

They can try Super League. Whitehead and Hodges have made great transitions. There'd be plenty of players, even marquee Super League players, who'd love the chance and the coin on offer in the NRL. They might be able to get a gun forward like Roby, Farrell, Bateman, O'Loughlin, Jones-Buchanen, or McMeeken.

They could try for a handy Aussie who wants to come home, like Kelly, Millington, or Hinchcliffe.

And there are almost certainly some "gamble" options on young players who I've never heard of who could come good, and "out of favour" players like Barba, who could come back and tear it up.

The Tigers need to instil some grit into their team, and there are plenty of decent options.

 

[macavity]

Yes, there are players out there - my point is I really don't expect your (or most certainly my) club to be able to attract the players for next year to get us off the bottom. Those players were out there - and some remain out there - but they will go to already strong clubs.

 

[horrie hastings]

While as a Roosters supporter I am very happy we signed Tedsco I would have been more than happy if stayed as a Tiger, even though it was only a short term signing I was happy watching Michael Gordon at fullback this year and was hoping he would play another year with the Roosters, who knows, he still might as it looks like SKD and Fergo are on the way out at the Roosters. Funny to think the Roosters threw Latrell straight into the centres this year, must have already known Teddy was on the way.

 

[wibble]

Name me 6 quality first graders who are available, realistic signings, and will transform your team into one that will finish 10th or higher?

Additionally, they don't need 6 for next year, they could get 2 to 4 good ones each year and in a few years their squad will be good. Toss out a few of their current or bought players who don't improve (or get on the "bus"), when the squad is good, a marquee will come around.

They don't have to "transform" the team into one that will finish 10th place or higher, the squad is already good enough for 10th. Even the Knights could finish 10th, despite your horror at the lack of big money players there.

But a few years of good recruiting will get a team to a finals contender, and then a lot of luck comes into the final positioning.

It is hard compared to clubs with advantages, but it is not impossible. The main advantage that clubs with good facilities, attractive rosters, good chances of winning, and big budgets/TPAs have, is they need less hard slog/ rebuilding between phases, but even then, victory isn't assured.

I think our squad is as good or better than the Broncos squad now, but ours was rubbish 3 years ago, whereas the Broncos have always been good during all our "rebuilding". However, we have the premiership, and they don't! (well, for 10 years...)

 

[axl rose]

Super League.. nah, for every Hodgson there is a Joe Burgess or Scott Moore.

Nothing left to do now but tank for draft picks.

 

[Nice Beaver]

Gordon is a great choice. Tigers need a few seasoned players to pass on their professionalism, even if only for a year, and a few good young/ mid career options. They could also try Kahu, or Nightingale or Tupou at fullback. Roberts is going great and might get squeezed out if Hayne re-signs with the Titans.

They probably need a centre. SKD, Ferguson, Lafai, Beale, Chambers all solid options.

Tigers could probably get a fullback and a centre from those lists for under the cost of Tedesco.

Jesus, you'd want 4 of that lot for Tedesco money.

Yikes.

 

[Bazal]

"realistic"

None of the top 4 are signing with a bottom club.
Hayne/Dugan if you over-pay them
The Knights already have Gagai and he isn't exactly winning games for us
Matulino yes
Gordon has one season left
Lewis will re-sign or retire

try again.

I reckon they could get Widdop or Josh Reynolds. And there will be a merry go round once the Dogs release players to fit Woods and Foran in (assuming rumours are true).

Widdop/Reynolds
Dugan is pretty realistic, and they could do way worse than Gordon
Gagai as well
Matulino has already signed, allegedly

Kasiano rumoured to be one of the ones the Dogs will let go, the Tigers could do a lot worse than having him alongside Matulino. Hopoate is off contract as well, he's a bloody good centre IMO and would improve the Tigers backline a lot.

It's a shame they've lost Papenhuyzen IIRC. He'll be very good too.

 

[RazorRam0n]

Widdop will go back to Bellamy put your house on it...if not the sneaky tip is broncos

Matulino is still negotiating with manly, he is milking $ ATM

Gagai has already re-signed with knights

They should chase lafai imo they won't get Dugan

 

[blaza88z]

Widdop will go back to Bellamy put your house on it...if not the sneaky tip is broncos

Matulino is still negotiating with manly, he is milking $ ATM

Gagai has already re-signed with knights

They should chase lafai imo they won't get Dugan

This forum would riot if we snared Widdop, lol

 

[Bazal]

Widdop will go back to Bellamy put your house on it...if not the sneaky tip is broncos

Matulino is still negotiating with manly, he is milking $ ATM

Gagai has already re-signed with knights

They should chase lafai imo they won't get Dugan

The point is there are definitely 6 quality players out there that they could get, between all the permutations. Maybe they miss out on Widdop, but get Reynolds. Or maybe Cleary nabs a young gun in Ata Hingano and throws a bunch at James Graham or Aidan Tolman if the Dogs shop them around.....

 

[no name]

Widdop will go back to Bellamy put your house on it...if not the sneaky tip is broncos

LOL
You really need to learn how to use the phrase 'put your house on it'.

 

[RWB]

LOL
You really need to learn how to use the phrase 'put your house on it'.

Put your house on it means a different thing in Melbourne.

It's kind of like 'going on a yacht cruise'.

 

[Life's Good]

Widdop will go back to Bellamy put your house on it...if not the sneaky tip is broncos

Matulino is still negotiating with manly, he is milking $ ATM

Gagai has already re-signed with knights

They should chase lafai imo they won't get Dugan

Tell you what. We keep our players and they can have McGregor & Doust.

 

[myrrh ken]

Lure Roberts back and give him fullback. He'll be twiddling thumbs at the titans when they have the full complement.

Had a blinder at fullback and played well last year

 

[Dragon Slayer]

Tigers fans you must be feeling like shit right now but apart from losing Tedesco you aren't missing much in Woods or Moses. Those two are soft mentally and huge liabilities in defence.

Cleary will rebuild your Club like he did at the Warriors and Panthers. There will be a stack of players pushed out of Clubs and still on the market. There is s massive player market this year so lots of great options to get real quality players.

 

[BennyV]

My point is that pretty much all the "difference makers" are pretty much spoken for - they will either re-sign or go to another contending club. NRL players are like NBA players these days - the money isn't the factor as it is similar everywhere (whether off or on the cap) - so they go where they think they can win.

Again, what happened before is not a predictor of what will happen now in a different market. TPAs are all that matters now.

At least you guys are in Sydney - and basically the only realistic landing spot left for Cronk, unless the Dogs just give up all pretences about their rorting.

I really hope our clubs don't bail out the Dogs of the salary cap crunch they are getting themselves in to. They can put a lot of their new signings $ "off the cap" but they still have to deal with what they have committed themselves to in the past. Let them suffer.

The difference maker is the guy with the clipboard. If there is a coach in the league you want to carry out the knock-down/re-build, it's Cleary. What he did at the Panthers after moving on their Big 4 (Grant, Jennings, Lewis, Coote) is extraordinary and Gould really f**ked up trading him in for Griffin.

 

[Pedge1971]

The point is there are definitely 6 quality players out there that they could get, between all the permutations. Maybe they miss out on Widdop, but get Reynolds. Or maybe Cleary nabs a young gun in Ata Hingano and throws a bunch at James Graham or Aidan Tolman if the Dogs shop them around.....

Aside from Graham who isnt going anywhere, none of those guys is top echelon. Decent players yes, but not elite like Foran, Tedesco, Bird. And most of them are cast off to allow Dogs/Roosters to manage the elite players signed into their cap.

Have not included the Broncos cause they just do things differently up there.....

 

[RazorRam0n]

 

[macavity]

The difference maker is the guy with the clipboard.

Yeah I wish we had a super coach, I don't know, maybe Wayne Bennett? I am sure he would set us up for long term success.