Daniel Alvaro

[SAP58]

As others have pointed out - there’s no journeymen and that has to be a big plus . Youth is the order of the day , although Alvaro is 27 he has the potential to add some steam to the Dragons engine room .

Apparently Griffin believes he can go to another level which is good . Also he received the ‘ Blue and Gold Army ‘ supporters award which suggests that he was a very popular player with one of the most ardent fan bases in the comp.

And for those of you who have not noticed as yet - Paul Vaughan has a beautiful set of pearly whites which I have not seen since season 2018 . It would be great to see the big fella smile once again .

I believe that this group of new faces will take a load of Vaughan and also Cameron McInnes which will certainly help with the ‘ mid-season fades ‘ of the past .

I am not going to criticise the signing, good coaches recognise the talent in players and what they can offer to the team which will deliver the game plans they put in place. I trust Hook’s judgement and he knows what Alvaro has to offer and he is confident he can deliver so that’s good enough for me, he has cap restraints at the moment which he is working within. I am sure if Bellyache had signed him there wouldnt be the same negative press as he has proven time and again how to get the best out of players and he buys players some similar to Alvaro for a specific role and they usually deliver.

 

[redV06]

I’m ok with this signing, he adds depth on the cheap. That’s 6 or 7 props now. Missing a quality edge player.

Unfortunately Muttley is horrendous in his dealings with potential new signings, bordering on complete embarrassment.

He’s the next one to flick.

 

[R&WTILLIDIE]

I am not going to criticise the signing, good coaches recognise the talent in players and what they can offer to the team which will deliver the game plans they put in place. I trust Hook’s judgement and he knows what Alvaro has to offer and he is confident he can deliver so that’s good enough for me, he has cap restraints at the moment which he is working within. I am sure if Bellyache had signed him there wouldnt be the same negative press as he has proven time and again how to get the best out of players and he buys players some similar to Alvaro for a specific role and they usually deliver.

bellayche has a track record...hook not so much...

 

[Forbes Creek Dragons]

I’m happy with the signing. Let’s hope he can rip in and a change does him good ala Vaughan when he first arrived as a bench player from Canberra. With Vaughan, Kerr, Lawrie, Faamausuli, Ellis, Alvaro and Blacker there will be some competition for spots and it should make us a better side.

 

[redandwhite4evr]

R&W4E,

I'm hearing you but considering Frizzell lack of application over the past 12 months due to the fact that he had been, 'McGregorised' ............. l don't think we will miss him as much as we may had thought.

I do wish he was still with us, with Hook & Co surely able to get him back to his previous best.

Onwards and upwards my friend.

Yes- you're right- I'm judging him on his blockbusting best which we haven't seen for some years- on a consistent basis anyway. I felt he was lucky to get an Origin call up this year and was generally outperformed by the other NSW backrowers.

O'Brien may revive his career but at 29, he has some Ks on the odometer and may struggle to provide value for money.

 

[redandwhite4evr]

Souffs sign Jai Arrow to boost an already great forward pack...

we lose our best forward in Tyson...and sign...Alvaro....

This is what f@cking annoys me and has annoyed me about this club for years..

we’re always f@cking rebuilding rather than going out there to win the comp

When you're of a certain age (as many of us on this forum are) and have supported an internationally famous club which at its peak in the 50s and 60s had players clamouring to play for it and had Frank Facer the premier CEO of the era signing all the best talent, it's hard to accept the current Board and its lack of ambition and standards. Doubly hard accepting that the Roosters have now taken over the mantle of the club players want to play for can and who can sign the players they want.

 

[Gareth67]

When you're of a certain age (as many of us on this forum are) and have supported an internationally famous club which at its peak in the 50s and 60s had players clamouring to play for it and had Frank Facer the premier CEO of the era signing all the best talent, it's hard to accept the current Board and its lack of ambition and standards. Doubly hard accepting that the Roosters have now taken over the mantle of the club players want to play for can and who can sign the players they want.

Yes it certainly was a big difference then redandwhite4evr , how I use to chuckle when I heard workmates say “ bluudy Saints have all the dough and they sign whoever they want “ . And of course Frank Facer was in a class of his own , with daylight second and Balmain’s Kevin Humphrey a distant third with Manly’s Ken Arthurson bringing up the rear .

The Taj Mahal was a mini Fort Knox to Saints in those days , the money those poka machines would rake-in , plus it was the best place to be seen outside of Sydney - even if you were only parking your car there .

But to think that the latte set have claimed poll position does irk me , perhaps more so that huge sombrero that they hide under .

 

[thebigredv]

Joke of a signing. We always end up with 'depth signings' and are told to relax and then before you know it that's us done with recruitment for the year.

 

[George Sancti]

Yes it certainly was a big difference then redandwhite4evr , how I use to chuckle when I heard workmates say “ bluudy Saints have all the dough and they sign whoever they want “ . And of course Frank Facer was in a class of his own , with daylight second and Balmain’s Kevin Humphrey a distant third with Manly’s Ken Arthurson bringing up the rear .

The Taj Mahal was a mini Fort Knox to Saints in those days , the money those poka machines would rake-in , plus it was the best place to be seen outside of Sydney even if you were only parking your car there .

But to think that the latte set have claimed poll position does irk me , perhaps more so that huge sombrero that they hide under .

Great post Gareth67 and great memories, however evolution of the game means that those day will not return for Saints or any other NRL club for that matter. I see Easts current run at the top will be relatively short and is probably now in decline.

At risk of repeating myself from earlier posts, Saints are in a stronger position than most clubs in terms of finances and resources. If they can maintain a professional level of administration, I can see them being a top club long into the future.

 

[jak]

Joke of a signing. We always end up with 'depth signings' and are told to relax and then before you know it that's us done with recruitment for the year.

so just who should they sign?

 

[thebigredv]

so just who should they sign?

It's more a matter of how than 'who'. We have got ourselves, as a club, into a state where our leverage in recruitment is very low. With the right people and pride restored in the emblem we can be a magnet for talented established NRL players. The constant signing of fringe players is a sign of where we are at. We've lost talent worth h $$$ and watched players like Ofahengaue, Arrow, Addo-Carr and Brandon Smith sign elsewhere, turning our noses up at them all as if we are too good for the them when we are languishing down the bottom of the ladder with players that should have been moved on when all is said and done.

 

[hindy111]

I’m ok with this signing, he adds depth on the cheap. That’s 6 or 7 props now. Missing a quality edge player.

Unfortunately Muttley is horrendous in his dealings with potential new signings, bordering on complete embarrassment.

He’s the next one to flick.

He costs maybe 150k. Has experience and a hard worker. May not make the top 17. But its a squad of 30. Id say he sits about 21-24 and he can do an honest job if need be

 

[redandwhite4evr]

I am not going to criticise the signing, good coaches recognise the talent in players and what they can offer to the team which will deliver the game plans they put in place. I trust Hook’s judgement and he knows what Alvaro has to offer and he is confident he can deliver so that’s good enough for me, he has cap restraints at the moment which he is working within. I am sure if Bellyache had signed him there wouldnt be the same negative press as he has proven time and again how to get the best out of players and he buys players some similar to Alvaro for a specific role and they usually deliver.

Yes- and let's not forget that with Alvaro and Vaughan we now have the probable first choice Italian front row for the next World Cup.

 

[Maddragon99]

Souffs sign Jai Arrow to boost an already great forward pack...

we lose our best forward in Tyson...and sign...Alvaro....

This is what f@cking annoys me and has annoyed me about this club for years..

we’re always f@cking rebuilding rather than going out there to win the comp

R&W you need to take a longer view, to be successful you need length & depth in the squad to cover for injuries etc. We probably got Alvaro, Faamausili & Ellis for the same money Newcastle spent on Frizzle. As great as Frizzle was he’s past his best so it’s a fair swap.

Hook is laying the foundations for a very well balanced & skilful squad who’ll be able to make a run in 2 or 3 years. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

 

[Maddragon99]

As others have pointed out - there’s no journeymen and that has to be a big plus . Youth is the order of the day , although Alvaro is 27 he has the potential to add some steam to the Dragons engine room .

Apparently Griffin believes he can go to another level which is good . Also he received the ‘ Blue and Gold Army ‘ supporters award which suggests that he was a very popular player with one of the most ardent fan bases in the comp.

And for those of you who have not noticed as yet - Paul Vaughan has a beautiful set of pearly whites which I have not seen since season 2018 . It would be great to see the big fella smile once again .

I believe that this group of new faces will take a load of Vaughan and also Cameron McInnes which will certainly help with the ‘ mid-season fades ‘ of the past .

Friz had a fantastic 18' however he's been dragged into the ditch over the past 2 seasons along with most of the squad. He's stagnated and can't see a form revolution at the knights - I have a feeling he won't be in reps next year.

100% agree Frizzle has been great but it was time to move on, Friz got a big payday & we probably got 3 quality first graders for the same money.

We desperately need creativity in the backrow to take pressure off our dud halves. Frizzle’s battering-ram running doesn’t suit us anymore, he doesn’t have an offload.

 

[R&WTILLIDIE]

R&W you need to take a longer view, to be successful you need length & depth in the squad to cover for injuries etc. We probably got Alvaro, Faamausili & Ellis for the same money Newcastle spent on Frizzle. As great as Frizzle was he’s past his best so it’s a fair swap.

Hook is laying the foundations for a very well balanced & skilful squad who’ll be able to make a run in 2 or 3 years. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

so you’re saying Rome has taken around 10 years to build and will take a further 3 years?

teams like roosters, souffs and Melbourne don’t know the meaning of rebuild. We are one of the most famous rl teams and should have the same mentality.

 

[R&WTILLIDIE]

When you're of a certain age (as many of us on this forum are) and have supported an internationally famous club which at its peak in the 50s and 60s had players clamouring to play for it and had Frank Facer the premier CEO of the era signing all the best talent, it's hard to accept the current Board and its lack of ambition and standards. Doubly hard accepting that the Roosters have now taken over the mantle of the club players want to play for can and who can sign the players they want.

its hard to accept that a team with such a large supporter base. Who had the second most amount of premierships and has appeared in more gfs than any other team had to merge with another team and is now struggling. How did we f**k it up so badly?

 

[Gareth67]

Great post Gareth67 and great memories, however evolution of the game means that those day will not return for Saints or any other NRL club for that matter. I see Easts current run at the top will be relatively short and is probably now in decline.

At risk of repeating myself from earlier posts, Saints are in a stronger position than most clubs in terms of finances and resources. If they can maintain a professional level of administration, I can see them being a top club long into the future.

Yes mate those days are gone forever and the present is all that matters now . I do sincerely hope that the club/joint venture is financially sound and the Dragons climb towards the top of the tree . As you have said - certainly a far better chance of doing so now that we have the right people in the right places .

 

[Inisai Toga]

so you’re saying Rome has taken around 10 years to build and will take a further 3 years?

teams like roosters, souffs and Melbourne don’t know the meaning of rebuild. We are one of the most famous rl teams and should have the same mentality.

Yes, but they didn’t have Nero as emperor for the past 7 years.

 

[R&WTILLIDIE]

Yes, but they didn’t have Nero as emperor for the past 7 years.

they had a court jester who should’ve been fed to the lions years ago