What's new
The Front Row Forums

Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Flanno's New Signings

kit66

Bench
Messages
4,044
AFB - travel
RCG - we didnt want to pay for 3rd year
Terrell May - travel and we didnt really want
Saifiti - his partner was told not to come by a former players wife
Utoikamanu - couldnt compete with the Storm and got too expensive
Horseburgers - raiders didnt release
Guler - raiders didnt release
Royce Hunt - were not interested
Finefeuiaki - was a choice between Luki/Fine/Leilua - we got one ... Also Fine is an edge forward not a big prop


The failures are basically AFB/Reg/Saifiti and for various reasons stated above we missed them all.

With all due respect, I'm guessing all the above excuses are just speculation on your part or heard from others, nothing concrete or actually reported. My take is if you really want a player and have the money/tpa's and a competent recruiter then you get your man - other clubs do it on a regular basis. Roosters, Dogs, Melb, Broncs and even Wests have little trouble landing who they want while we are left to grab only players no-one else wants and little else. We've landed some good players but they're short term, end of career players other teams were looking to off-load. No established and much "sought after" players with a big future will come anywhere near us. There's an issue with SGI and it's been an issue for years now.
 

The Word

Juniors
Messages
331
With all due respect, I'm guessing all the above excuses are just speculation on your part or heard from others, nothing concrete or actually reported. My take is if you really want a player and have the money/tpa's and a competent recruiter then you get your man - other clubs do it on a regular basis. Roosters, Dogs, Melb, Broncs and even Wests have little trouble landing who they want while we are left to grab only players no-one else wants and little else. We've landed some good players but they're short term, end of career players other teams were looking to off-load. No established and much "sought after" players with a big future will come anywhere near us. There's an issue with SGI and it's been an issue for years now.
Most of the excuses are likely to be speculation of course, because the club is unlikely to provide this type of information to the press. Also some of the player interest you listed was also simply speculation and not concrete. This is the player transfer world we live in with media spin and agents clouding the picture.

However I agree our process has not measured up to other clubs for a long time, something we've all been complaining about for years. I wouldn't include WT in that list though, they got who they wanted, in my opinion, by paying overs. They have been affected by salary cap issues for years and will continue to do so, with a lack of squad depth the result. They haven't learned their lessons.

My opinion is that we've missed out on some of the players because our current coach is unwilling to pay above what he believes is fair value, either in wages or length of contract. He will live or die by this strategy, but I'm happy for him to protect our salary cap and it shows he's thinking long term. Whether that's because he expects our juniors to start coming to the party, or he's still looking for that top notch player, who knows. But I have no problem whatsoever backing his tactics in recruitment. We've been a destination that players do not want to come to for some time. That will only change with success on the field. We will be a completely different proposition in recruitment in the next 2 or 3 years after we've started to achieve more wins. At least I hope so.
 

RufusRex

Post Whore
Messages
63,726
With all due respect, I'm guessing all the above excuses are just speculation on your part or heard from others, nothing concrete or actually reported. My take is if you really want a player and have the money/tpa's and a competent recruiter then you get your man - other clubs do it on a regular basis. Roosters, Dogs, Melb, Broncs and even Wests have little trouble landing who they want while we are left to grab only players no-one else wants and little else. We've landed some good players but they're short term, end of career players other teams were looking to off-load. No established and much "sought after" players with a big future will come anywhere near us. There's an issue with SGI and it's been an issue for years now.

Of course there is an issue with SGI. It is obvious .. we maintain two training venues that are 70km apart. refusal to acknowledge this as a problem as simply bewildering ... It cost us AFB when the sharks jumped in at the 11th hour. get that signature and there is no issue.

we make playing for us a chore.
 

CozDragon

Juniors
Messages
151
Of course there is an issue with SGI. It is obvious .. we maintain two training venues that are 70km apart. refusal to acknowledge this as a problem as simply bewildering ... It cost us AFB when the sharks jumped in at the 11th hour. get that signature and there is no issue.

we make playing for us a chore.
Do you have this on good authority that the travelling was an issue or are you just assuming?
He spent plenty of time at our club as a junior and it never seemed an issue then, plus he has spent plenty of time moving from one place to another, even to other countries, so travel doesn't seem to be that big of an issue looking from the outside.

You have pointed out a lot of the supposed reasons as to why we failed to land these players, is that fact or your opinion?
 

RufusRex

Post Whore
Messages
63,726
We had AFB - verbally agreed, heard club even had PR fluff ready to go.
He was going to live in the shire which is ok, other players do that and commute.
Sharks came in very late with a decent offer and that was that. His choice, play with sharks without the hassle or us with the hassle.

Players do live in the shire and play with us - but if the choice is to travel or not to travel and get the same sort of pay then what do we expect them to do?
 

since77

Juniors
Messages
2,492
With all due respect, I'm guessing all the above excuses are just speculation on your part or heard from others, nothing concrete or actually reported. My take is if you really want a player and have the money/tpa's and a competent recruiter then you get your man - other clubs do it on a regular basis. Roosters, Dogs, Melb, Broncs and even Wests have little trouble landing who they want while we are left to grab only players no-one else wants and little else. We've landed some good players but they're short term, end of career players other teams were looking to off-load. No established and much "sought after" players with a big future will come anywhere near us. There's an issue with SGI and it's been an issue for years now.
I find it incredibly weird that after the best batch of signings I can remember for many years people like you are still whinging we cant sign anyone and that we have a problem.
The tide is slowly turning. Flanno is not bending over for player managers like past coaches did. Have some patience.
 

Victoire

Juniors
Messages
1,124
Extended for a further season until the end of 2027.
Just announced by the club.
Grand news, for a grandstand sized dude with a grandiose name.

Great to read Flanno talking about his positive attitude, because he's a massive unit in possession of some subtle silky skills. So much potential. Keen to see him popping offloads to Cook, Liddle and co this year, and Atkinson in 26, 27 and beyond! Let's get loco
 

kit66

Bench
Messages
4,044
Most of the excuses are likely to be speculation of course, because the club is unlikely to provide this type of information to the press. Also some of the player interest you listed was also simply speculation and not concrete. This is the player transfer world we live in with media spin and agents clouding the picture.

However I agree our process has not measured up to other clubs for a long time, something we've all been complaining about for years. I wouldn't include WT in that list though, they got who they wanted, in my opinion, by paying overs. They have been affected by salary cap issues for years and will continue to do so, with a lack of squad depth the result. They haven't learned their lessons.

My opinion is that we've missed out on some of the players because our current coach is unwilling to pay above what he believes is fair value, either in wages or length of contract. He will live or die by this strategy, but I'm happy for him to protect our salary cap and it shows he's thinking long term. Whether that's because he expects our juniors to start coming to the party, or he's still looking for that top notch player, who knows. But I have no problem whatsoever backing his tactics in recruitment. We've been a destination that players do not want to come to for some time. That will only change with success on the field. We will be a completely different proposition in recruitment in the next 2 or 3 years after we've started to achieve more wins. At least I hope so.

Are we stuck then in a perpetual Catch 22 - Without Success we can't attract good players and without good players we can't achieve success ?
Seems to be the case. Flanno is a very capable coach not a miracle worker. We need better props, there's no getting around that.
 

kit66

Bench
Messages
4,044
Of course there is an issue with SGI. It is obvious .. we maintain two training venues that are 70km apart. refusal to acknowledge this as a problem as simply bewildering ... It cost us AFB when the sharks jumped in at the 11th hour. get that signature and there is no issue.

we make playing for us a chore.

I'm not convinced but thanks for the reply.
 

kit66

Bench
Messages
4,044
I find it incredibly weird that after the best batch of signings I can remember for many years people like you are still whinging we cant sign anyone and that we have a problem.
The tide is slowly turning. Flanno is not bending over for player managers like past coaches did. Have some patience.

"Best batch" is very debatable. I like Gutho, Holmes and Cook, they're all great individual players but at 30, 29 and 33 respectively they're not really "rebuild" material are they and not really part of a targetted approach to recruitment by any stretch, more of a "quick these guys are available" move. Illias too was a desperate and risky last choice get. Signing Atkinson was the only calculated move toward the future.
"People like me" are not whinging anyway, I was lamenting our failures in recruitment, especially in the areas we need to fix asap - halves and props. We also just lost our best two players (you can argue that and go for spin here but you're only kidding yourself - most tries, most assists, most kick metres, most metres, most points, both walk in SOO players etc). You can also bullshit to yourself that there's some kind of restructure underway at the Dragons but apart from Atkinson the truth is nothing has changed with our club, it's just more of the same.
I love our club and want success but viewing it all through red and white goggles doesn't help anyone. I want success, I want finals footy most years and I want us to be confident of being a good chance of beating any team on the day instead of knowing we're no chance. 14 years of achieving pretty much FA and no end in sight, I'll whinge all I effing want.
 

Jubilee

Juniors
Messages
936
The club had better start saving their pennies now if they want to keep him past 2027. He has success written all over him. And he is just 19 y.o.

 

Jubilee

Juniors
Messages
936
"Best batch" is very debatable. I like Gutho, Holmes and Cook, they're all great individual players but at 30, 29 and 33 respectively they're not really "rebuild" material are they and not really part of a targetted approach to recruitment by any stretch, more of a "quick these guys are available" move. Illias too was a desperate and risky last choice get. Signing Atkinson was the only calculated move toward the future.
"People like me" are not whinging anyway, I was lamenting our failures in recruitment, especially in the areas we need to fix asap - halves and props. We also just lost our best two players (you can argue that and go for spin here but you're only kidding yourself - most tries, most assists, most kick metres, most metres, most points, both walk in SOO players etc). You can also bullshit to yourself that there's some kind of restructure underway at the Dragons but apart from Atkinson the truth is nothing has changed with our club, it's just more of the same.
I love our club and want success but viewing it all through red and white goggles doesn't help anyone. I want success, I want finals footy most years and I want us to be confident of being a good chance of beating any team on the day instead of knowing we're no chance. 14 years of achieving pretty much FA and no end in sight, I'll whinge all I effing want.
We have mostly had problems with retention and some bad luck with our spine.
1. Losing Cody - who was a super talent. An SOO backline certainty. If he had not got sick we would not even know who Sloan is.
2. The Amone hammer business
3. The poor bet on Sullivan. Maybe he was okay but I never saw it.
4. The astonishing loss of Robson
5. Hunt

That's the entire spine wiped out for years. I think the talent spotting and retention will be and already has been better under Flanno.
 

Draginzaaar

Bench
Messages
3,649
With all due respect, I'm guessing all the above excuses are just speculation on your part or heard from others, nothing concrete or actually reported. My take is if you really want a player and have the money/tpa's and a competent recruiter then you get your man - other clubs do it on a regular basis. Roosters, Dogs, Melb, Broncs and even Wests have little trouble landing who they want while we are left to grab only players no-one else wants and little else. We've landed some good players but they're short term, end of career players other teams were looking to off-load. No established and much "sought after" players with a big future will come anywhere near us. There's an issue with SGI and it's been an issue for years now.
So if 2 clubs want someone and have all the things you said......who gets him?
 

Latest posts

Top