Flanno's New Signings

[kit66]

So if 2 clubs want someone and have all the things you said......who gets him?

Roosters ?

Was that a trick question ?

 

[Dragsters]

Roosters ?

Was that a trick question ?

Even if they weren't one of the two...

 

[Ronnie Dobbs]

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.

Canberra and Newcastle have the same issues.

Wollongong is a small market and the way we’ve been run is certainly bordering on bush league.

 

[possm]

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.

The Tigers have had very poor seasons over the past 3 years and yet they have managed to recuirt some top players for 2025.

 

[The Word]

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.

We would be in a catch 22 situation if we had an ordinary coach. With a capable coach we are able to improve incrementally, so we will get there, but it will take a while.
Yes we need a good prop, no argument there.

 

[RufusRex]

The Tigers have had very poor seasons over the past 3 years and yet they have managed to recuirt some top players for 2025.

They paid overs on Laui and he is a cultural figure that brings others ... if they dont get him they dont also get Turuva/May ... the st clair/st marys westies are moving a little to the east.

They have made some decent recruitment plays in the last three years but dont seem to hit the mark - they get players happy to go and take a pay check with minimal expectations of performance. Birdy a pretty prime example of that kind of player.

Will be interesting to see what happens there - they are still being coached by Marshall though so there is that.

 

[Victoire]

Isaiah Papali'i the epitome of this. Dally M second rower of the year and a grand finalist at Parra... yet is barely first grade standard at the Tigers. He's shuffled out the back door with a year still to run on his contract

 

[Jubilee]

Isaiah Papali'i the epitome of this. Dally M second rower of the year and a grand finalist at Parra... yet is barely first grade standard at the Tigers. He's shuffled out the back door with a year still to run on his contract

Yes. I said in a recent comment that the first thing I look for in a player is defence. Perhaps I should have said character.

 

[Draginzaaar]

Roosters ?

Was that a trick question ?

Between Roosters, Storm or Broncos?

 

[kit66]

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.

All pre-Flanno but I get your point. Let's hope Flanno has more recruitment luck this year.

 

[kit66]

Between Roosters, Storm or Broncos?

Yes.

On a more positive note - Broncos won't make the 8.

 

[Jacko955]

The Bulldogs are in a window albeit a small dunny door window

They need another prop asap to match their Thompson for 2026 if they really think they are ready to be in a GF.

They would have signed Josiah Pahulu if they wanted him for 2026 and they havent.........which is strange

I suspect we would be keen on Pahulu for 2026 also and would have more cap then the Dogs for 2025. I wonder if Pahulu does want to stay in QLD and is playing some games to extend?

There is certainly an element of patience .....which makes total sense ie all the clubs are 24/7 trying to improve the list and players moving on and off top30 lists in the off season.

And im sure we are going real hard to get another year minimum for LPT to stay 2027 and hopefully 2028

2025 - Lodge and Pahulu would be nice > swap out Blake or Rava ?
2026 - Pahulu, Hazelton, Oregon, Seve, other?

Josiah agreed to terms with the dogs the thing there trying to work out is a early release for 2025 with the titans that's why all the talk of Karl Oulopu been let go to the dolphins.Gus is trying to free a top 30 spot up for 2025 if he cant free a spot up Josiah will be at the dogs in 26 along with Thompson

 

[Dragons4me]

Josiah agreed to terms with the dogs the thing there trying to work out is a early release for 2025 with the titans that's why all the talk of Karl Oulopu been let go to the dolphins.Gus is trying to free a top 30 spot up for 2025 if he cant free a spot up Josiah will be at the dogs in 26 along with Thompson

** Deleted **

 

[saintmar]

The Tigers have had very poor seasons over the past 3 years and yet they have managed to recuirt some top players for 2025.

Exactly the bottom club can recruit big names.
They pulled our pants down with May.
We need to stop making excuses.
Gutho is proving Wollongong is not the issue.

 

[possm]

Exactly the bottom club can recruit big names.
They pulled our pants down with May.
We need to stop making excuses.
Gutho is proving Wollongong is not the issue.

We need a new CEO, Football Manager, Recruitment Manager, and Defensive Coach.

 

[RufusRex]

interesting that we had our pants pulled down when a club recruited a player we were not serious in wanting ... interesting take on that one ...

 

[CozDragon]

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?

I also think the fact that Sharks are in a premiership window and we are building probably helped in his decision making.
Lets be honest, if Sharks had shown interest from the outset we probably never stood a chance, regardless of the travel situation.

 

[kit66]

interesting that we had our pants pulled down when a club recruited a player we were not serious in wanting ... interesting take on that one ...

How and why could we not want him ? After AFB he was the best prop to come on the market, young, hard working excellent defender and better than any middle forward in our squad by some margin. Was it the $650K a year for 3 yrs that put us off ? If so that's ridiculous, that's a great signing, time and dollarwise, for a 25 yr old who just keeps getting better. He has no off-field issues as wrongly suggested by others and he's from one of the best systems in the league. The perfect man to take over from JDB up front, just what we need right now. I'm still really angry we didn't sign him.

 

[RufusRex]

flano met him and that is where it ended ..

 

[The Word]

How and why could we not want him ? After AFB he was the best prop to come on the market, young, hard working excellent defender and better than any middle forward in our squad by some margin. Was it the $650K a year for 3 yrs that put us off ? If so that's ridiculous, that's a great signing, time and dollarwise, for a 25 yr old who just keeps getting better. He has no off-field issues as wrongly suggested by others and he's from one of the best systems in the league. The perfect man to take over from JDB up front, just what we need right now. I'm still really angry we didn't sign him.

If there were genuinely no off field issues then why did the Rooster tell him to leave, after their end of season review decided he was not the right fit for their culture?

After all he was cheap and playing well, so must have been something not right, surely? I would've loved him at the dragons as well but if Flanagan's inner circle heard rumours they didn't like then fair enough.