Forget Latrell, my left field signing

[Vic Mackey]

Whilst his talent is undeniable I’m well over the Latrell circus. Even if we sign him I don’t think I’ll be excited as I can easily see him becoming a train wreck in the next 12-18 months.

Instead I would be looking at a guy who is on the market, Jack Bird. Now hear me out! I know his time at the Broncos has been far from happy, however he has had a serious sternum injury and then an ACL.

Remember this is a guy who had won a comp and played 5 Origins before his 22nd Birthday. He is still only 24 and has a heap of footy ahead of him.

I believe Madge would be a great coach for him, as he flourished under noted task master Flanagan at the Sharks. He would come here with a point to prove and be back in Sydney close to family and friends.

My initial plan would be to have him at center and then look to move him to 5/8 after Benji retires. Brooks has always played his best games when he is allowed to be the main play maker and Bird would allow him to do that. I believe they would play like a traditional half 5/8 which would suit both their games. Another big body in the defensive line is also a plus.

He still has 2 years to go at the Broncos however it’s well known that they are happy to let him go, and would probably pick up a decent chunk of his wage.

I genuinely think he would be an amazing get, and would love our club to at least entertain the thought.

 

[BrotherJim05]

FMD Bird is another Reynolds/Mbye signing. Overpaid for a player who doesn't really have a set position, once upon a time was a really good player etc etc

 

[mepelthwack]

I agree at the right price he is worth the risk, one of these risks has to pay off eventually.

 

[gordsy]

I agree at the right price he is worth the risk, one of these risks has to pay off eventually.

At what cost. If you sign four guys on big money and only one pays off , how are we any different from where we are today. If I could throw money at someone it would be James Graham.
Someone else mentioned this in another thread and I think it was be a great signing on and off the field for us.

 

[Tiger05]

At what cost. If you sign four guys on big money and only one pays off , how are we any different from where we are today. If I could throw money at someone it would be James Graham.
Someone else mentioned this in another thread and I think it was be a great signing on and off the field for us.

I think Graham is the exact opposite type of player that we need. We need outside backs with pace and size and a fullback is the most important position to fill.

I don't think Bird is the right guy either.

RTS would be the best purchase for us.

 

[Fordy20]

RTS would slot in perfectly. Pity he signed a 4 year extension to stay with the Warriors last year

 

[stryker]

I like Vics thinking.
Jack Bird is a hard arse, a competitor and an actual footballer.
He is also seeking redemption after some lean seasons which should mean we dont pay top dollar.

 

[simmo1]

No doubt a good player at his best, but has probably even more risks than Latrell. Very injury prone the past few years and has a pretty bad arthritic condition requiring constant treatment. Looked like he'd swallowed a horse when he arrived at Brisbane.

 

[Tiger05]

which should mean we dont pay top dollar.

This is always the key but I can't see it happening. A risk without a sufficient decrease in cost.

If we are after a player like Bird I'd consider Suli.

 

[Legion]

Whilst his talent is undeniable I’m well over the Latrell circus. Even if we sign him I don’t think I’ll be excited as I can easily see him becoming a train wreck in the next 12-18 months.

Instead I would be looking at a guy who is on the market, Jack Bird. Now hear me out! I know his time at the Broncos has been far from happy, however he has had a serious sternum injury and then an ACL.

Remember this is a guy who had won a comp and played 5 Origins before his 22nd Birthday. He is still only 24 and has a heap of footy ahead of him.

I believe Madge would be a great coach for him, as he flourished under noted task master Flanagan at the Sharks. He would come here with a point to prove and be back in Sydney close to family and friends.

My initial plan would be to have him at center and then look to move him to 5/8 after Benji retires. Brooks has always played his best games when he is allowed to be the main play maker and Bird would allow him to do that. I believe they would play like a traditional half 5/8 which would suit both their games. Another big body in the defensive line is also a plus.

He still has 2 years to go at the Broncos however it’s well known that they are happy to let him go, and would probably pick up a decent chunk of his wage.

I genuinely think he would be an amazing get, and would love our club to at least entertain the thought.

Has Bird recovered from those injuries?
What sort of money would he be asking? Would be great if the Broncos kick in towards his pay. That would be a nice change & a bit of a bonus.

 

[Legion]

At what cost. If you sign four guys on big money and only one pays off , how are we any different from where we are today. If I could throw money at someone it would be James Graham.
Someone else mentioned this in another thread and I think it was be a great signing on and off the field for us.

If you're referring to my post where I mentioned James Graham; my point was that if we're going to offer huge money for a player we need someone with a James Graham type attitude. The kind of bloke who the younger players look up to. His kind of never-say-die attitude rubs off just as much as a senior player with a piss-poor attitude.
He expects as much from himself as he does from his teammates. He always backs up & is always there in defense. He never gives in.

As someone else mentioned on another thread; although he's got different skill sets Cronk is another good example of the right attitude. He was totally on board with what Easts were doing & he 100% wanted to be there. Money was not his main motivation to move to the Roosters.

Just two examples of what one should expect from professional players on big money, a professional attitude. It's not asking for too much surely.

The difference between these types of players attitudes & LM's is chalk & cheese. Mitchell is not a leader of men.
During some games this year it appeared that Mitchell didn't want to be there. Not the sort of bloke I'd choose to throw big money at.

On $1million a year, wherever he goes, would entitle big expectations. I don't think that LM could handle that weight of expectation. Too much pressure.
At the Roosters all they expected from him was to do his job & even that appeared to be asking too much.

 

[Vic Mackey]

Looked like he'd swallowed a horse when he arrived at Brisbane.

He was out of sorts the moment he got to Red Hill. Bennett and Maguire are total opposite styles of coaches. Bennett is all about man management and getting the best out of each indivdual. he gives players a cuddle when they're down and is low on discipline, similar to how Sheens was.

Maguire is all about training hard, being the best you can be through working your arse off, similar to Shane Flanagan. If you step out of line you're in the shit corrner and the only way out of it is to work your way out.

Different styles work for different players. Look at Ryan Matterson, he needs a coach who will baby him and let him have a sook if need be. A guy like Andrew Fifita is the opposite, he flourished under Flanagan as he pulled him into line and wasnt afraid to let him have it if need be. Fifita has admitted this.

From the evidence provided Bird is the same. If a coach is going to allow him to cut corners he will, however if a coach is hard on him he will get him into condidtion.

What sort of money would he be asking? Would be great if the Broncos kick in towards his pay. That would be a nice change & a bit of a bonus.

He is rumoured to be on anywhere upto $1mil a year at the Broncos for the next 2 years. if we could get the Broncos to pay upto 50% I think he would be a bargain.

 

[Tiger05]

He is rumoured to be on anywhere upto $1mil a year at the Broncos for the next 2 years. if we could get the Broncos to pay upto 50% I think he would be a bargain.

I really can't see this working out at all. Who in their right mind will pay Bird $1 million / season. If the Broncos pay 1/2 that it's a good deal for another club but that is about it. If they pay 30% that is a huge contract for a guy who is close to the scrap heap.

If we could get him for $500k it might (and this is definitely a might) be worth the risk. I can't see that happening though.

 

[Legion]

I really can't see this working out at all. Who in their right mind will pay Bird $1 million / season. If the Broncos pay 1/2 that it's a good deal for another club but that is about it. If they pay 30% that is a huge contract for a guy who is close to the scrap heap.

If we could get him for $500k it might (and this is definitely a might) be worth the risk. I can't see that happening though.

$500K sounds about right.
If he's getting $1million a year then one can only imagine how the Broncos must feel considering his run of injuries, lol. [Me no like the Broncs]
Can't see them paying half that to offload him. Even if they paid $300K I'd say no. $700K is way too big a risk.

It's a bit hard to comprehend why clubs are going to $1 million contracts. For a player like Cronk maybe. But they're making it hard for themselves bidding high for a good player to fill a hole in their team because a natural consequence is for every other player to expect more than their worth. Especially the teammates.

 

[Tigerm]

$500K sounds about right.
If he's getting $1million a year then one can only imagine how the Broncos must feel considering his run of injuries, lol. [Me no like the Broncs]
Can't see them paying half that to offload him. Even if they paid $300K I'd say no. $700K is way too big a risk.

It's a bit hard to comprehend why clubs are going to $1 million contracts. For a player like Cronk maybe. But they're making it hard for themselves bidding high for a good player to fill a hole in their team because a natural consequence is for every other player to expect more than their worth. Especially the teammates.

Tend to agree with you, except this club has been a basket case for so long, we need to score (like any addict), yes its all a risk, but doing nothing, when we have the cash is ludicrous, if a $1M player was to win us one or two of those close games then we are in the finals.
I'm sure his salary would not be an issue then, (except of course, if we don't get in)

 

[stryker]

This is always the key but I can't see it happening. A risk without a sufficient decrease in cost.

If we are after a player like Bird I'd consider Suli.

LMFAO
You say some funny things man.

 

[The unknown]

His talent is unquestionable but the guy is made of glass. Pretty sure he's had like 3 shoulder reconstructions (counting Harold Matt's and up), and a torn acl to boot. Plus I think they did a piece on him not long ago saying his arthritis is that bad he has to have weekly injections just to train yet alone play week in week out

If Brisbane pay most of the freight tho, I guess I wouldn't complain because I thought he was one of the brightest young prospects in the game when fully fit

 

[The unknown]

FMD Bird is another Reynolds/Mbye signing. Overpaid for a player who doesn't really have a set position, once upon a time was a really good player etc etc

Really? he was pretty much a shoe in for the origin side this year before be broke down. His form was red hot. Id say that's a heck of a lot better than Mbye/Reynolds

Plus with Matterson gone who was extremely versatile, Bird could easily replicate that

 

[BrotherJim05]

Really? he was pretty much a shoe in for the origin side this year before be broke down. His form was red hot. Id say that's a heck of a lot better than Mbye/Reynolds

Plus with Matterson gone who was extremely versatile, Bird could easily replicate that

Reynolds was once considered a shoe in for Origin, Mbye is currently an Origin player. I'm not talking about talent, all 3 people we are discussing are talented, but for whatever reason they aren't able to consistently contribute to getting a team through to finals. Mbye doesn't have a set position, Reynolds is always injured, Bird is both.

I agree with the sentiment that Bird would likely flourish under a coach like Maguire, but its a massive gamble for his price tag.

 

[The unknown]

Reynolds was once considered a shoe in for Origin, Mbye is currently an Origin player. I'm not talking about talent, all 3 people we are discussing are talented, but for whatever reason they aren't able to consistently contribute to getting a team through to finals. Mbye doesn't have a set position, Reynolds is always injured, Bird is both.

I agree with the sentiment that Bird would likely flourish under a coach like Maguire, but its a massive gamble for his price tag.

Yeah but when we signed Reynolds he was a has been. And we were the club stupid enough to pay ridiculous overs for him.

Mbye origin selection is a joke and we all know that. Average at best player who has for some reason gotten a free ride his entire career

Bird still has plenty of upside imo, not worth the 1mil pricetag (but if Brisbane pays half, it's a steal). This is provided he doesn't break again.

I was surprised he didn't get CC in the Sharks GF win, and that would have been at 21 years old. He played 70 mins with a dislocated elbow