Halves for the future.

[NorthShoreEel]

I posted in the rumours thread with regards to what I heard about Maloney a couple of months ago (that he is keen to come back). I have also read 10c Warriors post in this thread & also the rumours thread.

I can only repeat what I have heard from someone from within the club, that worked with him when he was working at the Leagues Club.

Conflicting stories, I know, but can only hope that my info is good.

 

[Suitman]

I posted in the rumours thread with regards to what I heard about Maloney a couple of months ago (that he is keen to come back). I have also read 10c Warriors post in this thread & also the rumours thread.

I can only repeat what I have heard from someone from within the club, that worked with him when he was working at the Leagues Club.

Conflicting stories, I know, but can only hope that my info is good.

Sorry, but Maloney won't cut it at the Eels.
He may hold his own, but he's not what we need.
We need a top 3 half.
We've gone with these half arsed halves for 20 years, and it's got us nowhere.
It's top shelf or nothing, and we have the moulah.

Where do we get top shelf from??
Ask the Titans how they got Idris?
Or the Knights re Bennett.
Come on 3P, you had a major bank coming on board.
Where are the 3rd party deals to get us a Thurston or a Cronk.
You know we need a half.

Suity

 

[Eels Dude]

Sorry, but Maloney won't cut it at the Eels.
He may hold his own, but he's not what we need.
We need a top 3 half.
We've gone with these half arsed halves for 20 years, and it's got us nowhere.
It's top shelf or nothing, and we have the moulah.

Where do we get top shelf from??
Ask the Titans how they got Idris?
Or the Knights re Bennett.
Come on 3P, you had a major bank coming on board.
Where are the 3rd party deals to get us a Thurston or a Cronk.
You know we need a half.

Suity

That's all well and good mate. But who are these top 3 halves you're talking about that are off contract? Thurston just signed a new 4 year deal last year... Cronk has a get out clause "apparently" but who knows if that's true or not. You have to go with what's available on the market and while I'd love a Thurston, Cronk, Prince at the club... it's not going to happen because they are under contract.

 

[ParraSteve]

I posted in the rumours thread with regards to what I heard about Maloney a couple of months ago (that he is keen to come back). I have also read 10c Warriors post in this thread & also the rumours thread.

I can only repeat what I have heard from someone from within the club, that worked with him when he was working at the Leagues Club.

Conflicting stories, I know, but can only hope that my info is good.

I too have heard that james wants to come back to sydney, the lure of playing in front of family more than every 2nd or 3rd week is a major motive.

 

[Suitman]

That's all well and good mate. But who are these top 3 halves you're talking about that are off contract? Thurston just signed a new 4 year deal last year... Cronk has a get out clause "apparently" but who knows if that's true or not. You have to go with what's available on the market and while I'd love a Thurston, Cronk, Prince at the club... it's not going to happen because they are under contract.

I don't give a f**k where or how we get one.
It's common knowledge that we haven't had a world class half since Sterlo.
It's also common knowledge that we haven't won a comp since then either.
Don't give me that bullsh*t excuse.
Top shelf halves have been on the market consistently. The Cowboys had the foresight to buy Thurston as a pup. Storm developed Kimmorley, then Orford, then Cronk. Roosters got Mitchell Pearce. Broncs bought Wallace. Stacey Jones went to England when he was still in his prime.
Stop making excuses. They're out there. Who give's a sh*t if we cut a Robson or a Mortimer mid contract. (sorry....... parra pete does.)
We are either competitive in the market, or we ain't.
If we're serious, we will be.

Suity

 

[Bazal]

I don't give a f**k where or how we get one.
It's common knowledge that we haven't had a world class half since Sterlo.
It's also common knowledge that we haven't won a comp since then either.
Don't give me that bullsh*t excuse.
Top shelf halves have been on the market consistently. The Cowboys had the foresight to buy Thurston as a pup. Storm developed Kimmorley, then Orford, then Cronk. Roosters got Mitchell Pearce. Broncs bought Wallace. Stacey Jones went to England when he was still in his prime.
Stop making excuses. They're out there. Who give's a sh*t if we cut a Robson or a Mortimer mid contract. (sorry....... parra pete does.)
We are either competitive in the market, or we ain't.
If we're serious, we will be.

Suity

The problem is, there are no top flight halves available now, when we need them. Maloney would be a good signing for the short to medium term. If Cronk's mythical get out clause is a real thing, then that's all well and good. If it isn't, then we need to develop a half. It's as simple as that, really. We can't wait around for a top shelf player to come O/C, and the cupboard is pretty bare at the moment. We've made a good start with Murray, in my opinion...sure he's young but he was the NYC player of the year so he's got the talent.

 

[Suitman]

The problem is, there are no top flight halves available now, when we need them. Maloney would be a good signing for the short to medium term. If Cronk's mythical get out clause is a real thing, then that's all well and good. If it isn't, then we need to develop a half. It's as simple as that, really. We can't wait around for a top shelf player to come O/C, and the cupboard is pretty bare at the moment. We've made a good start with Murray, in my opinion...sure he's young but he was the NYC player of the year so he's got the talent.

Sorry mate, but that's exactly the attitude that has us in the predicament we are in atm.

Suity

 

[Eels Dude]

I don't give a f**k where or how we get one.
It's common knowledge that we haven't had a world class half since Sterlo.
It's also common knowledge that we haven't won a comp since then either.
Don't give me that bullsh*t excuse.
Top shelf halves have been on the market consistently. The Cowboys had the foresight to buy Thurston as a pup. Storm developed Kimmorley, then Orford, then Cronk. Roosters got Mitchell Pearce. Broncs bought Wallace. Stacey Jones went to England when he was still in his prime.
Stop making excuses. They're out there. Who give's a sh*t if we cut a Robson or a Mortimer mid contract. (sorry....... parra pete does.)
We are either competitive in the market, or we ain't.
If we're serious, we will be.

Suity

No need to be hostile mate. I agree with you. But we can only go after halves that are available. And there just aren't at the moment as s**t as that is. The top notch halfbacks are locked into 5 year contracts, so you have to make do with the leftovers... as frustrating as that is. Robson and Mortimor are rubbish. I don't want them leading our team around this year or next. It's just a sad stae of affairs that there's no one else better available.

 

[Bazal]

Sorry mate, but that's exactly the attitude that has us in the predicament we are in atm.

Suity

Ok then, who do we sign? I'm all for signing a star halfback, but who?

Thurston-Contracted for 3-4 years
Cronk-2013
Soward-4 more years
Prince-2 more years I think
Pearce-Long term deal
Carney-Long term deal

Outside those guys, who is a star half? Benji is a star 6, but he's on a long term deal. The fact is we're going to have to sign someone from the next tier like Maloney, or make do with what we have, until someone like this (or the next gen equivalent, like Sam Williams) becomes available. That's not an attitude, it's fact.

 

[Forty20]

I know most people here like giving it to union but disregarding the whole Quade Cooper saga there is one rah rah 5/8 who would cut it in league.

It's a pipe dream given the figures being bandied about by French rugby but Dan Carter is off contract at the end of this year. Should the All-Blacks finally break their modern world-cup hoodoo maybe he can be tempted with the challenge of league/becoming a dual international?

Like I said, pipe dream, but there is a lack of superstar playmakers on the market and unlike Quade Cooper (who is capable of brilliance), Carter is a complete player and at 29, while no spring chicken, he still isn't past his best.

Beyond that I hope the club exploits every clause, loop-hole or sheer circumstance to get that top-tier playmaker, be it Cronk, Thurston or Carney etc.

 

[Casper The Ghost]

Sorry, but Maloney won't cut it at the Eels.
He may hold his own, but he's not what we need.
We need a top 3 half.
We've gone with these half arsed halves for 20 years, and it's got us nowhere.
It's top shelf or nothing, and we have the moulah.

Where do we get top shelf from??
Ask the Titans how they got Idris?
Or the Knights re Bennett.
Come on 3P, you had a major bank coming on board.
Where are the 3rd party deals to get us a Thurston or a Cronk.
You know we need a half.

Suity

:thumb

 

[BigErn]

The problem is, there are no top flight halves available now, when we need them. Maloney would be a good signing for the short to medium term. If Cronk's mythical get out clause is a real thing, then that's all well and good. If it isn't, then we need to develop a half. It's as simple as that, really. We can't wait around for a top shelf player to come O/C, and the cupboard is pretty bare at the moment. We've made a good start with Murray, in my opinion...sure he's young but he was the NYC player of the year so he's got the talent.

Maloney???
Please....

Sandow is a better pick than Maloney, and that's saying a lot.

 

[eel01s]

I know there aren't any top quality halves available at the moment , BUT:

Thurston resigned with the Cowboys LAST YEAR
Carney was snapped up by the Roosters as soon as humanly possible after his off-field dramas
Hodkinson was only signed by the Dogs LAST YEAR
Maloney went from Storm to Warriors, so he was available at some point 2 years ago

My point being, that if the Eels were serious, then we should have had a crack at these guys during the last 2-3 years. All of these options are better than what we have now (or back then).

Did we even have a go at Thurston?

 

[Gronk]

Sorry, but Maloney won't cut it at the Eels.
He may hold his own, but he's not what we need.
We need a top 3 half.
We've gone with these half arsed halves for 20 years, and it's got us nowhere.
It's top shelf or nothing, and we have the moulah.

Where do we get top shelf from??
Ask the Titans how they got Idris?
Or the Knights re Bennett.
Come on 3P, you had a major bank coming on board.
Where are the 3rd party deals to get us a Thurston or a Cronk.
You know we need a half.

Suity

Yep I'm over it. Time to open up the wallet and pay massive overs for the best available.

They are talking this morning that the Melbourne Rebels got Kurtley Beal on a $1M per year deal. Not saying that we should have gone after him, but we should be just as aggressive.

Forget this BS about paying overs, get a world class player at his prime and offer him the world.

 

[Maroubra Eel]

I'm with Bazal. Who do we sign?

Cronk in 2013?

 

[tresurehunt]

i like the manly no. 6 ,forget his name though

 

[Forty20]

i like the manly no. 6 ,forget his name though

Kieran Foran?

 

[84 Baby]

Yep I'm over it. Time to open up the wallet and pay massive overs for the best available.

They are talking this morning that the Melbourne Rebels got Kurtley Beal on a $1M per year deal. Not saying that we should have gone after him, but we should be just as aggressive.

Forget this BS about paying overs, get a world class player at his prime and offer him the world.

I am beginning to come around to this way of thinking too.
Look at Newcastle when they had Johns, or Roosters with Fittler. Sure they paid them massive percentages of their caps but at the end of the day they won premierships. We have some good juniors coming through in the next few years (Sio, Loko, Brien, Barba, Gagan, even Morgan) and for once in almost forever some pretty good forwards too (O'Hanlon, Asiata, Terepo, can add Mannah to that list) so we can blow money on single players like Knights & Roosters did and fill the squad with juniors to develop for a few years

 

[Jake the snake]

I am beginning to come around to this way of thinking too.
Look at Newcastle when they had Johns, or Roosters with Fittler. Sure they paid them massive percentages of their caps but at the end of the day they won premierships. We have some good juniors coming through in the next few years (Sio, Loko, Brien, Barba, Gagan, even Morgan) and for once in almost forever some pretty good forwards too (O'Hanlon, Asiata, Terepo, can add Mannah to that list) so we can blow money on single players like Knights & Roosters did and fill the squad with juniors to develop for a few years

Agree!!!

 

[tresurehunt]

Kieran Foran?

yup thats him ,ty