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Issac Luke confirms Dragons move

True_Believer

True_Believer

Juniors
Messages
1,840
Brutalitops said:
The Robson part is irrelevant personally. The fact is Robson is stuck behind McInnes, a future captain of our club, in the pecking order. It was less us letting him go than it was him moving somewhere with an open pathway for him to become the full-time hooker in very little time.

Seeing as there weren't really any other signings pushing down the door to be made from the 2020 available players market, a 1 year deal for Luke is not the end of the world and he seems to know his place in the squad.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Most on here put a negative spin on anything that is released by the club. However Millward has expressed in the interview exactly what I have been saying about Robson the whole time. He wants a path to first grade that he can't get with the Dragons. If I was his manager, I'd be pushing him to look elsewhere as well. In this instance, money plus opportunity trumps anything we can offer given McInness is already our long term hooker. Same with Luch. Currently we've got Sims and Frizz in the 2nd row slots. Hard to displace even on a bad day - especially for someone as inconsistent as Luch. He'd be mad not to look for other opportunities.

On the other side of the coin, Joe has been named in the 2020 side. We aren't sure what role he plays in the team yet and the JDB outcome will have some bearing on that. My personal preference would be to ease Joe into the team over the duration of the year - either in lock or hooker. And the introduction of Luke means this can be done without overdoing it. We've seen what throwing players into the deep end can do - they get fatigued easily when not up to the rigours of weekly NRL.

However, we are talking about McGregor here so who know what will happen.
 
Como Connection

Como Connection

First Grade
Messages
6,073
Brutalitops said:
The Robson part is irrelevant personally. The fact is Robson is stuck behind McInnes, a future captain of our club, in the pecking order. It was less us letting him go than it was him moving somewhere with an open pathway for him to become the full-time hooker in very little time.

Seeing as there weren't really any other signings pushing down the door to be made from the 2020 available players market, a 1 year deal for Luke is not the end of the world and he seems to know his place in the squad.
Click to expand...
Agree, the signing is fine for the price.
CC
 
Old Timer

Old Timer

Coach
Messages
17,921
Como Connection said:
Agree, the signing is fine for the price.
CC
Click to expand...
Again on the surface it looks about right however if as per usual the journeyman plays almost every round and is retiring at the end of the year what have we learnt about the players that are still in the pathway system?
If Luke was to play half the rounds and Lovodua the other half then mission accomplished but we all know that will not be the case and the temptation for Mc Fookknuckle will be too great to not to pick the bloke that was our nemesis albeit 3 or 4 years ago.
 
jak

jak

Bench
Messages
3,479
True_Believer said:
Agreed. Most on here put a negative spin on anything that is released by the club. However Millward has expressed in the interview exactly what I have been saying about Robson the whole time. He wants a path to first grade that he can't get with the Dragons. If I was his manager, I'd be pushing him to look elsewhere as well. In this instance, money plus opportunity trumps anything we can offer given McInness is already our long term hooker. Same with Luch. Currently we've got Sims and Frizz in the 2nd row slots. Hard to displace even on a bad day - especially for someone as inconsistent as Luch. He'd be mad not to look for other opportunities.

On the other side of the coin, Joe has been named in the 2020 side. We aren't sure what role he plays in the team yet and the JDB outcome will have some bearing on that. My personal preference would be to ease Joe into the team over the duration of the year - either in lock or hooker. And the introduction of Luke means this can be done without overdoing it. We've seen what throwing players into the deep end can do - they get fatigued easily when not up to the rigours of weekly NRL.

However, we are talking about McGregor here so who know what will happen.
Click to expand...
your making way to much sence for this forum, your going to confuse people with your logic.
 
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G

getsmarty

Immortal
Messages
34,251
mcinnesc-01mn.jpg


DRAGONS


Why McInnes wanted to recruit 'friendly rival' Luke
Author
Brad Walter NRL.com Senior Reporter
Timestamp
Thu 21 Nov 2019, 05:05 PM
walterbrad-head.png

Cameron McInnes has revealed his involvement in St George Illawarra’s recruitment of Issac Luke and wants the former Kiwis hooker to challenge him for the dummy-half role.

With Reece Robson moving to North Queensland in search of regular NRL game time, Dragons coach Paul McGregor felt the club needed an experienced back-up to McInnes and asked his opinion of Luke.

Having played with the New Zealand veteran at South Sydney, he had no hesitation in suggesting the Dragons sign Luke and he then spoke to the 32-year-old about the virtues of playing for the famous club and living in Wollongong.

"Mary came to me and said he wanted ask me out of respect, which he didn’t have to do … he said ‘what do you think about Issac," McInnes said.

"I said he is obviously a great player, he is looking for an opportunity and he is a real good person to have around. He is very experienced and I think he will suit us very well so I endorsed him 100 per cent.

"I talked to Issac and he was keen to come over, move to Wollongong and play with the Dragons so I was behind it 100 per cent."



McInnes welcomes Luke reunion

The recommendation was repayment for the way Luke supported a nervous McInnes when he came into first grade at Souths as an 18-year-old in 2014.

Luke was arguably one of the top two hookers in the game, along with Cameron Smith, and he took it upon himself to mentor McInnes for the next two seasons.

The pair have remained in regular contact during the four years Luke played for the Warriors.

"I had been watching him for years but he didn’t see me as a threat," McInnes recalled.

"That is a big thing because when young guys come in, particularly in your position, you can either look at it like ‘this young guy wants my spot, I am not going to give him anything’ or you can help them out because you were there once and make them feel comfortable.

"He took me under his wing but he also pushed me as well to become a better player because I was always snapping at his ankles and we are going to do that here."

McInnes, who suffered a broken leg late last season, is back running and he expects to be cleared for full contact training with three weeks to prepare for St George Illawarra’s pre-season matches.

The Dragons also have Fiji hooker Joe Lovodua in their NRL squad but he is yet to play first grade and Luke was willing to come for little more than minimum wage and an opportunity to continue playing.

"I think Joey is a very good player but he hasn’t played first grade yet and I got injured last year so if I get injured again we will need someone who is going to step in and who better than someone who has played for New Zealand," McInnes said.

"I don’t know if we are both going to be playing or if one of us will change spots at certain times.



Five key match-ups of the Dragons' 2020 draw

"If I have to go to lock or there is some other role I can do for the team to get him out there if he is going to help us I will do that. I don’t care, we came 15th last year so I just want to win."

The departure of Gareth Widdop to Warrington has left McGregor with the task of appointing a new captain for next season and after taking on the role this year when the England playmaker was injured, McInnes heads his shortlist of options.

Veteran prop James Graham and second-rower Tyson Frizell are the other two candidates but don't play 80 minutes as regularly as McInnes, who was St George Illawarra's 2019 player-of-the-year.

"If I get the opportunity I'd love it," McInnes said.

"Captain is an honour and you get the privilege of leading the side out, but it's everybody doing their bit as well. But it would be a great honour, that's for sure."


https://www.nrl.com/news/2019/11/21/why-mcinnes-wanted-to-recruit-friendly-rival-luke/
 
O

Old skool Dragon

Juniors
Messages
205
I think its a Great signing. As Mcinnes is a great Hooker. But hes not silky and got a nice little kick into the in goal. Like Elite hookers. Luke is more see what he see player and will be more exciting around the ruck than Mcinnes. Only lukes age is a worry.
 
BLM01

BLM01

First Grade
Messages
9,948
Oh well Isaac has some training and fitness ahead of him. Looks like he has enjoyed himself over there in NZ
 
Crush

Crush

Coach
Messages
11,280
Isaac Luke will be another lemon.
Meanwhile Kurt Capewell signs with Penrith.....
 
B

Belta

Juniors
Messages
1,128
He was one of my favourites several years ago. But seriously, cheap or not it’s a very average signing. If you need further evidence watch that interview

I love the part how Luke states he had all but made up his mind to retire after having achieved all he wanted in the game. Id say he had come to the realisation that his form had been sliding in recent years and was not likely to have any clubs interested in him. He must of forgot about Mary and his penchant for ‘experience’
 
W

Wittenberg

Juniors
Messages
1,140
Old skool Dragon said:
I think its a Great signing. As Mcinnes is a great Hooker. But hes not silky and got a nice little kick into the in goal. Like Elite hookers. Luke is more see what he see player and will be more exciting around the ruck than Mcinnes. Only lukes age is a worry.
Click to expand...
I have always liked Luke as a player but he was poor at the Warriors this year and spent a considerable time on the sidelines injured. In the past he always played what was in front of him and he set up forwards, scurried out of the ruck and was a solid goal kicker. But as he has slowed and aged he has often tried too hard and his mistake rate has become high. His 'silky' skills have become sloppy ones and moving Cam to lock during a game will weaken us. I don't mind the purchase if he is a backup, and if he did not cost much coin but trotting him out as a player who we beat other clubs to is a little laughable. We get Luke but we couldn't get our act together to make an offer to Capewell. Laughable.
 
G

getsmarty

Immortal
Messages
34,251
lukei-and-mcinnesc-dsc_0204.jpg


DRAGONS


How The Block and McInnes are influencing Luke's future
Author
Brad Walter NRL.com Senior Reporter
Timestamp
Tue 26 Nov 2019, 01:49 PM
walterbrad-head.png

St George Illawarra recruit Issac Luke is aiming to reach the milestone of 300 NRL games and regain his New Zealand Test jersey but the uncertainly surrounding his future coupled with an interest in reality TV show The Block has inspired him to seek a building apprenticeship.

With his career in limbo until Dragons coach Paul McGregor and former South Sydney team-mate Cameron McInnes reached out to him about moving across the Tasman, Luke's daily routine revolved around caring for his children, house work and playing touch football with his mates.

Having been advised by the Warriors during last season that the club would not be offering him a new deal for 2020, he was forced to consider the realities of life after football and began studying in Auckland.

The 32-year-old intends to continue working towards becoming a builder while living in Wollongong and sharing the hooking duties with McInnes, whom he mentored at the Rabbitohs and now compares to former NSW captain Danny Buderus.



Luke has 300-game target in mind

It's a role Luke has been only too happy to perform with the likes of Brandon Smith for the Kiwis, Nathaniel Roache at the Warriors and any hooker who came through the ranks at Souths while he was there, including Api Koroisau, Nathan Peats, James Segayaro and McInnes.

"When I debuted I knew straight away that part of my job was to give back," Luke said. "Cam was probably the first one, he barely spoke and I noticed it straight away.

"I was like that when I was younger – I was standoffish and worried about my own game – but I opened him up and helped him to express himself. Now he speaks really clearly, he knows what he wants and he is straight up about it. If he doesn't like something he will just tell you.

"We had a fair few good hookers come out of South Sydney and there is a good young fellow here, Joe Lovodua, who I'm going to try and nurture as well. My job in the next couple of years before I hang up the boots is to give my knowledge down to the kids."

Luke and McInnes last played together in 2015 but the pair have remained in close contact and the 43-Test veteran said he was happy to play the role of deputy to the likely St George Illawarra captain in 2020.

"I don't mind, I am just happy to be playing somewhere," Luke said. "There was a point during the whole process where I was waking up every morning, getting the kids ready for school and then taking them to school, I'd go home and clean the house or clean around the house and I wasn't really sure what was going on.

"I guess it was a little insight into what life after footy is going to be like. I'd train with my wife three times a week, play touch with my mates most nights and go to the kids' sports. It was pretty good but it doesn't pay the bills."



McInnes welcomes Luke reunion

The Kiwis veteran had already spoken with Warriors welfare manager Jerry Seu Seu about his future and was interested in building as he and his wife Mickayela are avid fans of The Block.

"We watch The Block all the time and I said 'what would you do if we were on that' but she said 'you wouldn't last because I'd be barking orders at you all the time'," Luke said.

"It's a different world but I don't mind it. I have 75 units of theory and the rest is on-site so I look forward to that. I just want to get to know all the tools and what's what first and then I look forward to going on-site.

"Last year [2018] was a really good year for me but I thought I can't play the sport forever so to have something there for me to work towards it pretty good."

In the meantime, Luke is hoping to play well enough to earn an extension on his one-year deal with the Dragons or convince another club to sign him as he looks to build on his 272 NRL appearances with the Rabbitohs and Warriors.

The Kiwi veteran, who also hopes to continue his Test career, had interest from other clubs but after looking at St George Illawarra's roster Luke wondered how the Dragons finished 15th last season, while he was also keen to play with McInnes.

"Throughout the years Cam has always been saying 'hopefully we can get another game together' and he managed to help me get over here," Luke said.

"He is like my little brother, I used to give him a kiss all the time so it's great to see him grow over the years.

"Cam is just a stock solid hooker like Danny Buderus, he is a hard nut, he does his job and doesn't fuss, doesn't complain and just gets on with. We just feed off each other and I am looking forward to playing with him again."


https://www.dragons.com.au/news/2019/11/26/how-the-block-and-mcinnes-are-influencing-lukes-future/
 
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