Josh Kerr

[mobels]

As I keep saying I think the future is in our good juniors and would be happy if we kept them and would have happily let JT or JDB go for the procurement of Kerr if that is what we consider necessary.
In fact just about all of the forwards you have named are bigger than Jt & JDB and the kids will only get bigger.
Part of my angst is about sacrificing our juniors with potential to sign juniors with potential when in fact we hold onto people who never fulfilled their potential.
We get our recruitment timing out of kilter and as I said earlier if the club made an announcement about who we have retained, who we couldn't retain and who we have purchased that would take the unknown out of it.
If Leilua is gone then so be it but if buying Kerr in anyway diminishes our ability to hold onto Leilua then I will be pissed off.
Trouble is will we ever know the truth about all the negotiations probably not.

How could picking up Kerr means that we'll lose our ability to hold onto Leilua when both play completely different positions and Kerr is nothing but a signing for the future in the same vein Milne was at the end of last year.

JDB is one of our best forwards so i'm confused as to why you'd want to get rid of him as well.

 

[Dragsters]

He doesn't like his haircut???

 

[Saint-Fez]

I love how half the people who have such staunch opinions on the Kerr signing have never seen him play.

This may come as a surprise to some, but the club signs players on playing ability first and foremost.... not where you were born, or where your 20's team sits on the ladder. I've seen Kerr play QLD 20's and he was the best player on the field (on a losing team).

I'm not saying that Jurd/Lawie won't become good players but IMO / the opinion of people who have actually seen them all play, Kerr is a much better prospect.

Also don't understand the JDB hate, he is a weapon.....

 

[TruSaint]

Fox reporting we will keep Luciano anyway... 2 year deal has been offered. Dogs were keen BUT they report no offer tabled... May get to keep big Luc.

 

[Old Timer]

How could picking up Kerr means that we'll lose our ability to hold onto Leilua when both play completely different positions and Kerr is nothing but a signing for the future in the same vein Milne was at the end of last year.

JDB is one of our best forwards so i'm confused as to why you'd want to get rid of him as well.

We can lose the ability to retain Leilua by the amount of money left in the tin after signing Simms and now Kerr so don't get confused between positions they play the and ability to pay what Leilua wants for him to sign a contract.
You say Kerr is nothing but a signing for the future is that not exactly the same as signing any of our U/20's players?

 

[Old Timer]

Why would you want JDB to go? JT... the jury is still out. Good player but injury prone and inconsistent. JDB has played a few bad games but he is usually one of the best, as he was against the much vaunted Scum pack last weekend. He is average as a ball player but that would still make him the best ball player in the team.

Read the post I said either JT or JDB.
You rate JDB and I am well known and documented for not rating him so highly so a matter of preference.
JDB can tackle but other than that brings nothing to the team IMO so as I have suggested put him in the gym and bulk him up to play prop but to keep him & JT as back rowers means we will be letting good quality juniors with potential go for senior players who have not delivered on their potential.

 

[Sigurd]

Read the post I said either JT or JDB.
You rate JDB and I am well known and documented for not rating him so highly so a matter of preference.
JDB can tackle but other than that brings nothing to the team IMO so as I have suggested put him in the gym and bulk him up to play prop but to keep him & JT as back rowers means we will be letting good quality juniors with potential go for senior players who have not delivered on their potential.

JDB hasn't delivered on his potential? I would probably agree with that. He has really been stunted as a player by playing under supercoach Price and McGregor but he has still been consistently good. One of the few players to be consistently good. And you don't rate him highly? In the current squad who do you rate highly?

 

[Mr Red]

We can lose the ability to retain Leilua by the amount of money left in the tin after signing Simms and now Kerr

Don't think so....
We let 2 players leave mid season and signed sims
We lose cooper end of the season, and probably Creagh will retire if he's serious...
Farrell might be gone as well , and maybe Barge Ass... So definitely enough cap spare.

 

[mobels]

We can lose the ability to retain Leilua by the amount of money left in the tin after signing Simms and now Kerr so don't get confused between positions they play the and ability to pay what Leilua wants for him to sign a contract.
You say Kerr is nothing but a signing for the future is that not exactly the same as signing any of our U/20's players?

Mate so your saying that we should never recruit young players from other Under 20's because our teams going well. You'd probably complain if we picked up Milford from the Raiders U/20s back in 2012 because it took Adam Quinlan's chance of getting to first grade.

 

[Dragonslayer]

We can lose the ability to retain Leilua by the amount of money left in the tin after signing Simms and now Kerr so don't get confused between positions they play the and ability to pay what Leilua wants for him to sign a contract.
You say Kerr is nothing but a signing for the future is that not exactly the same as signing any of our U/20's players?

We just re-signed another 3 of our juniors OT, it looks like the focus is on OUR youth.

 

[TruSaint]

The St George Illawarra Dragons have announced the re-signing of local Thirroul Butchers' juniors, Matheson Johns, Cooper Purcell and Max Bailey to new contracts.

All three players are presently in their first season representing the Club’s National Youth Competition team.

Both Johns and Purcell, who were previously part of the recent Illawarra Steelers SG Ball Grand Final team, have been signed for a further two seasons, until at least the end of 2018 season.

Johns plays in the centres and was the recipient of the Steelers 2016 SG Ball Coach’s Award while Purcell plays as hooker.

Both players originally joined the Dragons' High Performance Unit in early 2013 before progressing to junior representative football, that same year.

Furthermore, a fellow teammate Bailey,has agreed to a further season, until at least the end of 2017.

The versatile lock-forward, who can also play in the second-row, is also a graduate of the Steelers' SG Ball team, last season.

“It is fantastic news that local Thirroul Butchers' juniors Matheson, Cooper and Max have all agreed to remain with the Club,” said Director of Rugby League Pathways Ian Millward.

“All three players have come through our junior pathways' systems and were previously part of our Steelers' SG Ball team at differing times who have shown a keen desire to continue their learning with our NYC team.

“We all look forward to watching their continued development over the coming seasons.” http://www.dragons.com.au/news/2016/08/17/dragons_re_sign_thir.html?sf33576718=1

 

[giboz71]

Will be interesting to see how Kerr goes. Seems to have the physique to be a real force. Never seen him play mind you.

Would be good to have a good prop prospect partner Packer. LAM was outstanding last year, but hasn't really set the world on fire this year. Would be good to have another young prop hot on his heels. Sele could be another option.

With Packer, Sims, Friz and Masoe, thats a pretty decent pack.

 

[emu62]

I was highly gratified to see Frizzell completely dominate Wade Graham on the weekend. A Scumulla junior leaving due to being stuck behind an overrated import. Over the last several years it's the Dragons who have typically been on the receiving end of such scenarios.

Frizzell is actually a illawarra junior

 

[Old Timer]

Don't think so....
We let 2 players leave mid season and signed sims
We lose cooper end of the season, and probably Creagh will retire if he's serious...
Farrell might be gone as well , and maybe Barge Ass... So definitely enough cap spare.

No so sure about that Mr Red.
We need a 7 & 9 of high quality so the cap savings from the above I suspect would possibly fall short of the money required to get the people being touted on this forum.

 

[TruSaint]

Frizzell is actually a illawarra junior

Yep
Frizell is the son of a Welsh father and a Tongan mother and played his junior rugby league with the Corrimal Cougars, while also playing his junior rugby union with the Woonona Shamrocks club. Frizell attended the Illawarra Sports High School in Wollongong on the NSW South Coast. In 2009 he was selected as a centre for the Australian Rugby Union Schoolboys Tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland.[2]

source wikipedia

 

[Old Timer]

Mate so your saying that we should never recruit young players from other Under 20's because our teams going well. You'd probably complain if we picked up Milford from the Raiders U/20s back in 2012 because it took Adam Quinlan's chance of getting to first grade.

You appear to be another poster who only reads part of a post, series of posts relating to a thread.
You seem to be hell bent on taking issue without taking the whole context of the conversation into account.
You need to learn to read because that is not what I said re recruiting from outside.
In respect of Quinlan your argument is flawed because I never thought he was 1st grade material.
You are also making the assumption that Kerr is 1st grade material but those within our own ranks are not.

 

[Gareth67]

Will be interesting to see how Kerr goes. Seems to have the physique to be a real force. Never seen him play mind you.

Would be good to have a good prop prospect partner Packer. LAM was outstanding last year, but hasn't really set the world on fire this year. Would be good to have another young prop hot on his heels. Sele could be another option.

With Packer, Sims, Friz and Masoe, thats a pretty decent pack.

Sure is , and that as I have said before is what we need , size . Finally we have just that ,
with big men charging onto the ball , as Packer and Simms did on Friday night , the Dragons pack will no longer be pushed around the park .

We will now be able to to meet the opposition on equal terms , throw in a decent half and hooker and things are already looking up for season 2017 .

 

[TruSaint]

Sure is , and that as I have said before is what we need , size . Finally we have just that ,
with big men charging onto the ball , as Packer and Simms did on Friday night , the Dragons pack will no longer be pushed around the park .

We will now be able to to meet the opposition on equal terms , throw in a decent half and hooker and things are already looking up for season 2017 .

Good post Gaz.. Add Masa to that list, and we have a very imposing pack.

 

[Old Timer]

JDB hasn't delivered on his potential? I would probably agree with that. He has really been stunted as a player by playing under supercoach Price and McGregor but he has still been consistently good. One of the few players to be consistently good. And you don't rate him highly? In the current squad who do you rate highly?

Not f**king many as you can see by where we sit on the ladder.
Our forwards have been lack lustre all year with 2 good team performances, several average and plenty below acceptable standard.
The forum seems to be full of people who want to forget everything posted about shit coaching, shit BOD, shit performances, shit recruitment shit, shit shit and on the back of 1 good win against the "great pretenders" of the comp everything is almost forgotten and forgiven and now people talking it up about how good its going to be with the recruitment of 1 big kid.
I at least try to stick by my opinions until proven otherwise.
Who do I rate highly on performance this year Dugan, Mann, Aitken, Frizzell.
Those showing something to look forward to Packer (maybe should be on the above line), Milne, Sims (jury still out), Host, Leilua.
DE Belin does a lot of tackling if that is consistently good he should never have talked it up as to how he was going to be the big ball player etc etc etc because he has underperformed by his own words.

 

[giboz71]

Sure is , and that as I have said before is what we need , size . Finally we have just that ,
with big men charging onto the ball , as Packer and Simms did on Friday night , the Dragons pack will no longer be pushed around the park .

We will now be able to to meet the opposition on equal terms , throw in a decent half and hooker and things are already looking up for season 2017 .

Isn't it funny - all roads lead to replacing our half and hooker (throw in coach too). Our squad doesn't look too bad if we get those positions right.

I got really excited when Sowie from the UK tweeted Norman and Seggy were coming. Thought all my dreams had come true.

Alas, was wishful thinking.