Marquee Signings

[hardbaby]

I've been following the commentary re marquee signings. It would appear that the Dragons will have enough money to make major plays at a couple of targets. And that got me thinking. How many "guns" have we actually signed in the last decade or so?

Boyd was good but he had only played a handful of internationals. Not really a marquee signing. We knicked Jeremy Smith off the Storm. He was an established international. Craig Smith, back in the day, was a big signing. Who else?

It's great that we produce our own youngsters and our talent identification is second to none. But you know, we may need to actually sign someone next year to be a serious contender. History would indicate that sadly, that won't occur. We'll miss out on everyone!!

Thought please?

 

[Godz Illa]

... are overrated. Cut'n'pasting my thoughts from another thread:

Big name signings are usually a double edged sword, in fact they often have just the single edge - cutting straight through the chances of the club. One of the biggest name signings in the last decade was Johnathon Thurston, and Nth Qld are still yet to see any real success. Sure, the fans get all worked up and excited (see BunniesMan following the Greg Inglis signing last year), but that excitement dies down soon enough and you'd just prefer to win games. Your best chance of doing that is with a well-balanced talented squad (ahh I love that 2010 team so much).

Even our own supposed 'big name' signings faced the backlash. I fondly recall a fun time between 2009 and 2010, when many learned forum scholars were wishfully ruminating the idea of a direct swap of Darius Boyd for Peter Wallace. Seriously, people wanted that ridiculous swap to happen (dig up the threads if you dont believe me - go on do it, I aint lyin). Then later in 2010, still more people were bemoaning the cap space wasted on the old injury prone Jeremy Smith after yet another month or so on the sidelines. Get rid of him!

 

[hardbaby]

Sorry Godz I'm not trying to hijack your intellectual property. Carrying on from your point, yeah I agree in not paying overs for a player. Because there are so many clubs that either can't produce their own players or are totally desperate to finally have some success, many clubs do pay stupid amounts of coin to players that don't deserve it. Look at Sandow's contract as a case in point. But surely if we can find a halfback or fullback, now is the time to lash out. It just seems to me to be the missing piece and I think we will need to pay for that piece.

 

[Stagger Lee]

Well I have been shouting for St George for the last 22 years and the lack of Marquee signings has been frustrating - aside from returning 'stars' like ..
Brad Mackay
Anthony Mundine
Nathan Blacklock
Mark Gasnier

Which I guess don't really count. Even when we spend large like the signing of Wayne as coach we turned down the option of 5 years. I guess nearly folding in the mid 90's through lack of money has left a mark in the boards thinking.

 

[hardbaby]

Great point Stagger. I forgot the most marquee of all marquee signings. One Mr Wayne James Bennett.

 

[Minh]

Martin Offiah was exciting when he had a short stint with us he was an English rep player, another signing of note was David Barnhill from Canberra. Mick Potter signed from Canterbury was excellent but none of these guys were real big marquee signings. I guess the biggest one was resigning Mundine back from the Broncos.

 

[KiamaSaint]

Steve Rogers, although that didn't really work out for us.

Steve Gearin.

 

[RedVee]

Scott Gourley & Michael O'Connor were pretty big signings from the Union mob.

 

[gypsy]

Agree with Godz completely. Give me a balanced side any day.
The travelling Bennett/Boyd roadshow is great for success, but theres a cheap
Feel to it in my opinion, like a hired hand nothing more. The red v meant nothing to Boyd.
It was mentioned in another thread we have Young, Cooper, Creagh, Hornby and co who love the place and the jersey. seeing deano grab the badge when he scored in the GF gave me chills. These are the guys i want representing us, win or lose.

 

[Minh]

Agree with Godz completely. Give me a balanced side any day.
The travelling Bennett/Boyd roadshow is great for success, but theres a cheap
Feel to it in my opinion, like a hired hand nothing more. The red v meant nothing to Boyd.
It was mentioned in another thread we have Young, Cooper, Creagh, Hornby and co who love the place and the jersey. seeing deano grab the badge when he scored in the GF gave me chills. These are the guys i want representing us, win or lose.

I agree Boyd and Bennett were just hired guns they most likely never truly loved the club just came and did a job although I am thankful for that. We have a lot of very loyal players very rare in this day and age.

 

[Minh]

What we must learn from Bennett though is that you must make a few astute signings particularly topline players just below the marquee level the likes of Jeremy Smith, Neville Costigan, Darius Boyd I was very excited when we first signed them. Secondly you have to sign potential and Weyman was a real revelation.

One or two topline or marquee level players in areas we need most cannot hurt our chances so long as we have balanced squad ready to work hard as a team. In the next couple of years our area of need may be in the halves, centres or possibly fullback.

 

[Rob Dragon]

Our best marquee signings over the last 25 years?

1. Wally Fullerton-Smith (International, but not sure of what sport)
2. Henry Tatana (International and a goal kicking front rower. I think Weyman should be our kicker this year)
3. Peter Gill (Could of been anything. Couldn't do anything)
4. Graeme Bradley (what a champion)
5. Chook Heron (another champion)
6. Now think of the following marque halfback signings:
Chris Sheppard
Perry Haddock
Mathew Rodwell

Doesn't get any better than that!

 

[Falco]

Our best marquee signings over the last 25 years?

1. Wally Fullerton-Smith (International, but not sure of what sport)
Agree: Was a dud for us. Didn't he get busted trying to have a ciggie on the team bus on the way back from Canberra?


2. Henry Tatana (International and a goal kicking front rower. I think Weyman should be our kicker this year)
DUD

3. Peter Gill (Could of been anything. Couldn't do anything)
Good player in a bad era for us. Went to England and played till he was 55

4. Graeme Bradley (what a champion)
How can you disagree with the Penguin. He was a beast. A blockbuster.

5. Chook Heron (another champion)
Dragons Junior. Went to the Parra production line and faded.

6. Now think of the following marque halfback signings:
Chris Sheppard - DUD
Perry Haddock - Champion
Mathew Rodwell - Fair at best. Although picked up his game when playing against Newcastle.

Doesn't get any better than that!

 

[Falco]

What about the Marquee signing of Solomon Homono (I know I've spelt it wrong)

 

[Daniel Dragons]

Godz makes a good side conversation - what marquee signings have proven successful? I'm calling no premiership a failure for this argument (might be harsh, but that is why you sign marquee players, right?)

Bailey and Prince to the Titans = fail.
Thurston to the Cowboys = fail.
Anasta, Mason and O'Mealy to the Roosters = fail.
Ingils to Souths = fail (so far).
M Johns to Cronulla = fail.

The one obvious one would be Fittler to the Roosters = success. Any others?

 

[Godz Illa]

It's almost impossible to spend huge amounts on a single player and win comps, without cheating the cap. It really is.

The one obvious one would be Fittler to the Roosters = success. Any others?

See even with Fittler - he joined the Roosters at the height of the Superleague saga, when the salary cap was quite elastic. Even then, it took 6 or 7 years for them to win a premiership. Now Thurston and the Cowboys may win one (and I think they have a great chance of doing it this year), but it's taken them 8 seasons to balance the squad properly.

 

[Minh]

Glen Lazarus to Brisbane= success, Glen Lazarus to Storm= success

 

[Minh]

We must not forget that in his first year to North Queensland Jonathan Thurston steered the Cowbows to the GF and was only a Benji Marshall flick pass off winning the premiership. I do agree though that signing a big name can be a real danger taking up too much cap space.

 

[Minh]

It's almost impossible to spend huge amounts on a single player and win comps, without cheating the cap. It really is.

See even with Fittler - he joined the Roosters at the height of the Superleague saga, when the salary cap was quite elastic. Even then, it took 6 or 7 years for them to win a premiership. Now Thurston and the Cowboys may win one (and I think they have a great chance of doing it this year), but it's taken them 8 seasons to balance the squad properly.

I agree there must be a question mark hanging over clubs who can sign big marquee players and still have room under the cap to sign more marquee players ala the Storm. I always had my doubts that Manly were playing uder the cap too when they signed Jamie Lyons, Matt Orford, Brent Kite, Ben Kennedy, Josh Perry and others.

I guess we can say that Manly did very well in those years with signing marquee players they practically bought the comp and made themselves a force. They probably spent so much money even a guy like Delmege had to abandon ship.

 

[Cagey Mac]

Glen Lazarus to Brisbane= success, Glen Lazarus to Storm= success

Yeah but I heard that Lazarus even came back from the dead once so this may be an exception :sarcasm: