NRL Rd 1 2025 - General Non-Warriors Thread

[Blair]

There's an NRL investigation going on about the Roosters Chairman and a Board Member 'abusing' a referee:

https://www.nine.com.au/sport/nrl/n...s-vegas-referee-incident-20250309-p5li6l.html

 

[Blair]

252-7. We batted the full 50 which is positive. Gee, Bracewell - 53 not out - is a good late-order bat. He kept us in the game.

I had BBC Radio on, they're bloody boring, nearly put me to sleep!

Edit: we lost by four wickets. We were right in it, especially with Kohli out second ball, but India had plenty of depth.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

Titans training ground

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

Bloody hell... poor buggers. Any idea how the rest of the community is doing? Not much reported on the local news sites.

 

[Blair]

Titans training ground

View attachment 99647

The Dolphins might've still trained there.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

Dylan Brown confirmed at the Knights, 13mil for 10 years, worst NRL contract I can recall

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

Dylan Brown confirmed at the Knights, 13mil for 10 years, worst NRL contract I can recall

Knights are going backwards in 5th gear. Unbelievable they go this low.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

Knights are going backwards in 5th gear. Unbelievable they go this low.

It’s hard to see the win isn’t it, Ponga and Brown at around 20% of your cap, or Ponga leaves for NZ Rugby and you’re pinning your hopes on a guy that sinks to the bottom every time Moses isn’t there

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

It’s hard to see the win isn’t it, Ponga and Brown at around 20% of your cap, or Ponga leaves for NZ Rugby and you’re pinning your hopes on a guy that sinks to the bottom every time Moses isn’t there

In comparison with the Warriors salary cap we are doing pretty good. I think Capewell and Niukore are our only overpaid players based on their past reputations. I think the new lol@souffs will be lol@knights.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

The Dolphins might've still trained there.

We would find a way to lose 24-0 there. Capewell would miss a bunch of tackles

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Dylan Brown confirmed at the Knights, 13mil for 10 years, worst NRL contract I can recall

Nothing good comes of this.

I rate the DCE 10-year contract because he is Manly through and through, a supreme professional who is never injured, and is a bonafide leader. I don't think you could say that Dylan Brown is any of those things.

The Knights now have to be absolutely spot on in not only their recruitment - because they now have to buy most players at cut price deals - but they also have to get it exactly right in pathways to create a premiership-contenting squad. They can't go out and buy a world class prop now, they can't afford it. And is it going to be a huge recruitment enticement to say to a player, come and play with the two million dollar men - one is Dylan Brown! I doubt it.

It just doesn't make sense. Dylan Brown is above average but he's not in the top tier of Cleary/DCE/Hughes/Munster/Luai, nor is he really in the second tier of Moses/Walker/Reynolds/Dearden/Hunt. He's a third tier, great on his day, goes missing too often sort of player. I'd sign Jamal Fogarty before Brown. Surely you'd back your pathways to unearth someone as decent.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

In comparison with the Warriors salary cap we are doing pretty good. I think Capewell and Niukore are our only overpaid players based on their past reputations. I think the new lol@souffs will be lol@knights.

Trouble is with those two, they're both stinking up the back row, keeping young players like Laban out of the side, and that money could absolutely be used on a top-class prop or a genuine hole-hitting, ball playing edge. That 1.6-1.8 or whatever those two get combined is dead money

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Looks like Newcastle are throwing the chequebook at Dylan Brown…. I can see some serious buyers remorse setting in before he even pulls on a Knights jersey

 

[JJ]

https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/matty-johns-cooper-cronk-call-out-13-million-dylan-brown-lie/news-story/a2ab7aaa2d5116e25862065d8c8706e2

I know it doesn't take football brains of Cronk and Johns' calibre to see this, but good on them for being clear on it

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

I rate the DCE 10-year contract because he is Manly through and through, a supreme professional who is never injured, and is a bonafide leader. I don't think you could say that Dylan Brown is any of those things.

Is it really though? Beav may have a different view, knowing DCE’s broader contribution to the club, but from the outside looking in... I dunno man.

He and Foran obviously won the title in 2011 and that punched both their golden tickets. But DCE’s original 8-year deal ran from 2015-2023 and during that time, Manly only played finals twice. And one of those was ’21 which was more off the back of Turbo than anyone else.

In terms of leadership etc – yea agree he’s matured into a real statesman. But when he signed his deal, he not only reneged on the Titans, he openly admitted to stringing them along while waiting for Manly’s counteroffer. Then he was frozen out of Origin for 3 years because his teammates (allegedly) couldn’t stand him. I mean Milford was getting picked ahead of him. And not peak Raiders Milf either.

Think its fair to say that back then, he was a long way from the respected leader we see today. And TBH, I think his rep success since returning to that arena masks what, IMO, has been an average ROI for his club too.

Next year, Brown will still be younger than DCE was when he started his big deal. If DCE can go from being booed all across QLD to being feted by them in a few years, who's to say Brown cant follow a similar path.

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

Is it really though? Beav may have a different view, knowing DCE’s broader contribution to the club, but from the outside looking in... I dunno man.

He and Foran obviously won the title in 2011 and that punched both their golden tickets. But DCE’s original 8-year deal ran from 2015-2023 and during that time, Manly only played finals twice. And one of those was ’21 which was more off the back of Turbo than anyone else.

In terms of leadership etc – yea agree he’s matured into a real statesman. But when he signed his deal, he not only reneged on the Titans, he openly admitted to stringing them along while waiting for Manly’s counteroffer. Then he was frozen out of Origin for 3 years because his teammates (allegedly) couldn’t stand him. I mean Milford was getting picked ahead of him. And not peak Raiders Milf either.

Think its fair to say that back then, he was a long way from the respected leader we see today. And TBH, I think his rep success since returning to that arena masks what, IMO, has been an average ROI for his club too.

Next year, Brown will still be younger than DCE was when he started his big deal. If DCE can go from being booed all across QLD to being feted by them in a few years, who's to say Brown cant follow a similar path.

Sorry @Thatwasnthighref I'm with PW on the DCE deal.

You make some valid points though, the no premierships and couple of finals being the obvious ones.

The halves options in the NRL has declined over the years and having an actual playmaker that can organize a team is a rarity.

It's crazy the NRL are expanding to 18-19 teams soon and the diluting of the talent pool will just get worse. Locking DCE in long term was in fact a great decision. I hope he stays on personally as these types of players are one in a million.

I predict more one sided ESL scores when the teams with better squads with actual playmakers annihilate the weaker squads without one. Cough Warriors.

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

Don’t apologise bro I’m all good with it. And FWIW I have mad respect for DCE. The dude really is the consummate pro now.

I do think some of the stick Brown is copping now is a bit rough though. Players can ask for whatever they want but ultimately it’s the clubs that decide what someone is worth. It’s not his fault Newcastle is desperate.

If he’s willing to cop the scrutiny that comes with that deal, then good on him I reckon.

Parra fans may feel short changed and I get that. But he’s always been solid for the Kiwis, and was especially good in the Hamilton game. And he’s never made himself unavailable to play for us either. That alone has me rooting for him.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

DCE had a premiership, and a Clive Churchill Medal on his resume before he signed his deal, Brown has nothing, that’s a huge difference. Didn’t have the off field black mark that Brown does, and is now into his 15th season at a consistently above average level. Has been the fittest in the club and leading every pre season for his entrie

That 2021 run where Turbo won the Dally M, what people forget is that DCE ran 3rd in the points that season as well. He has never been the perfect footballer, and there are plenty of Manly fans that look forward to him retiring, at that point they will realise how good he

All the crap he copped mid career was more media related that anything, they didn’t like how he answered their questions and painted him in a certain light. Yep he did change his mind on the Titans deal. James Tedesco did the same to the Raiders, Luke Lewis did the same to Souths, neither copped the vitriol he did though.

I don’t go down the Premiership path to critique his deal, that’s American crap that is starting to creep into rugby league too much for my liking. There are plenty of greats that don’t have them, and there are plenty of average players that do

 

[Penrose Warrior]

I don’t go down the Premiership path to critique his deal

I don't either. I don't think you could say there was anything like a season where the Sea Eagles were highly touted but DCE failed to drag them over the line.

To me, he's been 10-year deal value because at the end of it, he is still world class. And generally was throughout his deal. Genuine star halfbacks are hen's teeth. DCE is one. Cleary is the best, Hughes is one, and that's about it unless Luai becomes that at the Tigers. You pay those guys overs, and if you can get them on 10-year deals and they stay world class throughout, it's a win.

Don’t apologise bro I’m all good with it. And FWIW I have mad respect for DCE. The dude really is the consummate pro now.

I do think some of the stick Brown is copping now is a bit rough though. Players can ask for whatever they want but ultimately it’s the clubs that decide what someone is worth. It’s not his fault Newcastle is desperate.

If he’s willing to cop the scrutiny that comes with that deal, then good on him I reckon.

Parra fans may feel short changed and I get that. But he’s always been solid for the Kiwis, and was especially good in the Hamilton game. And he’s never made himself unavailable to play for us either. That alone has me rooting for him.

Brown shouldn't be copping it. He's getting paid, and good luck to him. The Knights are the ones who will have something to answer for if he's not worth it. Brown has never showed that he's a genuine, week-in week-out star. But yeah, he'll be heavily scrutinised and I know that because he was last week and copped a lot for it

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

DCE had a premiership, and a Clive Churchill Medal on his resume before he signed his deal, Brown has nothing, that’s a huge difference. Didn’t have the off field black mark that Brown does, and is now into his 15th season at a consistently above average level. Has been the fittest in the club and leading every pre season for his entrie

That 2021 run where Turbo won the Dally M, what people forget is that DCE ran 3rd in the points that season as well. He has never been the perfect footballer, and there are plenty of Manly fans that look forward to him retiring, at that point they will realise how good he

All the crap he copped mid career was more media related that anything, they didn’t like how he answered their questions and painted him in a certain light. Yep he did change his mind on the Titans deal. James Tedesco did the same to the Raiders, Luke Lewis did the same to Souths, neither copped the vitriol he did though.

I don’t go down the Premiership path to critique his deal, that’s American crap that is starting to creep into rugby league too much for my liking. There are plenty of greats that don’t have them, and there are plenty of average players that do

I never mentioned premierships over his 8 year deal, and that was deliberate because I agree, lots of very good players never got there.

But if the question is simply whether that long term contract was ultimately good value for the club, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to look at how often he steered the club to finals footy over that time.