Like I said I have been meaning to post something on this for a couple of weeks now so here goes.
Payne Haas. I would go all out for him. He is the best forward in the game bar none. So when both Junior and RCG are in their last and lesser years we could and should have a real hot crack at him. His contract at the Broncos doesn't expire till the end of 2024. So just perfect really for us to move on from one or both of our starting props. They are both 29 years old this year so they will be turning 32 in 2025. So neither of them should be on the bucks they are on right now. One or both of them could be busted or playing way below what they are capable of right now. Odds are though we will be needing some new and powerful upfront blood and there will be none better then this guy barring injury.
Yes I know the odds of us getting him to move from the Broncos are very slim, but those odds are made better if the Broncos are still spluttering along by that stage, but unlikely though so we will most probably be trying to catch a white whale that is in his favourite warm waters and surrounded by his best mates. Not an easy task. But not impossible.
We would need to make a massive offer of course, around that $1.2m to $1.4m with TPA's included. This would only appeal to a player of his calibre if we are still a strong club to come to and we were seen as having some of the best personnel running and coaching our club. If that were the case then we would be in with a slight chance. If we are to have a crack at him, then you don't catch a white whale without prep work. He is the kind of star player that you spend years cultivating and grooming. You make overtures to him now. I am not saying we offer him a contract now that would be illegal and against NRL rules. I am saying we have our best people and current coach talk to him and make it clear to him that we would love him to eventually think about coming to the Eels. These Eel insiders like the coach need to make whoopee with him at every opportunity. The number one thing that players love the most is a coach that adores them. They love their ego stroked big time. Look how J. Taumalolo has fallen off a cliff as soon as his coach started to doubt him and pan him. Star players in particular don't like indifference or criticism. They love fandom.
We need to be pro active in our recruitment when replacing our best talent. The best clubs find a way to replace them close to like for like. Watch how the Roosters will start to move on frontrowers if they feel like JWH is past his best as I suspect. It would not surprise anyone if Politis and Robinson start to make beautiful music with Haas in the next year or so. We need to be there too and hopefully beat them to the punch. Make sure he and his management know that we are very interested and for him to hold off on signing any more long term contracts until we are allowed to table him an offer too. Besides the money, all the offers that a player like him will get will be around the same, it is the club and coaches that can make him feel loved the most with the best environments for him to succeed. We have to make sure that we are on of the top 2 or 3 clubs that can do that, but our current coach needs to do a lot of heavy lifting from the start. If BA isn't our coach in 2024, then whoever is has to make the same type of noise.
Also making Haas a great offer and him thinking seriously about it will force the Broncos or anyone else(Dolphins) to also make a massive offer too. So whoever ends up with him will not get him for unders like the Roosters tend to do.
I know that 2025 is a long way off, but depending on what quality we have in the lower grades we need to start to prepare from now. If we don't have an obvious JWH, Klemmer or Haas, you know the type that blind Freddy can see will be something special, then we need to start with the courtships to recruit the best from outside. That is also why I suggested we go for Franklin Pele from the Sharks. He is somewhat of a project and future star front rower. But one with massive potential if brought along right fitness wide and mental approach to the game. He is available right now too for next year.
But courting and grooming the best junior talent to our club should be one of our main priorities. This takes skill and the best negotiators. You can have professionalism and all the best processes in place, but still not be all that desirable over another club if the money is similar because the people you have negotiating aren't all that good at selling and not all that well liked, especially to the star players. I feel we might be sort of like this. The Roosters have Politis and Robinson spruiking their wears. The Dogs now have old bullshit artist Gus. The Storm have Craig Bellamy and Frank Ponissi. The Rabitohs have the lure of Hollywood Rusty. Add Bennett and his abilities to attract and I think besides money and talent identification, charisma and or overall personality, on many occasions, is the deciding factor in successful player recruitment.
Who do we have, BA and the trolley guy.
Anyway we need to be very smart over the next 2 or 3 years with our frontrow stocks in particular. Without that high end middle go forward no team wins a premiership. Look at Manly right now no matter how good their other players are, especially their backline, they don't have a gorilla that can dominate the middle consistently like the best teams can. Taupau is aging and the rest of their forwards bar Jake T. is young and inconsistent. They need more consistent brut power up front when playing the top 4 or 5 teams. We don't want to be caught out the same way in a few years, especially since we don't have a Turbo Tom to pull us out of the fire like they do.
