RLW - Dragons closing in on Karmichael

[Godz Illa]

or you just read it in the newsagent :sarcasm:

It's what I do every week! Nice issue this week, with Dell on the cover and the oh errol snippet inside... I felt a pang of regret for returning it to the shelf. Then I got lunch and the pang disappeared

 

[Dragons_#1]

I know exactly what you meant. My statement was to state you do not buy a 500k player to create depth. Hornby is on between 250-300k. We have bought Fien who can play a variety of playmaking positions for depth.

Hunt is not a genuine half either, something that is lost somewhere in the hype. He is a lock, or a running back. Hunt's best asset is when he hits the ball at pace he can bust through the line. In terms of a passing or kicking game he offers little more than Hornby.

The obsession with signing (or re-signing) marquee players without understanding where they will fit into the squad, and at the overall detriment to the squad is where this club has been led astray in the past.

Boyd has fullback sewn up.
Soward is performing very well at 5/8.
Hornby is steering around the side and providing the support for Soward.

Hooker is where our issues have been and that has been resolved somewhat with the signing of Fien. Hunt for his cost will add no real benefit to our squad, his game offers very little to our halves that is already there, he is not required at fullback, and we have a ridiculous amount for forward pack depth. Marquee backline players should be well down on our list of priorities to build a quality squad.

Hornby wasnt a genuine half either, i still dont think he is.. for that matter either was lockyer but now is the best 5/8 in the comp!! who said Hunt cant transform into a grat half aswell!!

I said that i would use hornby at hooker in rotation with fien... that would fix the hooker role aswell!!

 

[Dea]

I liked the idea of Hunt originally but have gone off it with all of the other signings. [maybe we are signing them because Uncle Wayne knows he wont come?]

I'd leave our halves "as is" and get Soward to run some more. He's quick, nippy and little. Great for running around the big boys and can kick or pass for the outside men. Hornby is a solid player and gets the job done.

Hooker is the spot to fix. Young is OK but we need something more. Obviously Wayne believes Fein still has it or he wouldn't have signed him for three years. I would have liked to see Craig Wing running wild behind our Weyman and Poore every week but maybe Fein will do?

Bottom line: Bennet Knows Best. He doesn't recruit rubbish.

 

[Firey_Dragon]

Hornby wasnt a genuine half either, i still dont think he is.. for that matter either was lockyer but now is the best 5/8 in the comp!! who said Hunt cant transform into a grat half aswell!!

I said that i would use hornby at hooker in rotation with fien... that would fix the hooker role aswell!!

You're buying a player to fix one problem that creates another. Hunt may or may not make a great 5/8, he has been trialled there unsuccessfully in the past. Hornby has evolved into a capable halfback and we have a halves combination that is actually pretty dangerous these days. Soward has shown he is preferred as a 5/8, he doesn't like directing around the forwards, it's not in his game. He's a better instinctive player at 5/8 with a bit more space. So buying Hunt forces Soward to halfback, and you've got 2 blokes in the halves who don't like directing around the side.

Hornby is also not proven at hooker, he does at times look impressive when he slots in there, but how he goes over an extended period is an unknown.

Honestly, Hunt really doesn't have much to offer our side at present, without shifting key personell who are actually doing a damn fine job themselves, and he'd be on double the salary of any of them. Hunt was a good proposition when our halves didn't look settled, but it simply is not the case anymore.

Suppose Hunt doesn't work out at 5/8, what is your contingency plan? What do you do with him? Move Boyd to the centers and Hunt to fullback? Congratulations, we are now the Roosters overspending on players we don't need.

 

[Tanner Ave]

When Fein played with Bennett at the world cup wasn’t he used at half? If so then wouldn’t it stand to reason that although Fein can cover 9 that he would be used in the halves again? Of all the Fein that I have seen (leave it) the world cup performance was by far and away his best football, not sure though on where he played but I reckon Bennett will have him there at the saints.
Ah isn’t it great that we have a coach that actually makes decisions that we cant quite work out like the Weyman signing, then look back and say what a genius.
How good is top of the table and no byes as yet!

 

[Dragons_#1]

You're buying a player to fix one problem that creates another. Hunt may or may not make a great 5/8, he has been trialled there unsuccessfully in the past. Hornby has evolved into a capable halfback and we have a halves combination that is actually pretty dangerous these days. Soward has shown he is preferred as a 5/8, he doesn't like directing around the forwards, it's not in his game. He's a better instinctive player at 5/8 with a bit more space. So buying Hunt forces Soward to halfback, and you've got 2 blokes in the halves who don't like directing around the side.

Hornby is also not proven at hooker, he does at times look impressive when he slots in there, but how he goes over an extended period is an unknown.

Honestly, Hunt really doesn't have much to offer our side at present, without shifting key personell who are actually doing a damn fine job themselves, and he'd be on double the salary of any of them. Hunt was a good proposition when our halves didn't look settled, but it simply is not the case anymore.

Suppose Hunt doesn't work out at 5/8, what is your contingency plan? What do you do with him? Move Boyd to the centers and Hunt to fullback? Congratulations, we are now the Roosters overspending on players we don't need.

if Hunt doesnt work at 5/8 then yeh back to fullback with boyd in the centers... nothing wrong with that! what if hornby didnt work at half? i guess Bennett would make it work tho like he has this year!! We all know WB doesnt pay OVERS for anyone so we wouldnt be the roosters, haha and we would be buying quality players not has beens like mason n omeley!

 

[boxa777]

You're buying a player to fix one problem that creates another. Hunt may or may not make a great 5/8, he has been trialled there unsuccessfully in the past. Hornby has evolved into a capable halfback and we have a halves combination that is actually pretty dangerous these days. Soward has shown he is preferred as a 5/8, he doesn't like directing around the forwards, it's not in his game. He's a better instinctive player at 5/8 with a bit more space. So buying Hunt forces Soward to halfback, and you've got 2 blokes in the halves who don't like directing around the side.

Hornby is also not proven at hooker, he does at times look impressive when he slots in there, but how he goes over an extended period is an unknown.

Honestly, Hunt really doesn't have much to offer our side at present, without shifting key personell who are actually doing a damn fine job themselves, and he'd be on double the salary of any of them. Hunt was a good proposition when our halves didn't look settled, but it simply is not the case anymore.

Suppose Hunt doesn't work out at 5/8, what is your contingency plan? What do you do with him? Move Boyd to the centers and Hunt to fullback? Congratulations, we are now the Roosters overspending on players we don't need.

When a player is of the calibre of K Hunt, you buy him first and figure out the rest later..

He would add enormous value to our team, whether at five-eighth or fullback.

 

[Firey_Dragon]

When a player is of the calibre of K Hunt, you buy him first and figure out the rest later..

He would add enormous value to our team, whether at five-eighth or fullback.

I agree with that sentiment provided he has something to offer our backline.

He offers no more than Boyd at fullback, and our halves are progressing nicely. A quality hooker and working on our front row depth if Poore doesn't stay should be our priority. Our backline as it stands is the envy of most teams in the comp. Every single player in it has tasted rep footy in some shape or form.

Hunt is a quality player, there is no question about it. But paying him $400-500k, which will cost us some overall depth quality in future years, one must ask is it really worth it when looking at our side, his position isn't even obvious, nor is it obvious that he is required.

 

[boxa777]

He offers no more than Boyd at fullback

Boyd has been sensational for us this season but I still think Karmichael would set the bar even higher as our fullback. cutie is also a quality ball player and that is probably the one area Darius has been lacking at the back.

There will always be a position for Darius in the backline where he can utilise and impart his best characteristics.

I agree with you that there are other priorities besides fullback for instance, but Bennett is smart enough to manufacture and purchase astutely to allow us both Hunt and some good cover in those mentioned positions going forward.

 

[legend_ss]

if we did get him my team is as follows.

1.K.Hunt
2.Morris
3.Boyd
4.Cooper
5.Nightingale
6.Soward
7.Hornby
8.Poore
9.Fien
10.Weyman
11.Scott
12.Creagh
13.Smith

14.D.Hunt
15.Saffy
16.Prior
17.Sailor

 

[love my saints]

in my opinion, rather than spend 400-500k on a possible fullback when we got a great one already, or on a 5/8 when we got a great one too, maybe we should look at a quality halfback, half that amount could get us carney, or monahan, as an example....

not a big fan of hornby at 7, we need a specialist 7!!!!!

 

[Godz Illa]

love my saints... have you been watching Hornby lately?

 

[redvscotty]

Yeah, cause hornbys being playing like crap this year!


Seriously, Hornby has been going off and is only getting better. Last 2 games, every times he touches the ball hes mkaing half breaks and getting in the right offloads etc. Man of the match last week wasn't he?

 

[Dragon]

Hornby has been Lockyer-esque in his leadership and general play over the last few weeks. He may not have the skills of Darren but he certainly has the heart and looks more focused than ever. A total transformation from the captain he was in rd1 against the stormscum.

 

[Dea]

Karmichael might be a great player but I don't think he is the player we need for our team. Soward - best 5/8 at the moment. Darius - only going to get better at the back and Hornby keeps getting better.
Lets keep our money and get Sailor to go around again.

 

[watatank]

tbh if a player of Hunt's calibre becomes available we have to sign him if we can. Look at Darius Boyd for example...I know I'm speaking in hindsight and there's a huge difference in salaries between the two players but Boyd didn't come cheap and he's arguably a signing we didn't exactly need at all given he wasn't a direct replacement for Gasnier...look how good he is going now, and the depth is as such that Nightingale doesn't even get a start and a talent like Lett hardly gets a look in, let alone the talented bunch coming through NYC.

 

[dragonfan1]

Lol, how long has this thread been going for. I thought Hunt already said anyway that he does not want to join another NRL club so if he leaves the Broncos, he'll just go to Japan and play Union for the $. I still can't believe he'd be worth the same as Gasnier. Gasnier had been playing much longer and had played more rep footy and now Hunt is struggling to get a starting place in the Qld side and seems to have lost his spot in the Australian team.

 

[grandorient]

Get Idris when he is off contract.

GO

 

[dragonfan1]

Get Idris when he is off contract.

GO

Yeah but somehow I don't think the Bulldogs would let him go.