RTS back for 2024!

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

Thought this was an interesting snippet...

“It was before Christmas that Andrew Webster (Warriors coach), Andrew McFadden (Warriors recruitment manager) and I started strategising around the future and moving parts with the roster,” George said.

“Webby (Webster) was adamant he wanted to get his head around who the players were individually over the offseason. So we kept talking and looking outside the square and within it.

"We are trying to reset our club about being at home and there were people that left this club due to unfortunate circumstances and there were people that left for other opportunities.

“We’re trying to ignite this club and attract back the people we really want and Roger is one of them.

“We had a discussion with his management and from then we’ve had numerous discussions with Roger and this has sort of been in place since about December.”

I wonder who else is in the tractor beam?

Surely not Lodge and O Sullivan

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Would Manu had made such a poor decision if we hadn't been crap?

He’d already hung up his boots by then hadn’t he? I thought if there was a catalyst for that f**k-up it wax being told he couldn’t keep boxing, which was a real shame as he showed real promise in that (admittedly brief) demolition of Letele.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Surely not Lodge and O Sullivan

Gotta say when I was thinking of names it was neither of those two.
I can imagine they’ve sounded out CHT about his future plans, and checked where Fus’ head is at these days. Wonder if they’ve had a word to Hiku too

 

[Benek]

Hiku hasn't looked as good this year in a struggling Cowboys compared to his form last year. With Roger coming we have even more depth in the backs. I can't see Hiku being approached at this point.

 

[Scott]

Surely not Lodge and O Sullivan

Not the first 2 I though of tbh.

My thoughts were Fusitua & Ken. Anyhow, i'm not sure we want/need anyone else that we used to have.

As an aside, I like that we announced it and nobody had an inkling.

The Mitchell Moses situation earlier, now the Jack Wighton situation - everybody comes out of these situations with damaged reputations. The player, manager, clubs, coaches, media, the whole lot. It stinks. Well done to all involved for getting the RTS deal done with no shit surrounding the show!

 

[Blair]

He’d already hung up his boots by then hadn’t he? I thought if there was a catalyst for that f**k-up it wax being told he couldn’t keep boxing, which was a real shame as he showed real promise in that (admittedly brief) demolition of Letele.

Yep, he'd left us by that stage. I"m being silly and here"s more. If his final six years with us (2012-2017) weren't so rubbish would he still have gone to jail in 2022?

 

[Scott]

Yep, he'd left us by that stage. I"m being silly and here"s more. If his final six years with us (2012-2017) weren't so rubbish would he still have gone to jail in 2022?

Yes.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

Perfectly reasonable statement. IMO

Takes me back to his “phone is running off the hook” beauty from a few years back lol

 

[Matua]

We have an excellent fullback who is younger and putting in young RTS type shifts, we have a very handy looking fill in fullback, and we have two center positions that are showing where the limits of our recruitment and cap space lie.

Rts has been playing Center has he not? I hear he is bulked up for it.

Seems obvious where this is going.

However it doesn't matter what I think Webster will have a plan or they never would have talked to Roger about his retirement package.

He's been playing 2nd 5 so we may as well just move him to the 2nd row.

 

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

Harsh, he stuck with the club through what, 4 & a half seasons of mostly crap? Owes us nothing IMO

Nah sorry bro it hurt the way he left.

But the PR from this is outstanding with the Warriors all over the news and papers here in Aussie. Even peter VLandys is going nuts with this saying Suualii is forgotten about already ahaha

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Yes.

In hindsight the best thing Manu could’ve done would’ve been move clubs, probably to the UK. Don’t think he ever really escaped that life while in Auckland.

 

[Blair]

In hindsight the best thing Manu could’ve done would’ve been move clubs, probably to the UK. Don’t think he ever really escaped that life while in Auckland.

Well the big fella still saw the world when he could. I remember a picture of him in front of the Eiffel Tower at night with a couple of the other Kiwi boys.

He looked so happy.

 

[hitro]

I think the best thing about it is the club is going well and people want in, which means more people want to join rather than a last resort for them. NZ peeps especially will want in but now also Aus

 

[SpaceMonkey]

I think the best thing about it is the club is going well and people want in, which means more people want to join rather than a last resort for them. NZ peeps especially will want in but now also Aus

Yeah that’s kinda the gist of what Cameron George was quoted saying, and wasn’t wrong

 

[BLN2]

We've been missing quality in the centres for several years now, RTS will bring us a lot of attack out wide. Notice that the Warriors website note his playing position as back utility? He's 100% going to play out wide.

Would be interesting to see what we're paying, I have a feeling it's not what he was on previously for sure.

 

[nswarrior]

Here is the real funny thing. We would not
be in this good position if Roger hadn’t left us. He was on $1m and took a lot of cap space. This year we have a lot more quality across the team rather then 2 or 3 million dollar players. Walker, Niukore, Ford, CNK.

Now that we are competitive we can bring players like RTS for $600k rather than having to pay overs. I read that he went to Rugby for $600k and that’s what he would be getting now for his last contract

 

[Rich102]

That would be NZ$ too.

 

[sup42]

Up until today I was a bit meh on the signing. I wanted the Warriors to either promote internally and or sign ball playing backs from Aus.

I know what Roger brings as a clubhouse Pro that everyone learns off, and I know he has a big ticker and engine. One of our most respected public faces from the day he announced he was leaving the Roosters.

But his age and time spent in Union need to be considered, this is certainly not the player that won the Dally M, he won't be level amazing anymore.

But the more I mulled the signing over the more it is growing on me.

Bottom line he is an upgrade on some of our backs this season. I am firmly of the belief in team sport whether you like a player or not, if they are at the caliber of an RTS where there is zero debate from anyone anywhere that he will be a starter....then you are talking the definition of a good signing at least on paper and that is all you can go off till a player takes the field.

Take the center position as an example, he is better than Pompey and Vailea and I have kindly eye for Vailea and Pompey...but Roger is better.

Roger might not be the ball playing type, but we have some really good ball playing distributors in Harris Walker TMM SJ and Egan. a hard running and side stepping edge back is more important than the next

Our kick return meters are going to be insane if CNK remains at fb.

Roger could really break the game open as a dummy half runner in the later tackles, especially tackle four, the tackle you want to cross the halfway to set up a kick chase off that Johnson Bomb in the corners inside the opposition ten.

Given the utility tag and how RTS played wing under Reece Walsh I expect we could see him play anywhere in any context, which is why they took the risk in signing him.

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

Up until today I was a bit meh on the signing. I wanted the Warriors to either promote internally and or sign ball playing backs from Aus.

I know what Roger brings as a clubhouse Pro that everyone learns off, and I know he has a big ticker and engine. One of our most respected public faces from the day he announced he was leaving the Roosters.

But his age and time spent in Union need to be considered, this is certainly not the player that won the Dally M, he won't be level amazing anymore.

But the more I mulled the signing over the more it is growing on me.

Bottom line he is an upgrade on some of our backs this season. I am firmly of the belief in team sport whether you like a player or not, if they are at the caliber of an RTS where there is zero debate from anyone anywhere that he will be a starter....then you are talking the definition of a good signing at least on paper and that is all you can go off till a player takes the field.

Take the center position as an example, he is better than Pompey and Vailea and I have kindly eye for Vailea and Pompey...but Roger is better.

Roger might not be the ball playing type, but we have some really good ball playing distributors in Harris Walker TMM SJ and Egan. a hard running and side stepping edge back is more important than the next

Our kick return meters are going to be insane if CNK remains at fb.

Roger could really break the game open as a dummy half runner in the later tackles, especially tackle four, the tackle you want to cross the halfway to set up a kick chase off that Johnson Bomb in the corners inside the opposition ten.

Given the utility tag and how RTS played wing under Reece Walsh I expect we could see him play anywhere in any context, which is why they took the risk in signing him.

In hindsight making RTS play wing to develop Walsh just makes me feel a little ill lol

 

[SpaceMonkey]

In hindsight making RTS play wing to develop Walsh just makes me feel a little ill lol

Yeah… and I hope we don’t just see him end up on the wing. 1, 3, 4, or 6 IMO