Rumor Mill

[MKEB...]

Watmough

 

[Fufu Andronez]

Apparently we are in talks with Leeson Ah Mau

 

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

For a role after footy?????

 

[Penrose_11]

He’s only 28yrs. Seems to have been around forever. I’d take him as would certainly add quality above some of what is there now playing prop/2nd row

 

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

Vetes off contract so there is a space

 

[Iafeta]

As is Mannering.

He’s a terrific player these days. The likes of Bunty, Leivaha, Paasi get really get good post contact metres which I believe Leeson would only add to.

 

[Skinner]

Leeson was a very good young junior, but never really went on with it.

 

[jaseg]

Please let this happen. Has had 3 full eye-catching seasons now, and keeps looking better year-on-year. Particularly good tackler, lays a platform well, can play up to 45 minutes at a high level and has started to add a lot more tackle breaks and offloads to the mix. Post contact work is good.

'15/'16 were really solid, reliable seasons. Last year and this year he's gone into overdrive and become a very effective middle. One of the best middle forwards on the market (though not the strongest year for that).

A typical example of the later-blooming prop.

 

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

Plus his 2-3 suspensions a year

 

[jaseg]

Plus his 2-3 suspensions a year

Ah Mau? Surely not.

He's missed 4 games in 4 (and a third) seasons... and 3 of them were all for the same single suspension, a grade 3 careless high tackle that he fought and lost.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Ah Mau, yes please.

Would we make a play for Taupau? Manly have cap issues, they're tied into a contract with DCE that no club would want a bar of and there's no way their fan base will allow either of the Turbos to go. Media suggesting though they wouldn't want to lose him, it might end up being the case. Hell, I'm sure we could squeeze Marty's 290m from 26 carries in from the weekend. We made a play for Papalii.J apparently, and Taupau is a better player - and probably slightly cheaper.

 

[JJ]

Doggies have substantial cap issues thanks to Raelene et al's fine management - I'd be having a look across their pack too

 

[jaseg]

Not much quality that fits us in the Dogs pack that I can think of, aside from Klemmer who likely wouldn't come - he'd have his pick of Sydney/Aus-based teams. Maybe Toomaga? But a) we've already got a good inexperienced guy pushing in Satae and b) why would the Dogs release him? he'd be on peanuts, so wouldn't help them.

Taupau? Oh god yes - he's pretty much the best middle forward in the game right now. Though if I were in charge of Manly's roster I'd be looking at letting go of pretty much everyone outside of DCE, Turbo x2, Taupau, Fonua-Blake and Koroisau in order to keep that core together. Actually, I'd take Fonua-Blake very quickly if he was on the table instead of Marty.

 

[Shaun Hewitt]

I'm struggling to see where we need to strengthen.
I think that being so high on the ladder is giving me a nose bleed......

 

[SpaceMonkey]

I'm struggling to see where we need to strengthen.
I think that being so high on the ladder is giving me a nose bleed......

Re-watch the Storm game. You can ALWAYS do better if the right players come on the market!

 

[Shaun Hewitt]

Re-watch the Storm game. You can ALWAYS do better if the right players come on the market!

I see your point, but it brings back too many memeories of years gone buy.

Can we just clone Tohu Harris a couple of times.
Going by how he's gone, he's on track to being our greatest ever signing.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12045050

This says our roster is almost full for next season, you'd think one signing like Ah Mau apart. Think I read a similar sentiment from Cameron George somewhere else as well. So count Taupau out, someone will try and wrest him out with $$$ and Manly will have to match.

Looking at the off-contract guys this year, the likes of Mannering, Maumalo and Luke are the three regular FGers who we need to re-sign. There's not a lot of coin at all tied up in Love-Henry, Tevaga, Sipley (who we are led to believe is already gone the same way as his brother), Bell, Cherrington, Santo etc.

So stands to reason we wouldn't have a lot of wiggle room for 2019, given we're not likely to free up much at all, those three I named will want similar deals (Maumalo no doubt more coin) and the guys already on our books will probably have back-ended or loaded year-on-year contracts. That's presuming we're operating at near the full volume of the cap.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

I'm struggling to see where we need to strengthen.
I think that being so high on the ladder is giving me a nose bleed......

I still think we need one more prop, which Ah Mau would remedy. But if Gavet can find last year's form and Lisone continues to develop as a guy who has skills before the line and runs good angles, then maybe not - given Paasi has been good this year and Bunty is morphing into a beast. If Ah Mau wants to come, we'll take him.

Then yeah, depth all the park is great (as long as Lawton brings what he did last week over and over again).

 

[JJ]

Not much quality that fits us in the Dogs pack that I can think of, aside from Klemmer who likely wouldn't come - he'd have his pick of Sydney/Aus-based teams. Maybe Toomaga? But a) we've already got a good inexperienced guy pushing in Satae and b) why would the Dogs release him? he'd be on peanuts, so wouldn't help them.

.

Yeah, I guess - also the Morris boys?

Whatever happened to Tolman?

 

[Shaun Hewitt]

Morris boys?? Really?