Rumoured and Confirmed signings - Part 4

[MrBlack]

Forgot about JFH (and apologies for the spelling)

 

[Panther_Daz]

Tamou is a good signing if we can get rid of McKendry and Latimore.

Tamou, RCG, Latu, Matagi, Latimore, McKendry, Leota and Kikau are too many props IMO. 33% of our top 25 will be front rowers if all 8 stay.

Merrin also plays in the middle. JFH may have to as well when you consider Cartwright, Yeo, Peachey and Grevsmuhl all play edge back row.

Clark and Epere are too old for 20's next year as well and both are outstanding talents that will be in NSW Cup in 2017.

 

[betcats]

Gus said recently he expects Clark to play some FG next season.

 

[Big Mick]

Tamou is a good signing if we can get rid of McKendry and Latimore.

Tamou, RCG, Latu, Matagi, Latimore, McKendry, Leota and Kikau are too many props IMO. 33% of our top 25 will be front rowers if all 8 stay.

Merrin also plays in the middle. JFH may have to as well when you consider Cartwright, Yeo, Peachey and Grevsmuhl all play edge back row.

Clark and Epere are too old for 20's next year as well and both are outstanding talents that will be in NSW Cup in 2017.

I'm agreeing with this. If we can move McKendry & Latimore then fine. Matagi also has an option in his favour so he may decide to leave which would be fine also.

Even if we lose all 3 I'd be fine to run with Tamou, RCG, Latu, Leota, Kikau and Clark & Epere as back up. With Merrin to play prop in a pinch.

 

[billypilgrimnz]

Tamou is a good signing if we can get rid of McKendry and Latimore.

Tamou, RCG, Latu, Matagi, Latimore, McKendry, Leota and Kikau are too many props IMO. 33% of our top 25 will be front rowers if all 8 stay.

Merrin also plays in the middle. JFH may have to as well when you consider Cartwright, Yeo, Peachey and Grevsmuhl all play edge back row.

Clark and Epere are too old for 20's next year as well and both are outstanding talents that will be in NSW Cup in 2017.

Matagi will leave, I'd let Latimore go, McKendry too, though that is complicated by the fact that he has that long-serving player discount.

Props:

Tamou
RCG
Latu
Leota
Kikau

Doesn't look so stacked. I think Peachey may be moved on, but I would keep him as centre/backrow cover/bench utility for as long as he is happy with that role. But I get the feeling he will want get a settled spot sooner rather than later, and I don't think that will happen here.

Backrow:

Merrin
Cartwright
JFH
Yeo
Grevsmuhl

 

[Pomoz]

Not me. I think we need him... The Storm game was the perfect example of of that!

Plus one

 

[mxlegend99]

For a NZ International...we're paying nowhere near top dollar.

We're paying more than any other club was willing to pay him. Likewise with Tamou and Merrin. I consider being the highest offer to be top dollar.

 

[billypilgrimnz]

We're paying more than any other club was willing to pay him. Likewise with Tamou and Merrin. I consider being the highest offer to be top dollar.

Um, then every single player who is not a junior is on top dollar then. Good to know.

 

[betcats]

The only players who aren't on top dollar are those that no other club wanted according to that theory MX.

Edit: Actually I guess that would still be the highest offer so everyone's on top dollar!

 

[Big Mick]

We're paying more than any other club was willing to pay him. Likewise with Tamou and Merrin. I consider being the highest offer to be top dollar.

That's BS considering Manly paying part of his deal this year.

 

[betcats]

Honestly some of you guys get way to worked up about our cap and how much we are paying players. What is the point of stressing about it when we know nothing about it besides media reported figures about what we are paying certain players, unless you have some sort of inside knowledge we are just pissing in the wind. Gould said in an interview 2 months ago they were just working out the cap and squad situation for 2018 so there is obviously a lot of forward planning going on.

 

[billypilgrimnz]

Honestly some of you guys get way to worked up about our cap and how much we are paying players. What is the point of stressing about it when we know nothing about it besides media reported figures about what we are paying certain players, unless you have some sort of inside knowledge we are just pissing in the wind. Gould said in an interview 2 months ago they were just working out the cap and squad situation for 2018 so there is obviously a lot of forward planning going on.

Two finals appearances in 11 years + a complete clusterf**k of cap management in the late 2000s, early 2010s means you can forgive us for not completely trusting the club. Gould says a lot of things. Remember how Cleary Snr. was a premiership coach in the making with us? How Cleary was so good at bringing through youngsters?

Yeah.

 

[betcats]

Goulds record is much better than that, I don't completely trust the club myself tbh but that doesn't mean I have any idea of where our cap is at. People talk about for example if we sign Tamou we are certainly going to lose player x or player y. They are just guessing.

Cleary was good at bringing juniors through half of our team got their FG debuts under Cleary. Mansour, Moylan, Bryce, RCG, Dallin, Blake, Latu, Yeo. That's 8 starting first graders plus a bunch more who have moved on or are still playing in the lower grades.

 

[umina panther]

Really? I think Ivan was awful at giving juniors a shot and only did so after we got smashed with injuries

 

[betcats]

Which is what every coach does. He started Isaah Yeo round 1 in 2014. RCG round 1 last year. George Jennings round 1 also last year. We had other FG experienced options to cover those guys. I'd say the fact that most of the players to debut under cleary are still playing FG regularly says a lot about his ability to "bring juniors through" which means a lot more than just rushing them into FG when they show some ability in NYC.

 

[Kilkenny]

Tamou is clearly a quality player and be a great buy. I agree some of our current props would have to move on but I suspect those mentioned will be moved regardless of whether he comes or not. Matagi and Latimore would be snapped up in a heartbeat by some of the clubs looking for front rowers.

 

[Luke Bowden]

So now we've been linked to off contract Newcastle Knight, Nathan Ross.

Certainly would add some pace to our backline.

 

[MrBlack]

So now we've been linked to off contract Newcastle Knight, Nathan Ross.

Certainly would add some pace to our backline.

Good player - but would be only if we lost Mansour.

 

[Buzzard Breath]

That appears to be the case.

 

[Buzzard Breath]

It is interesting how expectations have changed at Penrith , once upon a time we weren't even in the mix to sign a current state of origin prop at his peak. Now many are disappointed by it.

Exactly
Now we are a genuine chance of luring star players here in their peaks.

I understand that but in the past we weren't even in the mix at the right price , the club just wasn't a desirable destination.

I've followed the panthers since 1990 , we rarely sign players at their peak , not anymore though.

I remember the bad old days of signings of Morvin Edwards, Darren Brown, Jason lidden and Faosa Afoa being celebrated because thats all we got back then. No disrespect to them. They were solid players but we needed big name players to be a chance to complete. Apart from the odd signing of Gary Freeman and Gillmeister who were both at the end of their careers. There wasn't much to look forward to.