Rumoured/Confirmed Signings and More Crap XX

[Avenger]

Norman will more than likely stay because he is under contract. If Foran does come Sandow will make way for him. I am however seriously concerned with our long range kicking game if that happens. The other problem is that Norman and Foran both play on the left.

Norman besides that kick out on the full was excellent last night.

 

[strider]

i want to keep sandow - we need his spark aswell as his kicking .... if we had to let someone go for salary reasons I'd either let hoppa go (I wouldn't want to I think he is a class player) - or I'd try to offload Norman - maybe the broncos would be interested now wayne is back there and milford looks lost???

 

[Avenger]

Sandow has become the Preston Campbell of the current generation. An instinctive exciting player with no real role besides playing what he sees.

 

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

Surely the most cost effective solution if Foran does come is to keep Norman and Sandow and let Hoppa go (after driving his asking price up as much as we can)? Norman to FB, Sandow / Foran / Matterson to be the halves options.

 

[hineyrulz]

Surely the most cost effective solution if Foran does come is to keep Norman and Sandow and let Hoppa go (after driving his asking price up as much as we can)? Norman to FB, Sandow / Foran / Matterson to be the halves options.

unless Hoppa is happy to take a decent pay cut (doubtful)that is my thinking as well. I know Bronco fans bagged him but I thought he want ok for them at fullback.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Poo would you keep
Sandow and/or Hoppa if we do get Foran?

Honestly mate, I would love it if we kept them all. I get attached to Parra players.

But thinking with my head I would keep Hopoate and let Sandow go. Assuming we get Foran.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Norman will more than likely stay because he is under contract. If Foran does come Sandow will make way for him. I am however seriously concerned with our long range kicking game if that happens. The other problem is that Norman and Foran both play on the left.

Norman besides that kick out on the full was excellent last night.

As usual I agree.

 

[eloquentEEL]

So Manly sacrificed Glen Stewart to keep DCE / Foran but then created the rift with Watmough hence he left and now they will possibly and not sign any of those players. I'm hap hap hap happy .... LETS ALL LAUGH AT MANLY.

Let alone being stupid enough to have 2 international quality halves coming off contract at the same time in the first place

 

[phantom eel]

I think there'd be room for Foran to come, without losing any of the above players - don't forget we still have Jarryd's abandoned money to play with.

2016:
1. Norman
3. Hopoate
6. Foran
7. Sandow

To compensate we'd just have to lose say Champion and maybe not re-sign one forward who looks elsewhere for more gametime - but we'd have the cash to replace them.

Unless we let Hopoate go and keep the (cheaper) Champion, with youngsters coming through?

 

[Mr Pmatta]

Honestly mate, I would love it if we kept them all. I get attached to Parra players.

But thinking with my head I would keep Hopoate and let Sandow go. Assuming we get Foran.

U couldn't be more wrong oh "great one" Sandow is our X factor, give him a decent pack and not the bitches of the past he will perform week in week out end of story.........Sandow is priority not Foran, we went alright without him last night, yes?

 

[Mr Pmatta]

Contracted or not I would let Norman go any day of the week Sandow will be very good for us for many years to come.....

 

[Noise]

U couldn't be more wrong oh "great one" Sandow is our X factor, give him a decent pack and not the bitches of the past he will perform week in week out end of story.........Sandow is priority not Foran, we went alright without him last night, yes?

Agreed!

 

[Poupou Escobar]

U couldn't be more wrong oh "great one" Sandow is our X factor, give him a decent pack and not the bitches of the past he will perform week in week out end of story.........Sandow is priority not Foran, we went alright without him last night, yes?

As I said, Sandow is as good as any playmaker in the game when his pack dominates. The thing is there are very few forward packs as weak as Manly's and things won't be as easy for Sandow as they were last night.

If we had Foran instead of Sandow last night I'm sure we wouldn't have scored as many tries, but we probably would have conceded none. And against stronger packs I would take Foran any day. Can you imagine Sandow playing behind Manly's pack last night? He would have been the worst player on the field.

If we replace Sandow with Foran we will improve massively in defence, plus we'll attack better in the close games (ruck parity). The only area we would suffer would be our long kicking, where Sandow is the best in the game while Foran and Norman are both average.

But having an average kicking game is still better than having Chris Sandow in your defensive line. And I say this as someone who loves Sandow. He is one of my favourite players. I will be stoked if we keep him because I trust Arthur's judgement over my own.

 

[Joshuatheeel]

Not sure but maybe move Sandow to fullback, isn't he basically playing like one now in attack? Norman is basically leading the side around the field now which has allowed sandow to attack wider of the ruck with less play making responsibility.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Not sure but maybe move Sandow to fullback, isn't he basically playing like one now in attack? Norman is basically leading the side around the field now which has allowed sandow to attack wider of the ruck with less play making responsibility.

The problem is his defence. In attack there's nothing stopping you from mixing your spine players around - dummy half, and first and second (and even third) receivers on the left and right. The thing is you need to find somewhere for them to line up in defence, whether left edge, right edge, middle or fullback. Where exactly is Sandow suited? If he was suited to defending at the back he would have been shifted there long ago.

 

[Joshuatheeel]

If he was suited to defending at the back he would have been shifted there long ago.

Yeah probably but then again he has never been in side that may need to fit in 2 5/8's and a half.

we need a Q and A with Arthur, would be good to know what he is thinking

 

[yy_cheng]

Honestly mate, I would love it if we kept them all. I get attached to Parra players.

But thinking with my head I would keep Hopoate and let Sandow go. Assuming we get Foran.

I agree with that.

Out of the lot, I would really let Hoppa go if I had too.

Now what about if we throw Izzy Folau into the mix. WHat then?


I would have Izzy in front of the lot except Foran.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Yeah probably but then again he has never been in side that may need to fit in 2 5/8's and a half.

I don't think labels like five-eighth and halfback matter much - Sandow could do what he does anywhere in the spine, and would probably be best attacking at second/third receiver on both sides of the field (like most modern fullbacks). Foran and Norman are both best as 'halves' (i.e. first/second receiver on one side of the field) so the three of them could certainly attack well together. But where does Sandow defend? Whether in the line or at the back he is going to be a weakness. That's why I think we'll let him go.

 

[Avenger]

The thing is not many teams will have an appetite for Sandow. The other team that need a 7 is Cronulla but can they afford to have two weak halves in their halves seeing that Barba is playing 6?

It pains me to say it but if I was picking the future I'd be inclined to let Hoppa go and put Norman at fullback. This is assuming Hayne does not come back because if he does he would always be an automatic selection at fullback.

 

[Bandwagon]

Whilst Sandow's defence could never be described as great, he has improved, and it was fairly decent last night. Both Manly trys isolated him but it was mistakes from Moeroa that opened the hole, and that goes to Moeroa's inexperience.

In the first he was sucked in enough by Mateo's decoy run, and in the second he was slow off the line, which forced Sandow to mark Foran and not slide which dragged champion in.