Rumoured Signings

[Det.Wojciehowicz]

I get why they would take a punt and sign him for big dollars but the issue for me is the 10 years which seems completely insane.

Absolutely! The money is one thing, The duration is just Looney Tunes though.

 

[Wb1234]

Wait till wa gets announced shortly and they start signing players from the end of the year followed by png a year later

The player market is going to go nuts

 

[This Year?]

Unless you're from Newcastle, I can't imagine committing to living 10 years of your life in Newcastle

He could get a nice place at Lake Macquarie and spend his free time escaping the stress of the NRL by fishing, plus the occasional Saturday night finding a new squeeze to the fresh beats of Clint Dogg at the Munmorah bowlo.

 

[nick87]

Meanwhile, with Galvin allegedly looking at testing the market I'd be keen to see Parra assemble a similar (but maybe not so overpriced) big deal to try and get him over. Tbh it's a big risk but plod like Wishart isn't gonna cut it if we want to avoid sinking back to early-2010s basket case Parra

Agreed. If I'm the knights, i think I'd have rather paid 1.5m per year for 4-5 years rather than 1.3m for 10 years
and 1.5m is absurd but i'd trade money now for years on the back end as a club, that way if it didn't work out, the knights aren't f**ked for a decade.

Dunno if he'd have gone for that kind of deal or if the 10 year commitment and security is what made the difference.

 

[Bazal]

He could get a nice place at Lake Macquarie and spend his free time escaping the stress of the NRL by fishing, plus the occasional Saturday night finding a new squeeze to the fresh beats of Clint Dogg at the Munmorah bowlo.

 

[Wb1234]

 

[Murishido]

Amount of cash isn't too crazy to me. Cap keeps rising so you have more room for 'marquee' players.

The length of the deal is a tad crazy. Didn't work with Taumalolo. But I suppose it paid off with DCE. Either way its very risky business.

The length is the crazy part, the money feels ~300k over on average but that's manageable and should, as you point out, shrink as we really only care about it as a % of the cap.

A big difference to DCE is he had an elite short passing and kicking game. If his legs aged or slowed with injury you could reasonably expect him to adapt to atleast a quality first grade half unless it was a career ender (which the nrl would let you erase anyway)

Just not sure Brown is a first grader if he loses his acceleration or power and becomes.

They could be in a lot of trouble 6-7 years from now.

 

[Woody90]

Agreed. If I'm the knights, i think I'd have rather paid 1.5m per year for 4-5 years rather than 1.3m for 10 years
and 1.5m is absurd but i'd trade money now for years on the back end as a club, that way if it didn't work out, the knights aren't f**ked for a decade.

Dunno if he'd have gone for that kind of deal or if the 10 year commitment and security is what made the difference.

He wasn’t going to go for 4-5 years which was the issue. He’s got a contract at the Eels to 2031 as it is so it had to be longer.

The Knights also simply wouldn’t offer him more than Ponga makes, hence the ratchet clause to be capped at 1.4 so he can never make more than Ponga. It’s basically just the club’s assurance to Ponga that he’s still seen at the main man.

If we want to get technical it’s actually an 8 year contract as the final 2 years are mutual options.

People also talking like a contract has never ever been broken before.

 

[Woody90]

I get why they would take a punt and sign him for big dollars but the issue for me is the 10 years which seems completely insane.

When you offer someone a 10 year contract (or 8 technically in this case if the mutual options are true) you’re not actually expecting they’re going to be a great player for you for 10 years. It’s essentially a trade off to get the player to come to begin with. You’re offering them security of a long contract in exchange for expecting/hoping they’ll be what you need for 6-7 years of that.

 

[Vic Mackey]

Galvin has always screamed Tedesco to me in that he thinks hes too good for the club and will leave at his first opportunity.

I've said it numerous times, Latu Fainu will end up being a better 6 then him. I expect the Tigers to go all in on Galvin as the media will destroy them if Lachie leaves, so if he stays it will be on the back of some stupid Dylan Brown/Knights style deal.

 

[Chins]

Hastings is on 800k and Brailey on 600k, both off contract next year, and we're not re-signing either.

I don't particularly like the signing, particularly the reported length of the contract, but for the next couple of years it's not a bad deal for us if you look at it like that. It's 3 - 5 years down the track that is concerning for me.

Even considering the Newcastle tax I think we're overpaying him. But it is what it is, there's nobody else available and we finally seem determined to not waste Ponga's entire career.

Talk of a Newcastle tax is funny because it shits all over Sydney as a place to live especially if you have a young family.

 

[Fangs]

The length is the crazy part, the money feels ~300k over on average but that's manageable and should, as you point out, shrink as we really only care about it as a % of the cap.

A big difference to DCE is he had an elite short passing and kicking game. If his legs aged or slowed with injury you could reasonably expect him to adapt to atleast a quality first grade half unless it was a career ender (which the nrl would let you erase anyway)

Just not sure Brown is a first grader if he loses his acceleration or power and becomes.

They could be in a lot of trouble 6-7 years from now.

My future prediction: Dylan Brown to be released 2028/29 and signs with Perth/PNG to be their marquee man.

Huge issue with halves in the NRL. There ain't enough good ones to cover all the clubs. They are hot property and even a used up Dbags will get plenty of attention from the new franchises.

So if that happens then the 10 year deal won't haunt them. But the Cows have it with Taumalolo...still contracted for 26 and 27 seasons.

 

[Valheru]

Talk of a Newcastle tax is funny because it shits all over Sydney as a place to live especially if you have a young family.

Of a bad bunch this is your worst post.

 

[Chins]

Of a bad bunch this is your worst post.

Who the f**k would want to raise kids in Sydney? It's practically child abuse

 

[Bazal]

Galvin has always screamed Tedesco to me in that he thinks hes too good for the club and will leave at his first opportunity.

I've said it numerous times, Latu Fainu will end up being a better 6 then him. I expect the Tigers to go all in on Galvin as the media will destroy them if Lachie leaves, so if he stays it will be on the back of some stupid Dylan Brown/Knights style deal.

Yeah I think that's a fair assessment. I think he's still firmly in the could be a gun, could be a misfire club and he does seem like a bit of a f**kwit. But he's also someone worth a gamble for a club needing a quality half for the long term

Flipside I suppose is that he's young and should grow up.

 

[Vic Mackey]

Yeah I think that's a fair assessment. I think he's still firmly in the could be a gun, could be a misfire club and he does seem like a bit of a f**kwit. But he's also someone worth a gamble for a club needing a quality half for the long term

Flipside I suppose is that he's young and should grow up.

Look Im not saying he sucks. He's clearly an insanely talented player. However when I watch him he doesnt really play to a certain position. He plays like a combo of 1/6/7 and doesnt seem to fit into any structure. When you watch him live I get dizzy. He wants to involved in every play, he sprints to a different side of the field depending on where the ball is. If they had a GPS on him Id be shocked if theres another player in the comp who covers the amount of ground he does in a game. It does also seem like the media love in has gone to his head a bit, he was constantly over calling Luai (who allowed it to happen) on Friday. Im hoping Api being back this week will pull him into line a bit.

I also believe due to the media hype he'll probably get $1m offers from a couple of clubs. To me if i could have Galvin for $1m for Latu for $700k I wouldnt even have to think about it. Latu is much more of a traditional half who plays direct and into a structure.

Like I said though I believe our club will be so scared of the public perception of losing a highly rated junior they'll pay whatever it takes to keep him.

 

[yobbo84]

Galvin has always screamed Tedesco to me in that he thinks hes too good for the club and will leave at his first opportunity.

I've said it numerous times, Latu Fainu will end up being a better 6 then him. I expect the Tigers to go all in on Galvin as the media will destroy them if Lachie leaves, so if he stays it will be on the back of some stupid Dylan Brown/Knights style deal.

Galvin reminds me a lot of a young John Sutton. Like Sutto, I think Galvin ends up an edge backrower.

 

[Vic Mackey]

Galvin reminds me a lot of a young John Sutton. Like Sutto, I think Galvin ends up an edge backrower.

Funnily enough Richardson has compared him to Sutton on more then one occassion

 

[Wb1234]

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=DTWEB_MRE170_a_RED&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailytelegraph.com.au%2Fsport%2Fnrl%2Fcanberra-raiders-enter-final-stages-of-negotiations-with-newcastle-knights-hooker-jayden-brailey%2Fnews-story%2Fce0aaa5e3043503b0eeb0235c2e51f76&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=ULTRALOW-Segment-2-SCORE

South Sydney are making a play for forgotten Dragons winger Mikaele Ravalawa in a move which could fast-track David Klemmer’s arrival to St George Illawarra.

The Rabbitohs are considering signing Ravalawa with the Fijian winger due to undergo a medical at South Sydney this week. The Dragons and South Sydney will play against each other on Saturday.

The Rabbitohs backline has been hammered by injuries with young flyer Tyrone Munroe missing at least the next six weeks because of another broken collarbone. They are also without Latrell Mitchell, Euan Aitken and Alex Johnston while Jack Wighton is suspended for their game against St George Illawarra.

If South Sydney sign off on the contract it would open up the roster spot the Dragons desperately need to secure Klemmer immediately.

Ravalawa is contracted until the end of 2026 with the 27-year-old having scored 67 tries from 98 games since making his debut in 2019.

Ravalawa was overlooked for first grade in round one and did not play NSW Cup for the Dragons.

He lost his place on the wing and was dumped to NSW Cup during the midpoint of the season.

Ravalawa played just 12 first grade games – the least he has featured in a season since his first season. The Dragons have a stack of backline players in NSW Cup with the likes of Tyrell Sloan, Corey Allan and Sione Finau – who scored four tries in the Charity Shield – all available.

Rugby convert Nathan Lawson and the returning Cody Ramsey completed the outside backs during the opening reserve grade game of the season.

While their backline is filled with talent, their forward depth has taken a further battering after Ryan Couchman’s season was ended after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament.

Couchman lasted just minutes coming off the interchange bench for the Dragons during their loss to Canterbury. Klemmer withdrew from the Tigers NSW Cup clash last week but was on hand to watch the NRL side play against Newcastle on Friday night.

The Dragons remain in a stalemate with Francis Molo as they struggle to come to a resolution with the prop. They have stopped paying Molo given his sick leave has now expired.

Meanwhile, the Dragons have re-signed boom youngster Jacob Halangahu until the end of 2027. The NSW under-19 back-rower was part of St George’s premiership winning SG Ball team last year and played NSW Cup last Saturday. He has been earmarked as a long-term first-grader.

Roosters circle disgruntled Dragons prop

The Sydney Roosters are showing interest in signing former Queensland Origin prop Francis Molo from St George Illawarra as his contract standoff with the Dragons continues.

The embattled Roosters, flogged by the Broncos last week, are desperate to explore the availability of Molo in a bid to shore up their middle.

The Roosters have a substantial amount of spare cash in the salary cap which was originally kept aside for Joseph Manu at the back end of the year but he’s signed with French rugby.

They are also discussing a potential approach to old war horse Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, who is currently playing for Hull KR in the UK Super League, about buying out his contract and bringing him back to the Roosters immediately.

Another flogging against bogey side Penrith on Friday night would put enormous pressure on coach Trent Robinson and his recruitment team to look outside his current top-30 roster for extra clout and forward grunt.

The Dragons are reluctantly on the verge of releasing Molo to make way for Wests Tigers’ David Klemmer.

But not before Molo repays a significant amount of money that was advanced to him last year.

 

[Fangs]

^^ Good moves by both clubs.

Klemmer and Ravalawa are capable players and they fill roster holes for both clubs. I just don't think that the Dragons will let Ravalawa play against them this week. But it would make for good theatre if they let it happen.