Rumoured targets 2

[Rod]

Mose Masoe off to the Dragons apparently. Now he definitely would have been a good pickup.

Yeah he's one I would have taken.

 

[Nuffy]

Dude, you cannot be serious?

You would be happy with our club signing players, any players, just so we look active in the market? The majority of the Dragons signings are reserve graders at best and Manlys ones are hardly better. We have Sims coming onboard and Stockwell all but done along with probably the best crop of jnrs to come through in the last 10+ years. Its clear the club is looking to back the young guys rather than look to a very lean market and quite frankly I think its the right play

Kennedy is a dud and Id be pissed off if we were talking to him

My point is pretty straightforward, most clubs seem to be able to close deals, we can't.

You speak of Stockwell but theres been no announcement why? How long does it take this club to get a deal done.

The Matu brothers saga has been going on for months, no progress other than by Canterbury. I'll remind you that Canterbury got them to sign a DOI before we'd even spoken to them.

A 29 year old Hannant signs a one year deal in Townsville, he is far better than anything we've got.

The golden crop of juniors went out of the finals in straight sets.

We've lost Mason, Packer, McKinnon, Cuthbo, Hilder, Tets, likely Faalongo and maybe House.

We've signed Sims and maybe Stockwell but who knows.

So the golden crop of juniors needs to replace possibly 6 FG players. Then we have Jeremy Smith in the last year of his contract so we need another replacement.

But lets assume we are keeping our powder dry for 2016....................... in what universe are we likely to sign a series of marquee players?

We've never been able to do that, hell typically we struggle to retain the good juniors.

So we pass on Hannant, Kennedy, we aren't talking to Merrin saving our money for the big signing frenzy in 2016, you are the one who's taking the piss

 

[Joker's Wild]

Our NSWCup side played in the GF mate, that side is stacked with forwards in their early 20s. Despite the bad finals performance from our NYC side, there is no denying their talent and prospective FG careers

You mention a guy like Hannant who a. will be in his 30s, and b. clearly doesnt want to live in NSW as a player we should have gotten? We were long odds mate and if we had have, would only have added to our aging pack which you make a point of too. Not sure which way you want to go

Who says we arent talking to Merrin? You are taking a lot of liberties here mate. In fact you are pretty much just making stuff up in your head and rolling on. its not like the press in Aust would just make stuff up and print it would they, based on pure speculation :sarcasm:

The Mat' boy scenario is far from over and clearly their dodgy manager, who the boys have gotten rid of BTW, architected the whole scenario. Id prefer our club take the time (they do have until June next year) to work out the deal than blow their wad in a panic. After all, we are only worried about Sione here if we are truthful

I think you are over reacting but you are certainly entitled to your opinion. i personally think expectations of our fan base, along with emotions, are running overly wild.

 

[Nuffy]

Our NSWCup side played in the GF mate, that side is stacked with forwards in their early 20s. Despite the bad finals performance from our NYC side, there is no denying their talent and prospective FG careers

You mention a guy like Hannant who a. will be in his 30s, and b. clearly doesnt want to live in NSW as a player we should have gotten? We were long odds mate and if we had have, would only have added to our aging pack which you make a point of too. Not sure which way you want to go

Who says we arent talking to Merrin? You are taking a lot of liberties here mate. In fact you are pretty much just making stuff up in your head and rolling on. its not like the press in Aust would just make stuff up and print it would they, based on pure speculation :sarcasm:

The Mat' boy scenario is far from over and clearly their dodgy manager, who the boys have gotten rid of BTW, architected the whole scenario. Id prefer our club take the time (they do have until June next year) to work out the deal than blow their wad in a panic. After all, we are only worried about Sione here if we are truthful

I think you are over reacting but you are certainly entitled to your opinion. i personally think expectations of our fan base, along with emotions, are running overly wild.

JW, thats a reasonable point of view and I acknowledge that but don't agree.

The liberties I take with assuming inaction, you do by assuming a measured and crafted strategy is there.

In frankness I feel my assumption has a greater basis in fact than yours does, based on our historical performance and general mediocrity for over a decade.

We are never ahead of the curve, EVER and thats what rubs a lot of us the wrong way. We are so F**KING reactive in all we do.

Coupled with the fact that I just dont think Mids is up to it, great footballer no doubt but has zero corporate experience which didnt matter with HSG running the show (not that they were a model of competency) but now he is a CEO allegedly running the show.

I thought it was very surprising that on the 21st of Oct the club appointed a COO. How does a club turning over maybe 20M and a straightforward business need a CEO and COO.

How in gods name did they justify that to the NRL? Is that the most pressing issue confronting the club, adding another layer of management to a football club?

The point that we agree on is that there needs to be a plan, you hope there is one and I wish there was one but neither of us see any evidence of one.

Where is the plan to reconnect with supporters?

Where is the plan to push into other regions? If Newcastle supporters won't fill the stadium and support the club then take games to the central coast and tap that market. Christ I drive from Sydney to use my seasons pass, but people in Newcastle cant be stuffed turning up, then make other arrangements, there needs to be a frank conversation with the town.

Where is the plan to promote a COLA type arrangement for clubs in less desirable regions?

Where is the plan to have a more innovative recruitment strategy targetting UK players for example. Look at the impact of the Burgii and Graham et al.

Whats the plan to tap 3rd party payments, tough gig but we need a plan?

Whats the plan to improve merchandise, its better than it was, but still not great and frankly the Knights store stock levels are poor?

Whats our plan for onfield performance? Broncos say top 4 every year, whats our KPIs?

Where's the board for heavens sake, how long could it possibly take?

Where is the plan to be the best sporting franchise in the comp? Where is the aspiration? I just don't see any real intent................

Green Bay achieved great things from shitty Wisconsin, why can't we.

 

[Spot On]

Can't make room for Darius... but they can make room for Merrin.

... and then they'll find a way to make room for Darius too. ffs. This competition sucks.

Titans have cleaned a few out and are apparently happy to let a few more backs go with Barba being a possible recruit so I won't be surprised if Boyd and Merrin both sign with Brissy.

 

[Spot On]

Well, there ya go, Hoffman and Hala to the Titans.

 

[Swarzey]

Well, hopefully within the next day or so they announce Boyd goes back to Brisbane so we can finally put an end to the nightmare.

Regarding the signings, I honestly don't think it's worth arguing. People complain when we sign duds and complain when we decide to back the talent we already have. Just can't win. It's just funny reading names like Hannant and Kennedy as ones we should have talked to when the reality is they're duds.

 

[The Showstopper]

The player market is very deceptive these days. We need to show the big name off contract players through performance that we are a club that can perform at the highest level. No point trying to convince them otherwise by paying ridiculous overs. There is not one front rower that has signed elsewhere that I will lose sleep over. We must never allow players to dictate terms to us like we have in the past. Just cos other clubs sign players does not mean we are slow. It means we can do better. We signed the best back rower on the market. Had we missed Tariq then that would have had me very worried.

 

[Nuffy]

So what's the plan.

We don't want to sign duds and we don't want to pay overs. I get that.

But we want to perform well none the less.

So who exactly are we going to sign............

Whether they were good or not, we are down 5 FG forwards after Sims signing.

We didn't want a 25 yr old Kennedy but was happy with a 35 yr Mason.

We didn't want a 30 yr old Hannant but happy with a 34 yr old Smith.

I'm all for signing quality players, but give me some realistic names, I hear we don't want duds or old guys but I don't hear who we are actually in the market for.

Merrin should be a perfect fit, he's from the gong so he's not sydney centric and Newcastle should be appealing to his surfer girlfriend but interestingly we are even publicly interested.

Can anyone believe that Mids is hatching a top secret plan to recruit Merrin.

So I repeat, who exactly will be replacing the 6 forwards we've lost thus far.

As a comparison, the Broncos have a solid pack, the two best young props in the game (as per the Tele) and they also want Merrin.

Is our pack so good that at the same time, we don't need to sign anyone? It defies logic.

 

[Swarzey]

f**k me, if you actually pulled your head out of the dumps instead of trying to find an excuse to shit on the club, you would realise we've got the talent at the club and we don't need to sign players from elsewhere to fill those voids left by Mason, McKinnon, Cuthbo etc. Yeah, they're not going to be over night sensations, but give them time and we'll end up being happy that we didn't waste our cap space.

Yes, we should go after Merrin. Yes, it would be disappointing if we don't. But let's be realistic, out of all the clubs chasing him, would he come to us? Highly doubtful.

Newcastle is heading in the direction of giving our youth the first chance to find a place in the side before signing others. That's just the reality of the situation. It may or may not work but if we had that logic years ago our pack would be fantastic right now. They don't feel we need to go outside the Hunter to find replacements.

Thing is Nuffy, you'd want us to sign the duds, the duds play NSW Cup pushing our promising youths out. We end up having talent go elsewhere and you'll be right here pissing, bitching and moaning about how we let them go in years time when they're on the fringes of rep jumpers.

 

[Yosh]

I think most people are frustrated with how the clubs been run these last few years and all the Tinks fiasco. We need something to lift our spirits; Mat' bros all signing for loyalty reasons, big name Merrin coming in, perhaps even another billionaire buying the club. The supports need something to bump up their moral. Honest we're all a bunch of loyal f**kers in here. I know some other clubs have been through some tough times but we're one of the worst teams to follow in the comp...

I hope all three things I mentioned up top happens!

 

[TooheysNew]

f**k me, if you actually pulled your head out of the dumps instead of trying to find an excuse to shit on the club, you would realise we've got the talent at the club and we don't need to sign players from elsewhere to fill those voids left by Mason, McKinnon, Cuthbo etc. Yeah, they're not going to be over night sensations, but give them time and we'll end up being happy that we didn't waste our cap space.

Yes, we should go after Merrin. Yes, it would be disappointing if we don't. But let's be realistic, out of all the clubs chasing him, would he come to us? Highly doubtful.

Newcastle is heading in the direction of giving our youth the first chance to find a place in the side before signing others. That's just the reality of the situation. It may or may not work but if we had that logic years ago our pack would be fantastic right now. They don't feel we need to go outside the Hunter to find replacements.

Thing is Nuffy, you'd want us to sign the duds, the duds play NSW Cup pushing our promising youths out. We end up having talent go elsewhere and you'll be right here pissing, bitching and moaning about how we let them go in years time when they're on the fringes of rep jumpers.

All of this.

 

[slotmachine]

if houstons re-signing is dependent on boyd leaving, we obviously have no room to sign anyone but the stockwell's of the world. gids and jeremy smith's money will probably go to the matautias, so nothing doing for 2016 either.

having so much money tied up in outside backs is the exact opposite approach of this year's grand finalists, but at least we'll be exciting to watch. watching a rabbit's grapple fest is a real snoozer imo.

hopefully stockwell, vai vai, tapine and mataora all come on. stone did OK with less in 2011

 

[Spot On]

Merrin is asking for massive dollars isn't he????? No thanks.

Uate's contract is a massive problem for us. We have to live with it unfortunately. No one else would be stupid enough to take him off us and pay the $$$$$.

 

[AusKnightRKO]

Or we could hope the Old Aku returns, people go through slumps, remember when Inglis was "Overweight" and getting panned by everyone.

 

[The Showstopper]

For the first time in a long time I am looking forward to watching how our youth squad graduates adapt to first grade. We have waited an entire generation for this. Without Tinkler I doubt we would have this opportunity. He put in place the scouts and setup for the best youth to come here to play. We owe him that.

 

[aqua_duck]

Or we could hope the Old Aku returns, people go through slumps, remember when Inglis was "Overweight" and getting panned by everyone.

Difference is Inglis had a bit of a slump, Aku is still showing major flaws that were evident 5 years ago

 

[aqua_duck]

So what's the plan.

We don't want to sign duds and we don't want to pay overs. I get that.

But we want to perform well none the less.

So who exactly are we going to sign............

Whether they were good or not, we are down 5 FG forwards after Sims signing.

We didn't want a 25 yr old Kennedy but was happy with a 35 yr Mason.

We didn't want a 30 yr old Hannant but happy with a 34 yr old Smith.

I'm all for signing quality players, but give me some realistic names, I hear we don't want duds or old guys but I don't hear who we are actually in the market for.

Merrin should be a perfect fit, he's from the gong so he's not sydney centric and Newcastle should be appealing to his surfer girlfriend but interestingly we are even publicly interested.

Can anyone believe that Mids is hatching a top secret plan to recruit Merrin.

So I repeat, who exactly will be replacing the 6 forwards we've lost thus far.

As a comparison, the Broncos have a solid pack, the two best young props in the game (as per the Tele) and they also want Merrin.

Is our pack so good that at the same time, we don't need to sign anyone? It defies logic.

Mason was not retained for the reason he's 34, smith is still under contract so not much we can do. I would love to see us target some big names but unfortunately the reality is why've never had much luck attracting out and out stars, I like the Stockwell signing and I think Vai Vai, Tapine and Mataora deserve a crack at securing a spot in the side. I would've loved to see a few more young forwards sign on but we are severely handicapped by some bad contracts.
You can't compare us to the broncos, the 3rd party deals they have access to is something not many teams can compete with given their market, their junior catchment is huge as well and so is their football budget, many qlders also seem to want to stay in state and will take unders to do so

 

[The Showstopper]

Nev Costigan coming back to Australia. Thoughts?

 

[Noname36]

having so much money tied up in outside backs is the exact opposite approach of this year's grand finalists, but at least we'll be exciting to watch. watching a rabbit's grapple fest is a real snoozer imo.

hopefully stockwell, vai vai, tapine and mataora all come on. stone did OK with less in 2011

To be honest I think the concept of having to have your squad built around brilliant forwards is overrated. It's about finding the balance that works for your side. IMO Bennett built us a well-balanced squad however he didn't give them a style of football that suited them. I think we proved in the backend of the season that you can get away with having decent but not superstar forwards if you have the right game plan and play to your other strengths (backline).

Yes the sides that have been at the top for the past couple of years in Souths, the Roosters and Bulldogs have been very forward heavy...but I think the key to their success is using those packs to their advantage through their game plan (i.e. grappling the shit out of your opposition and killing them upfront so you don't really need to have quality backs that can create because you already have the opposition on the back foot).

At the end of the day we're never going to have a forward pack like that. Great players won't sign for us and we don't produce many props. As a result we need to be thinking differently. Our forwards may not be big but most of them (apart from Houston) are skillful. Stone just needs to employ a structure that uses that to our advantage.