Rumoured Targets 3

[The Axe of Druss]

How much have you seen on him? I only base my hopes on limited NRL game time he got last year. I never seem to notice him do much in reserves in the few games I watched in the last couple of years.

Got limited game time last year but he showed some very good signs on the left, particularly in defence. Set up a nice try for Lee with his 1st or 2nd touch from memory

Just checked his stats and he made 30 tackles, missed 3 and ran for 100+ in both games

Not a huge sample size to go off and his trial form was sub par but I think there's a good footballer there.

 

[Apey]

it absolutely benefits us playing Dom. He is by far our best outside back and having him play will help us to win games. Winning games then makes us an option for other players to want to come and play and ultimately improve our side. If we are loosing every week then players won't be interested in playing for us. It is that simple

I don't get all this crap with people on here saying we should drop him to reserve grade. Its cutting your nose off just to spite your face, a very childish attitude.

What are we the only club where players have signed for a different club 12 months before they left. It happens to most teams these days.

Unless we can get a really good trade that works for us, just enjoy Dom playing for us for the next 12 months

For me, dropping Dom wouldn't be about spite - it would be looking towards the future. As I said in another post though, it requires an admission so that we aren't going anywhere this year, which we're not going to make. Basically, it's what I'd like to see but it's also unrealistic.

No, we're not the only club that happens to. A couple of key differences for me: 1) it's usually an already established player that isn't as raw as Dom and 2) it's usually a club who actually has a chance to at the very least, make the 8. We'll be lucky to not be bottom 4 even with Dom.

It's all a moot point in the end - we aren't going to drop him.

 

[Spot On]

If Dom stays, hope he does, then he should play and continue to do so until form drops or we are no longer a chance at semi’s then start picking the team with 2024 in mind and that should be the same with any player in the club. It could happen with someone like Frizell.

Didn’t happen with Gags last year. And it doesn’t get much worse than that highlight reel.

 

[Old dog]

Didn’t happen with Gags last year. And it doesn’t get much worse than that highlight reel.

Was talking about players leaving following season

 

[Spot On]

Would be nice if it applied to all players OD.

 

[SamSepi0l]

The best thing imo is to play him. We don't have a wing prospect to promote and the best thing the club can do for the future is win. Winning brings the playing group we have together, makes it a more attractive club for prospective players. If Dom playing gives us a better chance at winning than the next guy up, then play Dom.

 

[PhilGould]

Toohey’s News

- Knights want Nat Butcher, Egan Butcher or Siua Wong to release Dom early. Have already knocked back the Roosters offer of Sitili Tupouiniua because he’s out injured until mid-season. Knights have no interest in a transfer fee and negotiations could go well into the season with a suitable deal seeming unlikely anytime soon. Other clubs, including Penrith, have been sounded out by the Knights too.
- Adam Elliott & Jack Hetherington will both play round 1 despite missing both trials.
- Krystian Mapapalangi & Dylan Lucas will fight it out to replace Dane Gagai if he misses round 1 with the hamstring strain.
- Max Bradbury wasn’t the Sharks first choice. In order they asked for Krystian Mapapalangi, Myles Martin, Fletcher Sharpe, and lastly Ethan Ferguson or Max Bradbury. Knights flatly rejected the request for Mapapalangi, gave permission for Martin to negotiate but he chose to stay, rejected Sharpe, and then allowed Bradbury to negotiate where a deal was finally done.

 

[ryan.a87]

How’s the nerve of rooster offering a player who won’t be back till mid season

 

[PhilGould]

It's not ideal but we'd presumably be signing him for a few years and he'd instantly be our most athletic and impactful second-rower. Wouldn't be surprised if that swap is revisited closer to his return if nothing comes up before then.

Would be more excited about a KPP/Tupuoniua back-row going into next season than any of the options currently on the books.

 

[Old dog]

Elliott and Hetherington right to go Rd1 might not mean starting but bench

 

[macavity]

It's not ideal but we'd presumably be signing him for a few years and he'd instantly be our most athletic and impactful second-rower. Wouldn't be surprised if that swap is revisited closer to his return if nothing comes up before then.

Would be more excited about a KPP/Tupuoniua back-row going into next season than any of the options currently on the books.

I was surprised we knocked him back. No guarantee he comes back the same player sure, but if he gets close he is our best back rower and exactly the type we need. Reeks of short term thinking from a club and coach that need early wins.

 

[Frederick]

How’s the nerve of rooster offering a player who won’t be back till mid season

Mid season under their system. Under ours we wouldn't see him on field until mid next year

 

[Knight Tales]

Toohey’s News

- Knights want Nat Butcher, Egan Butcher or Siua Wong to release Dom early. Have already knocked back the Roosters offer of Sitili Tupouiniua because he’s out injured until mid-season. Knights have no interest in a transfer fee and negotiations could go well into the season with a suitable deal seeming unlikely anytime soon. Other clubs, including Penrith, have been sounded out by the Knights too.
- Adam Elliott & Jack Hetherington will both play round 1 despite missing both trials.
- Krystian Mapapalangi & Dylan Lucas will fight it out to replace Dane Gagai if he misses round 1 with the hamstring strain.
- Max Bradbury wasn’t the Sharks first choice. In order they asked for Krystian Mapapalangi, Myles Martin, Fletcher Sharpe, and lastly Ethan Ferguson or Max Bradbury. Knights flatly rejected the request for Mapapalangi, gave permission for Martin to negotiate but he chose to stay, rejected Sharpe, and then allowed Bradbury to negotiate where a deal was finally done.

Club is finally growing a set with negotiations. How long has it been?

 

[PhilGould]

2 extra bits

 

[SamSepi0l]

Good on them for knocking back Sitili. Shows up in highlights but would add to our edge defense issues and is like to be even worse defensively post ACL.

 

[The Axe of Druss]

It's not ideal but we'd presumably be signing him for a few years and he'd instantly be our most athletic and impactful second-rower. Wouldn't be surprised if that swap is revisited closer to his return if nothing comes up before then.

Would be more excited about a KPP/Tupuoniua back-row going into next season than any of the options currently on the books.

Tupuoniua is off contract at the end of the year so it gains us nothing to swap him now

If he comes back ok we can make him an offer for 2024 but as it stands the club has made the right call. I'm actually pretty proud. The previous admin would have done the deal and thrown in 5 juniors

 

[ryan.a87]

Knowing the knights, we will trade him for Boyd cordner, not knowing he retired 2 years ago

 

[Burwood]

Wait, so after all the commotion about ineptitude from the club, it actually turns out that they’ve handled all of the situations pretty well?

Like it or not, Dom was never going to commit to the club so early in 2022 once it became clear he was a chance of playing in the World Cup for England- he was always going to test the market. But now Newcastle hold the upper hand for 2023 and won’t let Dom go early unless they get exactly what they want. Result, bad situation turned into a win-win for the club.

Same for Miller- club got the player that they wanted, and didn’t cave in to the Sharks to do so.

 

[Yosh]

I believe we have Tupuonuia's brother playing for us? If he is off contract then we might get him anyway? If we get a Butcher or a Wong and get Tupuonuia for 2024 as well, that's a massive upgrade for us. Even though we do lose Dom.

 

[Knight Tales]

Like it or not, Dom was never going to commit to the club so early in 2022 once it became clear he was a chance of playing in the World Cup for England- he was always going to test the market. But now Newcastle hold the upper hand for 2023 and won’t let Dom go early unless they get exactly what they want. Result, bad situation turned into a win-win for the club.

Same for Miller- club got the player that they wanted, and didn’t cave in to the Sharks to do so.

While losing Dom sucks, it is perhaps a big step towards us rebuilding this roster by sending a message we are no longer push overs or taking scraps.