Rumoured Targets 3

[Spot On]

As much as they're all over paid we should be at least able to hold onto Rochow and Tapine. I have no doubt we have more money to throw at Tapine to stay but Brown doesn't want to and I'm fine with that. We wouldn't be so behind the other clubs if players were actually paid what they're worth. It's the ridiculous contracts like 400k for Tapine which we can't compete with - and when we do compete to keep them (Aku, Sione, Gagai, etc) it always seems like a dumb idea anyway.

Brown seems to be totally aware of how much a bloke is really worth v his talent/ experience and potential. He's more than happy to tell them so. I'm more than happy to back him and wave goodbye to any player who chases a big offer from elsewhere. The bloke has little choice when you look at what some of our backs are on. If there's no TPA money then our cap must be better balanced and at the moment it's f**ked.

Bit of a double edged sword though as any juniors he develops and knows he must keep will more than likely be offered bigger dollars elsewhere thanks to (apparently) the number of "wealthy" supporters of other clubs that are prepared to throw their money away in TPA agreements.

We must have access to TPAs or some very talented local youngsters will need to be very, very loyal for us to keep them.

The days of 500K wingers, regardless of how well they are going at time of re-signing, are dead set f**king history while Brown is here. Re-balance the cap, stop paying MASSIVE overs and we might be a chance of retaining some decent talent. It will take time and the punting of some overpaid and very underperforming players currently on the roster.

 

[Still Nutty]

Brown seems to be totally aware of how much a bloke is really worth v his talent/ experience and potential. He's more than happy to tell them so. I'm more than happy to back him and wave goodbye to any player who chases a big offer from elsewhere. The bloke has little choice when you look at what some of our backs are on. If there's no TPA money then our cap must be better balanced and at the moment it's f**ked.

Bit of a double edged sword though as any juniors he develops and knows he must keep will more than likely be offered bigger dollars elsewhere thanks to (apparently) the number of "wealthy" supporters of other clubs that are prepared to throw their money away in TPA agreements.

We must have access to TPAs or some very talented local youngsters will need to be very, very loyal for us to keep them.

The days of 500K wingers, regardless of how well they are going at time of re-signing, are dead set f**king history while Brown is here. Re-balance the cap, stop paying MASSIVE overs and we might be a chance of retaining some decent talent. It will take time and the punting of some overpaid and very underperforming players currently on the roster.

It would have been interesting to see how Brown handled the Sione (and brothers package) negotiations if he was at the helm then...I get the sense that it would have been a different arrangement to the one we are stuck with now.

I know we cant keep everybody but my frustration is that we know we can't compete with TPAs and the board has spoken about its vision to build our playing stocks through local talent and he is a quality local product (although he had a stint at the Storm). I believe Rochow is about to start showing a real return on investment for us and we need to get the next 3-4 best years out of him and retain players of his ilk if we want to build a squad with local players ready to take that step up.

We need it for 2 reasons... 1) obviously to start being consistently competitive as a club on the field but more importantly 2) create a base that also attracts and makes better quality players want to sign here or remain if they are already locals.

If we don't keep talent like him, then as others have mentioned we are doomed to be the perennial junior feeder club for all the other teams in the league and have these quality players come back after we've shouldered the investment and beat us on the ground where they got their start.

 

[slotmachine]

Maybe they get poached too young for anyone to know who they are, but are there really that many ex-Knights running around for other teams that are making us look stupid?

Cordner comes to mind, but he left when he was 15.

The bigger problem is the Knights are just not developing elite players, and haven't for some time. The last legit rep player we produced debuted 15 years ago and is now in the ESL.

 

[Chicken_Hunter]

Maybe they get poached too young for anyone to know who they are, but are there really that many ex-Knights running around for other teams that are making us look stupid?

Cordner comes to mind, but he left when he was 15.

The bigger problem is the Knights are just not developing elite players, and haven't for some time. The last legit rep player we produced debuted 15 years ago and is now in the ESL.

Pretty much this. Its sad really considering the size of our catchment.

 

[Still Nutty]

Maybe they get poached too young for anyone to know who they are, but are there really that many ex-Knights running around for other teams that are making us look stupid?

Cordner comes to mind, but he left when he was 15.

The bigger problem is the Knights are just not developing elite players, and haven't for some time. The last legit rep player we produced debuted 15 years ago and is now in the ESL.

I know of 3 kids that were playing for the same junior Newcastle football team in the 17's last year who had already been signed up as Manly rep juniors...so maybe the 'poaching' is also about increasing our capacity to identify, engage and nurture local junior talent at that age and earlier?

On the bigger problem, I think we have been looking at a potentially talented batch of players right now including those like Rochow who are ready and the up and comers like Brock Lamb and some of last years winning NSW Cup squad who have already been snaffled.

I'm not bagging Brownie or what he has done to date with player retention, etc. because I know he's juggling limited scope and $$$ to invest/retain talent but if the club/board is serious about our best long term success being based on developing and retaining local juniors, I'm keen to see some of that now with the existing talent pool that is coming through...and maybe I'm wrong but like I said earlier, its a shame Brown wasn't about when the negotiations with Sione and brothers was taking place because I think we might have had a better result of securing Sione's signature and at the very least without being lumbered with paying overs for the other 2 - but who knows?

 

[ryana87]

Lurker reporting we are chasing trex.......don't know how I feel about it......maybe worth if if we can offload tariq

 

[chinorocks]

Surely our quota of lazy overpaid forwards is already full.

 

[Chicken_Hunter]

If trex isnt going to play decent footy in clubs with good systems and a winning culture he will be ten times as plod with us

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

Another pea-heart coming to Newcastle for a big pay-day and an easy retirement...

Pass

 

[perverse]

Lurker reporting we are chasing trex.......don't know how I feel about it......maybe worth if if we can offload tariq

I know exactly how I feel about it, no thanks! Massive waste of size and talent. Dave Taylor-esque. Hopeless recruitment target unless we get him for a fraction of what the Dogs are paying.

 

[Swarzey]

I mean, if it's a cheap contract worth about a quarter...maybe a third of his Dogs contract then...I suppose?

 

[Bring it home Knights]

I remember that origin game a few years ago where T-rex absolutely killed it. I've barely seen anything since. Pass.

 

[The Showstopper]

Brown may feel he can do something with Tony. I also think you will find we will insist it is heavily weighted in our favour contract wise if it were to happen ie. Dogs pay majority. If it worked we get bargain buy of the year. That said I doubt it will happen. He is best at centre in my opinion.

 

[perverse]

I really don't understand this one - I can't get my head around it. Brown is supposedly not looking for bandaid solutions, but long term ones. T-Rex is (and this is being kind) a total gamble at best... and a grossly negligent band-aid solution at worst.

Either Brown thinks he's a better motivator than Des Hasler, he just hasn't watched She-Rex play in years or Brown is full of shit and is desperate for results this year. He shouldn't be that desperate for results this year, we shouldn't be putting that pressure on him this early with what he's inherited.

Is it remotely possible we're thinking of him as a utility backrow/centre? Mighty big bloody centre. edit - ha, showstopper beat me to the punch. Yeah... I think it might be possible that we're thinking of him out wider.

 

[The Showstopper]

Maybe Joe Tapine being released and Browny looking for size and mobility. T Rex is mobile. He just decides when he will use it and I often wonder if he is not comfortable closer to the middle. I know I would not want him deciding to run at me if he decided to play. He would be a big hit with the kids and a proper cult hero. If we got him for a third or quarter of his deal, with Dogs paying the rest, i can wear it. His deal expires end of this year.

 

[Noname36]

Ew.

 

[slotmachine]

Haha. He's on 600k+, the dogs would have to pay two thirds of that. Not going to happen.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

It really annoys me that we never seem to go for anyone who's at the top of their game or in their prime, we either get these young untested guys who we then ruin or we get guys who are past it or just looking for a pay day.

T-Rex from 3 years ago would have been a massive signing but now it would be a joke because he would most likely be coming on big money and I doubt that we would even come close to delivering a return on that investment.

 

[slotmachine]

Why would a player at the top of their game or in their prime come to Newcastle if they didn't already have ties to the area?

Serious question.

I guess a combination of money and being from the country got BK here all those years ago. Hopefully we can do that again.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

my point was that we never even seem to be in the market for these players, getting them to come here is a different matter entirely of course. But would be nice if we were linked to a few guys in the prime of their career. Yes we were linked to Cordner but I'm referring to players who would come here not just because they're from the area originally.