Rumoured Targets 3

[macavity]

Wonder if we consider an offer to Paul Alamoti try to turn him into a winger. Has the size and athleticism. Just needs to learn how to defend, and we did that for Greg.

 

[HarVeeGee]

Fitness another big area for Alamoti even though his numbers are good. He’s been on the treadmill after a line break a few times this year.

 

[aqua_duck]

Wonder if we consider an offer to Paul Alamoti try to turn him into a winger. Has the size and athleticism. Just needs to learn how to defend, and we did that for Greg.

Size yes, not sure about the athleticism, he’s legit one of the slowest centres I’ve seen come into first grade, having said that he’s only 19 so could be one to stash in nsw cup for future development at the right price

 

[PhilGould]

Alamoti has signed with Penrith. Something tells me he won't look as bad in that system.

 

[aqua_duck]

Alamoti has signed with Penrith. Something tells me he won't look as bad in that system.

I’d be surprised if he’s not 5kg lighter by the start of next season. Bloke is built like a fire hydrant but moves slower than peak hour traffic. They really need to improve his defence.

 

[The Axe of Druss]

Sounds like a certain winger we traded our back up hooker for this year....

 

[aqua_duck]

Sounds like a certain winger we traded our back up hooker for this year....

He makes Marzhew look like Darren Albert in terms of speed to be fair

 

[NoSchitSherlock]

Would we take Meaney back for a wing position if he became available?

 

[aqua_duck]

Would we take Meaney back for a wing position if he became available?

I suspect he’d want fullback money and he’s a much better fullback than winger IMO

 

[Jono078]

Would we take Meaney back for a wing position if he became available?

I wouldn’t. He’s not a winger for mine, let alone the modern winger.

 

[perverse]

Would we take Meaney back for a wing position if he became available?

None of what he's good at is applicable to a modern winger, so no thanks from me.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

I highly doubt Nick Meaney would go somewhere to play wing, he’d probably get $300K as a winger but there would be clubs out there who would pay $500K to get him as a fullback. I think he’s probably surpassed backup status in that position now.

 

[Yosh]

Do you guys think our forward pack is too small? Both Saifitis are big enough and Frizzell is fine as well but

1. Elliot is the smallest 13 from top teams (Yeo, Carrigan, Harris etc.) Great skills and motor but definitely small.
2. Dylan Lucas is basically a centre bulking up
3. Leo is a goer but he must be one of the smallest props out there. No problem if the rest of the pack is big but...
4. Croker looks more of a rangy edge backrower for me or a 13 not a barnstorming prop.
5. Jack is fast but he also has a body for edge backrower.
6. If either Brailey or Crossland is 14 next year, one of them will spend time at 13 during the match, and they ain't forward size either.

Not saying we need every forward to be massive but perhaps we need to target a big aggressive prop during the offseason? It felt like we were bullied at times and when one of the Saifitis are injured I think we literally have the smallest pack in the league.

 

[aqua_duck]

Do you guys think our forward pack is too small? Both Saifitis are big enough and Frizzell is fine as well but

1. Elliot is the smallest 13 from top teams (Yeo, Carrigan, Harris etc.) Great skills and motor but definitely small.
2. Dylan Lucas is basically a centre bulking up
3. Leo is a goer but he must be one of the smallest props out there. No problem if the rest of the pack is big but...
4. Croker looks more of a rangy edge backrower for me or a 13 not a barnstorming prop.
5. Jack is fast but he also has a body for edge backrower.
6. If either Brailey or Crossland is 14 next year, one of them will spend time at 13 during the match, and they ain't forward size either.

Not saying we need every forward to be massive but perhaps we need to target a big aggressive prop during the offseason? It felt like we were bullied at times and when one of the Saifitis are injured I think we literally have the smallest pack in the league.

I think top 17 is fine but after that we’re severely lacking, unfortunately not many options out there

 

[HarVeeGee]

At 103kg, James Fisher-Harris is one of the lightest props in the NRL. Frizell on the heavy side for a back rower nowadays. Kai Pearce-Paul will probably bulk up to about 115kg to play in the NRL.

 

[perverse]

I think we are a bit small up front yeah, but it's also an attitude thing. I think it's less the size of the dogs in the fight, and more the size of the fight in the dogs.

The way i've seen our team this year, especially in the middle, is that we don't go out there to hurt a team and impose ourselves on them - we go out there to endure the punishment they send at us. We can get over the top of teams like the Dogs, etc... but as soon as someone stands up to us physically, we wilt. We're brave, but hardly ruthless. We've become pretty damn good at soaking up punishment, but we're really meek and brittle when it comes to dishing it out. This got incredibly exposed in the finals.

 

[HarVeeGee]

I was thinking exactly the same thing perverse. It’s not a 1:1 comparison, but the 2023 Knights over the winning run reminded me of a lot of the Cameron Smith Melbourne teams, professional and clinical, with that habit of bending but not breaking under pressure - they’d absorb heaps of pressure without conceding and then like clockwork, once the opponent made a mistake and they got their opportunity, they’d execute one of their set plays and score.

The Saifitis, to my eye, have never been better at playing their role within a system & they’ve never played smarter and more skilfully - they can both pass now, they might be the best front rowers in the comp at winning their front besides James Fisher-Harris, and to my eyes they’ve made fewer defensive errors than ever. But Dan in particular, though I think I saw a stat that he leads the comp in play the balls before a try is scored, has had games before where he’s come on for his second stint and absolutely changed a game and won it for us just by being the biggest alpha on the field. I don’t recall him doing it once this year.

Now it’s obviously not a bad thing to aspire to, being consistent and professional like the Storm. But the knock on them was always that they didn’t hit another gear come finals time, and yeah it always felt like the Storm only won the comp when no one stepped up and stopped them. They could be beaten, and actually were fairly often, if you were aggressive enough and put them off their game. That’s what happened to us this finals series against Canberra and we’re lucky they suck enough for us to get the win.

I think the Warriors are a bit too good at punching you in the mouth with physicality and then refusing to release the pressure valve for long periods, and they’re basically a worse version of Penrith who do both things to you for the full 80. They are not going to hand you anything. You have to take it. And then you’ve got this Broncos team - I’m not sure I’ve ever seen more athleticism and X factor in one club level line-up, you’d have to go back to the 90’s Broncos or the Raiders teams of a similar era.

I mean, look, if you offered me a very classy and professional 18-6 record next season, I’d take it. But we’re not going to win a premiership in the next couple of seasons just by scrambling well and being clinical. Not against the teams mentioned above.

 

[Apey]

I was thinking exactly the same thing perverse. It’s not a 1:1 comparison, but the 2023 Knights over the winning run reminded me of a lot of the Cameron Smith Melbourne teams, professional and clinical, with that habit of bending but not breaking under pressure - they’d absorb heaps of pressure without conceding and then like clockwork, once the opponent made a mistake and they got their opportunity, they’d execute one of their set plays and score.

The Saifitis, to my eye, have never been better at playing their role within a system & they’ve never played smarter and more skilfully - they can both pass now, they might be the best front rowers in the comp at winning their front besides James Fisher-Harris, and to my eyes they’ve made fewer defensive errors than ever. But Dan in particular, though I think I saw a stat that he leads the comp in play the balls before a try is scored, has had games before where he’s come on for his second stint and absolutely changed a game and won it for us just by being the biggest alpha on the field. I don’t recall him doing it once this year.

Now it’s obviously not a bad thing to aspire to, being consistent and professional like the Storm. But the knock on them was always that they didn’t hit another gear come finals time, and yeah it always felt like the Storm only won the comp when no one stepped up and stopped them. They could be beaten, and actually were fairly often, if you were aggressive enough and put them off their game. That’s what happened to us this finals series against Canberra and we’re lucky they suck enough for us to get the win.

I think the Warriors are a bit too good at punching you in the mouth with physicality and then refusing to release the pressure valve for long periods, and they’re basically a worse version of Penrith who do both things to you for the full 80. They are not going to hand you anything. You have to take it. And then you’ve got this Broncos team - I’m not sure I’ve ever seen more athleticism and X factor in one club level line-up, you’d have to go back to the 90’s Broncos or the Raiders teams of a similar era.

I mean, look, if you offered me a very classy and professional 18-6 record next season, I’d take it. But we’re not going to win a premiership in the next couple of seasons just by scrambling well and being clinical. Not against the teams mentioned above.

100% right about the Storm. I saw them as the default premiers at their peak, if nobody stepped up, they were going to win. Not necessarily a knock either, they often had a very high standard throughout the year. 2016 probably the best example of a team stepping up and taking it to them - although they were basically a single pass away from winning that too.

But yeah re: us, we let many teams dominate us from the outset, not just the good ones. The difference is we could claw our way back into it against the bad ones. Absolutely shown up in the Warriors game and to a lesser extent the Raiders game.

 

[macavity]

Apparently Dragons chasing Brails and Dogs chasing DSaf.

We are crazy to let DSaf go. Brails on the other hand we have covered.

 

[Old dog]

Brailey on ability I would keep but the injuries say let him go, when you consider games played against salary he is very expensive.
DSaf is a keep especially if no other suitable available. We are short of quality middles, Safs and Thompson, with Hetherington and Croker not quite so he’s a keep