Rumoured Targets 3

[The Axe of Druss]

Luai is an absolute top shelf half. They are very rare.

a spine of
Bula
Galvin
Luai
Api

Will win a decent whack of games.

The spine is good but their outside backs and forward pack suuuuuuuuucks and only look worse for 2025

 

[The Axe of Druss]

It’s a lot easier to just blatantly make up shit and attribute it to staff writers.

The article is literally reporting on what Rothfield said on NRL360

Its regurgitative rubbish

 

[macavity]

The spine is good but their outside backs and forward pack suuuuuuuuucks and only look worse for 2025

A good spine can get wins with average backs and forwards.

Good backs and forwards don’t win with a shit spine.

good halves are so rare I expect Luai to get them half a dozen wins on his own.

 

[Dr Dr Gimedanews]

A good spine can get wins with average backs and forwards.

Good backs and forwards don’t win with a shit spine.

good halves are so rare I expect Luai to get them half a dozen wins on his own.

yes and yes. I presume this will be the aim of the shake up- redirect money towards the critical spine positions.

Average salary+ spent on players younger on the up, developing, with more upside potential and not on pea hearted, average at best, half baked journeymen.

 

[aqua_duck]

I think so, but.......there must be 1 "expert" that advises or convinces the committee of the value/cap wise decision to employ PLAYER X - that's the dude that's got to go.

A lot of the time player values are a projection, there’d be someone who’s pretty informed about what other players are getting paid at other clubs and there’d be a determination the player were trying to sign is of similar quality. I think what people need to remember as well is most contracts are skewed in such a way where the highest paid years are at the backend of the contract so for example if D Saf is getting $850k next year that’s probably the peak yearly salary of that contract.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

In fairness to club management, hindsight is always 20:20 isn’t it. I can understand why a lot of these decisions were made in the first place. They only seem really stupid if they don’t work out…

Brailey was an excellent young hooker when we first signed him and was definitely on the up and up. It was re-signing him so early after his first knee injury which was the problem, we should have waited longer to see if he could push on and improve, but now after a second major knee injury he’s basically cooked. But there aren’t many quality 9s out there so I can sort of understand why they were eager to keep him in the first place.

Hastings was the right guy to come up at the right time tbh. There’s so few elite halves out there and whilst he’s not in that category he was certainly viewed as a good first grade quality halfback at the time and an on-field leader, and let’s face it, he definitely did what he was expected to do in his first year with us. But once again an injury has come along and now he’s not the same player.

DSaf was an Origin rep when he signed his most recent deal, and if we didn’t offer him a good deal and a number of years then another club most certainly would have. Then we’d all be jumping up and down about how we let a rep quality local junior leave the club. At the time of signing the deal he was looking like a top 3 front rower in he game and we couldn’t have predicted that his form would drop off the way it has.

It’s a shame that it’s gotten to where it has with these guys that they now need a tap on the shoulder but the reality is that the alternative options out there aren’t much better.

 

[aqua_duck]

The spine is good but their outside backs and forward pack suuuuuuuuucks and only look worse for 2025

I think what you need to take into consideration is the age of a lot of their players, Galvin, Latu Fainu, Da Silva, Laulilii are all teenagers, Bula, Pole, Samuela Fainu, Sione Fainu, Turuva, Faaatape and Matamua all in their early 20s so there should be alot of natural progression in that nucleus over the next few years. Whilst I don’t think they’ll be good for atleast 12-18 months I think the foundations are in place

 

[The Axe of Druss]

I think what you need to take into consideration is the age of a lot of their players, Galvin, Latu Fainu, Da Silva, Laulilii are all teenagers, Bula, Pole, Samuela Fainu, Sione Fainu, Turuva, Faaatape and Matamua all in their early 20s so there should be alot of natural progression in that nucleus over the next few years. Whilst I don’t think they’ll be good for atleast 12-18 months I think the foundations are in place

Yes they are young and could kick on to greater things, could.

However we've seen time and time again hot young prospects come through into grade and have a great 1st season then fail to back up in season 2 and disappear, especially at clubs with weak culture and inexperienced/poor coaching staff. Most of those guys you listed would be at huge risk of falling into that category given the Tigers environment

 

[Knight Tales]

Matt Arthur released by Parra to join us. By all accounts he is very close to Adam O’Brien as is Brad.

 

[macavity]

Matt Arthur released by Parra to join us. By all accounts he is very close to Adam O’Brien as is Brad.

Don’t really know him. Any worth to the signing?

 

[Burwood]

Jesus, a hooker- that’s going to throw a cat amongst the pigeons, and I don’t think it’s Phoenix who will be waiting for a tap on the shoulder…

 

[Knight Tales]

Don’t really know him. Any worth to the signing?

Eels did not want to release him but he was pissed about his father’s treatment by the club. It has not been made official yet I should add but the expectation is he will end up here.

 

[ryan.a87]

Is he any good?

 

[aqua_duck]

Yes they are young and could kick on to greater things, could.

However we've seen time and time again hot young prospects come through into grade and have a great 1st season then fail to back up in season 2 and disappear, especially at clubs with weak culture and inexperienced/poor coaching staff. Most of those guys you listed would be at huge risk of falling into that category given the Tigers environment

You’re 100% right but just in terms of building a roster from the ground up I think they’re doing an admirable job, ofcourse none of that will matter if they don’t turn around the culture.

 

[Woody90]

Matt Arthur released by Parra to join us. By all accounts he is very close to Adam O’Brien as is Brad.

Is he any good? I hope it’s not just nepotism.

 

[slotmachine]

Is he any good? I hope it’s not just nepotism.

He was the NSW U19s Origin hooker, so he must go OK.

 

[Yosh]

He is the tiny lad. Looks like he has a lot of ticker and skillful too. If true, great move by the club.

 

[Woody90]

He was the NSW U19s Origin hooker, so he must go OK.

I guess we need to ask though did he get picked in junior rep teams though because of his dad?

 

[aqua_duck]

I guess we need to ask though did he get picked in junior rep teams though because of his dad?

I doubt who his dad is has much determination on that level of junior reps, besides his dad was already out of the job by the team he got picked.
He’s 19 years old and has played NSW cup the whole year so at least he’s got that experience playing against men

 

[Old dog]

Surely he was picked on merit, at least would hope so. Haven’t seen him play but reports say he is good and trusting our new recruitment surely that is the case otherwise even if Brailey goes he must at least be considered better than Crosslands and Jones