Rumoured Targets 3

[aqua_duck]

The reality is that keeping them will start to hold back talents like Hopwood sooner rather than later. Tyrone Thompson will be looking for game time eventually, too. Next year it might feel a little bit skinnier with middles, but by 2026 we won't remember Brodie Jones and Mat Croker.

My hope is that instead of keeping below-average squad fillers around, we're bringing through young talent playing above their pay grade/providing roster options into the future.

What is the actual situation with Tyrone Thompson anyway?
Next year if we have an injury or two and we have to play Sebastian Sua and Tom Cant for 20 minute stints off the bench at some point during the season I don’t think we’ll be sitting back afterwards and saying “oh if we had Brodie Jones in there we wouldn’t have lost that game”
I made the comment after the Brookvale game that there was a very clear difference in athleticism and physical ability between us and Manly, did seemed to have all the big, tall, athletic guys and we had all the little fellas who tried hard, I think looking at the squad atm we’ll definitely be a more physically talented squad if nothing else

 

[Burwood]

Thompson is on a development deal. I could understand that, but it seems that all of our new signings are in the top 30, even the young guy from the QLD Reds.

 

[Knight Tales]

The Bulldogs are the team which are proving that the game is more mobile than ever. You can have big powerful players in Your side, but if a physically smaller and far more mobile side can number up, slow the ruck and reset their line like a clock, then they are going to wear you down. For whatever reason the Doggies got stage fright in the last month. But it will improve them for next year.

 

[aqua_duck]

The Bulldogs are the team which are proving that the game is more mobile than ever. You can have big powerful players in Your side, but if a physically smaller and far more mobile side can number up, slow the ruck and reset their line like a clock, then they are going to wear you down. For whatever reason the Doggies got stage fright in the last month. But it will improve them for next year.

Mobility definitely helps but guys like Paseka, Lodge and Olaakauatu ran rough shot over them in both round 26 and last week, Olaakauatu and Lodge had about 20 tackle breaks between them last week.
I think guys like Lucas and Cant can be that point of difference in terms of mobility, everyone knows what Lucas can do and Cant I think can be a really handy bench middle similar to Kurtis Morrin at the dogs, quick, low to the ground and fast PTB.

 

[Yosh]

Let's say there are 9 forwards in the 17 on match day. We would want like 2 or 3 of them to be big hoppers. Who are the big boppers in our side at the moment?? JSaf and KPP? Is that it.

 

[HarVeeGee]

The Bulldogs are the team which are proving that the game is more mobile than ever. You can have big powerful players in Your side, but if a physically smaller and far more mobile side can number up, slow the ruck and reset their line like a clock, then they are going to wear you down. For whatever reason the Doggies got stage fright in the last month. But it will improve them for next year.

… but they can’t seriously compete with the best sides because they don’t have enough muscle.

Powerful but immobile middles are a massive liability now, but Penrith aren’t so dominant just because their forwards move well, it’s because they move well *and* they hit like a truck. Particularly Fisher-Harris and Leota. Big & powerful but slow and immobile props being gradually phased out of the game doesn’t mean that being powerful doesn’t still matter.

I really like Croker and Brodie, but Crokes in particular I don’t think will ever be more than a good bench middle (who can get some pretty easy metres with his late footwork, but he doesn’t look to me like he‘s much more than a very hard worker defensively). Brodie’s a bit more of a physical presence but even then the gap between what he is now and his physical prime and what some of our young guys may become is enormous.

Leo has Moses Leota-type potential (and there may be two of him!) and Cody Hopwood has the potential to be an Isaah Yeo or Pat Carrigan level lock forward. Then you got Su’a who’s harder to project but I think at least looks like one of those guys who may become a real enforcer type, McEwen and now Manulelua who are edge forwards now but with their size at their age may evolve into tearaway running middles like Leniu. I think you have to prioritise potential game breakers like these over reliable toilers like Crokes. At the end of the day, at Penrith, once they’d identified and prioritised their real match winners, it hasn’t exactly been hard for them to find cheap & reliable workhorses like Matt Eisenhuth to fill the gaps in their roster.

 

[aqua_duck]

… but they can’t seriously compete with the best sides because they don’t have enough muscle.

Powerful but immobile middles are a massive liability now, but Penrith aren’t so dominant just because their forwards move well, it’s because they move well *and* they hit like a truck. Particularly Fisher-Harris and Leota. Big & powerful but slow and immobile props being gradually phased out of the game doesn’t mean that being powerful doesn’t still matter.

I really like Croker and Brodie, but Crokes in particular I don’t think will ever be more than a good bench middle (who can get some pretty easy metres with his late footwork, but he doesn’t look to me like he‘s much more than a very hard worker defensively). Brodie’s a bit more of a physical presence but even then the gap between what he is now and his physical prime and what some of our young guys may become is enormous.

Leo has Moses Leota-type potential (and there may be two of him!) and Cody Hopwood has the potential to be an Isaah Yeo or Pat Carrigan level lock forward. Then you got Su’a who’s harder to project but I think at least looks like one of those guys who may become a real enforcer type, McEwen and now Manulelua who are edge forwards now but with their size at their age may evolve into tearaway running middles like Leniu. I think you have to prioritise potential game breakers like these over reliable toilers like Crokes. At the end of the day, at Penrith, once they’d identified and prioritised their real match winners, it hasn’t exactly been hard for them to find cheap & reliable workhorses like Matt Eisenhuth to fill the gaps in their roster.

Sua reminds me abit of Xavier Willison from the broncos, very similar physique and I think once Sua fills out he’ll be around that 115kg mark. Manulelua I think given his rangy build and ball playing ability will stay an edge but McEwen I agree will end up a tear away middle with footwork. Hopwood is a guy who I think can become a big front rower but is better served as you said as a Patrick Carrigan style middle.

 

[aqua_duck]

Let's say there are 9 forwards in the 17 on match day. We would want like 2 or 3 of them to be big hoppers. Who are the big boppers in our side at the moment?? JSaf and KPP? Is that it.

At the moment yes which I think is a reason why we need to recruit as opposed to just checking Jones and Croker around.

 

[Frederick]

Sua reminds me abit of Xavier Willison from the broncos, very similar physique and I think once Sua fills out he’ll be around that 115kg mark. Manulelua I think given his rangy build and ball playing ability will stay an edge but McEwen I agree will end up a tear away middle with footwork. Hopwood is a guy who I think can become a big front rower but is better served as you said as a Patrick Carrigan style middle.

Speaking of Willison, I'm pretty sure he's free to negotiate from 1st Nov. Wonder if his cousin could sway him to sign with us

 

[ryan.a87]

Trindall apparently hitting the open market come November 1

I haven’t watched many sharks games this year, is he a one hit wonder in that game vs cowboys?

or is he actually pretty good?

 

[Woody90]

Trindall apparently hitting the open market come November 1

I haven’t watched many sharks games this year, is he a one hit wonder in that game vs cowboys?

or is he actually pretty good?

Even before the Sharks game when we were talking Hynes and Atkinson I said if we were to target a Sharks half my preference would be Trindall. He’s not a marquee half by any means but a good player and more of a 7 than a 6.

I’m also warming up to the idea of Pezet. Reading the Storm forum all the posters don’t want him to leave which is always a good sign. Trindall would make more of an immediate improvement on the side where Pezet has a higher ceiling. Depends what we want really. With KP entering his prime I’d be leaning more to Trindall but I reckon we’ll go after Pezet.

Im hoping with all the noise re Walker clubs will try and outbid each other for him and we might be able to quietly pick up someone else. I’m actually pretty confident we’ll sign someone and not ruin the cap to do so with POS in charge.

 

[aqua_duck]

The other halfback I would look at is Thomas Duffy from the cowboys, 21 year old former Australian schoolboy and qld under 19 rep.
Was named halfback in Qld cup team of the year and lead the Qld cup in points, line break assists and try assists. Gus went hard to try sign him last year but he stuck with the cowboys hoping to be Townsend’s successor but he’s now stuck behind Clifford and they have a boom teenager in waiting in the wings in Jaxson Purdue.

 

[Old dog]

If he is stuck behind Clifford do we really want him

 

[slotmachine]

There was some kid stuck behind Lachlan Coote at the Cowboys who turned out OK.

 

[Knight Tales]

Trindall would need to outplay Nathan this weekend before we should even entertain it. Media are hyping him up to back their endless sledging of Nicho. A bully boy tactic which News Ltd specialise in.

 

[perverse]

The thing that worries me about Trindall is that he's been in and around first grade for what... 4 odd years now, and is just now catching people's attention. Hasn't played close to a full season of first grade in his entire career thus far.

I'm surprised people are queuing up to throw big money at this guy on a small purple patch of form. Is his management behind most of the media hype?

I'd be very, very wary if I was looking to sign him. Doesn't have the runs on the board to trust with a cap-altering contract for mine.

In the current market I think it's wiser to either go all-in for Walker or try to fly under the radar with Pezet (over Trindall anyway).

 

[Woody90]

Trindall would need to outplay Nathan this weekend before we should even entertain it. Media are hyping him up to back their endless sledging of Nicho. A bully boy tactic which News Ltd specialise in.

I don’t think not being able to out play Nathan Cleary in that Penrith system is a fair way to rate a player.

 

[Woody90]

The thing that worries me about Trindall is that he's been in and around first grade for what... 4 odd years now, and is just now catching people's attention. Hasn't played close to a full season of first grade in his entire career thus far.

I'm surprised people are queuing up to throw big money at this guy on a small purple patch of form. Is his management behind most of the media hype?

I'd be very, very wary if I was looking to sign him. Doesn't have the runs on the board to trust with a cap-altering contract for mine.

In the current market I think it's wiser to either go all-in for Walker or try to fly under the radar with Pezet (over Trindall anyway).

The thing is none of the available options are going to be guaranteed successes. Even Walker who would be the safest bet to be a success has been dropped in and out of FG recently and a lot of Roosters fans don’t rate him and think 1 million is overs - this despite the fact that he’s playing in the most expensive roster in the competition.

This is why I’m happy to have POS on board - given his recent comments I think it’s unlikely he’ll throw a cap altering contract at any of the available halves unless he thinks they’d be successful in our system.

Tbh I think all the talk of Walker and Trindall is futile as I’m 99% sure we’ll make Pezet our target. They decided that long ago. We just can’t expect any immediate success with him.

 

[aqua_duck]

If he is stuck behind Clifford do we really want him

Clifford has a lot more first grade experience and has played with a lot of the current squad. Clifford also isn’t as bad as you’re insinuating, he’s just not someone who can be a dominant half as we were expecting of him

 

[Knight Tales]

I don’t think not being able to out play Nathan Cleary in that Penrith system is a fair way to rate a player.

If he wants the money they are talking I think it more than fair he goes close to matching him. But we all know the NRL half market is driven up by the lack of availability or Lack Of perceived depth. I think Nicho has a big game this weekend and the Trindall chat dies down fast. Panthers will win but it would be great if they can have a dig. Sharkies can be very physical when they are on. They need to play to that.