Rumoured Targets 3

[ryan.a87]

My understanding is he is asking way too much now he is a international rep player

one of the best things I’ve heard Peter O’Sullivan say is you don’t regret the players you miss out on or let you, you regret the players you sign that you shouldn’t have

 

[Burwood]

Happy not to pay overs for him, but it’s sad that we can’t keep players that are already at the club and that we very much want to resign. Watson and Young didn’t leave because they weren’t shown the love or we weren’t willing to pay their worth. Same thing is going to happen with Thompson.

 

[Yosh]

Meh. If he wants to go, let him go. Should have signed him up ages ago.

 

[TooheysNew]

You think we didn't try, Yosh?

Anyway, see ya mate.

 

[Rod]

We did try and this is well documented. If you're in Leo's position and your star is on the rise there isn't much motivation to sign before the Nov 1 date, which is super early anyway.

 

[Yosh]

You think we didn't try, Yosh?

Anyway, see ya mate.

We didn't obviously.

 

[Woody90]

We didn't obviously.

It was very well documented that we did but he wanted more money so wanted to wait and test the market Nov 1st. No issue with either party’s actions here.

 

[mozza91]

Not sure why paying overs for Young or Thompson is an indictment on the club. If anything it’s a sign that we’re doing the right thing by not paying too much for players that are chasing cash.

He’s a good player but we can’t afford to get in bidding wars over a good player. Because that’s all he is a good player. He might be a NZ Rep but he didn’t look like one at all in 2024. Giving him 800K a year to play well sometimes would be D Saf all over again.

 

[TooheysNew]

We didn't obviously.

Is this another Yosh fantasy land comment, or do you genuinely think we didn't?

 

[Yosh]

It was very well documented that we did but he wanted more money so wanted to wait and test the market Nov 1st. No issue with either party’s actions here.

We should have had him signed up pronto even before it became an issue. Don't think this sorta thing is gonna happen with POS here which is good.

 

[Rod]

We should have had him signed up pronto even before it became an issue. Don't think this sorta thing is gonna happen with POS here which is good.

Why stop there. We should have signed Moses pronto too I'm guessing?

 

[Woody90]

We should have had him signed up pronto even before it became an issue. Don't think this sorta thing is gonna happen with POS here which is good.

So you would have just given him whatever he wanted? Cool, that’s how we end up with contracts like DSaf.

 

[Woody90]

Not sure why paying overs for Young or Thompson is an indictment on the club. If anything it’s a sign that we’re doing the right thing by not paying too much for players that are chasing cash.

He’s a good player but we can’t afford to get in bidding wars over a good player. Because that’s all he is a good player. He might be a NZ Rep but he didn’t look like one at all in 2024. Giving him 800K a year to play well sometimes would be D Saf all over again.

We also need to put it into perspective that yes he’s a NZ rep but so is Crossland.

 

[Woody90]

I think it's less about who he is now and more about who he could develop into .

From all reports he is a massive student of the game and is very intelligent. Focuses on game management and not flashy plays and is also very mature for his age with a strong work ethic

My concern is that I’m not sure we’re the best club to help him reach that potential. We don’t have a good track record with halves other than the obvious. If he was an outside back or a second rower I’d be very confident we’d be able to support him to kick on but I’m not convinced we have the coaching structures to support a young half to reach their potential.

 

[perverse]

My concern is that I’m not sure we’re the best club to help him reach that potential.

We're not, but if we don't keep trying to be then we never will be either.

 

[Knight Tales]

Our greatest hope is the next generation of kids we have coming through. Pay them well. Early. And get them to believe this club will always be competitive and a hope. And be smart enough to see a mile up the road when a poacher is sniffing around. Are both Dom and Leo a case of us not acting fast enough or early enough. Perhaps?

Having said that it could also be a blessing in disguise. O’Sullivan missed target after target at the Dolphins and yet put together a baller team. At full strength with That pack they are going to be a real handful this season.

 

[perverse]

lol, I read an article this morning (too lazy to find the link sorry) that referred to Leo as the hottest off contract player in the game right now.

I think we've reached peak nonsense at this point. Leo is a good kind of guy to have in your squad. Defends well, pretty decent off the ball... runs hard, but it's generally pretty ineffective. Pretty average/poor work rate.

I can only assume that his management is paying media personalities to push this agenda. He's never going to be a Payne Haas or a Joe Tapine. Never. His ceiling is below that. I can't believe the bollocks being peddled by the media on this one. He's not a top prop in the game and I'm not at all convinced he will be. He's a pretty good player, that's it. Happy to keep him, happy to wave goodbye.

I'll also add to the above that his 2024 season was significantly worse than his 2023 season, and by the end of 2024 was playing pretty shit tbh.

 

[mozza91]

After his 2023 and form for NZ I thought he could have been a top front rower. Nothing in 2024 suggested it though.

 

[Yosh]

Should have upgraded and extended him in 2023. Should have never let it get to his last year.

Anyway, better to let him go then be stuck with another Hastings/DSaf like contract.