Rumoured Targets 3

[Mr_Knightside]

I’m still legit pissed that we didn’t go for him last time when he was leaving Souths and Pearce was rumoured to be leaving us.

 

[Loose Cannon]

I’m still legit pissed that we didn’t go for him last time when he was leaving Souths and Pearce was rumoured to be leaving us.

Another recruitment master stroke from inept admin.

 

[Woody90]

I’m still legit pissed that we didn’t go for him last time when he was leaving Souths and Pearce was rumoured to be leaving us.

Not to defend the club here, but Pearce deciding to leave really last minute really f**ked us over. I often wonder what who we could have gotten if Pearce gave us adequate warning.

 

[Loose Cannon]

Not to defend the club here, but Pearce deciding to leave really last minute really f**ked us over. I often wonder what who we could have gotten if Pearce gave us adequate warning.

But Pearce should never have been extended regardless. We were warned he was finished years prior.

 

[Woody90]

But Pearce should never have been extended regardless. We were warned he was finished years prior.

Pearce was still under contract for 2022.

Reynolds signed with the Broncos in May 2021.

Pearce didn’t ask for a release from us until October 2021.

Not sure what people expected the club to do there. We wouldn’t have had cap space to make a play for Reynolds (or anyone needing a decent pay packet) when we already had Pearce under contract for 2022 at the point he signed for the Broncos.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

Not to defend the club here, but Pearce deciding to leave really last minute really f**ked us over. I often wonder what who we could have gotten if Pearce gave us adequate warning.

I know his decision to leave was last minute but he looked pretty cooked the prior season and there were already rumours floating around so I feel like something proactive could have been done but the club sat on its hands and hoped for the best and instead… well we all know what that 2022 season was like…

 

[Woody90]

I know his decision to leave was last minute but he looked pretty cooked the prior season and there were already rumours floating around so I feel like something proactive could have been done but the club sat on its hands and hoped for the best and instead… well we all know what that 2022 season was like…

How he was playing wasn’t really the point though. Financially we couldn’t afford someone like Reynolds while Pearce was still under contract. It would have been nice if he’d done what DCE did and asked to get out early so we could have signed someone else, but that’s not what happened at all. From memory the club was left pretty in the dark while he negotiated elsewhere. I always liked Pearce but that left a sour taste in my mouth.

 

[Loose Cannon]

Pearce was still under contract for 2022.

Reynolds signed with the Broncos in May 2021.

Pearce didn’t ask for a release from us until October 2021.

Not sure what people expected the club to do there. We wouldn’t have had cap space to make a play for Reynolds (or anyone needing a decent pay packet) when we already had Pearce under contract for 2022 at the point he signed for the Broncos.

Pearce’s original deal was to expire at end of ‘21. He announced 2022 extension after his text message/wedding cancellation blew up in December ‘20.

If we don’t bite, Reynolds was on the market same time period.

 

[HarVeeGee]

We definitely wont do it, but if it were me I’d 100% have a crack. Reynolds is brilliant. He’s a better halfback than both DCE and Fogarty and I’m surprised no other clubs have made a play for him. Yes he’s injury prone and his defence is suspect, but still a huge step up on anything we have. He and Brown together would be incredible and if Sharpe is still seen as long term half it’s not like Reynolds would block his path for long.

Fogarty, yes. By miles.

DCE, no. No way.

 

[SamSepi0l]

We won't be chasing halfbacks. Right now the plan is Sharpe and Brown as halves. I don't know how much more clear that could be.

 

[HarVeeGee]

Giving the club shit for extending Pearce is the ultimate Captain Hindsight shit. Like leaving aside the fact that it's totally on Junior for blindsiding the club, stop pretending that it wasn't a massive, MASSIVE shock at the time that a guy who'd grown up in the shadows of Redfern Oval & whose name was as synonymous with the South Sydney Rabbitohs as Clive Churchill and Eric Simms would leave the club while he was still in his prime. Whatever you might say about Pearce, who I was never big on as a player personally, halfbacks as good as him are very rare and it's stupid to push them out the door for a "maybe". And that extension was as much about showing the club was still behind him, an attempt to maintain squad unity, as anything else.

If we respond to the bloke during the biggest crisis of his life with "ah, yeah that sucks. Anyway we want you to piss off when your current deal is up, dickhead," that likely torpedoes the 2021 season... Don't get on here and pretend that if we have a season as bad as 2022 in 2021, you would have been all "we're making the tough, smart decision for our future here!" about it. And then what if we fail to beat Brisbane to Reyno's signature (don't know if you've noticed, but the Broncos are a pretty big club - we likely would have had to blow them out of the water financially)? Then you same hindsight heroes are going on about how stupid the club was for taking the massive risk of getting rid of Pearce without a viable replacement in place...

 

[Mr_Knightside]

Giving the club shit for extending Pearce is the ultimate Captain Hindsight shit. Like leaving aside the fact that it's totally on Junior for blindsiding the club, stop pretending that it wasn't a massive, MASSIVE shock at the time that a guy who'd grown up in the shadows of Redfern Oval & whose name was as synonymous with the South Sydney Rabbitohs as Clive Churchill and Eric Simms would leave the club while he was still in his prime. Whatever you might say about Pearce, who I was never big on as a player personally, halfbacks as good as him are very rare and it's stupid to push them out the door for a "maybe". And that extension was as much about showing the club was still behind him, an attempt to maintain squad unity, as anything else.

If we respond to the bloke during the biggest crisis of his life with "ah, yeah that sucks. Anyway we want you to piss off when your current deal is up, dickhead," that likely torpedoes the 2021 season... Don't get on here and pretend that if we have a season as bad as 2022 in 2021, you would have been all "we're making the tough, smart decision for our future here!" about it. And then what if we fail to beat Brisbane to Reyno's signature (don't know if you've noticed, but the Broncos are a pretty big club - we likely would have had to blow them out of the water financially)? Then you same hindsight heroes are going on about how stupid the club was for taking the massive risk of getting rid of Pearce without a viable replacement in place...

I see your point here and perhaps I was being harsh on the club but I suppose I feel like we are ALWAYS behind the 8-ball as a club. We always seem to be scrounging around for table scraps rather than proactively making tough choices. Yes Pearce left us in the lurch big time but this club has had a habit of being the nice guys and getting burned as a result.

Look at what the Roosters did… Cronk came onto the market and they didn’t hesitate to sign him and push an almost 300 game stalwart out the door in the process. They then went on to win back to back premierships. Honestly whilst it was harsh on Pearce at the time, hindsight shows that they absolutely made the right call.

For me, I’m happy that we signed Dylan Brown. Say what you like about the contract but it’s good to see us go properly hunting for serious talent rather than sitting back all the time which we’ve been guilty of way too many times.

 

[HarVeeGee]

Yeah me too mate. Whatever anyone might say about Dylan, he's a top, top talent, on another level from any other spine player we have besides Kalyn talent wise.

Sorry if I came off a bit harsh myself. The Reynolds stuff is just something I've heard people say a lot. I get the frustration but honestly sometimes things are just rotten luck. Sticking by Pearce during what turned out to be probably the season with the most movement in the halves market in years. You can't predict that unfortunately.

For me the bigger failure/poor decision making is not bringing in the right young half to play with Pearce, then succeed him. Multiple young talented halves, to compete with each other, in fact. That honestly should have been what the club was looking to do as early as 2018, once it's clear Watson simply isn't an NRL five-eighth. They signed one guy they thought might fit the bill, at the end of 2020, in Clifford. One. Turned away Jamal Fogarty when he was gettable for the minimum salary (and I don't even like Fogarty, but gee, we pissed away a chance at 5 years of stability there, didn't we).

Re: The Reynolds thing specifically, if November 1 hits and the club knows they're a real shot at him - yes, go get him. $3 million/3 years. Worry about what Pearce thinks about it later. But the reality was that there was no reason to believe the opportunity was there. (As far as I'm aware, Reyno didn't even sit down with another club until he was certain Souths weren't going to make him the kind of offer he wanted)

 

[Old dog]

Rather stick with Sharpe for a year and develop him than get someone like Reynolds who is only likely ok for 1 year if he can stay on the field, age is catching up.

 

[SamSepi0l]

Also none of these halfbacks that we're never even going to try and get will do anything if we have the same group of middles.

 

[PhilGould]

Toohey's News

- Knights have the cap space and a roster spot to sign Dom Young and would “jump at the chance” to do so, but his manager says a release from the Roosters hasn’t even been discussed yet.

- Toohey says he’ll be surprised if Kai Pearce-Paul re-signs, but Parr says the rumoured midseason three-way swap involving Dylan Brown & Lachlan Galvin isn’t in the cards.

- Mat Croker likely to re-sign soon.

- From the Harold Matts team that plays in the grand final this weekend: the Storm are very keen on Cooper Votano (younger brother of Connor), and at least 1 other club is also believed to be chasing him. Star halfback Chase Butler (2-years) and backrower Curtis Mulheirin (4-years) have both signed new deals at the Knights.

 

[Loose Cannon]

Giving the club shit for extending Pearce is the ultimate Captain Hindsight shit. Like leaving aside the fact that it's totally on Junior for blindsiding the club, stop pretending that it wasn't a massive, MASSIVE shock at the time that a guy who'd grown up in the shadows of Redfern Oval & whose name was as synonymous with the South Sydney Rabbitohs as Clive Churchill and Eric Simms would leave the club while he was still in his prime. Whatever you might say about Pearce, who I was never big on as a player personally, halfbacks as good as him are very rare and it's stupid to push them out the door for a "maybe". And that extension was as much about showing the club was still behind him, an attempt to maintain squad unity, as anything else.

If we respond to the bloke during the biggest crisis of his life with "ah, yeah that sucks. Anyway we want you to piss off when your current deal is up, dickhead," that likely torpedoes the 2021 season... Don't get on here and pretend that if we have a season as bad as 2022 in 2021, you would have been all "we're making the tough, smart decision for our future here!" about it. And then what if we fail to beat Brisbane to Reyno's signature (don't know if you've noticed, but the Broncos are a pretty big club - we likely would have had to blow them out of the water financially)? Then you same hindsight heroes are going on about how stupid the club was for taking the massive risk of getting rid of Pearce without a viable replacement in place...

F**** off with your Captain Hindsight bullshit.

Maybe if you had bothered to join this forum back then, you would have seen plenty of people questioning Pearce’s ability to control a game. Was Reynolds ever on the radar, maybe not. Could we have outbid Brisbane, maybe not. But he did become available and we’d already shot our load on a guy who was absolutely outclassed during Blake Green’s 3 game stint, and who was apparently begging for us to sign Kieren Foran prior to that, because he couldn’t do what was needed.

Did we have a succession plan? Probably not. That shows how pathetic we have been in that regard. It should have been worked on day 1 of Pearce’s arrival.

 

[Knight Tales]

succession plans we would win the spoon every year for. Two talented English kids who we have done nothing with. Pryce basically lost 18 months of his career here.

Don’t give me the ESL is different BS. look at the kids Ricky brings out. Nicholson is an absolute gun. Smithies old school hardened. And we should have had proper crack at Morgan Knowles. He is hard As nails.

Ricky Stuart may be top three development coaches in the game now. He has proven the long game works. But also has the record at Raiders to back their faith in him.

 

[slotmachine]

the same group of middles.

I'd kill for the same group of middles in 2026 because at this point I think they're going a long way backwards.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

Whilst the middles are definitely a concern there’s a lot of water to flow under the bridge before we get to 2026 and there’s more decent middles available than halves. So I’m at least pleased that we got a quality half for next year and we’ve got time to shake some trees and get a couple of decent middles too.