Rumoured targets thread

[RABK]

And Fa'aologo was certainly not rubbish before he left for the ESL. I recall him having a pretty good 2009 and he seemed to always perform well for NZ. Can't comment on his ESL stint, simply haven't seen any of it.

 

[Burwood]

Lol, how can anybody say that punching your coach is not a grub act? I'm just thinking back through the last 20 or so years of ARL/NRL in Australia and I'm struggling to think of any other occasions where this has happened to a first grade coach. Does that mean that Fa'aologo is the only player that hasn't liked or respected his coach? Whether Taylor was blind drunk and punched him in the gut first is pretty irrelevant to me.

 

[macavity]

Who wouldn't punch Jason Taylor?

 

[RABK]

Lol, how can anybody say that punching your coach is not a grub act? I'm just thinking back through the last 20 or so years of ARL/NRL in Australia and I'm struggling to think of any other occasions where this has happened to a first grade coach. Does that mean that Fa'aologo is the only player that hasn't liked or respected his coach? Whether Taylor was blind drunk and punched him in the gut first is pretty irrelevant to me.

I'd post a lengthy post about JT but your last line about him been able to punch Fa'aologo first and somehow not deserve reprisal speaks for itself. You're an idiot. Shutup. As politically correct as you might want to be in life, punching 110kg islanders in the gut isn't a good habit for your health and most normal people won't be surprised (regardless of your social standing, job, wealth etc) when you're laid out as a consequence.

 

[aqua_duck]

I'm hearing Justin Poore is a done deal

 

[Joker's Wild]

JW, this is the issue I have.

We all cry out for an enforcer, or a mongrel.

We sign one. Now we cry he isnt a saint, or at least his worst crime is used as an argument as to why he shouldnt be here.

We cant have enforcement angels. Doesnt work that way.

There is a fine line between being an "enforcer" and being a straight up liability and imo Fa'alongo crosses that line into the latter category.

Besides, good RL enforcers leave their mongrel on the field. When it starts spilling out into the off-field area then I think there is fair cause for concern.

I really hope he proves me wrong but Im not putting any hard earned on it

 

[Byron Knight]

I'm hearing Justin Poore is a done deal

More here and a bit on Mase

Knights chasing ex-NSW prop Poore



Steve Jancetic AAP Mon, Oct 08, 2012 - 3:16 PM





Wayne Bennett, who once told Justin Poore he wasn't worth the money he was getting paid, is set to throw the former NSW State of Origin prop an NRL lifeline.
Bennett's Newcastle outfit is believed to have a two-year deal on the table for the 27-year-old front-rower - who was unwanted by Parramatta after three injury-plagued seasons with the club.
It was during Bennett's reign at St George Illawarra that Poore played for NSW in 2009, before he took up a big-money offer from the the Eels which the Dragons failed to come close to rivalling.
It is claimed during those negotiations that Bennett told Poore's then-manager Todd Buckingham that the reason the Dragons were not willing to match other offers was because he was already being paid `overs'.
But with the Knights lacking depth up front behind Kade Snowden and Willie Mason, Bennett is keen on adding some extra muscle to his roster and only a last-ditch offer from abroad stands in the way of the pair reuniting.
"We're just talking to Newcastle and waiting for some final details and we've got to hear back from (Super League club) Wakefield tonight," Poore's manager Chris Haddad told AAP on Monday.
"It'll be one of those two clubs."
Knights recruitment manager Peter Mulholland admitted there was some interest from the club.
"We're talking with (Poore's) manager ... at this stage nothing's finalised," Mulholland said.
"Wayne just wants to assess where he's at and we'll have a talk about the offer as we go through."
The addition of Poore would represent the third member of the Dragons' 2009 pack to reunite with Bennett at the Knights following the recruitment of Jeremy Smith and Beau Scott.
Newcastle's forwards struggled to match it with their NRL rivals in 2012, Bennett's desperation evident in the mid-season signing of Mason.
Mulholland said he expected Mason to sign a two-year extension with the club within the next two weeks.
"It's getting towards the end of it," Mulholland said of negotiations.
"We've just about finalised it - it's not far off."



http://www.nrl.com/knights-chasing-ex-nsw-prop-poore/tabid/10874/newsid/70205/default.aspx

 

[Big Tim]

I'm hearing Justin Poore is a done deal

Good signing if it is.

JW, I will agree to disagree.

Kade Snowden won a game for us this season with his fists. Having more mongrel will hurt in some areas, and improve us in others. We have lacked it for seasons..... I will roll with the punches ;-)

 

[macavity]

Good signing if it is.

JW, I will agree to disagree.

Kade Snowden won a game for us this season with his fists. Having more mongrel will hurt in some areas, and improve us in others. We have lacked it for seasons..... I will roll with the punches ;-)

I really like this signing if we can pull it off.

 

[RHCP]

Poore will provide good value if he comes here imo. He played the best footy of his career under Bennett, and surely he'd be bargain basement price.

 

[Chicken_Hunter]

I guess it all depends on if he remains injury free.

If Poore can have a great off season under Bennett and not pick up anything, there is absolutely no reason why he can't regain the form that saw him play SOO.

 

[Newie is God's Country]

Wayne works in mysterious ways. I like how he makes a distinction between him not rating a player and them being paid too much. Snowden should be taking notes.

 

[EdLondon]

if we get poore i will be happy with our 2013 signings keeping in mind some big name players are off contract by 2014 and keeping some coin for then will be important

 

[Newie is God's Country]

Poore, Gagai, Smith, Scott, and Mase is exceptional recruiting if you consider all are either current or recent rep players, or in Gagai's case, a situtation where a rep jersey is just a matter of when.

 

[Silent Knight]

Looks like another Gagai will be on the way down to Newy soon...

Introducing the new Gagai to the world of rugby league

• 16th Oct 2012 6:00 AM

North Queensland rugby league legend Ray Gagai, centre, at Shark Park with his sons Jacob, left, and Dane, both of whom will be on the Knights pay roll soon.

Charlie Payne

RUGBY LEAGUE: Young Mackay rugby league player Jacob Gagai is about to get a brotherly introduction to the world of top-class football.
Gagai, 17, is close to signing a three-year contract with the Newcastle Knights, where his brother Dane has been playing in the NRL since June this year. The two brothers plan to share a house with Knights lock Alex McKinnon.
"I'll go down some time in November, I'm not sure of the exact date," the Souths U18 player said.
"I'm really excited about it.
"Having Dane there will be a big bonus.
"People think I'm going there just because Dane's there, but I'm going there to play my football and do my best.
"I'll be doing pre-season training with the under-20s and I'll do my best and hopefully it will all fall into place."
Dane, who is in Mackay for an off-season break after watching McKinnon play for the Junior Kangaroos at Townsville on Saturday night before the transTasman Test, said he was looking forward to house-sharing with his little brother.
"I'm going to love it having him down there, it's going to be good," he said. "We get on well, no problems at all."
The two are the sons of Ray Gagai, a former Brisbane Broncos player who in his day was one of the north's top players.
Jacob said he was looking forward to the experience of working his way through the grades with the Knights, where supercoach Wayne Bennett gave his brother a chance after he was sacked by the Broncos mid-season for missing training.
He plays five-eighth, the same position that his father played, while Dane can play at the fullback, centre or wing positions.
"They'll have six weeks of training before Christmas," Jacob said.
"I'll come back for Christmas and go back to Newcastle and they will start trial matches early in the year.
"They have not said anything about what team I'll be playing in but I'm going to train my heart out, play good football and see where it goes from there."

Source: http://www.cqnews.com.au/news/jacob-gagai-rugby-league-mackay-player/1583488/

 

[Johns Magic]

Great news, both in terms of his talent and keeping Dane at the club.

 

[Yosh]

So they are the new Gidley boys huh? Is the new one any good?

 

[Chicken_Hunter]

Interesting that dane is living with Mckinnon. I am wondering if this is a Wayne Bennett move, considering Mckinnon is a pretty mature guy for a 20 year old NRL player, and recently captained the U20's Australian team. Wouldn't suprise me at all Wayne orchestrated this to keep Dane in check, making sure he doesnt get too pissed and turns up to training on time.

 

[RHCP]

So they are the new Gidley boys huh? Is the new one any good?

There's an article talking him up in the Broncos forum, but I haven't heard anything else. He's still very young, plenty of 17 year old superstars have never made it in the NRL whilst plenty of not as naturally talented players have gone a long way, so we'll have to wait and see I suppose.

 

[Chicken_Hunter]

Fair enough, I guess I was reading too much into it.