Rumours and Stuff

[Hollywood Jesus]

I don't know if we were "holding a spot open" for Fritchard.

Didn't he have a second year in his favour and decided not to take it? If so, that was a decision made in the 2016/17 offseason so we had no choice but to wait and see if Fritchard was going to choose to take up that option or not.

So, we didn't hold a spot open for him. He decided to give us his spot back.

 

[parrathruandthru]

I don't know if we were "holding a spot open" for Fritchard.

Didn't he have a second year in his favour and decided not to take it? If so, that was a decision made in the 2016/17 offseason so we had no choice but to wait and see if Fritchard was going to choose to take up that option or not.

So, we didn't hold a spot open for him. He decided to give us his spot back.

No he was offered a minimum contract

 

[Glenneel]

What was so bad about it? He only ended up in our cap for one season and he was instrumental in providing leadership and changing our culture. If you only look at a player's on-field form of course you're not seeing the whole picture. It's the same for Frank Pritchard. Was Bellamy a dope for signing Nate Myles this year?

Fritchard not only provided leadership but he was a great backup for Edwards while he was suspended. Fritchard was also second in our team for post-contact metres per run.

The Roosters have just lost all their depth in one fell swoop. If they get injuries they are f**ked. Their 30 man squad includes 14 players who have played less than a season in the NRL.

Watmough was 32, injury prone, and offered 4 years for a broken down player on massive overs. Apparently everything ok about that.
Don't worry about a players form lets sign all those that provides leadership even tho they might not make the field.
The Roosters may be short of depth but are successful and have won a few more gfs than we have over the past 30 odd years. So who has the better strategy?

You can't build a gf winning team by going cheap. You buy quality where it matters, the spine and a few very good forwards, is where the majority of your money goes supported by good tradesmen.

Btw we should have around $1m left in cap, we put money aside for Semi apparently, so say $700k, plus say $200k for the 30th player, so enough to add a good player to the roster if one becomes available.

 

[Glenneel]

Compare our pack pre and post Watmough - did watmough help in achieving our improvement? Did he help with improving our culture ?

Don't forget coming into the 2015 season, our forwards were pretty inexperienced!!

I think most of the improvement was due to BA and not Watmough. Where was his supposed leadership when we were playing Cows and leading 30-6 (or something similar) a few years back? Guess who missed the tackle that started their comeback, Watmough. Where was his leadership in stemming the tide, it went MIA. This leadership is a myth imo.

 

[Glenneel]

Well BA has moved on or not re-signed the following after they played NRL under him:

Sandow
Lussick
Mossop
Paulo
Robinson
Tonga
Allgood
Hunt
Hoppa
Kelepi
Pauli
Sio
Morgan
Fariamo
Fui
Smith
Toutai
Falou
Nelson
Kelly

So in my opinion BA does move on players he doesn't think will help him win a GF!!

So what poor players has BA shown loyalty to?

I'll name just one player, Kelly. Enough said.

 

[parrathruandthru]

In BA's defence he didn't actually "sign" Watmough. At the time he didn't have anything to do with the contract negotiation, it was Anderson & Seward. BA would have said that he was a player that he needed but the length and amount of the contract would not have been his doing.

 

[Glenneel]

Ba made 2 bad signings. Foran which he wasnt to know his personal life was abput too explode and Watmough. But both ended fine for our club in hindsight.

He also signed

Gutherson,Brown,Jennings,Scott,Gower,Matagi,Smith,Vave,Moses, Auvau,Hoffman,Frank....

He found gems in Guth and Brown. Has had good value from Jennings and Scott. Picked up Moses for 200k less then worth.
Has also had value from the rest bar Frank. But he was injured.Cant blame the coach there. Frank helped while Terepo,KE and Vave where not ready early on.

The only guy who I was not big on was Hoffman. But at time we didnt have faith in Auvau being a first grader and Semi future was clouded. We also didnt have Moses who pushed Gutherson into the backline.

I am also excited about all 3 signings this season. All are capable of being bargain buys bar perhaps Evans who id imagine was offered on potential.

I only mentioned Watmough as it was a poor signing from the very start which I commented on at the time. I also criticised the signing of Scott but that has turned out ok, but I was and still am worried about the 3rd year as maybe 1 year too long. We'll see what happens this year. But generally BA has erred in signing old players on contracts that are too long imo.

 

[Gazzamatta]

I only mentioned Watmough as it was a poor signing from the very start which I commented on at the time. I also criticised the signing of Scott but that has turned out ok, but I was and still am worried about the 3rd year as maybe 1 year too long. We'll see what happens this year. But generally BA has erred in signing old players on contracts that are too long imo.

Michael Jennings?

 

[strider]

Theres been 3 players BA signed that i thought were not good signings

Moses, jennings, hayne

Moses and jennings were f**kin great last year .... lets hope it becomes a hatrick of BAs genius and my dumbness

 

[Incorrect]

Moses and jennings were f**kin great last year .... lets hope it becomes a hatrick of BAs genius and my dumbness

I'm backing you in for the hattrick... I believe in you..

 

[strider]

I'm backing you in for the hattrick... I believe in you..

Im the parraboy of team signings ... Foran, f**kin brilliant

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Watmough was 32, injury prone, and offered 4 years for a broken down player on massive overs.

You need to let go of the four year contract. Watmough was always going to get taken out by Beau Scott after the first year. Watmough was on our salary cap for a single year and heavily subsidised by Manly. That's the only fact that matters. It was a rort and one we got away with.

Apparently everything ok about that.
Don't worry about a players form lets sign all those that provides leadership even tho they might not make the field.
The Roosters may be short of depth but are successful and have won a few more gfs than we have over the past 30 odd years. So who has the better strategy?

You can't build a gf winning team by going cheap. You buy quality where it matters, the spine and a few very good forwards, is where the majority of your money goes supported by good tradesmen.

Btw we should have around $1m left in cap, we put money aside for Semi apparently, so say $700k, plus say $200k for the 30th player, so enough to add a good player to the roster if one becomes available.

Then we signed Hayne and Tony Williams.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

I think most of the improvement was due to BA and not Watmough. Where was his supposed leadership when we were playing Cows and leading 30-6 (or something similar) a few years back? Guess who missed the tackle that started their comeback, Watmough. Where was his leadership in stemming the tide, it went MIA. This leadership is a myth imo.

Do you even know what leadership means? It doesn't mean never missing a tackle, and it certainly doesn't mean single-handedly turning sub-par team mates into strong defenders every time you get onto the field with them.

 

[Gazzamatta]

Would Williams supply leadership? Always appears as the quiet type to me. Time in the game dosent necessarily convert into strong leadership.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

I'll name just one player, Kelly. Enough said.

Bellamy also used Kelly as a backup. In fact he wouldn't release him to us until after Origin because he needed him to cover Cronk.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Michael Jennings?

He's not even 30 yet. He is younger than this year's Origin centres Boyd and Hayne, and only a month older than Chambers.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Would Williams supply leadership? Always appears as the quiet type to me. Time in the game dosent necessarily convert into strong leadership.

He doesn't seem to be. He has a lot of experience though, but his main contribution will be playing talent. He still has great agility for his size, and only just turned 29 - he is younger than both starting QLD Origin second rowers. He just needs to overcome his knee injury.

 

[hindy111]

We would of used most our cash on Hayne.... I see us having perhaps 200-300k.
I also could see us moving Hoffman on who would be on around 300k. Id imagine we would have to cough up 50k but may add 250k.

Its not the worse idea holding onto 300k. Come mid season you may have an i jury and pick up a 600k player for 300k for the remainder of year. Not a bad strategy and a bit of a loop hole imo.

 

[hindy111]

I liked the Jennings signing. I also like the T rex , Evans and Hayne.

I was 50/50 on Scott was people say he was on a modest contract.

Liked Watmough if was for 3yrs but not 4yrs.

Foran at time a good signing considering 800k off cap and 400k tpas.

Hoffman I never cared for but he wouldn't of cost a bomb and done ok when played.

 

[hindy111]

We shpuld also judge guys BA let go and re signed and how they have turned out.

Peats,Jnr etc....