Rumours and Stuff

[hineyrulz]

I still believe Moses is a running 6, he’s been at his best when all he does is run first. When he was handed the key’s to the team we looked dreadful.


Can’t see how Austin would be an option, he’s barely a 6 at all.

 

[Joshuatheeel]

Paul Kent reckons we are after Marty Taupau:

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/pa...s/news-story/cfa649c8b06b5829ee8b4bb7c08caa62

“
Why are the Eels hardly mentioned in the market for forwards when top rated players such as Graham, Woods, Pengai & Sua are mentioned talking to other clubs and couldn't blind freddy see they need a class dummy half and someone like Farah or Segeyaro would have plugged a hole given they are 2nd stringers where they are currently?RD

-Ray Duncan
They're chasing Taupau. But that's a secret”

“
What do you think is Parra's biggest weakness and who in the market can they sign to fix it?

-Ryan
Forwards all look and play the same. Trouble in the halves. Taupau will change it a bit. ”

“
Hey Kenty - Any news on Marty Taupau? is he still most likely to go to the Chooks?

-Alex
There or Parramatta ”

The second parts are the responses from
kent

 

[strider]

Well we all think kent has no clue ... so clearly no chance

 

[Gronk]

Ask twitter and Taupau is literally going to every NRL club.

https://mobile.twitter.com/search?q=Marty taupau&src=typed_query&f=live

 

[emjaycee]

If we were to add Taupou to our planned 2019 pack, it would re-invent our forward pack IMHO.
Moreso if Evans comes good.

8. Alvaro
9. Mahoney/Kritchard
10. Paulo
11. Ma'u
12. Moeroa
13. Brown

14. Evans
15. Taupou
16. Williams/Niukore
17. Mannah

18. Niukore/Williams
19. Gower
20. Oregon Kaufusi
21. Takairangi
22. Terepo
23. Stone
24. Kritchard/Mahoney
25. TBA

Need to also make some changes in the backs but assuming Norman is released, Hayne isn't re-signed and Mennings moves on.

1. French
2. Gennings
3. Salmon/Gutho
4. Akaufalou
5. Koroibete
6. Gutho/Salmon
7. Moses

26. GL
27. Smith
28. Hoffman
29. Kirisome
30. TBA

 

[Happy MEel]

If we were to add Taupou to our planned 2019 pack, it would re-invent our forward pack IMHO.
Moreso if Evans comes good.

8. Alvaro
9. Mahoney/Kritchard
10. Paulo
11. Ma'u
12. Moeroa
13. Brown

14. Evans
15. Taupou
16. Williams/Niukore
17. Mannah

18. Niukore/Williams
19. Gower
20. Oregon Kaufusi
21. Takairangi
22. Terepo
23. Stone
24. Kritchard/Mahoney
25. TBA

Need to also make some changes in the backs but assuming Hayne isn't re-signed and Mennings moves on.

1. French
2. Gennings
3. Salmon/Gutho
4. Akaufalou
5. Koroibete
6. Gutho/Salmon
7. Moses

26. GL
27. Smith
28. Hoffman
29. Kirisome
30. TBA

That’s a strong forward pack but a pretty ordinary (and inexperienced) backline. I’d rather try to shop French around and resign Hayne (may need to also shop Taka around and bring a younger edge player into the top 30 to cover any shortfall in cap space)

 

[emjaycee]

That’s a strong forward pack but a pretty ordinary (and inexperienced) backline. I’d rather try to shop French around and resign Hayne (may need to also shop Taka around and bring a younger edge player into the top 30 to cover any shortfall in cap space)

Agree about the back-line lacking experience. I would still be hunting high and low for another winger with 3-5 yrs FG experience and be happy to let Gennings go.

Easier to keep Taka (he is contracted) and maybe replace Terepo/Stone/Gower with another edge player.

 

[Joshuatheeel]

Agree about the back-line lacking experience. I would still be hunting high and low for another winger with 3-5 yrs FG experience and be happy to let Gennings go.

Easier to keep Taka (he is contracted) and maybe replace Terepo/Stone/Gower with another edge player.

I reckon Gennings is worth keeping, yeah he did have a shocker against Souths but he is still a rookie with less then 20 games and Souths have been in great form.

He is pretty solid as a winger, makes good metres, good under the high ball, can score, has decent speed. Plus has improvement in him.

Will never be a superstar but is probably the “cheap” winger every club needs.

On peni / Gower, we cant really replace with a edge player, as with Matagi and Vave also off contract, we really need to either re-sign them (I wouId only re-sign peni) or replace with new middle players, or we will have some serious depth issues in the squad at prop.

 

[Glenneel]

So if Klemmer’s manager puts it out there, his client is willing to leave for offers of $1 million, BA should consider it?

If mansour was willing to come for $750k, should we consider it?

If cook’s manager said he is ours for $800k, should we consider it?

Those 3 players are all the type of players that wouId make our side better, and those amounts are potentially their market value.

However signing them wouId also stuff our cap up big time and probably cost us a whole bunch of promising juniors. So considerations do need to be make with how our cap is affected.

You'd have to assess every player on his merits and the price being asked. $1m for Klemmer is too much but if Dogs willing to throw in $400k each year of his existing contract then he becomes good value. But are we proactive enough to do something smart like that? Even swapping a player for another, Mennings would be good to get rid of in a player swap. On too much money for what he offers but as usual we got screwed by him. Option in his favour and not clubs and probably no way to reduce his pay from the reported $700k.

I can see why Austin might fit into our side. His issue isn't that he can't tackle, it's that he makes poor decisions and lacks lateral movement. But in attack he can at least dig in when there's nothing on without giving up a slow play-the-ball. And he's not always demanding the ball at first receiver, allowing Moses to own the team. Finally, he has a long kicking game, unlike Gutherson. So he can take pressure off Moses.

Austin isn't as good a player as Norman, but he would also be cheaper and possibly fit better with Moses. The biggest issue is which of Moses/Austin would have to defend (and/or kick) on his less preferred side.

Shit, what's wrong with me, I agree with nearly everything you mentioned. Putting two renowned poor tacklers together is not a good fit for a poor defensive team. And that is BAs biggest problem, he improved our defence when he first came in from diabolical to passable and we've not improved.

 

[TheRam]

If the Taupou rumour is true, I think we would be paying more then we have to. By all accounts he is Manly's second highest paid player on around 900k. Now if we do nab him over the likes of the Chooks, you can almost guarantee that we would be paying at least 700k of that to be able to out bid them.

If these figures are true, then I think we have stuffed up again, when there is a player like Arron Woods available that we could get right now for no more then 600k at the most. Cronulla by all accounts are low balling the Doggies to the tune of around 450k and that is why the sale has stalled at present.

I would imagine that if a club like Parra could come in with a figure of around 500-550k that would be enough to pick up a player of immense quality and talent for 3.5 years at the best value any club would have of that calibre player.

We are the only club it seems that will be picking up a player if we do in fact sign Taupou, at a non sale price price. But hey, what would I know?

Also I still think we should be targeting Lodge. I think he too would be of immense value for money at around, 500-600k and he is a future rep player for sure. But hey, lets get into a bidding war with the Chooks who have got the best TPA's in Sydney, while we apparently have NONE. That sounds about right and what to expect from Parra.

 

[emjaycee]

I reckon Gennings is worth keeping, yeah he did have a shocker against Souths but he is still a rookie with less then 20 games and Souths have been in great form.

He is pretty solid as a winger, makes good metres, good under the high ball, can score, has decent speed. Plus has improvement in him.

Will never be a superstar but is probably the “cheap” winger every club needs.

On peni / Gower, we cant really replace with a edge player, as with Matagi and Vave also off contract, we really need to either re-sign them (I wouId only re-sign peni) or replace with new middle players, or we will have some serious depth issues in the squad at prop.

From a quick perusal, most clubs put 18 forwards in their top 30. Assuming 2 hookers they need 16 other forwards.

Say 8 middle and 8 edge, or better yet 9 middle and 7 edge.

Mannah
Alvaro
Paulo
Brown
Evans
Stone
Taupou
Kaufusi
And one of Terepo/Gower

Also have Moeroa capable of playing in the middle.

7 edge players
Manu
Moeroa
Williams
Niukore
Taka
TBA
Replacement of Terepo / Gower

 

[TheRam]

1st para - yes you can only sign them one at a time but relying on that principle is the kind of narrow minded, short term fix view that means you sign Justin Poore. Looking further ahead and planning and budgeting is how you generate success.

2nd para - supply and demand. Simply look at Paulo and Boyd. Do you think they’d find it easier or harder to get their new deals if they were off contract at the same time as the likes of RCG, NAS and the Burgii?

3rd para - half agree in that you want to plan out all your targets. It’s kind of like fantasy football. You start with the team you have then you plan the team you want within realistic salary terms then you map out when your players come off contract, figuring out how you can get closer to your ideal. Maybe you sign Josh Hoffman say with a plan to sign Josh Mansour (hypothetically. I know their contracts didn’t line up) or perhaps with a view that Louganis or Aukafolau could ably replace him cheaper, allowing to look at signing NAS to boost your pack. My point there are way more moving parts than simply signing a good player because he’s available

Just because Justine Poore was a dud, doesn't mean that we should not have tried to sign a quality front rower. What the hell sort of logic is that? Like I said, you sign the best you can as soon as you can, and yes of course with mindfulness of the salary cap. That is always a given when we discuss signings ffs.

Again, you seem to think that all the players that are coming off contract at the end of 2019, will stay that way for the likes of teams like us to just pick them off. Reality check, many of them won't be so it won't be much different then right now, with maybe now being even a better time to buy players due to the 2 clubs that have fire sales going on. Look at what has happened with NAS in your example by the way.

The problem with you and guys like Pou is that you all live for what MIGHT happen in the future and then dole out excuses when we fail, when there are almost always opportunities in the right now. And please don't embarrass yourself by suggesting that we need to have a long term plan and have an eye towards the future. Again that is always a given.

Please think before you write.

 

[84 Baby]

Just because Justine Poore was a dud, doesn't mean that we should not have tried to sign a quality front rower. What the hell sort of logic is that? Like I said, you sign the best you can as soon as you can, and yes of course with mindfulness of the salary cap. That is always a given when we discuss signings ffs.

We sign Poore because we "need" a top line prop and he was among best available for 2010. He goes shit from the get go. Whereas the very next season the following props become available AND change clubs - Hannant, Tolman, Eastwood, Jaiman Lowe, Tariq Sims, Gurgess, David Gower from 2011 onwards all had better careers than Poore

Again, you seem to think that all the players that are coming off contract at the end of 2019, will stay that way for the likes of teams like us to just pick them off. Reality check, many of them won't be so it won't be much different then right now, with maybe now being even a better time to buy players due to the 2 clubs that have fire sales going on. Look at what has happened with NAS in your example by the way.

You are locking yourself into a sub standard signing when as you say the overall numbers situation might be similar, except the overall quality of player is much higher. You reckon Roosters, Brisbane, et al jump into buying the "best available" without looking forward to who they might be missing out on? It's all a cost/benefit risk analysis on every signing

The problem with you and guys like Pou is that you all live for what MIGHT happen in the future and then dole out excuses when we fail, when there are almost always opportunities in the right now. And please don't embarrass yourself by suggesting that we need to have a long term plan and have an eye towards the future. Again that is always a given.

Please think before you write.

I'm saying the right player at the right place at the right time and adjust for changing circumstances. You're the one blowing your load because Matt Lodge is still available and how we should be throwing money at him.

Please at least clean up before you write.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

But hey, what would I know?

It's a fair point.

What we do know is that the club has a recent history of signing players contracted to other clubs so they would be aware of the current possibilities. I believe one of the board members is an accountant too, so they are probably also able to compare two numbers and see which one is lower.

 

[84 Baby]

It's a fair point.

What we do know is that the club has a recent history of signing players contracted to other clubs so they would be aware of the current possibilities. I believe one of the board members is an accountant too, so they are probably also able to compare two numbers and see which one is lower.

Yeah but do they know how to ignore legally binding contracts?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

The problem with you and guys like Pou is that you all live for what MIGHT happen in the future

That's because there are no certainties. You can only try to stack the odds in your favour, and don't pin your hopes on any given player signing or re-signing with your club.

 

[Twizzle]

Poore was sort of like Matt Prior, looked good with decent players around him in rep footy, came to the Eels and was shit, much like Prior would be if he came here.

 

[Bazal]

Lol I can't believe people still want Matt f**king Lodge....

 

[84 Baby]

Lol I can't believe people still want Matt f**king Lodge....

There's no doubt he's a decent player. But he definitely has the capacity to go right off the f**king rails and kill your team. Literally

 

[TheRam]

We sign Poore because we "need" a top line prop and he was among best available for 2010. He goes shit from the get go. Whereas the very next season the following props become available AND change clubs - Hannant, Tolman, Eastwood, Jaiman Lowe, Tariq Sims, Gurgess, David Gower from 2011 onwards all had better careers than Poore


You are locking yourself into a sub standard signing when as you say the overall numbers situation might be similar, except the overall quality of player is much higher. You reckon Roosters, Brisbane, et al jump into buying the "best available" without looking forward to who they might be missing out on? It's all a cost/benefit risk analysis on every signing


I'm saying the right player at the right place at the right time and adjust for changing circumstances. You're the one blowing your load because Matt Lodge is still available and how we should be throwing money at him.

Please at least clean up before you write.

This is a ridiculous argument. For starters all those players bar Burgess were arguably lesser quality players when we signed Poore. And I don't remember to many people here bemoaning his signing at the time, in fact the complete opposite, most were stoked at the signing.

Secondly the quality of the players that are on the market thus far are excellent overall at the moment. We just need to get into it and get more of what is out there.

And lastly, yes the market is ever changing, so therefore you make hay while the sun-shines, sunshine. Just as you say it could be better, it can go bad too.

So maybe you should wipe Pou's jizz from the corners of you mouth before you write. Your welcome.