Rumours and Stuff

[TheRam]

The Dragons had one season of winning more than half their games and now they’re the example of a successful club? Get f**ked. We had two such seasons in ‘16-‘17 but now we had one bad season we’ve suddenly got the worst squad in the NRL?

The lack of TPAs doesn’t mean we can’t have good seasons (look at 2017). But it does mean that unless we want to run ninth every year we need to take risks like back-ending contracts and signing players with discipline/attitude/injury concerns. It means we will have good and bad years, just like the Dragons.

Well we did this year.

 

[Happy MEel]

Corporates aren’t going to waste money sponsoring a player unless it’s someone like Billy Slater and in that case it would be a legitimate TPA that doesn’t influence his choice of clubs.

If corporates are going to spend money on rugby league it’ll be club sponsorship.

Uncle Nick’s mates say hi.

 

[Happy MEel]

After we signed Paulo and Ferguson he should’ve twigged that we might not have the money he was after.

...and at the same time we should have told the players we have been trying to get rid of that they should look elsewhere for a contract and play them in reserve grade. The way it played out in the media, we started shopping players like French, Jennings, Moses, Taka??? far too late. Even MJC alluded to the fact that we had only told these players they wouldn’t be extended past this year a few weeks ago. Most rosters are pretty much full at this stage so we needed to be more persuasive far earlier.

 

[84 Baby]

I was replying to Gronk who said Fergo and Sivo were the replacements for Hayne and Semi.

Kenny definitely had his issues but he was still a quality player on the field. Lane is a decent player but not in the same class on the field. All things considered though, I can see where you are coming from.

However, there is absolutely no debate that Davey is a downgrade on Scott (if only defensively).

Davey isn't replacing Scott though. He'll be on like an 8th of the cost to start with. Scott's replacement is Niukore (and to a lesser extent Paulo's contract). Niukore's replacement is Davey and/or Stone.
On top of which realistically Scott's replacement was Brown in 2017.

 

[Happy MEel]

Davey isn't replacing Scott though. He'll be on like an 8th of the cost to start with. Scott's replacement is Niukore (and to a lesser extent Paulo's contract). Niukore's replacement is Davey and/or Stone.
On top of which realistically Scott's replacement was Brown in 2017.

Fair call, I forgot about Niukore. Was he not top 30 last year until Scott left?

 

[Noise]

Niukore is pretty average. He didn't make 1 line break in first grade this year. And in his 14 games only had 9 tackle busts. Pretty poor for an edge player

 

[hineyrulz]

Mate, chill, someone take a dump in your fruit loops this morning? It's summer and the off season. You should be to chilled to be going off like a suicide bomber in the morning. Our teams fortunes and some autonomous internet fellow opinions should not be causing all that much anger and vitriol.

You're above that mate.

Wouldnt worry about Gutful Rammy, Ballistic Brewery ran out of his favourite wanky craft beers and he had to settle for Milton Mangoes.

 

[Joshuatheeel]

Niukore is pretty average. He didn't make 1 line break in first grade this year. And in his 14 games only had 9 tackle busts. Pretty poor for an edge player

Was that because of our poor attack? Poor options from our halves?

He was fairly strong running the ball ( 8 runs for 72m) and defensive fairly good on the edge (defending at 96%)

Anyhow compared to other “premier” edge forward, Cordner only averaged 0.1 line breaks / 2 TB this year and Proctor only averaged 0.2 line breaks and 1.3 tackle breaks, Frizell only averaged 0.2 line breaks/2.3 TB.

So it seems line breaks don’t come that easy for edge forwards. And he isn’t that far behind in TB considering it’s his first year and how we performed this year.

Yes agree he is far from elite, but he did ok in his first year and with some natural improvement over the next 2-3 years could become a very good player.

And it appears he has the ability to break tackles as shown in his last 5 nsw cup games (he made 3,4,1, 7,1 tackle breaks in his last 5 games)

 

[84 Baby]

Fair call, I forgot about Niukore. Was he not top 30 last year until Scott left?

I think he was. I could never find anything of Scott, or Edwards for that matter, actually being replaced in the top 30. Evidence of that is Mahoney still being development & requiring permission last year for Kaufusi. I believe it was another case of the NRL making the rules on the run, because the rules I read are that you have to have 30 players by 30 June and we released Edwards in May & I don't think anyone got upgraded? But yeah I don't think Scott really needed replacing, because he already had been and his output wasn't great. The only factor would have been non-game benefits, but he obviously was ineffective there last year as well.

Niukore is pretty average. He didn't make 1 line break in first grade this year. And in his 14 games only had 9 tackle busts. Pretty poor for an edge player

Well he's behind Mau & Tepai & probably Lane for an edge spot, plus he's still relatively young enough to improve, and he's off contract next season so I wouldn't get too emotional over him.
Actually edges like him and Tepai are ok to needs while we have Paulo who will do a lot of "edge" attacking

 

[84 Baby]

Niukore is pretty average. He didn't make 1 line break in first grade this year. And in his 14 games only had 9 tackle busts. Pretty poor for an edge player

Was that because of our poor attack? Poor options from our halves?

He was fairly strong running the ball ( 8 runs for 72m) and defensive fairly good on the edge (defending at 96%)

Anyhow compared to other “premier” edge forward, Cordner only averaged 0.1 line breaks / 2 TB this year and Proctor only averaged 0.2 line breaks and 1.3 tackle breaks, Frizell only averaged 0.2 line breaks/2.3 TB.

So it seems line breaks don’t come that easy for edge forwards. And he isn’t that far behind in TB considering it’s his first year and how we performed this year.

Yes agree he is far from elite, but he did ok in his first year and with some natural improvement over the next 2-3 years could become a very good player.

And it appears he has the ability to break tackles as shown in his last 5 nsw cup games (he made 3,4,1, 7,1 tackle breaks in his last 5 games)

Dare we say that possibly LBAs are more important for edge forwards?

 

[El Diablo]

I doubt you’d know much about bonding.

you're right

S&M isn't my thing

 

[Joshuatheeel]

Dare we say that possibly LBAs are more important for edge forwards?

Not sure, but there really isn’t many ball playing edge players around (as opposed to the ability to offload).

Graham? Who else is there?

 

[Noise]

Dare we say that possibly LBAs are more important for edge forwards?

He had zero of them too.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Well we did this year.

Coming last doesn’t mean you have the worst roster. Especially when you won 16 games the year before, and 13 the year before that. Your recency bias is getting in the way of logic.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Uncle Nick’s mates say hi.

Are they corporates or just wealthy fans? Politis is hardly an example of the corporate world. He’s just a rich bloke who built a successful business and follows a footy team.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

...and at the same time we should have told the players we have been trying to get rid of that they should look elsewhere for a contract and play them in reserve grade. The way it played out in the media, we started shopping players like French, Jennings, Moses, Taka??? far too late. Even MJC alluded to the fact that we had only told these players they wouldn’t be extended past this year a few weeks ago. Most rosters are pretty much full at this stage so we needed to be more persuasive far earlier.

There’s a difference between pushing blokes out and giving them the opportunity to leave. All these shit attitudes were fine before Hayne arrived at the club. Why should we force them out just to accommodate him?

 

[ash411]

lol

that will win us a premiership

hope AFL guy brought his mini tramps too

El D in October: BA Sucks he's not trying new things

El D in November: BA sucks he's trying new things!

 

[Delboy]

The reason that Scott and Edwards weren't replaced in the top 30 , was because their pro rata salaries kept them in the top 30 paid players, and therefore remained in the squad from a NRL standard.

As I have said before , could you imagine another club not being able to conjure a deal for someone like JH that wants to stay, Uncle Nick and Thoroughbreds would make it happen, and the NRL would applaud them as they usually do.

 

[84 Baby]

The reason that Scott and Edwards weren't replaced in the top 30 , was because their pro rata salaries kept them in the top 30 paid players, and therefore remained in the squad from a NRL standard.

But is that really the case? Not saying you're wrong, but everything I've read said clubs must have 30 players at 30 June. At 30 June, Edwards wasn't one of our players. The rules are probably more precise, but it's just another case of poor NRL/media communication IMO

 

[Joshuatheeel]

As I have said before , could you imagine another club not being able to conjure a deal for someone like JH that wants to stay, Uncle Nick and Thoroughbreds would make it happen, and the NRL would applaud them as they usually do.

Smith hasn’t signed with the storm, Sutton hasnt signed with Souths, broncos still haven’t finalised deals with several players.........panthers need Merrin to leave to balance their 2020 cap........Holmes still not signed by the Sharks........Klemmer wants out of the dogs ......