Rumours and Stuff

[Poupou Escobar]

If you want my honest opinion then i'm happy to share it.

Mahoney - I personally think he should be promoted to top 30 as i believe he is better than pritchard. Pritchards strengths are also his weakness.
Mahoney has enthusiasm like no other and is a very good defender. If i see faults it is he hasn't an composure.
Reed is playing a different game to what he is use to. He is the type of player who likes to play eyes up and not to structured.
Will be interesting to see what happens in the next year or 2 with Mahoney and Schneider.

Kaufusi - This kid is a talent. Please remember he is still only 19yo and has amazing endurance for a big fella, He doesn't have any regard for himself and keeps turn up to do his job for the team. (Work horse)
Kaufusi is an absolute gentleman of a kid, Polite and respectful as they come. This kid is something special.

Niaukore - To be honest i think he is young and has alot of potential but i think he will end up in the middle at some stage throughout his career. He hits hard and runs harder. Very simple in what he does but that is what works for him..
The problem we have is allot of our forwards are very similar and dont have a point of difference to there game and that's why i think Stefano will offer the team allot and make his debut 2019.
Manu, Tep, Mannah, Niaukore, Moeroa, Alvaro ect.

Salmon - Salmon is a talent for sure, But early days he was a backrower and a quality backrower. Then at the age of 17yo he got moved to the 5/8 position. Salmon biggest problem is he can play 3-4 different positions and be good at it but not specialise and excel in that position.
Salmon for mine will be a great center who just needs time in that position and will flourish. I have watched a few training runs and he has been hitting some great holes outwide. Remember he to is still only 19yo turning 20 next year.
Unfortunately i think Salmon is similar to Gutho. They can play numerous positions which is fantastic for a coach but just need an opportunity to prove himself in one position and i think that will be in the centers long term. He had a few opportunities in at 5/8 and didnt really stamp his authority. He played second fiddle and did a good job, But i personally like a half to be creative and make something from nothing like Dylan Brown can and i dont think Salmon has that in his arsenal to play in the halves full time.
Great talent but.

Stone - Stone is a great tough player who hits like a brick wall. Stonr has all ways played as a middle forward who occasionally played backrow.
Stone was one of those kids who unfortunately was let down with growth and size. He is i think to small to play front row, Not skillful and agile enough to play back row. Unfortunately has Brown ahead of him at lock and now the club are trying to skill him up to play hooker. But although he will do a job there if called upon, He doesnt have the smarts to play hooker full time. Defensively no worries at all. Needs to work on his service and a kicking game. Dummy half for mine is the hardest position to play and you need to have smarts about you. Decision making is so important and reading a game.
Fantastic player but again might be more value as a utility..

GL - Has all the makings of a fantastic attacking player, But in all seriousness lacks defensively.
GL is struggling keeping up with the slowest trainers at present and if that is an indication i doubt he will get a run anytime soon.
Only my personal opinion but he is taking up a top 30 spot that the club could utilise .

Noel Akafolou - Noel is a great center with allot of potential, Unfortunately Noel did his ACL this season and how he returns mid year is up in the air. Yes he should make a full recovery and be back playing but you just never know how it effects players mentally and physically.
The kid is an amazing talent but ill hold my judement until he returns to training and games

Lastly just so your aware these are the ages of the players, The year they were born.

Brown 2000
Utoikamanu 2000
Schneider 2000

Parry 1999
Dunster 1999
Filia 1999
Noel aka 1999
Oregan 1999
Salmon 1999

Mahoney 1998
Salesi 1998
Stone 1998
GL 1998

If i am incorrect which i dont think i am please advise

All correct except Stone and Leleisiuao were born in ‘97.

 

[Eelogical]

All correct except Stone and Leleisiuao were born in ‘97.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

View attachment 25625

 

[hineyrulz]

SHUT THE f**k UP DONNY!!!

 

[rugby league fan]

All correct except Stone and Leleisiuao were born in ‘97.

Thank you Pou appreciate it

 

[Matty Bhoy]

The last couple of days of reading this thread were like watching paint dry. If people need reminding its 2018 and not 1978, they should be given a spell. Back to business.

 

[Hollywood Jesus]

Brown - Right now offers more in the halves than Gutho, Taka, Salmon ever will.. He is young and inexperienced but that will be his shining light. Browns ability to play what is in front of him will ask questions with his run first attitude. Brown is a fantastic defender and has amazing speed with endurance like no other. I personally think Brown would complement our team right now and will offer something to this team immediately. So Brown should be promoted to top 30 ASAP.

The reason I like this is that there was probably a bit of agitation between Norman and Moses about who ran the team. If what you write about Brown is accurate then it could be that Moses runs the team and Brown runs the ball and defends. This would suit both Moses and Brown, as well as the team as a whole.

 

[Stevie]

If you wankers are trying to make this forum as useless for legitimate discussion, rumor and debate as nospam07 then you are going about the right way.

 

[Obscene Assassin]

Anybody know how Salesi is going?
Is he training with the NRL squad and is he a chance in 2019?

Yeah he's training with the NRL squad. Started off with a bang, despite carrying a bit of fat around his middle he was leading the forwards in fitness. But aa the pre-season has gone on I think it's gotten to him a little bit and has gradually dropped back but is still with the pack in terms of fitness.

He should be one of our starting second-rowers in ISP next year.

 

[Glenneel]

Davey is an edge forward with height, and we don’t have any juniors at that position worthy of a top 30 spot.

Gower is experienced and mature, two areas we lacked (along with all the other bottom eight teams) in 2018.

We have enough youngsters in our squad as it is without promoting the ones who aren’t ready (and might never be) just for the sake of it. Do you realise we had the second youngest team (after Manly) this year?

I feel sorry for Davey. A 27yo who has dreams of playing NRL but in reality is not good enough (but good enough for Parra apparently) and if ever was good enough would have played in it by now. He uprooted his family from north Qld to come down to Sydney on probably minimum pay, where an outhouse costs as much as a house up north, to play in a team where he is only ever going to play NRL if injuries hit hard. End next year he'll have to move north again with his dream unfulfilled. And that's the stark reality, he and Gower will only play if injuries hit hard. I'd prefer to give the opportunity to one of our juniors on minimum pay irrespective of how young our team supposedly is.

A young team can play well if it has experience in the right places, as in the spine, along with a sprinkling of experienced forwards. Now that Norman's gone our average team age will drop even further thanks to BA. Now our spine becomes even more inexperienced. How about commenting on that.

 

[hindy111]

Yeah he's training with the NRL squad. Started off with a bang, despite carrying a bit of fat around his middle he was leading the forwards in fitness. But aa the pre-season has gone on I think it's gotten to him a little bit and has gradually dropped back but is still with the pack in terms of fitness.

He should be one of our starting second-rowers in ISP next year.

Dane Aka?
Salesi in games seen looks quite slow acceleration wise

 

[hindy111]

I feel sorry for Davey. A 27yo who has dreams of playing NRL but in reality is not good enough (but good enough for Parra apparently) and if ever was good enough would have played in it by now. He uprooted his family from north Qld to come down to Sydney on probably minimum pay, where an outhouse costs as much as a house up north, to play in a team where he is only ever going to play NRL if injuries hit hard. End next year he'll have to move north again with his dream unfulfilled. And that's the stark reality, he and Gower will only play if injuries hit hard. I'd prefer to give the opportunity to one of our juniors on minimum pay irrespective of how young our team supposedly is.

A young team can play well if it has experience in the right places, as in the spine, along with a sprinkling of experienced forwards. Now that Norman's gone our average team age will drop even further thanks to BA. Now our spine becomes even more inexperienced. How about commenting on that.

So he goes home without any regrets cause he gave it a shot?
Maybe his dream was to be in the top 30 on an NRL club and get there. Likelihood of this kid being good is slim but not impossible.
Gower i reckon bar this year would of been on the 120-140k range for a good 3 or 4 years. And most likely min the other years. So he gets paid for something he loves and then can go spend 30yrs being a sparky when retires.

 

[Glenneel]

TLDR: so can BA piss Gower and Davey off and play all these juniors in round 1?

If Gower or Davey won't play in round 1 and won't get a chance to play at all unless injuries hit wouldn't you think any juniors that replace them would be in the same situation. Stop saying stupid things just to bait me.

 

[Glenneel]

Uti..?
Its all about promoting the right players in the key positions at the right time.
Not promoting them for the sake of it, But promoting cause they will offer something better than we already have.
I have ranted for a while now in this thread and the junior thread about players such as Brown, Stefano, Filia, Schneider, Parry, Dunster

Brown - Right now offers more in the halves than Gutho, Taka, Salmon ever will.. He is young and inexperienced but that will be his shining light. Browns ability to play what is in front of him will ask questions with his run first attitude. Brown is a fantastic defender and has amazing speed with endurance like no other. I personally think Brown would complement our team right now and will offer something to this team immediately. So Brown should be promoted to top 30 ASAP.

Stefano - Huge unit with speed, Agility and endurance. Stefano will get game time next season no doubt. His size is something we lack. But remember he just came back from 2 seasons out with 2x shoulder reconstructions. Stefano started the year in SG Ball and struggled in all honesty. Work load, Mistakes and timing, But as the season went on he regained his groove and was promoted to u20s and Nsw cup where he shined. Stefano is a giant of a kid who will offer allot to our squad right now. With players close to retirement i think stefano will make the most of his opportunities similar the Fifita and Hass from the broncos, Big young unit will amazing skills and attitude.

Filia - The kid is a super talent and if it wasn't for his broken neck playing for Nsw u18s origin Filia would of made his Nrl debut by now 1000%. The kid is a hard running strong backrower who has skill and talent to burn. Right now allot will depend on his clearance and at what standard he returns at. Hopefully his confidence is fine and he can get back to play the game he loves and full fills his true potential. This kid is Nrl quality no doubt.
Being a backrower with quality he is what we need as a club right now, Filia reminds me a little like a better version of Josh Jackson or Papalli.

Schneider - The kid has composure beyond his years and is something special. He posses great leadership qualities as he captains every team he is in with potential to being the leader this club requires in the future. His skill set is something you need to see. Goal kicker, Great kicking game, Passing, and composure and game management. Schneider has only returned late in the season from a shoulder reconstruction and if it wasn't for the injury i think he would of played 20s and possible Nsw cup debut.
There maybe a reason why the club has not brought another hooker and why Mahoney and Kaysa have only been offered 1 year deals. The kid is not physically ready yet but give him another year.

Parry - This kid is strong, tall and quick. Standing 195cm tall and weighing 96kg he is similar to campbell grahame from south syd. I actually think parry is better. I read allot of the discussions on here about Parry's best position. I personally think he is and will make a quality winger. Yes he has played center and fullback and can play both comfortably. But he has been caught out in defence in the centers a few times. Parry's strengths are his ability in the air, Starting sets off with strong runs coming off our line, and his ability to lift those around him.
The kid does remind me so much of Blake Ferguson and will be an asset to the club.
When that will be i have no idea but he will not let anyone down. Also remember the kid has had numerous operations on his ankle the last few seasons and still has allot of improvement in him. We are yet to see the very nest Parry has to offer.

Dunster - This kid is a true gentleman and can also play varoius positions. Wing, Center and fullback. I again think this kids calling will eventually be center/wing.
Haze has great footwork at the line and reads a .
game amazing. His ability to get you on the front foot after carries ables the team to go forward.
Haze posses great speed and endurance similar to Brown.
Haze stands around 186cm and would weigh 92kg i think. The kid is a quiet achiever and keeps getting better. When is he ready for 1st grade i can not answer, But if i was to guess id say 2020. But if given the opportunity he would not let anyone down.

Again just my opinion.
But if i was to guess after talking to some coaches and people at the club it wouldn't be far off there opinions either.

Bring on 2019

Excellent post as always RLF especially for someone living interstate who doesn't get to see U20s any more which I did enjoy seeing. What concerns me is all the serious injuries all these guys seem to be having which is a concern as our NRL side also seems to have a high injury toll.

 

[84 Baby]

I feel sorry for Davey. A 27yo who has dreams of playing NRL but in reality is not good enough (but good enough for Parra apparently) and if ever was good enough would have played in it by now. He uprooted his family from north Qld to come down to Sydney on probably minimum pay, where an outhouse costs as much as a house up north, to play in a team where he is only ever going to play NRL if injuries hit hard. End next year he'll have to move north again with his dream unfulfilled. And that's the stark reality, he and Gower will only play if injuries hit hard. I'd prefer to give the opportunity to one of our juniors on minimum pay irrespective of how young our team supposedly is.

A young team can play well if it has experience in the right places, as in the spine, along with a sprinkling of experienced forwards. Now that Norman's gone our average team age will drop even further thanks to BA. Now our spine becomes even more inexperienced. How about commenting on that.

I feel sorry for you and the bleak post apocalyptic world you live in. Perhaps we can rename the new stadium the thunderdome and get Tina Turner back to sing all her great anthems

 

[Poupou Escobar]

I feel sorry for Davey. A 27yo who has dreams of playing NRL but in reality is not good enough (but good enough for Parra apparently) and if ever was good enough would have played in it by now.

He is at his peak now. If at his best he is only good enough to be an NRL backup then he wouldn't have played NRL before now.

And being a backup there is a chance he won't play any NRL, whether this year or in the future. But good on him for hanging in there until he had developed to the point where he was good enough for the top 30. And being a better player than Salesi Faingaa he is rightly ahead of him in the pecking order, which is why he gets a top 30 spot while Faingaa has to hope for a development contract.

He uprooted his family from north Qld to come down to Sydney on probably minimum pay, where an outhouse costs as much as a house up north, to play in a team where he is only ever going to play NRL if injuries hit hard. End next year he'll have to move north again with his dream unfulfilled. And that's the stark reality, he and Gower will only play if injuries hit hard. I'd prefer to give the opportunity to one of our juniors on minimum pay irrespective of how young our team supposedly is.

But if he does get onto the field he will be able to say he's played in the NRL. That's more than most of us failed footballers will ever be able to do. Good on him.

A young team can play well if it has experience in the right places, as in the spine, along with a sprinkling of experienced forwards. Now that Norman's gone our average team age will drop even further thanks to BA. Now our spine becomes even more inexperienced. How about commenting on that.

Experience loses a lot of its value if it's not accompanied by maturity. Norman is an extremely poor clubman, and being popular and influential he actually had a negative effect on the squad. Being new to the Dragons he won't have the same negative influence there.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

If Gower or Davey won't play in round 1 and won't get a chance to play at all unless injuries hit wouldn't you think any juniors that replace them would be in the same situation. Stop saying stupid things just to bait me.

If you bring in a backup he still needs to be able to contribute to a minimum standard in defence. Some random junior with attacking talent won't offer that. If his fitness isn't up to scratch he will be a liability.

 

[Gary Gutful]

The reason I like this is that there was probably a bit of agitation between Norman and Moses about who ran the team. If what you write about Brown is accurate then it could be that Moses runs the team and Brown runs the ball and defends. This would suit both Moses and Brown, as well as the team as a whole.

Let’s hope so.

Still not sold on Moses’ ability to lead a team but this is probably the best chance he has had so far in his career. Needs to be positive and selfless in 2019.

 

[Gronk]

I feel sorry for Davey. A 27yo who has dreams of playing NRL but in reality is not good enough (but good enough for Parra apparently) and if ever was good enough would have played in it by now. He uprooted his family from north Qld to come down to Sydney on probably minimum pay, where an outhouse costs as much as a house up north, to play in a team where he is only ever going to play NRL if injuries hit hard. End next year he'll have to move north again with his dream unfulfilled. And that's the stark reality, he and Gower will only play if injuries hit hard. I'd prefer to give the opportunity to one of our juniors on minimum pay irrespective of how young our team supposedly is.

A young team can play well if it has experience in the right places, as in the spine, along with a sprinkling of experienced forwards. Now that Norman's gone our average team age will drop even further thanks to BA. Now our spine becomes even more inexperienced. How about commenting on that.

Don’t agree.

So he goes home without any regrets cause he gave it a shot?
Maybe his dream was to be in the top 30 on an NRL club and get there. Likelihood of this kid being good is slim but not impossible.
Gower i reckon bar this year would of been on the 120-140k range for a good 3 or 4 years. And most likely min the other years. So he gets paid for something he loves and then can go spend 30yrs being a sparky when retires.

Agree.

 

[hindy111]

Let’s hope so.

Still not sold on Moses’ ability to lead a team but this is probably the best chance he has had so far in his career. Needs to be positive and selfless in 2019.

What I see in Moses is perhaps a kid who comes from a little more privileged then others and parents who maybe loved him a little too much. At some point it will be beaten out of him and he will understand where others have come from. If he does he may mature into a fine player and leader. He was 23 this year. The kid can play.
Norman never took the next step and it maybe too late for him age wise.
Moses does have a bit of a 'I hate to lose attitude' And that is a good thing, he just needs to learn how to control it and earn the respect of his team mates.