Rumours and Stuff

[Glenneel]

I don't mean this in a rude way but you sound very naïve.

In what way? Most good stories have a hero and a villian but in Yellowstone not one person has any redeeming features. Even the son married to the indian looked likely but even he ended up hanging someone because his father didn't like him. My comments still apply and it still has little side stories that go nowhere and add nothing to the overall story.

 

[hindy111]

I think he was excellent in his first and was exposed in his 2nd year. He was in decline.
This year he was dropped cause he turned like a bus. Had a few good games still and scored a few good tries. The guy was very talented but very ordinary this season.

 

[lucablight]

Well RCG wasn’t going great at the panthers before signing with us and Marata was a 20’s players. So if BA did it once, I am pretty sure we can do it again!

Any while RCG is an important player, they aren’t key players especially Marata. They are both very replaceable!

I don’t see how it follows that we can do it again. We got lucky. We might get lucky again but we’re far more likely not to.
What’s a key player in your eyes?

I'm saying having some non spine players on less coin than they are worth isn't a competitive advantage.

It’s a 17 man game. How is having good players you wouldn’t otherwise have not a competitive advantage?

With all those Origin players we know Penrith must have a ton of players on unders, which we already knew by their constant crowing about how much they spend on junior development.

I’d be fine with having to shed players because we were premiers. I’m not fine with the roster regressing when we’re only a week 2 finals side.

Why wouldn't we enjoy those advantages any more? It's what the strong clubs all try to do, and it's obviously something we're getting better at.

So which above average players are we going to have subsidised by other clubs moving forward?

You don't need like for like replacements. You just need enough players to improve to offset the ones who decline or leave. We have plenty of young players at various positions who could be at least as good as RCG by 2023. It's a team game, and the team needs to be strong. Any given individual is replaceable.

I agree. That’s why I said our only hope is that our young players come in and start performing at high levels. If they don’t and we lose certain players then we will regress as a side.

 

[Soren Lorenson]

It’s a 17 man game. How is having good players you wouldn’t otherwise have not a competitive advantage?

When the team you are playing has better players also on unders. You reckon Cleary and Luai and Api are being payed what they will command on the open market? Or JFH? Stephen Crichton? Capewell was obviously on unders as he has been squeezed out. What would Kikau demand on the open market? Or Liam Martin? That team was stacked with Origin and grand final experienced players and you reckon we had a competitive advantage over them cause RCG and Waqa were on unders? Please.

 

[hindy111]

People in all industries change jobs and some know about it weeks and months in advance and for someone with a less results orientated role, having their mind fully on the job may be difficult.

However I work with a lot of contractors who are engaged to do a specific role and to deliver certain results, and I must say even though they know they are leaving at the end of that contract, I rarely see anyone who isn't committed to doing a quality job while there.

I see first grade footballers in the same way, underperforming while still contracted to club X is not so good for the reputation and sticks with you. It impacts your future earning potential if you fail to put in and deliver.

As a contractor you don't put in for one day and you probably aren't called back.

 

[The Eel]

There is something wrong with our system if we are arguing about player movements and rosters for 2023 and this is only 2021.

I know it's been said before but how can a player have his mind fully on the job next year when he knows he won't be here the year after.

No sir, I don't like it.

Neither do I

 

[gaffer]

i didn't mind legends of the fall

 

[lucablight]

When the team you are playing has better players also on unders. You reckon Cleary and Luai and Api are being payed what they will command on the open market? Or JFH? Stephen Crichton? Capewell was obviously on unders as he has been squeezed out. What would Kikau demand on the open market? Or Liam Martin? That team was stacked with Origin and grand final experienced players and you reckon we had a competitive advantage over them cause RCG and Waqa were on unders? Please.

You’re not seeing the forest through the trees. The Panthers lost two games all season last year and made the grand final. Of course you would expect them to have the majority of players in the origin squad this season. How many origin players did they have at the end of 2020? They had 3 reps. How many did we have? We also had 3. If we had made the grand final last season then we would have more reps and Penrith would have less. The fact that we underachieved and didn’t have as many origin players doesn’t mean Penrith had more players on unders. It means their players/team played to their potential and our players/team didn’t. If Cody Walker had been picked ahead of Luai for origin does that mean that Luai would have been a worse player? If our players aren’t worth squat then why haven’t we signed them all at decreased contracts despite showing nothing better than being a week 2 finals team?

 

[Soren Lorenson]

The Panthers lost two games all season last year and made the grand final.

and yet you think we had a competitive advantage over them because they were paying some portion of RCH and Waqa's contract. That's what you said here.

How embarrassing that we had two players on unders like that but still couldn’t make it past week 2 of the finals against the team that was disadvantaged by paying some of their wages.

and again here

I’m saying we wasted an opportunity despite having a competitive advantage.

 

[T-Boon]

Doesn’t matter what’s on during the off-season, you will never stop the reporting and speculation of player movements.
It’s what gets fans fired up, way more than a Nines tournament.

I think you are right about the level of interest. It is because it taps into wanting to believe that ones team is about to have success.
Again I bring up how I think a rookie draft would tap into this and similarly be great/obsessive and more "healthy" news fodder for NRL.
It would be good if this obsession was channeled into the analytics and goings on of a draft rather than the grub driven disloyalty that the current free for all system has.

 

[T-Boon]

Why don't we go down the rabbit hole of who we would be going after in a rookie draft this year.
Q: What do we mostly need? A: I say speedy outside backs.
Who is the best in this year hypothetic draft? how do we even find that out would need a combine of sorts.
We would have a pretty low pick. Would we trade up as we are in a premiership window?

 

[eel01s]

On Papalii does anyone think he will have the same impact next year?

I don't. I think he will continue to perform at the level he did in the second half of this year - good but not great.

 

[Obscene Assassin]

On Papalii does anyone think he will have the same impact next year?

I don't. I think he will continue to perform at the level he did in the second half of this year - good but not great.

Even his "good" second half of the year made him one of the better forwards in the competition form wise.

In the end it depends how we play him. I'd like to see him do 60 minutes off the bench every week, whether he plays middle or edge from there doesn't bother me

 

[Gronk]

Club Statement

Over recent weeks there has been media speculation in relation to certain players at our Club who are off contract at the end of 2022.

www.parraeels.com.au

​

Club Statement​

Over recent weeks there has been media speculation in relation to certain players at our Club who are off contract at the end of 2022. The media has a job to do in reporting player movements which we respect as we understand the public interest in our players.

Over the last six months, we have regularly engaged with all our players and their managers in a private and productive manner, balancing the Club’s intent to ensure players are paid fairly and their value is appropriately recognized, whilst ensuring we are assembling our strongest possible roster year on year.


Our approach is not to engage publicly in speculation regarding player negotiations. It is disrespectful to the players involved, is unhelpful in building a team that is set up for success, and most importantly, goes against how we aim to operate as a Club.

To date, our discussions with players and their managers have been robust, professional and constructive. These discussions are ongoing and we look forward to updating you shortly with some exciting news on our roster for 2022, 2023 and beyond.

 

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

Club Statement

Over recent weeks there has been media speculation in relation to certain players at our Club who are off contract at the end of 2022.

www.parraeels.com.au

​

Club Statement​

Over recent weeks there has been media speculation in relation to certain players at our Club who are off contract at the end of 2022. The media has a job to do in reporting player movements which we respect as we understand the public interest in our players.

Over the last six months, we have regularly engaged with all our players and their managers in a private and productive manner, balancing the Club’s intent to ensure players are paid fairly and their value is appropriately recognized, whilst ensuring we are assembling our strongest possible roster year on year.


Our approach is not to engage publicly in speculation regarding player negotiations. It is disrespectful to the players involved, is unhelpful in building a team that is set up for success, and most importantly, goes against how we aim to operate as a Club.

To date, our discussions with players and their managers have been robust, professional and constructive. These discussions are ongoing and we look forward to updating you shortly with some exciting news on our roster for 2022, 2023 and beyond.

That's f**ken bullshit. What's more important? getting the job done or shutting up a bunch of girls'-bike riding dribblers?

Althought the last sentence suggests that it's going to be very exciting.

 

[T-Boon]

That second to last paragraph is aimed at Gutherson and his manager.

 

[TheRam]

You don't need like for like replacements. You just need enough players to improve to offset the ones who decline or leave. We have plenty of young players at various positions who could be at least as good as RCG by 2023. It's a team game, and the team needs to be strong. Any given individual is replaceable.

Sorry if I don't take you and your predictions to seriously. Your love of the average and mediocrity is legendary.

High end frontrower(top 5 in the NRL) are not very easily replaceable and in my view RCG was only behind Haas this last season. Sure there are a heap of good ones but the top 5 or 6 are very hard to replace and it is more luck then anything else if a club can swap one in for another back to back. We are probably the most fortunate club in the NRL right now that we have 2 of the best playing for us at the same time, while also having a great bunch of forwards supporting behind them. That is why our team has been the power team of the NRL for the last couple of seasons.

Now if we lose RCG, Niukore and Papalii all in 2023, which is very likely, that will be a massive hole to fill. But in my opinion RCG would be the hardest to replace because we haven't produced anyone like him in probably 20 years or so. Someone that can hit the line with that much ferocity and power, then also be flexible enough and fit enough to be a high energy defender in the middle and can play the full 80 mins if need be. Not that you would play him that way. Who also does a lot of work off the ball and in support as a dummy runner.

Of course we can get other front rowers to make yardage, but will they be as intimidating and energy draining to the opposition? No one I have seen in our lower grades comes even close to the way RCG was playing when he first hit the scene as far as power, aggression and hate of getting tackled by the opposition goes. If we were to try and buy that type of player, well you know how much that would cost and so it won't be happening.

So unless we can find a decent priced type of aggressor that will be the focal point for the opposition and take it to them and work them over like RCG does NOW, it would be a drop in our forward performance. So someone else or others will need to bring something more then what we currently have to maintain the status that our roster now has. By simply adding a couple of average to good forwards to the starting 17 will mean we will have regressed.

Also any given player isn't so replaceable as you so keep telling us. Have we replaced Hayne or Semi? If we had we would have won this years premiership mate. Players that are the best in their respective position are not so easy to replace unless you have a track record of doing so like the Roosters and players then make the decision to part ways at the prime of their careers to join you at decent prices or you are recruiting the best young talent in the country because you pay well and have the run on the board of being a winner.

We are still just starting to assert ourselves as a professional and strong club that is a leader and builder of players careers, like the Storm and the Roosters. If we make a misstep and regress to a fringe semi team now who just make or miss out altogether, then that will set us back at least 2-5 years again, depending how bad the damage is.

I am not saying that we need to pay players like RCG what he is asking, but what I am saying is that your constant downplaying of our likely losses and blasé attitude to losing quality that is very difficult to fill again is nonsensical and if it were that easy all clubs would then be doing it. It is periods like this and how our club comes out of this that will indicate to me how much we have either improved as a well run and managed club or not.

I have no doubt we will lose some significant quality during these negotiations, so I will be very interested to see what and how we respond to it.

 

[TheRam]

There is something wrong with our system if we are arguing about player movements and rosters for 2023 and this is only 2021.

I know it's been said before but how can a player have his mind fully on the job next year when he knows he won't be here the year after.

No sir, I don't like it.

Most will have their minds on the job if they feel that they are in with a realistic shot of winning the GF. Some will and some won't if they feel that their current team is just making up the numbers. So I think as long as we don't release anyone significant early, we should be right for next season mate.

 

[Twizzle]

Most will have their minds on the job if they feel that they are in with a realistic shot of winning the GF. Some will and some won't if they feel that their current team is just making up the numbers. So I think as long as we don't release anyone significant early, we should be right for next season mate.

I hope you're right

It must have some effect as some have been quoted as saying "I've put off negotiations till the end of the season so I can just focus on next weeks game" or words to that effect, think it was Rheedy who said that a while back, so it definitely has some effect on some players

 

[TheRam]

I hope you're right

It must have some effect as some have been quoted as saying "I've put off negotiations till the end of the season so I can just focus on next weeks game" or words to that effect, think it was Rheedy who said that a while back, so it definitely has some effect on some players

Yeah could do. But I think most will be sorted before the start of the season so they will be resigned and hopefully comfortable with their decision. Heaps of players that have moved on from their clubs have given their all in that last season(Reynolds being a perfect example just this last season) especially when they feel they have a genuine shot at the title.