Rumours and Stuff

[Glenneel]

JA is too slow to cover 1-5 and too small/ weak at this stage in his career to cover 9-13. You’d have to have him purely as halves cover which would be a monumentally stupid decision…even for BA.

Why???? Who else would/could he cover?

 

[hindy111]

It's more the tone it sets for the other players and how they too are encouraged to drag it out until we are forced to add that little bit extra on or they walk. Add an extra $30-50k on to each new re-signing that you may not have had to pay and it all adds up. Or it may even encourage you to go and have a public sit down with your rival at their leagues club and see what shakes from that.

Captains set the tone at clubs or at least should. So when our merkin captain allowed his negotiations to be played out in the press yet again, it sent the signal to all that you do whatever it takes to get the best deal for yourself. I mean who is going to pull you in line, the captain?

The point is that if the captain is ultra professional during negotiations, then it sends a positive signal to the whole squad. If he were to say publicly what Moses did and suggest that he will be signing with the club again and that it is just a matter of ironing out the details through his manager, but loves the club and doesn't want to go anywhere else and can't see himself playing for anyone else and loves this club to death, well it is a message that can only encourage the rest of the squad to do similar too. I mean does anyone really believe that he was going to get an offer from any other strong club that was going to be greater then ours? We were already paying him the absolute top end of what he is worth. It was always going to be us. He knew this and so did his manager. They just had to do all the haggling in private like professionals, not use the media to get the very last penny out of us and leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth doing it.

I believe if the right tone was set in the first place then the rest of the players would have been behaved accordingly. Then even if they were to sign with another club it still means a hell of a lot more to the fans and optics then what we went through this time around. At least then if players were to sign with another club, we would all have the impression that they really did want to stay, but the offers they received were just to great and rich for them to refuse. But when you just hold out for the highest offer and or play it out in the media, then you just look like a mercenary and someone that couldn't give a toss about our club. Which is how some of these players are perceived now including our captain. There is a right way to negotiate and a wrong way. Our captain has chosen the wrong way two times now. Hopefully we won't need him for a third.

This might be post of the year. Brilliant.

 

[hindy111]

Dylan will be easier to keep. He is already on a good wicket. Wasn't it around 600k. Unsure if many clubs will offer him much more then 700k if that.

 

[Happy MEel]

Why???? Who else would/could he cover?

The stupid decision would be to have your 14 only able to cover the 6 or 7 in the event they get injured.

 

[Incorrect]

Dylan will be easier to keep. He is already on a good wicket. Wasn't it around 600k. Unsure if many clubs will offer him much more then 700k if that.

If things go pear-shaped early in the season at the Raiders, I could see Ricky throwing Wighton under the bus and blaming him then looking to sign Drown on a big deal for 2023 onwards. Pretty sure Wighton is off contract end of season 2022. Sticky's got form when it comes to broken relationships with his halves...

 

[TheRam]

I’d be developing him into a wide running second rower like Matterson.

I'd be very surprised if that were to happen.

For mine he is a half with endurance but average pace, a very good skill set and getting better. He needs another off season or two to become a true and genuine long term halves option. He is tall and lean, but obviously will add at least 10-15kgs to his frame from where he is now, which will add to his ability to dominate in plays as a half just like Cleary can now. Back rowers though need explosiveness to be effective offensive threats. He isn't that and never will be. If he were to ever be a forward, I can only see him doing that in the middle as a ball playing and short kicking game lock. Like the perfect link man and threat that Isaah Yeo is for the Panthers.

But that wouldn't be for at least another 3-4 years of developing and weight add on, training in hit ups and so forth, not to mention the defensive work load that comes with it. He shouldn't have a problem with the extra work in defense though since he is one of the fittest at the club and again will only get fitter and stronger as time goes on. But then there is also the mindset that he isn't a half anymore and adjusting to that which some players don't do so well at.

Short of it is. He plays at the moment like a classical half that is quicker between the ears then feet. The question is will the finished product be good enough to keep him playing in the halves or will he need to progress to the forwards? My verdict at this point is he will be a half long term at least until his late 20's when maybe through age, weight and injuries, he has slowed to the point that he will be shifted to the forwards. But if he doesn't get to heavy and slow he may end up playing half all his career.

But hell who really knows? He may end up as our next Graham Olling ffs.

 

[TheRam]

I don't see how he suits lock but. The best locks in game are Yeo,JT, Rodney,Murray. They are all powerfull ball runners with a bit of ball playing skill but not much.

Reality is if he is good enough for halfback he will go to another club or we let one of Brown or Moses go.

That is correct for today Hindy. But if the club deemed that that were to be his future position, then he would be conditioned and trained accordingly. It would take at least a few off seasons to get him there from where he is today. He would need to fill out as a man and adjust to the physicality that the forwards are subjected to. That takes time and a different mindset. He is very young still and he could easily be groomed for this if the club thought that that was the best thing for him.

But I don't think that is the case at all and I think that the club see him as a half as do I for at least the first half of his career.

 

[84 Baby]

I don't see how he suits lock but. The best locks in game are Yeo,JT, Rodney,Murray. They are all powerfull ball runners with a bit of ball playing skill but not much.

Reality is if he is good enough for halfback he will go to another club or we let one of Brown or Moses go.

I know you’re a diehard Riff fan and all but including Shane Rodney as one of the best locks is a stretch

 

[84 Baby]

Knives are out.


View attachment 57745

Sixties (if that is his real name) brought in on himself with his clickbait headline

 

[TheRam]

This might be post of the year. Brilliant.

Short period sample size though.

 

[TheRam]

If things go pear-shaped early in the season at the Raiders, I could see Ricky throwing Wighton under the bus and blaming him then looking to sign Drown on a big deal for 2023 onwards. Pretty sure Wighton is off contract end of season 2022. Sticky's got form when it comes to broken relationships with his halves...

Could be right. But I reckon if D. Brown shows any decent improvement in TA's then he will become the hottest off contract half in the game.

We need to act now.

 

[Incorrect]

Could be right. But I reckon if D. Brown shows any decent improvement in TA's then he will become the hottest off contract half in the game.

We need to act now.

You'd have to think the Dolphins are looking at him, surely, and ready to make a big money play. They're signing plenty of forwards, but nobody of note or value in the spine.... They'd be surely in the mix

 

[Soren Lorenson]

If anyone wants further evidence that Eels articles generate clicks, see below.

Spoiler

The player being referred to is James Segayaro

 

[Suitman]

If anyone wants further evidence that Eels articles generate clicks, see below.

Spoiler

The player being referred to is James Segayaro

View attachment 57751

Wow.
Appalling.

 

[hindy111]

I know you’re a diehard Riff fan and all but including Shane Rodney as one of the best locks is a stretch

Radley

 

[hindy111]

Could be right. But I reckon if D. Brown shows any decent improvement in TA's then he will become the hottest off contract half in the game.

We need to act now.

MON may have a back up plan but. Shaun Johnston for 2024. He'd be mid 30s so a perfect fit

 

[Avenger]

MON may have a back up plan but. Shaun Johnston for 2024. He'd be mid 30s so a perfect fit

His back up plan is Jack Wighton.

 

[yy_cheng]

Maybe if JA is our 14, he comes on, and Drown moves to hooker with Mahoney given a break

 

[hineyrulz]

It’s News limited how can anyone be surprised?? It’s nothing new they are more crooked than Fergo’s nose.

 

[84 Baby]

Radley

Pfft Shane Rodney was better