Rumours and Stuff

[Legal Eel]

Two NRL clubs have given him a top 30 contract. I’ll trust their judgement over yours.

Such a terrible argument - are we meant to believe that your opinions of a player are tied only to their top 30 status?

You really don't watch any of the actual games, do you?

You have cemented your status as someone who knows nothing about rugby league.

 

[Legal Eel]

It’s neck and neck between Jake Arthur, Cooper Johns and Kyle Flanagan as the worst three top 30 players in the NRL. It’s not a coincidence that they are all halves.

Flanagan is the only one I can see possibly surviving past this season if he continues to reinvent himself as a hooker. The others have as much chance as I do playing over 100 NRL games.

This will prove very prescient I think.

 

[yy_cheng]

The point is if they’re not in the top 17 (meaning the 17 at full strength) they’re backups. Stop whinging about them.

That's funny coz i wasnt whinging. I said we might not have budgeted that much for them lol.

 

[King-Gutho94]

I am intrigued by that. It’s would shatter the Bears. Haha.

Haha yeah it would.

The problem with the bears is whatever franchise they want to be linked too.

They want to be the dominant party with there demands and you can see them angling to keep going back to NSO.

Where I think the Jets here are happy to tag with whatever the Franchise wants. Clearly there is a perth consortium that sees the benefits of the Newtown Jets brand while starting up a new team in Perth.

If we do go to 20 teams and the Jets and Bears align themselves with 2 different franchises it would be good for the game.

 

[King-Gutho94]

It’s neck and neck between Jake Arthur, Cooper Johns and Kyle Flanagan as the worst three top 30 players in the NRL. It’s not a coincidence that they are all halves.

Flanagan is the only one I can see possibly surviving past this season if he continues to reinvent himself as a hooker. The others have as much chance as I do playing over 100 NRL games.

Johns is the worst I noticed he has followed his father footsteps trying to be a comedian.

The fact seibold signed Jake to replace DCE during origin period when they already had Johns I think reflects how shit Johns is.

Flanagan looks like a little cry baby & offers nothing much other then goal kicking. He hasn't recovered by being ruthlessly dumped by the chooks as the scapegoat for missing out on the 3-peat.

Jake tries hard and doesn't have the speed but has no arrogance about him and played in a GF while scoring a Try.

And probably got closer to winning a comp then the other two ever will.

 

[IFR33K]

I think Jake will need to beef up, and reinvent himself as a ball-playing lock.

He has skills, and vision, but his movement is slow.

can’t see it happening.

 

[TheRam]

There is no chance any of us would have thought that extending Cartwright and Greig was a priority a year ago. They both have come good and Hodgson not taking up his option would have helped retain them. Now I think at least one of them will leave.

Hopefully our HOF thinks a little like me and realises that Carty is over the moon with Potato Head as coach and loves what he and our club have done for him and his career and is willing to stay for around similar $$$. Remember he was a troubled and ordinary player, but with talent before he arrived. Maybe he realise in his case it may definitely be a case that it isn't always greener over the other side and why risk it when everything is going so well for him here.

As for Greig, we shouldn't be in any real danger of losing him because we can easily pay him a modest increase for next season while old man baldy is still on our books and then for say 2025 and onwards factor in the more substantial increases to reflect what he deserves.

Also remember it is much harder to convince a happy and content player to leave a strong and successful club, which we obviously are and should remain for the foreseeable future, especially if that meant going to a lowly basket case one instead.

Only a mega and ridiculous offer by a desperate club(Dragons) could alter this scenario.

 

[eels_fan]

Hunt to the broncos for the rest of 23, then to the Titans from 24

makes Broncos favourites for the comp imo.

 

[Gazzamatta]

.

Hunt to the broncos for the rest of 23, then to the Titans from 24

makes Broncos favourites for the comp imo.

But he dosent wish to play 9 in club land.

 

[Eelementary]

can’t see it happening.

Why not?

Time is on his side.

 

[TheRam]

Where’s Ben Hunt going next year? With the players we’ve let go mid year is there a chance we’d have a crack at signing him for the rest of the year?

Imagine if we could pull that off. I hate that you can add a player of his quality to a roster at such a late stage of the season, but if anyone does I want it to be us.

If not us and say Panthers sign him and win the premiership again, then I say cheats and I won't ever recognise that premiership and that the NRL is a massive joke!

Also if the ARLC allow a club coach to take over the SOO team I want it to be our Potato Head not that little wanker Sticky. I want us to have all the advantages of being in the ear of the best players. Recruitment is paramount to a clubs success so when and in particular future budding players are in the process of signing new contracts a SOO coach is a mighty strong lure. I want our coach to be that lure not our competitors.

If not I want our club to be proactive and make a lot of noise against such a move and publicly air their grievances. Make it very uncomfortable for the ARLC to make such an appointment before it happens and gives another club an unfair advantage over us again.

We need to be a thorn in the ARLC/NRL side for when it suits us. The squeaky wheel gets the good oil.

 

[Gazzamatta]

Why not?

Time is on his side.

Hes probably best to seek a Superleague contract and try to develop his game there.

 

[Gazzamatta]

Imagine if we could pull that off. I hate that you can add a player of his quality to a roster at such a late stage of the season, but if anyone does I want it to be us.

If not us and say Panthers sign him and win the premiership again, then I say cheats and I won't ever recognise that premiership and that the NRL is a massive joke!

Also if the ARLC allow a club coach to take over the SOO team I want it to be our Potato Head not that little wanker Sticky. I want us to have all the advantages of being in the ear of the best players. Recruitment is paramount to a clubs success so when players are in the process of signing new contracts a SOO coach is a mighty strong lure. I want our coach to be that lure not our competitors.

If not I want our club to be proactive and make a lot of noise against such a move and publicly air their grievances. Make it very uncomfortable for the ARLC to make such an appointment before it happens and gives another club an unfair advantage over us again.

Ive now heard Barretts name mentioned a few times as potential SOO Coach.

 

[hineyrulz]

Well you were wrong. Arthur played well in reserve grade and earned his position in first grade. Hands did neither. Penrith never even gave him a run in fist grade when they were shit ffs

Hands is 23 and Penrith have made the last 3 GF’s with Api as the main dummy half. When did he have a chance when they were shit?? They also had Egan before Api who is a more than decent first grader.

The shit you spin should be on that Warnie shitshow.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

And we look better for it.

We have been playing weak teams. Anyone would’ve looked good against our recent opponents. wE’rE bEtTeR wItHoUt LaNe fFs!!!

 

[eels_fan]

.
But he dosent wish to play 9 in club land.

He’ll play anywhere in a winning team. Just doesn’t want to play there is a basket case like dragons

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Yeah just so grateful he carried his 16 team mates to victory.

The point is he didn’t stop them winning, which is what you want from a backup. Why do you think Manly wanted him?

 

[TheRam]

Forgive me for not trusting thesportingbase.com as much as you do. And while I think $400k is reasonable for 2023, I'd say the player option would definitely less, probably much less. The club option might've even been less ffs. He is 34 at the end of the year, with an injury history before he ever signed with us. I think you're overestimating the demand for him in late 2021.

So you're saying he walked away from a guaranteed $800K for one years of football and signed with us for way less then $800K over 2 years of football?

He would have to be even sillier then you if that were to be the case. If I had a body as broken as his I would be collecting my full pay over as short a period as possible not over a longer period if I don't have to. Then in the year I don't have a contract and if I still want to keep punishing my broken body I would then and only then see what I can get at that stage as the final cream on top of a career that has provided me with a mega lottery win by all accounts. Thus by doing so I have squeezed out as much as I could money wise before I retired.

By him taking a 2 year $400K per year offer from us he has already sacrificed a year of potential extra earnings to come to a stronger club for a possible shot at a title. While we were thinking(stupidly and being reactionary) that we were getting a bargin.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

I reckon we shouldn’t take into account how he is playing now.

Not when discussing whether he played last year. His form in reserve grade was ordinary. This year he’s been better, much like Greig, who has obviously lost weight.

I reckon we just drop Hands and replace him with Hodgson. FFS

There’s room for both in the 17.

 

[TheRam]

He was very ordinary for us last year, mostly around his work rate. But our reserve grade was fairly strong and he was just outplayed by better contributors. Even this year he was unremarkable in his first two games in reserve grade (in the halves). Then against Blacktown he played hooker and made 51 tackles without a miss, and set up a try. He must've had a big off season.

By all accounts he is the 2nd or 3rd fittest at the club.