Rumours and Stuff

[Tiger5150]

Its symbolic FFS! It represents what Brooksy has been doing to our attack for the last 10 years.

 

[oldmancraigy]

Its symbolic FFS! It represents what Brooksy has been doing to our attack for the last 10 years.

I would have thought better symbolism would have been to give him a butchers shop?

 

[84 Baby]

Yeah its hard not to think that tbh it probably crossed there mind.

A lot of stuff went wrong this year that shouldn't have. You would be hard-pressed to see us getting as much bad luck next year. But in saying that a lot of it was self inflicted as well. Dylan Brown & Matto missing games over stupidity. No other club in the comp tossed away 10 games suspension like those 2 did.

RCG getting 4 weeks at the time he did was the hammer blow i reckon. With Junior out of form the last thing we needed RCG missing that crucial stretch especially after missing 7-8 weeks already with an injury.

I think not making finals instead of falling into 8th spot and being cannon fodder week 1 is probably more beneficial as we werent winning the comp this year.

It might sharpen up a few attitudes and actually get the powers to be to properly look at whats going on.

We can only live in hope.

BA, MON & Sarantinos are playing for contracts next year IMO.
Although probably not Sarantinos given he can throw the other two under bus instead

 

[84 Baby]

just need some quality to be available.

This is the problematic part.
Having space to capitalise on sudden opportunities is great, but I hope we’re actually a bit more proactive than we seem to have been past couple of years.

 

[Tiger5150]

Well that's where clubs play their backups. Should a backup player be topping statistical categories in first grade?

Reserve grade is full of top 30 players and most of them don't break tackles as well as Cini does. Honestly, what is your point? He is a better attacker than most merkins in reserve grade, including all those top 30 players who play reserve grade most weeks. Are you saying he's not good enough for minimum salary? If he's not good enough who is?

As if I'd have a point....

The point is that the minimum wage positions in the top 30 should be young guys coming through that have the potential to become genuine established first grade NRL players, not reserve graders. guys like Chris Faagatu, josh Feledy...not guys that have shown everything they have and established themselves as Cup Kings.

 

[TheRam]

Richie P played NSW Cup in the weekend until poor form forced him into the headbin after just a few mins play.

What exactly does that mean? Cryptic much?

 

[TheRam]

I think a lot of squad moves at the bottom of the 30 are announced late (or not at all). After missing the finals or even just losing a finals match, whinging fans don’t react well to news that merkins like Cini or Betham-Misa have been upgraded to the top 30, because they think it means they will play first grade every week. They only want to hear that the Broncos have agreed to release Cobbo and Staggs.

What a stupid post, even for a troll like you.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

As usual, take the point of the post, deflect and focus on one side tracked argument to derail any honest analysis.

I am simply disagreeing that, even if the outside back issue you raise could have been foreseen by the club, that it could then have been resolved in the time frame you are claiming was not only possible, but inevitable for any but the most incompetent rugby league administration.

No, you are right, our three quarters this year were stocked as best they could be and we got as much as parra fans could possibly want or deserve for following a club with poor resources and bad luck.

Is that it?

Ah a strawman? Okay here goes...

Yes I totally agree that the club should have been able to sack Haze Dunster as soon as he destroyed all his knee ligaments, and also for zero impact on our salary cap. The club should also have foreseen the decline of Waqa Blake this year and also gotten him to agree to a zero payout termination. Then we should have been able to get rival clubs to agree to the early release of a couple of star outside backs to us, despite there being no replacements available so close to the start of the 2023 season.

Is that it?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

This is the problematic part.
Having space to capitalise on sudden opportunities is great, but I hope we’re actually a bit more proactive than we seem to have been past couple of years.

Proactivity starts in November, 16 months before the start of the season. That means a preternatural level of forecasting is required to both create the space in the cap and roster, as well as to anticipate which players will still be available on November first.

So to get the best players for 2023 we needed to sign them in November 2021. Given all the existing players we had off contract at the time, and the full roster of top 17 outside backs already on the books for 2023, it's disingenuous to suggest that anyone has dropped the ball with our recruitment/retention of wingers and centres this year. Last year they weren't a problem, and Russell was moving into the top 17 to replace Opacic. Further, I don't think our outside backs were the problem this year. Our middle defence was the problem. Defensive issues on the edges stemmed from that.

Like a snowball.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

As if I'd have a point....

The point is that the minimum wage positions in the top 30 should be young guys coming through that have the potential to become genuine established first grade NRL players, not reserve graders. guys like Chris Faagatu, josh Feledy...not guys that have shown everything they have and established themselves as Cup Kings.

Backups are backups mate. They don't need to be eligible for Jersey Flegg. Isaac Lumelume played a finals match for Melbourne when he was the same age as Cini. Meanwhile we have Sam Loizou carving up in Flegg while part of our top 30. There's no guarantee any of the youngsters will handle it, and plenty of players mature in reserve grade to peak later in their careers. Melbourne are notorious for using late bloomers; Olam and Seve both debuted in their mid twenties. It's not like we need Cini to play 20 games. We have some very talented youngsters coming through. He will be fighting it out with them.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

What a stupid post, even for a troll like you.

I wasn't talking about you mate. I meant the other whinging fans.

 

[Tiger5150]

It's not like we need Cini to play 20 games. We have some very talented youngsters coming through.

and Zac Cini taking up one of the top 30 spots at their expense....see how it works?

 

[hindy111]

Well I’m stuck in my hotel room because half of f**king California is flooded. Apparently it never rains here.

Stay safe mate. Order room service

 

[hindy111]

Nah I'm good.

Never question me again
Penaut

 

[yy_cheng]

and Zac Cini taking up one of the top 30 spots at their expense....see how it works?

We just have to get bea to polish him like he did carty

 

[Chipmunk]

We pay 10% GST on everything. It's kind of similar except you can tip what you like. I don't see the big issue at all. I do recall 10% back when I visited in 2008 however was standard and you'd give less or more based in service or breast size

They also pay a GST over there, both federal and state.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

and Zac Cini taking up one of the top 30 spots at their expense....see how it works?

But it's not at their expense, because there aren't enough of them for one bloke to keep anyone out. How many under 21 players good enough to be NRL backups do you think should emerge each year? We already have two Flegg-eligible players in our top 17 (Penisini and Russell) and we still have plenty of slots available next year, even with Cini in the squad.

Look at the Broncos: the whole of Brisbane to choose from and three of their four backup wing/centres are over the age of 25 (Pereira, Hoeter, Arthars). Only Mariner is under 21. The Storm are only slightly younger with backups Jennings (30), Seve (28), Ieremia (22) and Howarth (21).

The problem for every club isn't finding under 21 players (there are heaps of them). The problem is finding ones worth minimum salary (there are very few). The alternative is having to choose between paying a quality backup (worth more than minimum salary) whatever he's worth, or paying someone not even worth minimum salary more than he's worth. You might think it's no big deal to be paying minimum salary to a handful of merkins who are worth less than $100k, but if they're on minimum salary they are in your top 30 and you might have to use them in first grade. That can be an instant loss for an 80 minute player (e.g. outside backs). As bad as you think Cini is, he has a 50% win rate in first grade.

 

[Tiger5150]

But it's not at their expense, because there aren't enough of them for one bloke to keep anyone out. How many under 21 players good enough to be NRL backups do you think should emerge each year? We already have two Flegg-eligible players in our top 17 (Penisini and Russell) and we still have plenty of slots available next year, even with Cini in the squad.

Look at the Broncos: the whole of Brisbane to choose from and three of their four backup wing/centres are over the age of 25 (Pereira, Hoeter, Arthars). Only Mariner is under 21. The Storm are only slightly younger with backups Jennings (30), Seve (28), Ieremia (22) and Howarth (21).

proves my point. All of those over 21 taking up a roster spot and proven first grade standard players. Cini is a proven reserve grader.

The problem for every club isn't finding under 21 players (there are heaps of them). The problem is finding ones worth minimum salary (there are very few). The alternative is having to choose between paying a quality backup (worth more than minimum salary) whatever he's worth, or paying someone not even worth minimum salary more than he's worth. You might think it's no big deal to be paying minimum salary to a handful of merkins who are worth less than $100k, but if they're on minimum salary they are in your top 30 and you might have to use them in first grade. That can be an instant loss for an 80 minute player (e.g. outside backs). As bad as you think Cini is, he has a 50% win rate in first grade.

Most be really dictating terms out on the wing.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

proves my point. All of those over 21 taking up a roster spot and proven first grade standard players. Cini is a proven reserve grader.

They were also proven reserve graders at Cini’s age. In fact they are still proven reserve graders. If they were proven first graders they wouldn’t be backups.

 

[Tiger5150]

They were also proven reserve graders at Cini’s age. In fact they are still proven reserve graders. If they were proven first graders they wouldn’t be backups.

Im sure you are right. In fact I think that position 18 to 30 in Parras roster should be Zac Cini standard players