Rumours and Stuff

[Parra Pride]

So do we have a Trell in our team too?

Yeah, his name is BA

 

[Zoso]

I dont think its as Crazy as people think.

I think Cheik is a great fit for our club that would bring in sponsorship & massive interest to the club straight away and would put us on the map world-wide.

He has a relationship & backing of Mitchell Moses to become an NRL Head Coach. That connection will be benfiecal to mending any sort of issues of the new coach as Moses is the man to lead us forward for the next 5 years.

He is a self made businessman outside of coaching and a very smart man forget the fact he played/coach Rugby - Cheik loves his rugby league and would know the tactics involved.

He won a super rugby with the Waratahs, Its a waste of time looking at his record with the Wallabies they are a bigger lost cause then this mob.

He was an assistant to Robbo for 12 months at the chooks and coached the Lebanon team at the world cup while juggling the Argentina union side.

And more importantly he is great man-manager he wont take any shit from anybody and would stand up for the club if we were ever wronged by officials and wont cop shit from the media.

Its time to Make Parramatta Great Again and the Cheik is a perfect fit.

You’ve sold me! Don’t get me wrong, I actually like the idea.
I guess what I meant was that our club won’t want to take a big risk next time around and a club in a weak/rebuild state would be a risk to him.
But hey, with the right people around him, why not.
We missed the last round of coaching musical chairs, we won’t get or even try for Bennett, so need to think a bit differently.

 

[King-Gutho94]

Pou doesnt believe in family at the club

Yep we're not the family club.

BA even said it last year when he sent Jake to Manly it was the first time he has ever put his family above the club in 10 years.

I didn't realise BA was such a comedian maybe that's why some of the players would die for him. And has lasted this long.

Funny bloke who cracks jokes and has a laugh.

 

[Soto]

Madge is a good man. Happy to not be commuting to Canberra weekly or twice weekly like he was last year. He's also very happy taking the reins for NSW.
Does covet full-time coaching role.
I believe he is a superior coach to BA.
Again not my first choice. Wayne Bennett is with an assistant like Ryan Carr, Holbrook or Dymock...
However Madge would be an ideal coach if uncle Wayne said no.
Both of these coaches I believe will be able to influence players to come and play under them at the Eels..
Let the good times roll

 

[TheCrowe]

We would’ve had to give him that much money to keep him ffs. He won’t be going to Canberra to play reserve grade, meaning he is on first team money. If we matched that offer we would also have to give him a starting spot to justify it. Who should we have rissoled to fit him in the team?

Because that’s the calculation here, not whether he is a good player or not.

As usual you are missing the point. Its not about keeping Sanders, its about us poaching a fullback.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

In preference to Cody Walker.
Yeah

And he preferred to play reserve grade? Crazy if true. Next year he’d rather play for Wests than stay at Penrith.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Pou doesnt believe in family at the club

We have Willie and Dick.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Well we have shied away from TPA's which in turn puts pressure on our cap as we dont have 'extras' and the players BA has needed and have wanted are not cheap, so we lose out at the negotiation table. We have a squad based on a particular style of play and when you load your salary cap with a quality (expensive) 1, 6 & 7 and then top it up with some highly paid forwards, you dont have a lot left over.

Somehow every club should be able to afford stars across the paddock. Plus have a gun reserve grade side.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

As usual you are missing the point. Its not about keeping Sanders, its about us poaching a fullback.

I believe we have a junior we want to keep.

 

[TheCrowe]

{I believe we have a junior we want to keep.}
Now go back to the earlier questions over what our options are if Talagi's manager decides to play hardball with us.
Then go back to my observation that The Knights have glut of talented fullbacks stuck behind Ponga who is on $1.2 for multiple years.
Ill flesh it out a little more. Joey Johns has said Fletcher Sharpe could be the most talented fullback coming through in a generation. Alex Mckinnon said David Armstrong was the best FB he had seen coming through in a long time.
Will Price is a class player but needs more development. (As they all do.)
Also mentioned Gutho has had numerous knee surgeries so maybe we should prepare just in case.
Final point is that Talagi has not shown us he has the ability to play fullback as yet.
Ok, Im done.

 

[JokerEel]

Somehow every club should be able to afford stars across the paddock. Plus have a gun reserve grade side.

Somehow every club needs to come to the realization that you need to develop junior players to have gun reserve and first grade sides..

 

[eels_fan]

So Souths do the same as we do?

Yep - shows why we’re both at the bottom of the ladder

 

[eels_fan]

Did you see the Dolphins documentary on Stan? Bennett gave them a wishlist and that seemed to be it. He wasn’t out signing players or juggling the cap.

It is a bit different when you are starting from zero and building a squad from scratch without taking into account existing spending on your cap.

 

[eels_fan]

Isn't that what Solly says happens at Souths, that I commented on and you challenged?

Which everyone on the panel said was not the right way. The head coach should have the final say, their job and head is on the line based on the results of the team - so he should be getting the final say

 

[the phantom menace]

We have a squad based on a particular style of play

Sounds like it's time to move away from that style of play then.

Some coaches are capable of making changes like that - others aren't and so then you need a new coach.

 

[Parra Pride]

Final point is that Talagi has not shown us he has the ability to play fullback as yet.

To be fair to Talagi that is because it seems like the plan to develop him as a fullback is by playing him at 5/8 or in the centres?

 

[emjaycee]

Which everyone on the panel said was not the right way. The head coach should have the final say, their job and head is on the line based on the results of the team - so he should be getting the final say

But he doesn't manage the cap, or should he do that too?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

{I believe we have a junior we want to keep.}
Now go back to the earlier questions over what our options are if Talagi's manager decides to play hardball with us.

Then we look elsewhere for a backup fullback.

Then go back to my observation that The Knights have glut of talented fullbacks stuck behind Ponga who is on $1.2 for multiple years.
Ill flesh it out a little more. Joey Johns has said Fletcher Sharpe could be the most talented fullback coming through in a generation. Alex Mckinnon said David Armstrong was the best FB he had seen coming through in a long time.
Will Price is a class player but needs more development. (As they all do.)

Armstrong is available for next year, Pryce for 2026 and Sharpe for the year after.

Also mentioned Gutho has had numerous knee surgeries so maybe we should prepare just in case.

We are stuck with Gutherson on the books until the end of next year anyway. In November we can start offering decent money to his potential replacement.

Final point is that Talagi has not shown us he has the ability to play fullback as yet.

Then it doesn't matter if his manager plays hardball, does it?

Ok, Im done.

Okay

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Somehow every club needs to come to the realization that you need to develop junior players to have gun reserve and first grade sides..

I'm sure they all know. It just costs money.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

It is a bit different when you are starting from zero and building a squad from scratch without taking into account existing spending on your cap.

Definitely. I remember when the Jaguars and Panthers joined the NFL they both had some early success and pundits agreed it was because it's easier to build a team from scratch than from one with a large number of contracts already in place.