Rumours and Stuff

[gaffer]

Wrong thread but I get ya

comes under stuff friggin stupid stuff

 

[Poupou Escobar]

MA could be a very good dummy half of he goes to a successful club and develops rumours he is going to Newcastle because of family shows he doesn't have the mentality to knuckle down and make it on his own ...

BA basically f**ked up both his kids careers.

Their careers are doing fine. The oldest is still 21 and got an NRL contract until he turns 23. The youngest has played first grade while still eligible for SG Ball. If neither of them make it it’s not because of how their dad treated them. It’s because they lack talent or the right attitude.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Can’t wait for a new scapegoat!! It’s very exciting!!

Don’t let us down merkin

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Ryles will sacked mid 2026 with a 3-31 record

Has any coach ever left the Eels and won a premiership? In my lifetime Brian Smith and Ricky Stuart got closest.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

In a professional environment they shouldn't have been allowed. It's not bring your kids to work day FFS.
Management should've been awake to that. Imagine there was a serious injury to one of them because they shouldn't have been anywhere near the 1st graders training.
Thick as 2 fkn planks

Family club bro. That’s the vibe they’re going for.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Luck.

Maybe we’re just unlucky now?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Good resources

Maybe we have no resources now?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Also Lane played like the 2nd coming of Paul Sironen that year.

I'm sure it also didn't hurt that Papalii was the turd that had been polished up beautifully, and 16 of our top 30 played 20+ games. It was a total gift of a year on the injury front, and the draw did us a few favours too (including opposition players out).

To be fair, I truly do think luck was our strongest ally in 2022.
We came back looking disinterested in the early parts of 2023, and the fitness was goooorne in 2024


(Brad is a solid coach, and it was the scenario of just about everything going right for us in 2022. It possibly broke him? He fell off a cliff and all his fresh ideas were crud).

I think we were definitely lucky in 2022. The team was better in 2020 and 2021 but didn’t have the same luck. The 2020 side especially was crippled with injury and suspension in the finals.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

I think BA actually had them overachieving in those 3 years but it was stealing from the future

I think there’s definitely an element of this. Most of our big name forwards were signed in the off season after 2021. Imagine if we had started our rebuild then and told a bunch of 27-28 year olds it was time to move on. We had to keep the band together. At other clubs the likes of Mahoney and Papali’i wouldn’t have decided to chase the money. It probably didn’t help that the Dolphins started recruiting at that time.

 

[lucablight]

What he says to the media and what he does are two different things. Don’t you know that by now? He signed off on the player options. He knows how they work.

I’m not sure what that has to do with anything. He’s saying this after reflecting upon the choice to have the player options in the contracts. It sounds like a concession that it’s not ideal and something the club is looking to move away from.

 

[lucablight]

I think we were definitely lucky in 2022. The team was better in 2020 and 2021 but didn’t have the same luck. The 2020 side especially was crippled with injury and suspension in the finals.

I think we would have been beaten by the Rabbitohs even at full strength. They were a bad matchup for us for whatever reason.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

I’m not sure what that has to do with anything. He’s saying this after reflecting upon the choice to have the player options in the contracts. It sounds like a concession that it’s not ideal and something the club is looking to move away from.

It’s not ideal after the fact but we took our benefit from it during negotiations. It needs to be considered in that light. In any case he just seems to be answering a leading question from a journo looking to stir up the fans.

 

[Incorrect]

Koroisau would’ve cost twice as much as Hodgson. There would have been massive demand. If we couldn’t afford to keep Mahoney there’s no chance we would’ve been able to afford Koroisau.

Reece Robson was available and would have been a cheap option. I mentioned at the time we should have gone after him. He's now the incumbent NSW Origin hooker FFS...

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Reece Robson was available and would have been a cheap option. I mentioned at the time we should have gone after him. He's now the incumbent NSW Origin hooker FFS...

What are you on about? He signed with the Cowboys in August 2019 for the 2020 to 2023 seasons. Then he extended at the end of 2022.

 

[Incorrect]

What are you on about? He signed with the Cowboys in August 2019 for the 2020 to 2023 seasons. Then he extended at the end of 2022.

I seem to recall both he and Verrills were on the market before we signed old man Hodgson...

And anyway, contracts aren't worth the paper they're printed on FFS....

 

[Poupou Escobar]

I seem to recall both he and Verrills were on the market before we signed old man Hodgson...

That's because you've fabricated memories to fit your narrative together.

And anyway, contracts aren't worth the paper they're printed on FFS....

I think we can all agree on this.

 

[hineyrulz]

Don’t let us down merkin

Unlike some of the players I’ll give it my all!!

 

[Soto]

Hopefully our D is finally coached moving forward and Dyl won't be working his ass off covering for our 2010s style forward pack. He may actually be able to concentrate on his Attack.

Dyl was very good last night. Defence apart from the miss on Howarth and looking to run alot.
He does seem to favour the middle or left side of the field.
Would he not be better suited to fullback, hooker or left centre ( if not playing left half (5/8)?
Let's not forget he has only ever been coached by 1 bloke who was effort effort effort.
I don't believe we have seen the best of his attack yet.
If Ryles can unlock Dylan Brown then we could see this guy finally reach his unfulfilled potential.
Does he have the temperament?
The new voice in Ryles will do wonders for this club..the same old style bash and barge rubbish, with no game plan is so 70's 80's I'm glad it's over

 

[Soto]

Their careers are doing fine. The oldest is still 21 and got an NRL contract until he turns 23. The youngest has played first grade while still eligible for SG Ball. If neither of them make it it’s not because of how their dad treated them. It’s because they lack talent or the right attitude.

Dads mates...nepo

 

[Johnny88]

NRL 2024: Key player moves to trigger transfer frenzy on the eve of finals series
Key moves in the NRL player market are set to trigger a domino effect on the eve of the finals. MICHAEL CARAYANNIS and PHIL ROTHFIELD analyse the big names linked with rival clubs for 2025.

John Bateman – Wests Tigers
Contract: 2026
MC: The Tigers have agreed to release him to join the San Burgess-coached Warrington for the rest of the year and it’s fuelled speculation about whether or not he will return. I think it’s unlikely. And he’s been linked with a potential move to South Sydney next season, which would be interesting, under Wayne Bennett. You’ve got Shane Richardson at the Tigers. All three are very close. So there is that connection and a natural conclusion to draw that maybe he’ll be at South Sydney athough Souths have categorically denied that to me today.
Buzz: I think England or Souths.
Stefano Utoikamanu – Wests Tigers
Contract: 2024
MC: Yeah, he’s gone. He won’t be there.
Buzz: He’s not going to Melbourne. From what I’m told, he loves the football side of it, but his partner doesn’t like Melbourne. They’ve got two young kids. If Melbourne Storm were in Sydney, he’d go there for sure.
MC: So that means you’ve got him going to the Dogs, Buzz? Because the only other club that are in for him is the Dolphins. I wouldn’t rule the Dolphins or the Storm out yet. The Dogs are there as well. But he won’t be at the Tigers. Once the Stefano decision, is made, there’s going to be ramifications because the Dolphins obviously have money. The Dogs still have a little bit of money. The Tigers will have a lot of money. So I think that’s where we’ll see the market hot up again once that decision is made.

Blaize Talagi – Parramatta
Contract: 2024
Buzz: I hope he stays. It would be a bold signing for the Dolphins because they’re so strong in those areas (that Talagi covers).
MC: Stays. We’re just having an informed opinion here. We’re not locking it in concrete, but I think he stays. The Dragons haven’t heard much lately. It’s been radio silence. The Dolphins have gone in hard for him as well. They’ve slid under the radar a little bit. He’d be a long-term halve partner for Isaiya Katoa.

Daniel Saifiti – Newcastle Knights
Contract: 2026
Buzz: I spoke to Peter O’Sullivan actually. And Peter said that he’s not that dirty about being spoken to about leaving and thinks his career might need a reset and a fresh start. That being the case, I’d say St George Illawarra.
MC: I just think it’s the money, Buzz.
Buzz: St George pay $500,000, Newcastle pay $300,000. If you don’t want someone, you got to take a financial hit.
MC: But when it gets to $300,000-plus, you’ve then got to replace him with a $150,000 player to make it work. That’s a $500,000 player, essentially. There’s a point in the cap where it’s just not worth selling a player. I wouldn’t do it. The Dragons are keen He’s done a medical. There was some minor concerns over his shoulder. Just minor concerns. But the Dragons are going to have to up their offer to get the deal done. And if it doesn’t happen, he’ll be at the Knights. The Tigers will need to replace Stefano, so they might come into the mix for Saifiti.

Blake Lawrie – St George Illawarra Dragons
Contract: 2026
MC: The Dragons or Super League. But he’s got a long-term deal there until the end of 2026. He’s out of first grade at the moment, hasn’t been great this season. I went to pre-season training at the Dragons and I said to him ‘man, you’re looking lean’.
Buzz: I saw him too, at a boxing gym in Cronulla. He looked good. He looked too fit. Yeah. Maybe he’s lost a little size.
Matt Arthur – Parramatta Eels
Contract 2025 (Has been given permission to talk to rivals)
MC: It’s a position where Parramatta have really struggled in. Newcastle potentially for Matt Arthur.
Jayden Brailey – Newcastle Knights
Contract: 2025
MC: He isn’t being forced out, but it’s a conversation where Newcastle are saying “we’re not going to extend you. If we do extend you, it’s going to be on a fraction of what you are on. So, if you can find a long-term deal, we’ll let you go”.

Corey Horsburgh – Canberra Raiders
Contract: 2027
MC: He’s been on the radar of a few clubs. I think the Dragons looked at him. Once the domino falls with Stefano Utoikamanu at the Tigers, who’s the premier middle on the on the market at the moment, we might see one of those clubs that miss out on Stefano say “all right, I want Daniel Saifiti. I want Corey Horsburgh”. He’s a good player. It’s a point of difference.
Buzz: He hasn’t had any luck at all this year. He played State of Origin last year. But I don’t think Canberra would stand is why if he wanted to go elsewhere.
Emre Guler – Canberra Raiders
Contract: 2025
“He’s intimated that he might want to move on. I don’t think Canberra would let both Guler and Horsburgh go.”

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-2024-key-player-moves-to-trigger-transfer-frenzy-on-the-eve-of-finals-series/news-story/8b7a95b9e6e73640eecc9c0