Rumours and Stuff

[hineyrulz]

After the Alex Mackinnon tragedy I’m pretty sure Sydney was the last place he wanted to be.

Newcastle also threw a big bid at him as well.

 

[84 Baby]

Jordan McLean would have been my Choice. Sure double the price, but if the Cows can afford him so should we be able to.

Magic has nothing to do with it. Great recruitment and cash generally do though.

I may be mistaken but I'm sure it was reported we were chasing McLean. And we would have been competing with Cows recruitment and dollars, which not many clubs can match. Magic has nothing to do with recruitment but if you think just throwing dollars at the players you "need" is the only way, you'll probably need magic to "manage" your salary cap

 

[Gronk]

RAM says we should have signed a Kangaroo prop over Evans.

I'll throw in Gagai, Cronk and every origin player that changed clubs this year.

I can't believe we didn't talk to them all.

 

[84 Baby]

RAM says we should have signed a Kangaroo prop over Evans.

I reckon back in the day he would have been all over signing Lindner too

 

[TheRam]

Hasler and Maguire have won three premierships between them.

He signed Kasiano. His only other big forward is NAS.

The reason he has two big forwards rather than just the one from previous years is because he knows he can’t rely on Brodie Croft like he could with Cronk.

Are you kidding? I've posted last years premiership Storm pack before. I couldn't be F'ed to repost again, but the size of their pack the last 2 season was massive and made me green with envy because it was size with real talent. Hence it only took them 2 seasons to play in 2 GF's and jag a title with essentially the same pack.

The pack set the spine alight. Go find C. Smiths FOX interview from a couple of seasons ago, when he address exactly the size limitations the squad had the previous season(3 seasons ago) and how he sat down with Bellamy and they decided to bring in SIZE.

The rest as they say in the classics, is History. Or as they say in RL, winners are grinners and losers are Parramatta's small plucky pack.

 

[TheRam]

So you'd better their 600k (or so) offer. Ok. Why would that make him an Eel?

Would you also relocate his missus' family from Northern QLD? After all, that was a big factor in him choosing the Cowboys. Put him up outside Sydney, a place he didn't want to move to for personal reasons? Might make things tough for him and the club.

Who knows, maybe paying overs would have swayed this particular player. Point is sometimes you can splash all the cash you like and still not get your man...FFS some of you lot think it's as simple as put a contract in front of a bloke, if he doesn't like that one add a zero and boom, he's an Eels player.

Didn't say we would have signed him, but that he was the best on offer last year and that he would of been pricey. So pull your head in Baz-lick-dick and stop extrapolating nonsense just like Pou does to give your position some false credibility.

Alternately in the past 5 years there have been many quality big forwards/front rowers on the market. Some pricey and others not. BA has recruited none with quality. I call that bad recruitment. Same goes for the quality of our hooker too.

He has done well otherwise with the remainder of the team. But he has had 5 years to get it right. He has no excuse if this turns out to be a shit season. I would of addressed hooker 3 or 4 years ago and the same goes for the size our pack.

 

[Delboy]

We did try and sign Maclean , was offered good money. Couldn’t compete with the 17 acre property he bought just outside Townsville, all their signings seem to get lucky on such things

 

[Stevie]

After the Alex Mackinnon tragedy I’m pretty sure Sydney was the last place he wanted to be.

Newcastle also threw a big bid at him as well.

What's that got to do with anything? Nothing to do with Sydney and AK and the Knights are located in Newcastle, no where near Sydney.

 

[hineyrulz]

What's that got to do with anything? Nothing to do with Sydney and AK and the Knights are located in Newcastle, no where near Sydney.

I’m sure I read it somewhere he copped it every game he played at Sydney.

He was happy to go up North were he wouldn’t cop the amount of grief.

 

[hineyrulz]

We did try and sign Maclean , was offered good money. Couldn’t compete with the 17 acre property he bought just outside Townsville, all their signings seem to get lucky on such things

But but but but but Toddy looked into them and gave everything the green light.........

 

[TheRam]

I am not referring to just this seasons recruitment's. The point is BA has had 5 seasons to address the Prop/forward size issue and hooker. As soon as we lost Junior, he should of moved heaven and earth to find an equal if not better replacement.

Watch what Politis will do if the Chooks fail up front again this season. I want Politis style, ruthless management at Parramatta.

NO EXCUSES!

 

[TheRam]

Hasler and Maguire have won three premierships between them.

He signed Kasiano. His only other big forward is NAS.

The reason he has two big forwards rather than just the one from previous years is because he knows he can’t rely on Brodie Croft like he could with Cronk.

What??? Hahahahaha... Only 2 of the most destructive forwards in the comp. When either of them come on they can change the momentum of any game. Yeah good one Pou.

I wish Parra ooonly had those two in our squad as our big boppers. Your logic is warped.

As for Hasler and Maguire, I don't rate them as highly as Cleary. They both seem one dimensional. Not to say they aren't decent coaches, they have both won comps. But I rate Cleary the better all round coach.

 

[Bazal]

The only person I have ever heard call Kasiano destructive was a KFC franchisee in Bankstown

 

[Joshuatheeel]

McLean is a bit overrated, yeah a good quality NRL prop, but no superstar. He would have just been another scapegoat if he had signed with the eels!!

 

[Joely01]

I am not referring to just this seasons recruitment's. The point is BA has had 5 seasons to address the Prop/forward size issue and hooker. As soon as we lost Junior, he should of moved heaven and earth to find an equal if not better replacement.

Watch what Politis will do if the Chooks fail up front again this season. I want Politis style, ruthless management at Parramatta.

NO EXCUSES!

We had our long term hooker for the club but due to salary cap needed to get rid of him...
He has done well for mine to fix that position up while we got our cap mess together.

The forwards I’ll agree with, not sure why we let go of Tanginoa for instance when he is the exactly style of player we are lacking at the moment. Wouldn’t have cost much to keep and he would have to be ahead of quite a few forwards who are on the bench for us at the moment.

 

[TheRam]

If I were BA no matter how we go this year, even if we were to win the damn thing, won't happen, I would go hard to bring back Junior Paulo or sign Shannon Boyd. I believe they are both off contract at the end of this year.

I would get rid of three others to sign either of them. I don't know who else is off contract that fits that mould of size and power. Love Paulo more though due to his go forward and great late offload that we so desperately need, not to mention he is ours .

I hope Beau Scott is off contract this year. If he is I would use his substantial money and a little more to bring one of said polookas to our club. There is no excuse if BA can't find someone of size and note after so many years watching at different stages throughout the seasons getting steamrolled by bigger/better packs.

 

[Avenger]

We did try and sign Maclean , was offered good money. Couldn’t compete with the 17 acre property he bought just outside Townsville, all their signings seem to get lucky on such things

I get what you are saying Delboy but surely when a prop of his talent is available you just offer him more and let go of players that have obviously past their peak such as Mau, Mannah, Gower etc.

This is where we are stupid with recruitment. Surely whatever he signed with the Cowboys for isn't greater than our initial offer and David Gower's. If it was then make a tough call and let go of Mau whilst he is still attractive to other clubs and not totally a shadow of the player he was like say Tim Mannah.

BA needs to be more ruthless with players that have given "long service" to the club.

If we re-sign Beau Scott after this season BA should be mentally scheduled.

 

[Gronk]

Well there is no way that Scott will be going around again.

Credit to Pou. Brackets indicate unsigned for next year and their age.

2018
Utility: Gutherson, Hayne (30), Salmon, Smith, Takairangi
Fullback: French
W/C: Aukafolau (21), Auva'a (26), Davis (23), Hoffman, G.Jennings (25), M.Jennings, Leleisiuao (21)
Half: Moses, Norman
Hooker: King (27), Mahoney (20), K. Pritchard (24)
Edge forward: Edwards, Gower (33), Ma'u, Moeroa, Niukore (22), Scott (34), Stone (21), Williams (30)
Tight forward: Alvaro, Brown, Evans,Mannah, Matagi (30), Terepo (27), Vave (29)

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Are you kidding? I've posted last years premiership Storm pack before. I couldn't be F'ed to repost again, but the size of their pack the last 2 season was massive and made me green with envy because it was size with real talent. Hence it only took them 2 seasons to play in 2 GF's and jag a title with essentially the same pack.

The pack set the spine alight. Go find C. Smiths FOX interview from a couple of seasons ago, when he address exactly the size limitations the squad had the previous season(3 seasons ago) and how he sat down with Bellamy and they decided to bring in SIZE.

The rest as they say in the classics, is History. Or as they say in RL, winners are grinners and losers are Parramatta's small plucky pack.

Some of them were certainly tall and lean (Bromwich, McLean, Harris), just like Evans and Takairangi, but most of them were no bigger than the rest of the blokes in our team.

 

[Bazal]

I get what you are saying Delboy but surely when a prop of his talent is available you just offer him more and let go of players that have obviously past their peak such as Mau, Mannah, Gower etc.

This is where we are stupid with recruitment. Surely whatever he signed with the Cowboys for isn't greater than our initial offer and David Gower's. If it was then make a tough call and let go of Mau whilst he is still attractive to other clubs and not totally a shadow of the player he was like say Tim Mannah.

BA needs to be more ruthless with players that have given "long service" to the club.

If we re-sign Beau Scott after this season BA should be mentally scheduled.

Welcome to how Parramatta went over the salary cap TWICE and still won nothing, starring Rammy and Avenger...