Rumours and Stuff

[Poupou Escobar]

As a contrast , we lose, Fergo, Jennings. Opacic and we look around and sign basically a back up.

We improved after losing those two, culminating in last year’s top four finish and grand final appearance. Opacic is a nuffy. We didn’t miss the finals because he left the club.

 

[the phantom menace]

We improved after losing those two, culminating in last year’s top four finish and grand final appearance. Opacic is a nuffy. We didn’t miss the finals because he left the club.

 

[yy_cheng]

. It would all come down to the money side of it all, I'm guessing. How much salary cap do we have left, how much do we want to spend on a new player, and do we pay overs if we have to?

From the outside it all looks like a mess, sure. But who knows what's happening on the inside.

Then why sign all those nuffies last year? They still take up cap space.

Or it actually is a mess on the inside.

I used to work with big banks and during the GFC was involved in M&As. The big banks are messy on the inside and to work out how to break them up was really difficult.

 

[Obscene Assassin]

Do you think for instance that every club would lose a talent like Ethan Sanders , to the Raiders of all clubs ?

Penrith lost their young half to the dolphins. Manly lost latu fainu to the tigers. Broncos lost tom dearden to the cowboys. The cowboys lost Tabuai-Fidow to the dolphins. The broncos could be on the verge of losing Mam to the dolphins. Penrith could be on the verge of losing luai to the tigers or dogs. When you prioritise some positions, or sign players ahead of others, you're inevitably going to lose someone. Would you have rather us lost Moses or Brown to re-sign Sanders?

I think the only clubs that hold on to their youth players are the roosters and storm. Roosters have a super financial advantage with politis and storm have one of the biggest geographical advantages, possibly financial too.

 

[Delboy]

The point was we don’t seem to have people who can talk up the club or the opportunities, not sure that Sanders for instance is going to get more of a first grade start given who Ricky has also signed. Anyway, perhaps it’s incumbent on the board to work to provide those outside advantages. It’s tiring to constantly move sideways , now they have stabilised the financial side the board should look at creating those opportunities.

 

[hineyrulz]

We improved after losing those two, culminating in last year’s top four finish and grand final appearance. Opacic is a nuffy. We didn’t miss the finals because he left the club.

 

[Delboy]

We improved after losing those two, culminating in last year’s top four finish and grand final appearance. Opacic is a nuffy. We didn’t miss the finals because he left the club.

So you conclude that Jennings isn’t as good as Simmonson, and Fergo is a step below Russell, and Opacic didn’t provide much, that’ll do me. Just accept that the club hasn’t always done the best thing , it’s not that bad, just realistic.

 

[hindy111]

So you conclude that Jennings isn’t as good as Simmonson, and Fergo is a step below Russell, and Opacic didn’t provide much, that’ll do me. Just accept that the club hasn’t always done the best thing , it’s not that bad, just realistic.

Opacic was a back up. That shows how good our depth was. He'd walk into the side now.

 

[Delboy]

Opacic was a back. That shows how good our depth was. He'd walk into the side now.

We knew exactly what Opacic would provide, solid defence inside Sivo and could actually set the winger up. Not a superstar but very handy.

 

[Noise]

We did have a post-season review.
We do one every year. Every team does.

Do you think they all just sit back after GF day and do nothing until the trials start? They go over the season and look at what went right and what needs improvement. From there they can understand how they can move forward.

So they did the review and the only player change made was Harper and Tualagi? And coaching staff remain the same. Same with the recruitment committee.

 

[yy_cheng]

So they did the review and the only player change made was Harper and Tualagi? And coaching staff remain the same. Same with the recruitment committee.

Average might be a good kpi for some.

N Brown left, maybe they thought he didnt find anyone good enough like Jarryd to do a 2009

 

[T.S Quint]

Probably they do understand what is needed, the comparison with say the Roosters is stark, they saw Tupou declining and Sualii moving and they target and sign Dom Young. They see JWH become less effective, who’s the closest to him in intimidation, they look and sign Spencer Lenui.

As a contrast , we lose, Fergo, Jennings. Opacic and we look around and sign basically a back up. May well have looked at Farnsworth and others, but the committee may not have been prepared to spend the necessary and we lose out. Do you think for instance that every club would lose a talent like Ethan Sanders , to the Raiders of all clubs ?

The people in the R&R area are all good guys, but do they have the gravitas to get big things done, It’s like baseball - can we hit a home run or do we hang around waiting for the other side to pitch 4 balls and we wander down to first base. Big clubs get things done, and by all measures we are a big club, so the current situation is questionable.

It seems that after Ferguson left, and then Jennings got suspended, we were relying on Blake, Opacic, Penisini, Dunster, Russell, Sivo, Loizou, etc. Looks as though instead of going out and buying up expensive outside backs that they would spend the money in the halves and forwards, then bring the young blokes in.

Unfortunately Loizou turned out not as good as hoped, Dunster suffered a catastrophic injury, Blake's form fell off a cliff...but we were still able to make a grand final with these players in the squad. They got some things wrong in terms of who they thought would pan out as good players, but the jury is still out on Dunster, Russell has proven himself at least a decent option, Penisini is a genuine FG centre, and we still could unearth a good player from our juniors to add to the team (Talagi?).

Other teams (such as Penrith) have let players leave, put a bunch of cheapies into the squad to fill the gaps until their top juniors come through, and then reaped the benefits. I believe this is what the club is doing...it just takes a bit of patience, unfortunately. Hopefully it works. As some merkin on this site likes to say, it's very exciting.

Nothing would surprise me at this club, seriously nothing. The only time we have ever heard anything about a review was in 2018. Which was a Clayton’s review because the coach was already safe even before the review was conducted. So forgive me for having any faith in anything these clowns do.

I believe after that review they overhauled the coaching setup, adding more staff to the club to help out BA. They hired a head of football to oversee operations (O'Neill) and put in place the Recruitment and Retention Committee. The team then placed 5th the following year, and in the top 4 the year after.

Tell me again how it was a "Clayton's Review"?
Oh, because they didn't fire your favourite punching bag?

So they did the review and the only player change made was Harper and Tualagi? And coaching staff remain the same. Same with the recruitment committee.

Season 2024 hasn't started yet, so I don't know.
But maybe the review found that there wasn't an issue with the coaching and that the option of buying expensive players from elsewhere isn't feasible.

Do you have the findings of any such review?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

I think the only clubs that hold on to their youth players are the roosters and storm. Roosters have a super financial advantage with politis and storm have one of the biggest geographical advantages, possibly financial too.

The Storm have lost plenty of players, from Inglis to Widdop and Cronk, a bunch of quality wingers, and talented forwards like Harris and Fa’asuamaleaui. Also the Cheese.

The Chooks are superb at retention, as you say, but they have still lost Ferguson, Matterson and Latrell Mitchell.

 

[hineyrulz]

So they did the review and the only player change made was Harper and Tualagi? And coaching staff remain the same. Same with the recruitment committee.

Massive shake up.

 

[Noise]

.
But maybe the review found that there wasn't an issue with the coaching and that the option of buying expensive players from elsewhere isn't feasible.

I reckon that’s exactly what they found. Which means the review isn’t leading to change.

 

[TheCrowe]

Two new second tier signings
Liam Scolari (Tigers)

Liam Scolari | 2021 Jersey Flegg Cup Highlights

Catch up on all the four-pointers from the 2021 Jersey Flegg Cup leading try scorer!

www.nswrl.com.au

Jordan Hill (Tigers)

Curtis Scott rumour gains steam.

 

[the phantom menace]

The Storm have lost plenty of players, from Inglis to Widdop and Cronk, a bunch of quality wingers, and talented forwards like Harris and Fa’asuamaleaui. Also the Cheese.

The Chooks are superb at retention, as you say, but they have still lost Ferguson, Matterson and Latrell Mitchell.

 

[hineyrulz]

It seems that after Ferguson left, and then Jennings got suspended, we were relying on Blake, Opacic, Penisini, Dunster, Russell, Sivo, Loizou, etc. Looks as though instead of going out and buying up expensive outside backs that they would spend the money in the halves and forwards, then bring the young blokes in.

Unfortunately Loizou turned out not as good as hoped, Dunster suffered a catastrophic injury, Blake's form fell off a cliff...but we were still able to make a grand final with these players in the squad. They got some things wrong in terms of who they thought would pan out as good players, but the jury is still out on Dunster, Russell has proven himself at least a decent option, Penisini is a genuine FG centre, and we still could unearth a good player from our juniors to add to the team (Talagi?).

Other teams (such as Penrith) have let players leave, put a bunch of cheapies into the squad to fill the gaps until their top juniors come through, and then reaped the benefits. I believe this is what the club is doing...it just takes a bit of patience, unfortunately. Hopefully it works. As some merkin on this site likes to say, it's very exciting.



I believe after that review they overhauled the coaching setup, adding more staff to the club to help out BA. They hired a head of football to oversee operations (O'Neill) and put in place the Recruitment and Retention Committee. The team then placed 5th the following year, and in the top 4 the year after.

Tell me again how it was a "Clayton's Review"?
Oh, because they didn't fire your favourite punching bag?



Season 2024 hasn't started yet, so I don't know.
But maybe the review found that there wasn't an issue with the coaching and that the option of buying expensive players from elsewhere isn't feasible.

Do you have the findings of any such review?

The coach and Murphy we're safe before the review was even conducted, a claytons review if their ever was one. Wow we had to spend more money with more staff and hire a HOF that every other single club has. Simply groundbreaking!!

 

[Poupou Escobar]

So you conclude that Jennings isn’t as good as Simmonson, and Fergo is a step below Russell,

Nope, just worse value. You have to consider that a better player on overs provides less value than a worse player on unders. The difference can be spent on other areas of your salary cap. I’m astounded some of you merkins can’t wrap your heads around this idea. I don’t see how I can explain it any more clearly. Some posters get it and some don’t.

and Opacic didn’t provide much, that’ll do me. Just accept that the club hasn’t always done the best thing , it’s not that bad, just realistic.

Haha yeah of course. The idiots running the club think Morgan Harper is a gun. With the money he’s on they could’ve gotten Farnworth ffs. You wouldn’t read about it!!!

 

[Poupou Escobar]

We knew exactly what Opacic would provide, solid defence inside Sivo and could actually set the winger up. Not a superstar but very handy.

I agree Opacic is a better defender but Simonsson had more try assists than him.