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Rumours and Stuff

Chipmunk

Chipmunk

Coach
Messages
17,368
Johnny88 said:
SHOOSH I
Which top-ranking club official will be lucky to be in the same role at his team when the season starts?
SHOOSH II
Which agent struggled to use Docusign, thus delaying a crucial announcement until he could work it out?
SHOOSH III
Which current NRL club boss was sounded out by St George Illawarra about taking on the Dragons’ top job?

GUTHO TO REV UP RED V
Reagan Campbell-Gillard predicts former teammate Clint Gutherson will have a dramatic impact at St George Illawarra.
Campbell-Gillard, who has also left the Eels for Gold Coast Titans, was shocked at Gutherson’s departure, describing him as the heart-and-soul of the club.
But he insists that the Eels’ loss will to be the Dragons’ gain as Gutherson brings his winning mentality to the Dragons.
“It’s very hard on him,” Campbell-Gillard said. “If he’s not wanted there, then it’s only going to be another club’s (gain).
“Picking him up will be massive for the Dragons. They need a Clint Gutherson to drive standards.
“And that’s what he does, He brings standards the way he plays … he’s tough and will be winning every fitness drill at the Dragons.
“It’s sad to see him leave … he was the heart and soul of Parra.”
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GET TO KNOW YOUR CEO: WITH EELS BOSS JIM SARANTINOS

View attachment 96659

First job?
I worked at Darrell Lea at Roselands for a few months as a kid – I’ve got a sweet tooth, so not a good idea.
Greatest personal sporting achievement?
There’s not many that stand out! I won a few local tennis comps as a kid, but that was about it.
Team you supported as a kid?
I loved pretty much every sport as a kid and supported Liverpool, Hawthorn, LA Lakers and Green Bay Packers. Growing up in the Canterbury area, I was a Bulldogs fan.
Your sporting hero?
Michael Jordan, he was just on another level of greatness
What did you want to be when you were younger?
Sport was always my passion, so my dream was to be a professional athlete – I obviously fell short, but having the privilege of working in footy is a pretty good alternative
Most famous person in your phone?
I’d say Joey Johns or Peter Sterling.
What’s at the top of your 2025 wish list?
Good health and happiness for my family – and a premiership for the Blue and Gold!
Click to expand...
We're two clubs in two different positions, but...

I think Gutho will be the best and most important signing to happen for the DragQueens in the joint venture clubs history. He (with the help of Cook and Holmes) will change their club going forward.

I just hope he also wont be our biggest ever f**k up by letting him go.
 
Chipmunk

Chipmunk

Coach
Messages
17,368
Noise said:
Gutho might have been winning the runs at Parra but that doesn’t mean he was necessarily driving standards. It means he has great cardio. Our standards were low as f**k in 2024.
Click to expand...
Hence why I think we're two clubs in different positions. I have no doubt that the DragQueens standards are very much below were ours were in general.

I don't think our standards changed from 2022 to 2024, but I know Moses games did. Moses plays 20+ games in 2024, I suspect we still would've cruised into the Top 8.

I'm happy to see what the new coaching staff achieve, but I'm also yet to be convinced that we've not thrown the baby out with the bath water.
 
Happy MEel

Happy MEel

First Grade
Messages
9,848
Poupou Escobar said:
Not necessarily. His form had declined since 2021. Weird for a bloke only in his mid twenties but if he's no longer good enough for the top 30 that's on him. A 25-year old who played well two years ago is worth a punt. A 26-year old who played well three years ago, not so much. As we've seen.
Click to expand...
If nothing else, it points to poor recruitment last year.
 
Happy MEel

Happy MEel

First Grade
Messages
9,848
Chipmunk said:
Hence why I think we're two clubs in different positions. I have no doubt that the DragQueens standards are very much below were ours were in general.

I don't think our standards changed from 2022 to 2024, but I know Moses games did. Moses plays 20+ games in 2024, I suspect we still would've cruised into the Top 8.

I'm happy to see what the new coaching staff achieve, but I'm also yet to be convinced that we've not thrown the baby out with the bath water.
Click to expand...
I’m interested to hear why we’re in such a different position? I usually agree with your general position on here, but how do you see us currently in front of the dragons?

exceptional cardio does not equal leadership, especially on field game day. You need a merkin that people will follow.

Does anyone think Cameron Smith led sprints, runs or strength?
 
Last edited:
Happy MEel

Happy MEel

First Grade
Messages
9,848
I’ll add here that I think we have that merkin in Moses. He’s already elite, but I reckon with the freedom and authority to dictate attack like he should, we turn into a far more dangerous attack.

Drown becomes even more of a danger as complete second thought on the other side.
 
Poupou Escobar

Poupou Escobar

Post Whore
Messages
91,116
Happy MEel said:
If nothing else, it points to poor recruitment last year.
Click to expand...
Backup players don't indicate anything about recruitment. They are backups. We had five outside backs play more games than Harper this year, plus Tago who played the same number as him. If not Harper it would've been some other nuffy playing those eight games. It's not the reason we finished 15th.
 
Johnny88

Johnny88

Juniors
Messages
1,325
www.smh.com.au

Robinson turns to NBA great for help in bid to rebuild Roosters

With the Roosters staring at their most challenging season in a decade after losing a host of star players, coach Trent Robinson has gone global in his preparation for 2025.
www.smh.com.au www.smh.com.au

Roosters off the Cheese
The Roosters are prepared to let Brandon Smith leave the club next year before he returns to the field following a knee reconstruction.
It has long been believed Smith would not be required at the end of next year, when his contract ends, but if a club wanted to bring Smith into their system early, the Roosters are happy for that to happen.

It has been a tough transition to Sydney for Smith. He arrived from Melbourne with big expectations, and while he has shown glimpses of what he can do, overall it has been a troubled move. Smith’s anterior cruciate ligament injury may not make him an attractive proposition to clubs that would only get half a year of service out of him in 2025, but if someone is keen to sign him, it may be an opportunity to show their faith in the player by taking him on even when injured.
The Roosters have worked hard with Smith off the field and that support will not go away, but the truth is he is not part of their plans for 2026, so they would be happy to move him on early.
Smith has plenty of good football head of him, and if his focus is just on the game, he will be a good pick-up for a club. On his day, he is a tremendous threat with the ball.

Pappy days for Dogs?
The Bulldogs would have been the best home for Terrell May, but the club has informed his agent they won’t be making a play for him. Instead, they have been putting the finishing touches on a two-year extension for one of the best buys of 2024, Bronson Xerri.
The chat around Ryan Papenhuyzen has gone quiet and it appears it is now a race in two between the Storm and Bulldogs when his deal with Melbourne expires at the end of next season. The easy and safe option for Papenhuyzen is to stay put – even on a short-term deal. The issue for Melbourne since signing Stefano Utoikamanu is their inability to pay Papenhuyzen what he is on now.
Oh brother
Rising star Latu Fainu is one of five players who received a breach notice from Wests Tigers for his fitness not being up to scratch when he returned for pre-season training. He was poor in a time trial and will need to explain himself.

The problem for the Tigers is twofold with Fainu. First, he has been getting mixed messages, with some at the club telling him not to worry about it. Secondly, the Fainu brothers – Latu and Samuela signed long-term deals with the Tigers in 2023, joining Sione, who had signed the year before – are significant figures in the joint venture’s plans to turn the club around. And if you upset one you risk having an issue with all three of them. The Tigers are only focused on standards, however.
 
Johnny88

Johnny88

Juniors
Messages
1,325
Parramatta handed horror start to draw as Ryles looks to rebuild club

New Parramatta coach Jason Ryles has been handed the toughest assignment in rugby league for his first game in charge of the western Sydney powerhouse.
The Eels will take on the Storm in Melbourne in their season opener as Ryles looks to rebuild Parramatta following a disastrous 2024 campaign in which they narrowly avoided the wooden spoon. Ryles goes up against his mentor, Craig Bellamy, who has overseen an extraordinary streak of 22 consecutive opening-round wins.

It will also be a baptism of fire for premiership-winning mentors Wayne Bennett and Michael Maguire, who have been handed tough away assignments when they take charge of their new teams.
The NRL has released the draw for the first round of the season, which will again kick off with a double-header in Las Vegas, before the spotlight returns to a raft of domestic blockbusters.
The Raiders will take on the Warriors on Sunday, March 2 (AEDT) at Allegiant Stadium, before the Panthers and Sharks begin their campaigns in the second iteration of the game’s bold foray into the United States.
The focus will then return to the game’s heartland with a blockbuster Roosters-Broncos clash in Sydney on Thursday, March 6. In an intriguing twist,

both sides are pursuing former Dragons captain Ben Hunt, who could be an X-factor for the club that finally gets his signature.



The clash will mark Maguire’s first game in charge of the Broncos, who are looking to rebuild after a disappointing 2024 campaign that resulted in the sacking of coach Kevin Walters. It is also a new era for the Roosters, who will be without Luke Keary, Joseph Manu, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Sitili Tupouniua.
The marquee match-up is a huge win for broadcasters Fox and Nine, who were pushing for a clash between two top interstate teams to maximise ratings.
Wests Tigers will roll out superstar signing Jarome Luai for the first time when they take on Newcastle in the early Friday night game. Luai won’t be the only new face in Benji Marshall’s side, with Royce Hunt, Sunia Turuva and Jack Bird all making their Tigers debuts.
The second Friday match is another anticipated interstate battle when the Dolphins host South Sydney. The schedule will result in Bennett immediately coming up against his former club and the man he mentored, Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf.

St George Illawarra kick off the action on Saturday night against the Bulldogs. It will be the first chance for the Dragons to unveil their three big-name signings, Clint Gutherson, Valentine Holmes and Damien Cook.
And then Manly, who sold out all but one of their home matches last season, host North Queensland. It could result in former Sea Eagle Jaxson Paulo immediately facing his former club.
The opening round concludes on Sunday when Parramatta take on the Storm.
It will be a new-look side for the Eels, who are minus Gutheron, Maika Sivo, Regan Campbell-Gillard and Blaize Talagi. Ryles’ side will be given an early litmus test when marquee man Zac Lomax, rookie fullback Isaiah Iongi and new recruit Jack Williams try to make their mark in blue and gold.
The Gold Coast Titans will have the bye first up. The venues, aside from Allegiant Stadium, are yet to be confirmed as the Dragons and Tigers still need to nominate their preferred grounds.

www.smh.com.au

Parramatta handed horror start to draw as Ryles looks to rebuild club

New Parramatta coach Jason Ryles will try to break one of the NRL’s longest opening-round winning streaks when his side faces Melbourne in round one.
www.smh.com.au www.smh.com.au

1731785617149.jpeg

www.nrl.com

2025 Draw Debrief: Round 1 goes off with a bang

The opening round of the 2025 season kicks off at the magnificent Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and concludes with a blockbuster showdown between the Storm and the Eels.
www.nrl.com www.nrl.com
 
L

lucablight

First Grade
Messages
6,498
Johnny88 said:
Parramatta handed horror start to draw as Ryles looks to rebuild club

New Parramatta coach Jason Ryles has been handed the toughest assignment in rugby league for his first game in charge of the western Sydney powerhouse.
The Eels will take on the Storm in Melbourne in their season opener as Ryles looks to rebuild Parramatta following a disastrous 2024 campaign in which they narrowly avoided the wooden spoon. Ryles goes up against his mentor, Craig Bellamy, who has overseen an extraordinary streak of 22 consecutive opening-round wins.

It will also be a baptism of fire for premiership-winning mentors Wayne Bennett and Michael Maguire, who have been handed tough away assignments when they take charge of their new teams.
The NRL has released the draw for the first round of the season, which will again kick off with a double-header in Las Vegas, before the spotlight returns to a raft of domestic blockbusters.
The Raiders will take on the Warriors on Sunday, March 2 (AEDT) at Allegiant Stadium, before the Panthers and Sharks begin their campaigns in the second iteration of the game’s bold foray into the United States.
The focus will then return to the game’s heartland with a blockbuster Roosters-Broncos clash in Sydney on Thursday, March 6. In an intriguing twist,

both sides are pursuing former Dragons captain Ben Hunt, who could be an X-factor for the club that finally gets his signature.



The clash will mark Maguire’s first game in charge of the Broncos, who are looking to rebuild after a disappointing 2024 campaign that resulted in the sacking of coach Kevin Walters. It is also a new era for the Roosters, who will be without Luke Keary, Joseph Manu, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Sitili Tupouniua.
The marquee match-up is a huge win for broadcasters Fox and Nine, who were pushing for a clash between two top interstate teams to maximise ratings.
Wests Tigers will roll out superstar signing Jarome Luai for the first time when they take on Newcastle in the early Friday night game. Luai won’t be the only new face in Benji Marshall’s side, with Royce Hunt, Sunia Turuva and Jack Bird all making their Tigers debuts.
The second Friday match is another anticipated interstate battle when the Dolphins host South Sydney. The schedule will result in Bennett immediately coming up against his former club and the man he mentored, Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf.

St George Illawarra kick off the action on Saturday night against the Bulldogs. It will be the first chance for the Dragons to unveil their three big-name signings, Clint Gutherson, Valentine Holmes and Damien Cook.
And then Manly, who sold out all but one of their home matches last season, host North Queensland. It could result in former Sea Eagle Jaxson Paulo immediately facing his former club.
The opening round concludes on Sunday when Parramatta take on the Storm.
It will be a new-look side for the Eels, who are minus Gutheron, Maika Sivo, Regan Campbell-Gillard and Blaize Talagi. Ryles’ side will be given an early litmus test when marquee man Zac Lomax, rookie fullback Isaiah Iongi and new recruit Jack Williams try to make their mark in blue and gold.
The Gold Coast Titans will have the bye first up. The venues, aside from Allegiant Stadium, are yet to be confirmed as the Dragons and Tigers still need to nominate their preferred grounds.

www.smh.com.au

Parramatta handed horror start to draw as Ryles looks to rebuild club

New Parramatta coach Jason Ryles will try to break one of the NRL’s longest opening-round winning streaks when his side faces Melbourne in round one.
www.smh.com.au www.smh.com.au

View attachment 96667

www.nrl.com

2025 Draw Debrief: Round 1 goes off with a bang

The opening round of the 2025 season kicks off at the magnificent Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and concludes with a blockbuster showdown between the Storm and the Eels.
www.nrl.com www.nrl.com
Click to expand...
Oh no. How will we recover from having to play the Storm in round 1?
 
L

lingard

Coach
Messages
11,414
Happy MEel said:
I’ll add here that I think we have that merkin in Moses. He’s already elite, but I reckon with the freedom and authority to dictate attack like he should, we turn into a far more dangerous attack.

Drown becomes even more of a danger as complete second thought on the other side.
Click to expand...
I hope you're right about Moses; and you probably are.
 
84 Baby

84 Baby

Referee
Messages
29,650
Chipmunk said:
We're two clubs in two different positions, but...

I think Gutho will be the best and most important signing to happen for the DragQueens in the joint venture clubs history. He (with the help of Cook and Holmes) will change their club going forward.

I just hope he also wont be our biggest ever f**k up by letting him go.
Click to expand...
So Gutho will be more important than Bennett was?
Gutho became Hayne-lite. Individually awesome player but it’s been obvious that for whatever reason he wasn’t driving standards effectively. I don’t see him being as important a player in the next couple of years.
 
Matty Bhoy

Matty Bhoy

Juniors
Messages
2,022
Tbh I’m not against getting the Storm out of the way early on. Sure it’ll most likely mean a loss but you know Ryles is going to have them up for it and if we do in fact come up short, he’ll be looking to improve things. I’d probably rather that, than what you’d assume were two competition points in the bag.
 
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