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Rumours and Stuff

85 Baby

Juniors
Messages
1,276
Centre. I’d f**k Penisini off to reserve grade to work on his game.

We absolutely need competition for spots. That’s been a huge problem with our squads outside backs for the last few years imo.
Alamoti is no better at centre than Penisini, possibly worse.

Competition for spots is fine but cap management means, especially with outside backs, you need a cheap player. I’d prefer what our current philosophy appears to be that back-ups are more juniors focused. For the let’s say 5% more Alamoti gives you over Penisini, he isn’t worth having both players on the books. Now if Alamoti (or Penisini) were around the $250-300 mark, the calculation may start to change, but likely right now, neither are and we’re just fawning over Alamoti because we saw him score some tries on the weekend against a very underwhelming Dogs side, when you’re just as likely to receive the Alamoti from start of year who couldn’t catch a bomb and was kept out of side by Tom Jenkins.

Now if you suggested signing Jenkins as a backup, that’d be a different calculation again. But you’d probably also be accused of accepting mediocrity.
 

King-Gutho94

Coach
Messages
18,999
Will his defence be absolutely wasted at the back And are his ball skills good enough for 1??
Looking at Kiraz yesterday he looked like a mess without Critta next to him.

There isn't a better defensive centre in the game not sure you move him to 1.

I think you lose more on the defensive side then what you probably gain with him out the back.
 

85 Baby

Juniors
Messages
1,276
That’s horrendous quoting. @84 Baby advocated for signing Alamoti before Dogs even released him. Plus I doubt they would’ve cost the same. Harper wasn’t wanted by anyone and Alamoti was at least wanted by Penrith
 

hindy111

Post Whore
Messages
65,912
That’s horrendous quoting. @84 Baby advocated for signing Alamoti before Dogs even released him. Plus I doubt they would’ve cost the same. Harper wasn’t wanted by anyone and Alamoti was at least wanted by Penrith


What do you think Harper cost? Did he fly to the UK for mine wage. Id guess 200k range.

Alamoti cost 250k


NRL 2024: Paul Alamoti, thrown lifeline by Panthers, unheralded, Stephen Crichton replacement, contract, NRL360, rugby league news https://share.google/WEbcXJA5cIHNbIOw8
 

85 Baby

Juniors
Messages
1,276
What do you think Harper cost? Did he fly to the UK for mine wage. Id guess 200k range.

Alamoti cost 250k


NRL 2024: Paul Alamoti, thrown lifeline by Panthers, unheralded, Stephen Crichton replacement, contract, NRL360, rugby league news https://share.google/WEbcXJA5cIHNbIOw8
Market forces, we would’ve needed to beat $250k then to sign Alamoti. And no one here is stupid, we all know if money is same, he was going to the team who just won premierships
 

Stevie

Bench
Messages
4,239
Alamoti is no better at centre than Penisini, possibly worse.

Competition for spots is fine but cap management means, especially with outside backs, you need a cheap player. I’d prefer what our current philosophy appears to be that back-ups are more juniors focused. For the let’s say 5% more Alamoti gives you over Penisini, he isn’t worth having both players on the books. Now if Alamoti (or Penisini) were around the $250-300 mark, the calculation may start to change, but likely right now, neither are and we’re just fawning over Alamoti because we saw him score some tries on the weekend against a very underwhelming Dogs side, when you’re just as likely to receive the Alamoti from start of year who couldn’t catch a bomb and was kept out of side by Tom Jenkins.

Now if you suggested signing Jenkins as a backup, that’d be a different calculation again. But you’d probably also be accused of accepting mediocrity.
Mate are you suggesting he is only 5% better than Penisini? You have to be kidding. Name me ONE game where Penisini has done what Alamoti did yesterday. In his whole career even let alone the last season.

Re Alamoti, the guy stands up when the hard work needs to be done and there is a reason Cleary made the tough decision to drop Parker in favour of him.

We’ve all been waiting for Penisini to reach his potential but season after season of dropped balls, poor defensive reads and just general boneheaded decisions the jury is out. The guy is Waqa Blake esque and we should be doing what top clubs do and drop him and tell him he is free to look elsewhere. He’ll get picked up for sure but the guy is f**king hopeless for all his natural strengths.

Alamotti has proven time and time again he gets the job completed. Let’s stop making excuses for players that aren’t up to it or I’ll start calling you Brad.
 

85 Baby

Juniors
Messages
1,276
Market forces, we would’ve needed to beat $250k then to sign Alamoti. And no one here is stupid, we all know if money is same, he was going to the team who just won premierships
Actually the funny thing is @hindy111 if we signed him when that other numpty suggested, we or anyone else would have paid more than $250k. So what happened to make the sudden drop
 

85 Baby

Juniors
Messages
1,276
Mate are you suggesting he is only 5% better than Penisini? You have to be kidding. Name me ONE game where Penisini has done what Alamoti did yesterday. In his whole career even let alone the last season.
It was just a number I made up. There’s competing factors, but the point at which Alamoti is enough of an output improvement on Penisini, he’s going to cost more than is feasible to carry both.
He also played like that yesterday on the wing. Are you going to dump/move Lomax for him?
And again it’s one game.
He’s definitely better winger than Penisini. He’s even a better winger than Penisini is a centre. But he isn’t a better winger than Lomax or JAC. And centre? I reckon they are same. If Penisini wasn’t on books, sure sign him up. But until then there’s no point. It’d just be wasted cap space on one of them that we could’ve used to improve a position more than whatever Alamoti would give us over Penisini at centre.
Alamotti has proven time and time again he gets the job completed. Let’s stop making excuses for players that aren’t up to it or I’ll start calling you Brad.
Not making excuses, just being realistic on targets. We’d get better gains at spending on 5/8th, edge forward or prop than we would a backup outside back
 

Delboy

First Grade
Messages
8,455
Not making excuses, just being realistic on targets. We’d get better gains at spending on 5/8th, edge forward or prop than we would a backup outside back
The problem is that if Simmonson goes, as seems probable, there isn’t really a backup centre on our books that is up to even a few games at NRL level. Tago is dross at that level, Nanva is yet to do a NRL pre season, and that’s about it, Semrani continues to prove he’s a back up forward.

We may get away with what we have, just doesn’t seem correct, even Beau Newlands outplays Tago whenever he gets a game in Cup.

All conjecture, but there is a definite need for a competent NRL level centre, let’s hope the people at the club manage to get one. It’s not been there forte for a while, fingers crossed someone gets moved on after the season is finished and squads for 2026 are looked at.
 

85 Baby

Juniors
Messages
1,276
The problem is that if Simmonson goes, as seems probable, there isn’t really a backup centre on our books that is up to even a few games at NRL level. Tago is dross at that level, Nanva is yet to do a NRL pre season, and that’s about it, Semrani continues to prove he’s a back up forward.

We may get away with what we have, just doesn’t seem correct, even Beau Newlands outplays Tago whenever he gets a game in Cup.

All conjecture, but there is a definite need for a competent NRL level centre, let’s hope the people at the club manage to get one. It’s not been there forte for a while, fingers crossed someone gets moved on after the season is finished and squads for 2026 are looked at.
There’s definitely a spot available there but I think (and I think club agrees with me) if it’s an external signing, it’s only going to be at that next Simonsson/Russell level. We’re better off throwing money elsewhere and improving the squad.
 

Gazzamatta

Coach
Messages
16,151
Isnt that what they bought him for initially ?

Reckon he gives better value in the centres for his defence (and attack) , they get torn to shreds when he isnt there
They also get more penalties due to his constant arm flapping and slower opposition ptb's due to his constant bs in every tackle.
They also reduce his output by not having him walk off the mark and disrupting defenders each time he's tackled.
 

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