Sea Eagles' rookies fill big shoes

[Berkeley_Eagle]

Sea Eagles' rookies fill big shoes
RUGBY LEAGUE
8 NOV 10 @ 04:15PM BY ANDREW PRENTICE
http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/sport/story/rookies-fill-big-shoes/



MEET Manly’s off-season recruits, Tim Robinson and Daniel Harrison - two rookies yet to play in the NRL and replacing 310 games of experience.

The Sea Eagles kicked off their 2011 NRL campaign yesterday morning with no fuss.

Following the off-season departures of Josh Perry (St Helens), Chris Bailey (London) and Trent Hodkinson (Bulldogs), the club has not added any players of NRL experience to their top squad.

Collectively, those departed Sea Eagles played more than 300 NRL games.

How will Manly go in the NRL next year without any experienced new players? Have your say below.

Robinson comes to Manly after failing to break into Parramatta’s top 17 over the past two seasons, while Harrison is aiming to also crack into NRL football after his time at the Bulldogs.

Both young utility forwards will give the Sea Eagles some needed depth.

Another rookie, Daly Cherry-Evans, is also set to start the 2011 season in first grade after Hodkinson’s exit.

Robinson, who played with the Australian Schoolboys’ squad alongside Mitchell Pearce and Chris Lawrence in 2006, said he is excited about his new digs at Narrabeen.

“When I got a call from (recruitment officer) Noel Cleal it was an easy decision,” the 22-year-old said at the Sea Eagles’ first official pre-season training hit-out on Monday at the Sydney Academy of Sport in Narrabeen.

“I needed a fresh start, I had been in the Eels’ top 25 for two years and didn’t get many opportunities.

“Before I met all the (Manly) boys I was a little nervous, it was like being at school again.”

Harrison’s signature sees the back-rower come full circle.

The Central Coast junior represented the Sea Eagles in the junior grades, before jumping ship to Canterbury.

“I just wanted an opportunity and Manly were good enough to throw one my way,” Harrison, a member of the Bulldogs’ winning NSW Cup squad this year, said.

I enjoyed my time here when I was younger, so I am excited to be in a position where I can play consistent NRL,’’ Harrison said.

‘‘Now I have to work hard at training so I can put my hand up to be picked.’’

Manly coach Des Hasler said financial constraints meant the Sea Eagles could not splurge on the player market this time.

‘‘The salary cap,’’ he said when asked why the club has limited new faces.

‘‘We chose to keep the guys who have been proven performers for us the past few years.

‘‘Five years ago we blooded youth . . . now some of those blokes are our representative players.’’

from facebook,
must be an interview coming

Here are new recruits Daniel Harrison and Tim Robinson at Sea Eagles HQ telling us they feel like the new kids at school on their first day at Manly. Welcome to the club boys!

 

[eagles4eva]

Good article, still amazes me that the club didnt have any money left to sign atleast one big player....

 

[CC_Eagle]

Re-signing Matai, Foran, Choc and G.Stewart would have cost sh*tloads. Especially considering all of them have become internationals since last signing a contract.

 

[Scarves]

It's interesting that Souths can find room in their cap to sign the latest massive name. Only last season they outbid the league for Sammy Burgess and outbid the Bronco's for David Taylor. They are paying Roy Asotasi massively more than he was getting at the Bulldogs (because that's how they got him), Sutton wouldn't be on peanuts. Crocker and Isaac Luke wouldn't be on Honduras currency either. What sort of cash would the likes of Beau Champion, Pettybourne & Sandow be getting? And I recall Luke Capewell had to be released or the Bunnies were destined to be over the cap for 2011. Other than that they have only lost minimal lower end scalepayment players.

In the meantime, yes we've resigned some stalwarts back into the fold. But over the past two years we've lost Steve Bell, Steve Menzies, Heath Le Strange, Adam Cuthbertson, Glen Hall, Matt Orford, Ben Farrar, Chris Bailey, Trent Hodkinson, Josh Perry etc. When Orford came to Manly it was said that he was amongst the highest paid players in the competition. Bell was also secured for very good coin, I know Bailey was on around 200k while Beaver and Josh would have been on lucrative $200k plus pay packets also.

Looking at that, I'd say that if we had the South Sydney accountant, we'd probably be buying Inglis, Cronk and Shillington no dramas.

 

[mikail-eagle]

Agree with you scarves. Something doesn't smell right.

 

[APRIL BELLE]

Looking at that, I'd say that if we had the South Sydney accountant, we'd probably be buying Inglis, Cronk and Shillington no dramas.

What you are missing is that buying players and being able to pay them are two different things.

 

[Scarves]

April, I'm seriously still missing the point. So if you could explain to me how Souths can afford to pay Greg and at the same time maintain their spending within the salary cap limit, it would be appreciated by both me and everyone associated with MWSE.

 

[winnyason]

Souths who cares asotasi,crocker past there best a halfback not first grade standard and a lazy pom.
We have money in the cap no doubt but i think it is a wait and see approach, as bailey was released.
A few kid will be put in early with the suspension to the two big guns in matai and glenn stewart, so i would imagine will hopoate will go to the centres and t rex will moved to the pack.
I am very nervous about next season with the 2 key suspensions plus the lack of experience in the halves, snake may have to step straight into leadership role.

 

[eagles4eva]

Doesn’t G Stewart serve his suspension via the two trials???

 

[winnyason]

no i think that has been canned from i heard.

 

[zombie jesus]

Souths who cares asotasi,crocker past there best a halfback not first grade standard and a lazy pom.
We have money in the cap no doubt but i think it is a wait and see approach, as bailey was released.
A few kid will be put in early with the suspension to the two big guns in matai and glenn stewart, so i would imagine will hopoate will go to the centres and t rex will moved to the pack.
I am very nervous about next season with the 2 key suspensions plus the lack of experience in the halves, snake may have to step straight into leadership role.

If Burgess is a lazy pom then our forwards must be three toed sloths.

 

[Sea_Eagles_Rock]

I can only hope we are forward paying contracts to clear room for next season. Otherwise, we are paying off the debt of success from 2008 through heavy loaded contracts at the back end. Still, that is a hell of a lot of talent lost in 2 years. Yes as stated we have had a lot of upgrades, but losing Orford alone to a rookie 2 years running should mean we have 500k to spend.

If DCE works out and we have him signed cheap, we should be right for a spending spree soon.