Squad succession

[Gazzamatta]

Wow!! Such a great job to improve our outside backs. Soul Glo enough to keep the club happy lol. Yeah they are doing all they can to win us a premiership.

Forwards are where its at dude.

 

[ALX25]

Still no room for AMS?

 

[the phantom menace]

Is that photo of the contracts sayng Sivo has a club option to 2028.

Or am I reading that wrong.

Looks like it's saying a mutual option to 2027, followed by a club option for 2028?

 

[King-Gutho94]

Looks like it's saying a mutual option to 2027, followed by a club option for 2028?

Has to be a typo on what planet did sivo deserve a possible 6 year contract when he extended last year.

 

[hindy111]

Betham should be top 30 and suprised isn't.

 

[JokerEel]

Betham should be top 30 and suprised isn't.

But but but Momoisea isn't in the way of anyone ....

 

[Lemon Squash]

That is f**king grim… why not leave a spot or two open heading into the season? There’s always potential talent on the market.

We’ve just decided to give absolute dead wood top 30 contracts for some reason and in the process block any potential recruitment that might actually improve our footy team.

 

[the phantom menace]

The fact we apparently left spots open going into and during the first half of this season, but have apparently now filled our top 30 roster for next season suggests we're done with any further recruitment for the 2024 squad.

I don't think we've improved it much, our well paid forward strike weapons are one year older, and god knows we don't have any new ideas in the coaching department... so frankly I can't see us making the 8 next year either.

 

[the phantom menace]

Dunster on a mutual option for 2025... so he'll be staying.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

2024 update drops. Not sure how reliable though, because it has Greig as signed only until the end of 2025, whereas the official announcement at the time said it was until 2026. Penisini has also picked up a player option for 2026 that wasn't previously announced. Likewise with Sivo options past 2025:

* = player option
¢ = club option
" = mutual option
^ = development contract

2024
Utility: Asi (24), Brown, Gutherson, Momoisea (26), Talagi
Fullback: -
W/C: Cini (24), Dunster, Harper (26), Penisini, Russell, Simonsson (26), Sivo
Half: Moses, Sanders (20)^
Hooker: Hands, Lussick
Edge forward: Brazel (21)^, Cartwright, Doorey, Guymer (20)^, Lane, Mataele, Matterson, Tuilagi
Middle: Campbell-Gillard, Greig, Hopgood, Makatoa (31), Moretti^, Ofahengaue, Ogden (28), Paulo, Rodwell (25), Taumoepenu (23), Tuivati^

2025
Utility: Brown, Gutherson (31), Talagi (20)*
Fullback: -
W/C: Dunster (26)", Penisini, Russell (23), Sivo
Half: Moses
Hooker: Hands (26), Lussick (30)
Edge forward: Cartwright (31), Doorey (25), Lane, Mataele (23), Matterson, Tuilagi (26)
Middle: Campbell-Gillard (32), Greig, Hopgood (26), Moretti (25), Ofahengaue (30), Paulo, Tuivati (20)

2026
Utility: Brown*
Fullback: -
W/C: Penisini (24)*, Sivo (33)"
Half: Moses
Hooker: -
Edge forward: Lane (32)", Matterson (32)*
Middle: Greig (27), Paulo (33)

2027
Utility: Brown*
Fullback: -
W/C: -
Half: Moses*
Hooker: -
Edge forward: -
Middle: -

2028
Utility: Brown*
Fullback: -
W/C: -
Half: Moses (34)*
Hooker: -
Edge forward: -
Middle: -

2029
Utility: Brown*
Fullback: -
W/C: -
Half: -
Hooker: -
Edge forward: -
Middle: -

2030
Utility: Brown*
Fullback: -
W/C: -
Half: -
Hooker: -
Edge forward: -
Middle: -

2031
Utility: Brown (31)*
Fullback: -
W/C: -
Half: -
Hooker: -
Edge forward: -
Middle: -

So we (officially) have 30 merkins in this year's top 30, and 21 in the 2025 squad.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

^^^^^^

View attachment 81682

View attachment 81683

I like the look of that squad.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Taumoepenu couldn’t make the Wenty RM cup starting line this year….

over to you Pou

This contract would've been signed when we got him from Souths in 2021 where his NSW Cup form was excellent for a 20-year-old: https://www.nswrl.com.au/players/nsw-cup/parramatta-eels-nsw-cup/tevita-taumoepenu/

Hopefully he can get back to that level. If not, you win some you lose some. He would be on minimum salary. We've just signed Tuivati into our 2025 top 30. It might not work out, but if we hadn't made that offer he could've gone elsewhere. Likewise with Taumoepenu when we signed him. Mataele is also now in our top 30, based on his NSW Cup form at Newcastle in 2021. Should we never sign youngsters because of the risk they won't turn out any good? You think we can poach/retain them by offering table scraps?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Is that photo of the contracts sayng Sivo has a club option to 2028.

Or am I reading that wrong.

Looks like 2026 to me. Anyway a club option is literally better than anything. If he's still a first grader we can take up the option without having to bid to keep him. If he's not we just let him go.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

So we have 4 players in our top 30 who won't go near first grade for us

How many players outside the top 30 do you reckon will play first grade? This year there were four of them, including Moretti who played half a season. Don't worry about the bottom of the top 30 or otherwise. If they're on the books then they're in the squad.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

And Moretti, a player who made great strides last year, on a f**king development deal?? FFS absolute shambles!

Yeah, why did he agree to that ffs? Doesn't he have a manager?!?

 

[the phantom menace]

2024 update drops. Not sure how reliable though

Lol.

But seriously, just save people's scrolling fingers and simply abbreviate the final five years in your potentially unreliable forward succession to this:

2027-2028
Utility: Brown*
Fullback: -
W/C: -
Half: Moses (34)*
Hooker: -
Edge forward: -
Middle: -

2029-2031
Utility: Brown (31)*
Fullback: -
W/C: -
Half: -
Hooker: -
Edge forward: -
Middle: -

 

[hineyrulz]

I like the look of that squad.

Of course you do, If you didn’t they’d be on ignore.

 

[hineyrulz]

This contract would've been signed when we got him from Souths in 2021 where his NSW Cup form was excellent for a 20-year-old: https://www.nswrl.com.au/players/nsw-cup/parramatta-eels-nsw-cup/tevita-taumoepenu/

Hopefully he can get back to that level. If not, you win some you lose some. He would be on minimum salary. We've just signed Tuivati into our 2025 top 30. It might not work out, but if we hadn't made that offer he could've gone elsewhere. Likewise with Taumoepenu when we signed him. Mataele is also now in our top 30, based on his NSW Cup form at Newcastle in 2021. Should we never sign youngsters because of the risk they won't turn out any good? You think we can poach/retain them by offering table scraps?

 

[Soren Lorenson]

And Moretti, a player who made great strides last year, on a f**king development deal?? FFS absolute shambles!

The way tct talk about the cap in their latest pod, a player like Moretti stands to make more from a dev deal than if he’s on a low top 30 contract. Min wage 80 k and 3 k match payments within a cap of 650 k for the dev list. It was a good listen.

 

[hindy111]

Has Betham left? Not in top 30 or development and not spotted at training.
Storm did show interest last season.