Squad succession

[Poupou Escobar]

Hindsight ffs

 

[King-Gutho94]

@Poupou Escobar

Are we able to get clarification when Greig is coming off-contract.

NRL signing tracker is saying 2025.

Your list has 2026.

Going off Greig's form & trajectory we would hope it isn't 2026.

I dont think he would be getting re-signed or picked up at this rate.

2024 NRL Signings Tracker: Tuaupiki extends at Warriors; Eels release Sivo

Storm captain Harry Grant has taken up his player option to stay in Melbourne until the end of the 2026 NRL season.

www.nrl.com

Bryce Cartwright and Wiremu Greig extend with Eels

Forward duo sign new Eels contracts.

www.parraeels.com.au

 

[Poupou Escobar]

I would’ve updated it based on the club’s announcement, which says 2025. So it’s probably just a f**k up.

 

[chiefy1]

@Poupou Escobar

Are we able to get clarification when Greig is coming off-contract.

NRL signing tracker is saying 2025.

Your list has 2026.

Going off Greig's form & trajectory we would hope it isn't 2026.

I dont think he would be getting re-signed or picked up at this rate.

View attachment 92695

2024 NRL Signings Tracker: Tuaupiki extends at Warriors; Eels release Sivo

Storm captain Harry Grant has taken up his player option to stay in Melbourne until the end of the 2026 NRL season.

www.nrl.com

Bryce Cartwright and Wiremu Greig extend with Eels

Forward duo sign new Eels contracts.

www.parraeels.com.au

Fmd Greig until 2026. What an absolute f**k up to sign the most unfit player in the nrl to a 3 year deal.
How the f**k is mark o'neill still in the job.

 

[Gronk]

Fmd Greig until 2026. What an absolute f**k up to sign the most unfit player in the nrl to a 3 year deal.
How the f**k is mark o'neill still in the job.

Last home game Emu was buggered after warm ups under the northern goal posts.

You know how merkins say that some players have a big motor ?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

He’s a dude who obviously doesn’t watch his diet. It doesn’t matter how hard coaches push them at training. They have at least 18 hours a day to themselves. If they can’t drive past KFC without stopping for a sneaky burger or two, they have no business in pro sports.

 

[Avenger]

He’s a dude who obviously doesn’t watch his diet. It doesn’t matter how hard coaches push them at training. They have at least 18 hours a day to themselves. If they can’t drive past KFC without stopping for a sneaky burger or two, they have no business in pro sports.

He runs like the special giant in the original Mad Max that scared Max’s wife.

 

[King-Gutho94]

He’s a dude who obviously doesn’t watch his diet. It doesn’t matter how hard coaches push them at training. They have at least 18 hours a day to themselves. If they can’t drive past KFC without stopping for a sneaky burger or two, they have no business in pro sports.

I was having a beer with a teacher who teaches at Hills Sports High School on Thursday night.

He said Josh Schuster was the most laziest players/students he has ever seen and its no surprise how he has turned out.

He had no discipline as a kid and had scouts blowing smoke up his arse how good he was from when he was 12. I reckon whatever education rthese athletes get on dieting would have gone straight over his head.

KFC is funnily enough basically a 5 min walk from that school on the same road where do you reckon Schuster would have gone after school had finished most days.

 

[Gazzamatta]

He runs like the special giant in the original Mad Max that scared Max’s wife.

He's developed the Jnr Barlow running style. Turn side on at contact. Completely stops leg drive. Poor coaching. A new fitness guy can't hurt either.

 

[EelEtric]

I was having a beer with a teacher who teaches at Hills Sports High School on Thursday night.

He said Josh Schuster was the most laziest players/students he has ever seen and its no surprise how he has turned out.

He had no discipline as a kid and had scouts blowing smoke up his arse how good he was from when he was 12. I reckon whatever education rthese athletes get on dieting would have gone straight over his head.

KFC is funnily enough basically a 5 min walk from that school on the same road where do you reckon Schuster would have gone after school had finished most days.

To the Royal Life Saving Aquatic Academy to do laps?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Added Iongi and fixed Greig’s 2026 year:

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

2024
Utility: Asi (24), Brown, Gutherson, Talagi (19)
Fullback: -
W/C: Cini (24), Dunster, Harper (26), Penisini, Russell, Simonsson, 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, Taumoepenu (23), Tuivati^

2025
Utility: Brown, Gutherson (31)
Fullback: Iongi
W/C: Dunster (26)", Lomax, Penisini, Russell (23), Simonsson, 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 (26), Hopgood (26), Moretti (25), Ofahengaue (30), Paulo, Tuivati (20)

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

2027
Utility: Brown*
Fullback: Iongi (24)
W/C: Lomax, Simonsson (29)
Half: Moses*
Hooker: -
Edge forward: -
Middle: -

2028
Utility: Brown*
Fullback: -
W/C: Lomax (29)
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 28 merkins in this year's top 30, and 25 in the 2025 squad.

 

[Gherkin]

If Iongi can play and is good enough to start at fullback next season we're not looking too bad. I assume Gutho would play centre in that scenario and just needs to make his tackles and give quality passes to Sivo in attacking positions.
If we could add another hooker or ideally a utility that could cover 9/13, plus a line breaking 2nd rower we should be able to compete for the top 8 with a bit of luck with injuries. With what we have at the moment I think we could roll out a team like this and do alright

Iongi
Sivo
Gutho
Penisini
Lomax
Brown
Moses
RCG
Hands
Hopgood
Cartwright
Kelma
Matto

and then some sort of combo of this on the bench
Lussick / Junior / Ofahengaue / Guymer / Lane

 

[Gronk]

If Iongi can play and is good enough to start at fullback next season we're not looking too bad. I assume Gutho would play centre in that scenario and just needs to make his tackles and give quality passes to Sivo in attacking positions.
If we could add another hooker or ideally a utility that could cover 9/13, plus a line breaking 2nd rower we should be able to compete for the top 8 with a bit of luck with injuries. With what we have at the moment I think we could roll out a team like this and do alright

Iongi
Sivo
Gutho
Penisini
Lomax
Brown
Moses
RCG
Hands
Hopgood
Cartwright
Kelma
Matto

and then some sort of combo of this on the bench
Lussick / Junior / Ofahengaue / Guymer / Lane

Reg is guaranteed to be gone and Sivo is negotiating with UK clubs ?

Iongi
Sivo
Gutho
Penisini
Lomax
Brown
Moses
RCG
Hands
Hopgood
Cartwright
Kelma
Matto

and then some sort of combo of this on the bench
Lussick / Junior / Ofahengaue / Guymer / Lane

 

[Gherkin]

Reg is guaranteed to be gone and Sivo is negotiating with UK clubs ?

Iongi
Sivo
Gutho
Penisini
Lomax
Brown
Moses
RCG
Hands
Hopgood
Cartwright
Kelma
Matto

and then some sort of combo of this on the bench
Lussick / Junior / Ofahengaue / Guymer / Lane

Where has RCG signed?

 

[the phantom menace]

Assuming RCG is fielding interest elsewhere and gets released for 2025, our best pack next season with our current stocks would be:

Ofahengaue
Hands
Lane
Cartwright
Tuilagi
Hopgood

Paulo
Matterson
Lussick
& take your pick/doesn't matter

Not exactly a top 4 (top 8) quality, given the decline of some of these blokes.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Utility: Brown, Gutherson (31)
Fullback: Iongi

"Isaiah Iongi, to me, is a fullback and a fullback only. I think that's not only his preferred position but looking at him, I think that's his best and only position — and they've got Clint Gutherson there."

It's not the first time a position switch has been touted for Gutherson. Last year, he even told the club he'd be happy to play elsewhere on the field if they were to buy a fullback.

Gus drops Gutho bombshell after Ryles' 'big move'

 

[the phantom menace]

Thank f**k the club finally signed a "fullback" after all these years...

 

[Poupou Escobar]

You don't need a specialist fullback. Inglis won a premiership at fullback and he's a utility.

 

[the phantom menace]

S m a l l . spaemnpilse . s i z e ...

 

[Poupou Escobar]

It only takes a sample of one to disprove a theory. It's called falsifiability ffs.