Squad succession

[hineyrulz]

Probably come up with better lyrics too.

Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo

And all the Death riders go -

Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo.

 

[eel01s]

Our squad looks mediocre at best. Seriously, how do we not have cap space?

BA must be desperately hoping to offload a player or three.

 

[84 Baby]

With Pritchard, Mahoney and Smith we are covered at 9. We are actually light on for centres, with an oversupply at wing. Maybe Ferguson will be a centre option, even if first choice winger.

We're not light on centres so much as unbalanced. We've got 3 specialist wingers & 2 specialist centres (inc Taka for backline analysis) and arguably none of them are 1st choice at their positions.
If Ferguson is playing centre or FB, will be evidence we aren't travelling well

 

[Joshuatheeel]

Suprised Brown and Dunster didn't get a spot with Rheed.

If they are already under contract with a development contract, it’s better to keep them there and keep 2 or so spots available in your top 30. Then wait until the season to see what their form is like and what positions you need to cover.

No use promoting a rookie half when you need a back or a forward or the other way.

 

[hineyrulz]

Is Salmon an option for the centres??? Because he doesn't look like a 6 at all to me but his defence looked very solid. Big difference sticking him on an edge but if we are light on there why not???

 

[84 Baby]

Why would you, lets low ball him like we did to Junior Paulo and he went elsewhere. As it stands he isn't in the top 28 so he can't start unless we have injuries. Surely he should be in that top 28 and an automatic choice as our first dummy half??? Because we told by the experts that Kaysa is on a bare minimum this season

If there are no other signings between now and start of season (and even if we do sign anyone else bar a better hooker) than you can almost guarantee Mahoney will be 29th squad member. He'll get his upgrade from there. The risk of him leaving in a huff solely because we didn't upgrade him right now is very low compared to problems by crystallising the contract now.
Plus whinge all you want about looking to 2020, but you reckon player agents, including Mahoney's, aren't looking at the available cap space we have from then and licking their lips?

Edit - what if Mahoney gets major injury in preseason? Then you'd definitely be locking yourself into Kaysa/Smith hooking duo

 

[Joshuatheeel]

We're not light on centres so much as unbalanced. We've got 3 specialist wingers & 2 specialist centres (inc Taka for backline analysis) and arguably none of them are 1st choice at their positions.
If Ferguson is playing centre or FB, will be evidence we aren't travelling well

Yeah Gutho / Jennings are probably first choice at centre then we have Taka, Salmon and Hoffman who can play centre. Then can Gennings play centre? He was listed as centre in his pre NRL days plus as mentioned there is Ferguson. Plus there is probably 1 or 2 juniors which could potentially be promoted if we are that short.

 

[Joshuatheeel]

Is Salmon an option for the centres??? Because he doesn't look like a 6 at all to me but his defence looked very solid. Big difference sticking him on an edge but if we are light on there why not???

Think he may have played some edge in his junior days which was only a year or so ago. Also didn’t he play a game at centre or maybe second row last year in NSW cup?

Anyhow he is mobile enough for defending in the centre.

 

[Joshuatheeel]

BA seems to think the great Will Smith is a capable 9

Well he picked Mahoney in front of him last year ....

 

[hineyrulz]

If there are no other signings between now and start of season (and even if we do sign anyone else bar a better hooker) than you can almost guarantee Mahoney will be 29th squad member. He'll get his upgrade from there. The risk of him leaving in a huff solely because we didn't upgrade him right now is very low compared to problems by crystallising the contract now.
Plus whinge all you want about looking to 2020, but you reckon player agents, including Mahoney's, aren't looking at the available cap space we have from then and licking their lips?

Edit - what if Mahoney gets major injury in preseason? Then you'd definitely be locking yourself into Kaysa/Smith hooking duo

So we can't sign anyone if we have space just in case we have to stick our top dummy half option into the 29th spot???


I get Brown and some of the others staying on development contracts they will only get a run worst case scenario but Mahoney should be our first choice dummy half and starting in round 1. his contract should reflect that. Who knows we might be able piss off about 4 or 5 underperforming Merkins and he will be in the top 25.

 

[hineyrulz]

Well he picked Mahoney in front of him last year ....

Praise the lord!!!!

 

[hindy111]

Is Salmon an option for the centres??? Because he doesn't look like a 6 at all to me but his defence looked very solid. Big difference sticking him on an edge but if we are light on there why not???

Where did he play in juniors?

 

[hineyrulz]

Where did he play in juniors?

Think he played a bit of everywhere. Goes like OA , RL Fan or 40 would know for sure. But he doesn't look a 6 to me but he does look up to first grade.

 

[Noise]

Well he picked Mahoney in front of him last year ....

At one point he picked Will Smith in front of Cameron King and Mahoney

 

[84 Baby]

So we can't sign anyone if we have space just in case we have to stick our top dummy half option into the 29th spot???

Camillionaire & Segeyaro are both still uncontracted. Unlikely we are to sign either, but there are also contracted players that could move teams. Why handcuff yourself when Mahoney is under contract anyway?

I get Brown and some of the others staying on development contracts they will only get a run worst case scenario but Mahoney should be our first choice dummy half and starting in round 1. his contract should reflect that. Who knows we might be able piss off about 4 or 5 underperforming Merkins and he will be in the top 25.

It's been happening for decades, young players debuting and forcing their way into starting lineup yet still being on a povo contract. So just chill the f**k out and wait until March

Edit - fixed

 

[Joshuatheeel]

At one point he picked Will Smith in front of Cameron King and Mahoney

Smith was only picked once to start at hooker in 2018 (happy to be corrected), which was round 10 against the dogs, and Pritchard was injured and King wasn’t picked. Every other club either king / Mahoney or Pritchard started at hooker

 

[Joshuatheeel]

Anyhow Reed doesn’t look like he has any issues with his contract situation:

 

[Joshuatheeel]

From the club:

“Parramatta Eels 2019 squad list
Fri 2 Nov 2018, 01:51 PM
The Parramatta Eels has officially lodged its squad with the NRL by naming 28 contracted players and three development players for the 2019 season.

NRL Clubs are required to name a minimum of 24 players by 1 November 2018 and 29 players by 1 March 2019, with finalisation of the top 30 squad to be completed 30 June 2019.

The squad includes new signings Blake Ferguson, Junior Paulo, Shaun Lane, Maika Sivo and Andrew Davey.

Club re-signings are David Gower (2019), Peni Terepo (2020), Kaysa Pritchard (2019) and George Jennings (2020) and have been officially added.

Blake Ferguson, a 2018 NRL Telstra Premiership winner with the Sydney Roosters, joins the Eels on a three-year deal. Last season he led the NRL with 5,039 meters gained at an average of 186 per match and scored 18 tries. He will join the Eels for pre-season in late November.

Junior Paulo returns to the Parramatta Eels after playing 55 matches with the Canberra Raiders between 2016 and 2018. He began pre-season training with the Eels this week and is signed through the 2022 NRL season.

Shaun Lane has bolstered the Club's second-row stocks by switching from the Manly Sea Eagles on a two-year deal. The 23-year-old scored nine tries last season, the most by one player at the Sea Eagles in 2018. He started pre-season training with his new teammates this week.

Winger Maika Sivo arrives at the Eels from the Penrith Panthers and second rower Andrew Davey played with the Townsville Blackhawks in the Intrust Super Cup last season.

The Parramatta Eels 2019 NRL Squad:
Daniel Alvaro, Nathan Brown, Andrew Davey, Kane Evans, Blake Ferguson, Bevan French, David Gower, Clinton Gutherson, Josh Hoffman, George Jennings, Michael Jennings, Oregon Kaufusi, Shaun Lane, Greg Leleisiuao, Manu Ma'u, Tim Mannah, Tepai Moeroa, Mitchell Moses, Marata Niukore, Corey Norman, Junior Paulo, Kaysa Pritchard, Jaeman Salmon, Maika Sivo, Will Smith, Ray Stone, Brad Takairangi, Peni Terepo

Parramatta Eels Development Players*:
Dylan Brown, Reed Mahoney, Stefano Utoikamanu

*Development players can be elevated to the top 30 before 30 June 2019.”

https://www.parraeels.com.au/news/2018/11/02/parramatta-eels-2019-squad-list/

 

[Gronk]

So 28 players and only one recognised dummy half, who is probably the most injury prone player in the NRL and isn't effective over 80 minutes.

Seriously?

This also effectively means that they will have to add at least one more dummy half (most likely Mahoney), but that realistically unless they f**k someone off then they're unlikely going to sign The Plane. It appears more about no roster position than no room in the cap, as you'd imagine they will keep roster spot 30 open until mid season.

From the club:

“Parramatta Eels 2019 squad list
Fri 2 Nov 2018, 01:51 PM
The Parramatta Eels has officially lodged its squad with the NRL by naming 28 contracted players and three development players for the 2019 season.

NRL Clubs are required to name a minimum of 24 players by 1 November 2018 and 29 players by 1 March 2019, with finalisation of the top 30 squad to be completed 30 June 2019.

The squad includes new signings Blake Ferguson, Junior Paulo, Shaun Lane, Maika Sivo and Andrew Davey.

Club re-signings are David Gower (2019), Peni Terepo (2020), Kaysa Pritchard (2019) and George Jennings (2020) and have been officially added.

Blake Ferguson, a 2018 NRL Telstra Premiership winner with the Sydney Roosters, joins the Eels on a three-year deal. Last season he led the NRL with 5,039 meters gained at an average of 186 per match and scored 18 tries. He will join the Eels for pre-season in late November.

Junior Paulo returns to the Parramatta Eels after playing 55 matches with the Canberra Raiders between 2016 and 2018. He began pre-season training with the Eels this week and is signed through the 2022 NRL season.

Shaun Lane has bolstered the Club's second-row stocks by switching from the Manly Sea Eagles on a two-year deal. The 23-year-old scored nine tries last season, the most by one player at the Sea Eagles in 2018. He started pre-season training with his new teammates this week.

Winger Maika Sivo arrives at the Eels from the Penrith Panthers and second rower Andrew Davey played with the Townsville Blackhawks in the Intrust Super Cup last season.

The Parramatta Eels 2019 NRL Squad:
Daniel Alvaro, Nathan Brown, Andrew Davey, Kane Evans, Blake Ferguson, Bevan French, David Gower, Clinton Gutherson, Josh Hoffman, George Jennings, Michael Jennings, Oregon Kaufusi, Shaun Lane, Greg Leleisiuao, Manu Ma'u, Tim Mannah, Tepai Moeroa, Mitchell Moses, Marata Niukore, Corey Norman, Junior Paulo, Kaysa Pritchard, Jaeman Salmon, Maika Sivo, Will Smith, Ray Stone, Brad Takairangi, Peni Terepo

Parramatta Eels Development Players*:
Dylan Brown, Reed Mahoney, Stefano Utoikamanu

*Development players can be elevated to the top 30 before 30 June 2019.”

https://www.parraeels.com.au/news/2018/11/02/parramatta-eels-2019-squad-list/

We we are going to play 15 rounds before June 30, so I reckon there is a high chance that we will get at least one or two of the kids into the top30 by then.

 

[T-Boon]

We should start recruiting for 2020.
Here is the list of players I would be trying hard to recruit.
Jason Taumololo
Semi Radradra
Damien Cook
Kalyn Ponga