Squad succession

[Poupou Escobar]

They have always recruited top 30 players to fill a hole.

Sorrenson has done well out of it.. that's the price of success your players get better and they move on when you can't pay them enough to stay..

Lucky they didn’t waste Sorensen’s money on a local junior!

 

[the phantom menace]

Well it got those players to sign at a price our ‘bean counters’ were willing to pay.

No it was a bonus set of steak knives, and won't influence whether they go elsewhere for higher in their option year anyway. As stated above.

Will it be a good or a bad thing if they activate their options?

A very tangential and deflective question, from the Trolling 101 handbook.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

No it was a bonus set of steak knives, and won't influence whether they go elsewhere for higher in their option year anyway. As stated above.

I agree it won’t impact their decision in the option year, but everyone pays for ‘free’ steak knives. That’s the point of them.

A very tangential and deflective question, from the Trolling 101 handbook.

A relevant question well avoided by a man known to enjoy criticising without having an opinion of his own.

 

[the phantom menace]

I agree it won’t impact their decision in the option year,

Thank you.

but everyone pays for ‘free’ steak knives. That’s the point of them.

Irrelevant tosh.

A relevant question well avoided by a man known to enjoy criticising without having an opinion of his own.

Nah, just deflective irrelevant tosh.

 

[emjaycee]

f**k you make this site painful

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Thank you.

Irrelevant tosh.

It’s relevant because the players who get the POs don’t get them for free.

Nah, just deflective irrelevant tosh.

You’re the one dodging the question. You claim the player options are bad for the club, so are they bad if the player activates it or if he declines? And if so why is that bad?

We already both know you’re a troll and a bullshitter, so I expect you to keep deflecting. But if you want to keep pretending to be acting in good faith, these are the questions that might support your so far baseless criticism.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

I noticed an update to our development list on NRL.com, which is as official as we're likely to get. Guymer is now off the 2025 development list, which has been updated to include AMS, Keir and Tago. They must've gotten this information from somewhere:

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

2025
Utility: Brown, Hands, Papali'i
Fullback: Iongi, Miller-Stephen (22)^
W/C: Addo-Carr, Dunster (26)", Lomax, Renisini^, Wenisini, Russell, Samrani, Simonsson, Tago (26)^
Half: Hawkins, Moses
Hooker: Lussick (30)
Edge forward: Cartwright (31), Doorey, Guymer, Kautoga^, Keir (27)^, Lane, Mataele (23), Matterson, Tuilagi, Williams
Middle: Greig (26), Hopgood, Moretti (25), Ofahengaue (30), Paulo, Pryke^, Tuivati (20)

2026
Utility: Brown*, Hands (27), Papali'i (22)
Fullback: Iongi
W/C: Addo-Carr (31)¢, Lomax, Renisini (21), Wenisini (24)*, Russell (24), Samrani (24), Simonsson
Half: Hawkins (27), Moses
Hooker: -
Edge forward: Doorey (26), Guymer (22), Kautoga (24), Lane (32)", Matterson (32)*, Tuilagi (27), Williams
Middle: Hopgood, Paulo (33), Pryke (22)^

2027
Utility: Brown*
Fullback: Iongi (24)
W/C: Lomax, Simonsson (29)
Half: Moses*
Hooker: -
Edge forward: Williams (31)
Middle: Hopgood (28)

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 (somewhat officially) have 28 merkins in next year's top 30, and 22 in the 2026 squad.

 

[the phantom menace]

It’s relevant because the players who get the POs don’t get them for free.

As you've admitted above, the player options have no bearing on whether a player chooses to remain in the option year or take other offers. So your deflection question it's irrelevant to what everyone else was talking about.

You’re the one dodging the question. You claim...

I didn't claim anything else other than player options are useless in getting a player to stay longer than they agreed to sign for without the option.

Anything else you're trying to claim remains misrepresentative deflective trolling.

 

[the phantom menace]

I noticed an update to our development list on NRL.com, which is as official as we're likely to get. Guymer is now off the 2025 development list, which has been updated to include AMS, Keir and Tago. They must've gotten this information from somewhere:

Keir's developing quite nicely... for a 27yo.

 

[the phantom menace]

FFS! (Matterson)

 

[Poupou Escobar]

As you've admitted above, the player options have no bearing on whether a player chooses to remain in the option year or take other offers. So your deflection question it's irrelevant to what everyone else was talking about.

I didn't claim anything else other than player options are useless in getting a player to stay longer than they agreed to sign for without the option.

Anything else you're trying to claim remains misrepresentative deflective trolling.

So you agree that player options in fact aren't poor business after all. Quite the backflip.