Squad succession

[the phantom menace]

But well after the press turned them into a scandal.

*player-managers

 

[Poupou Escobar]

*player-managers

These options have been ongoing for many years. They were never a problem until the media recently made them an issue, now we have clubs and the RLPA coming out with public statements in response to this.

 

[the phantom menace]

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Walker's on:

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

2025
Utility: Brown, Hands, Papalii, Walker
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), Smith^
Edge forward: Cartwright (31), Doorey, Guymer, Kautoga, Keir (27)^, Lane, Mataele (23), Matterson, Tuilagi, Williams
Middle: Greig (26), Hopgood, Moretti, Ofahengaue (30), Paulo, Pryke^, Tuivati (20)

2026
Utility: Hands (27), Papalii (22), Walker (32)
Fullback: Iongi
W/C: Addo-Carr (31)¢, Lomax, Renisini (21), Wenisini (24)*, Russell (24), Samrani (24), Simonsson
Half: Hawkins (27), Moses
Hooker: Smith (23)^
Edge forward: Doorey (26), Guymer (22), Kautoga (24), Lane (32)", Matterson (32)*, Tuilagi (27), Williams
Middle: Hopgood, Moretti, Paulo (33), Pryke (22)^

2027
Utility: -
Fullback: Iongi (24)
W/C: Lomax, Simonsson (29)
Half: Moses
Hooker: -
Edge forward: Williams (31)
Middle: Hopgood (28), Moretti (27)

2028
Utility: -
Fullback: -
W/C: Lomax (29)
Half: Moses
Hooker: -
Edge forward: -
Middle: -

2029
Utility: -
Fullback: -
W/C: -
Half: Moses (35)
Hooker: -
Edge forward: -
Middle: -

So we (somewhat officially) have 30 merkins in this year's top 30, and 23 in the 2026 squad.

 

[PARRA_FAN]

Walker's on:

How appropriate we have Nathan Brown at the club lol

 

[Gronk]

So with AMS tragically getting hit with the ACL injury stick again, does the club fill his Dev spot with a back ?

Araz Nanva ?

 

[Lemon Squash]

Ethyn Martin possibly? probably needed an unfortunate opportunity like this to get a sniff.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

So with AMS tragically getting hit with the ACL injury stick again, does the club fill his Dev spot with a back ?

Araz Nanva ?

He looks like the next in line, though Alameddine has only just returned from injury. Either way, it's really Nanva business.

 

[Chipmunk]

Surely Samrani

 

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

Surely Samrani

According to Pou's table above he's already on a development contract.

 

[Chipmunk]

According to Pou's table above he's already on a development contract.

Yet we needed an exemption for him to play apparently.

 

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

Yet we needed an exemption for him to play apparently.

Sounds like Pou's list is either incorrect or has been updated for very recent and very secret inside news.

 

[Gronk]

Surely Samrani

Yet we needed an exemption for him to play apparently.

He gets to play Rnd 10 anyway, so you’d bring in a kid who isn’t Dev or Train n Trial. Right ?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Yet we needed an exemption for him to play apparently.

Why do you say that?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Sounds like Pou's list is either incorrect or has been updated for very recent and very secret inside news.

His signing was announced, and without any mention of the development list. There was a rumour that his first year was dev list with the following year in the top 30 (like Kautoga) but either way, he was free to play from round one.

 

[Legal Eel]

He gets to play Rnd 10 anyway, so you’d bring in a kid who isn’t Dev or Train n Trial. Right ?

who would you have in mind? Maybe Alameddine?

What is Pryke's situation? Is he top 30 or dev?

 

[Gronk]

who would you have in mind? Maybe Alameddine?

What is Pryke's situation? Is he top 30 or dev?

I don't know enough about how these contracts work these days. Maybe you can just promote Mo after Rnd10 as well.

Perhaps Dev contracts are carrots which guarantees a preseason etc.

Are they all that important this time of the year ?

 

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

His signing was announced, and without any mention of the development list. There was a rumour that his first year was dev list with the following year in the top 30 (like Kautoga) but either way, he was free to play from round one.

I thought we got an exemption to play him b/c of the unavailabiltity of Simmonsen, JAC, Lane et al. However, most sources are just people talking on Facebook and there seems to be nothing in any club press releases. He's certainly Top 30 for 2026 (as per original club announcement)

 

[emjaycee]

If he gets included at 4pm today then we know he probably isn't development list. If he doesn't, we won't know anything more than we know now.

 

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

If he gets included at 4pm today then we know he probably isn't development list. If he doesn't, we won't know anything more than we know now.

Wouldn't that just mean that he either has a development contract, has been upgraded to Top 30, or has neither of the above but has been granted an exemption?