Team 2016

[otori]

With us having the three hookers next year, it will be interesting to see who starts the year and who doesn't as Randall and Clydsdale look to be the starters for the last two games.

Wonder if the new coach will look to push Levi into a permanent bench role.

 

[Joel-22]

Korbin MUST start. He is the leader of our pack and as of 2016, the number 13 jersey is his to lose.

1.Jake Mamo
2.Nathan Ross
3.Sione Matatia
4.Dane Gagai
5.Aku Uate
6.Jarrod Mullen
7.Trent Hodkinson
8.Aiden Tolman
9.Adam Clydesdale
10.Kade Snowden
11.Robbie Rochow
12.Tariq Sims
13.Korbin Sims

14.Danny Levi
15.Joseph Tapine
16.Jeremy Smith
17.Jack Stockwell

 

[Shenry4]

Agree with you about Korbin, but swap Smith for Rochow. Smiths a leader too.

 

[macavity]

well, no Matagi.

 

[K-Man]

I wouldn't have seen it coming a while ago, but now it's backs we need more than forwards. We absolutely must find some depth at centre, and possibly even in the halves with Gids, Tui and Roberts all leaving. Yes there's Feeney, but is it straight to Cogger / Lamb after that? Surely they're not ready for first grade next year. You only have to look at this season to see how quickly a couple of injuries in the halves can derail a whole side. I'm prepared to give Feeney his shot, but I have no idea what would happen if Mullen and Hodkinson went down.

As for the forwards, we're actually in decent shape imo, even if Vai Vai leaves and we don't sign Tolman it still looks reasonable enough:

8. Snowden
9. Levi / Clydesdale
10. Paea
11. Rochow
12. T Sims
13. K Sims

14. Smith
15. Tapine
16. Stockwell
17. Mata'ora / Sironen / Houston

20. Fitzgibbon

Tolman would really mean big competition for starting spots, which would be great. Paea would go the bench and Mata'ora would drop out. I'd also love to find a starting spot for Tapine on the edge, but he might have to settle for bench plus being the first in line if Tariq or Robbie are out.

 

[Haffa]

Tariq will be suspended for the first 4 weeks of next season. Sione looks to miss one game.

How many games count towards the trials?

 

[Frederick]

None. They changed that rule

 

[slotmachine]

Well, I guess we see what the plan is for centre depth now.

 

[Chicken_Hunter]

That f**king sucks absolute balls. Hopefully Rochow is 100%

 

[voltron]

none? not even one? I thought they changed it to one....
that's stupid, then he should be able to play those trial matches

 

[harrywilliams]

He's not allowed to play in any trials or any Nines games but they don't count towards his suspension... look how clever the NRL is.

 

[Burwood]

Sims and Sione should be free to play in the trial matches because they were only charged with minor offences. It's only grade-three or higher charges where you are not allowed to play in the trials.

 

[Wato]

The NRL wants the nines taken seriously but they don't even take it seriously themselves, the fact that don't count for any games off a suspension shows that don't consider it equal to NRL footy it should count for at least one NRL game.

 

[cb4]

I don't know if it has been posted or not, haven't gone back through the pages, but a guy I work with has told me that formalities between Newcastle and the Tigers are being negotiated before Farah signs on for 2 years.

 

[Burwood]

I don't know if it has been posted or not, haven't gone back through the pages, but a guy I work with has told me that formalities between Newcastle and the Tigers are being negotiated before Farah signs on for 2 years.

I'm guessing it would be a pretty tricky negotiation as well- Farah would be eligible for the long-serving player allowance, and I wouldn't be surprised if a chunk of his contract was a TPP. If so, he wouldn't be getting those things if he came here (maybe the TPP...) which means we might have to pay a bit more of his contract value. Newcastle need to stay firm and not pay any more than 50% of his next two-years.

 

[perverse]

God damnit. I cannot stand Robbie Farah, and think he's a poor solution for us long term... but at the end of the day our team is so, so shit that it's going to take moving mountains to fix things. May as well strap in for the ride, again.

If we lose Levi long term because of Farah it will be truly criminal.

It certainly won't do Mullens chances of getting an origin run any harm, either. Not that he deserves it or has played much footy for the past 12 months. Surely he only has to look somewhat competent outside Farah and Hodko and he'd be a good shot.

 

[Still Nutty]

That f**king sucks absolute balls. Hopefully Rochow is 100%

Rochow could have played the last 2 weeks but they thought it was smarter not to risk him for non-event games...

And Tariq Sims will miss the opening 5 (not 4) rounds of 2016, with an early guilty plea for a grade two shoulder charge and prior offences...although watching the incident the inconsistency with how the MRC decide and then grade shoulder charges nowadays seems to be who you are and who you play for...not what you actually do - it is still dumb play though when you don't use your arms

 

[Rod]

I thought and still think Robbie appears to be a little bit of a sook, and some stuff Benji said on NRL 360 the other week didn't do much to convince me otherwise. However as usual with these things the devil is in the detail. If we aren't going to be paying him the full amount of what he would probably want I could get behind this sort of signing. I wanted Ballin after all and when Farah puts in he's a better player than Ballin.

Mullen, Hodkinson, Farah is basically 3/4 of an Origin quality spine.

However unlike the media and a lot of fans I wasn't that impressed that it took him basically being fired in order for him to produce a great game against the Warriors, one of only a few this year.

Let's be honest, even if we are giving him say 500k or even 600k it would be an improvement on the Gidley/Roberts contracts.

 

[Joel-22]

I've done a complete backflip on my attitude to signing Farah.

1.Gagai

6.Mullen
7.Hokko

9.Farah

14.Levi


We'd win games off the back of that spine alone.

Add some great fringe backrowers in Tapine, Rochow, Sims and we're a genuine threat.

If we sign Farah we will be a completely different side on both sides of the ball.

Also, Farah will be hurting and wanting to prove the tigers f**ked up by letting him go. Having Farah and Hokko feeding him the ball will see us finally get the best out of Mullo.

 

[Joel-22]

Still worried about centre... At the moment I'm thinking our best option would be to put a backrower there.