The Rumours Thread

[Auntie.Gerald]

You forgot to include how many seasons these amounts are for. Some people though the current Dragons players you listed are for 1 season. Also, what does pa stand for?

Yep
I went average for the top3 starting middles Lawrie, AFB, JDB - I was guessing next two seasons that maybe close but JDB maybe be less year 2. The point being more so the average cost of most teams in the middle forwards x 3 players would be approx $750k pa.

pa = per annum

The others are a guess at current contracts but it shows we could go up to $1.2m per season for AFB if we have staggered the other two middle starting players ie prop and no13........ or we have very good bench middles at a good price

My guess is that if Sele does well enough he might put pressure on the no13 jersey by the time 2025 comes round, So to many of our emerging middles like Couchman etc. JDB will probably want similar $ as his 2024 contract around $700k. Jack is 33yrs old in MArch 2024 and 34yrs old in March 2025. hmmmmmm I think we will be paying more like $500k pa max for JDB in 2025 at 34yrs of age.

If that is the case and we move MoloF on ($500kish pa) even more of a reason to go for AFB as many of our othe middles are on less then JDB and lowers the average cost again

 

[kit66]

I get a gut feeling we will land both AFB and Dearden, offer F Molo for AFB swap and offer Hunt to Cows for Dearden, sorted

If we lose Hunt at the end of next year then maybe Dearden is a suitable replacement but I wouldn't rush into that, maybe wait and see how he goes next year and keep an eye on other candidates. I certainly wouldn't be offering him a million a year or sacrificing our best player in a dubious swap.
What I'd like to know is how the Cows went from 3rd on the ladder in 2022 to 11th this year. On paper they're a top 4 team, massive forward pack with the likes of Taumalolo, Cotter, McClean, Hess, Nanai, Luki, not one but two extremely capable Hookers in Robinson and Granville and a backline that includes SOO players Holmes and Taulagi as well as Drinkwater, Feldt. I'd say it's easy for a half to shine in a team like that, not to mention Chad Townsend as your partner but still.......11th, something's not right. You put Hunt in that team they make the 8 no problem. In a shit bottom 2 team Hunt's try and line break assists are still double Dearden's. Why is that. Anyone saying Dearden is better than Hunt isn't looking at all the facts. I don't blame Hunt one bit for wanting out of Saints, look at the team we've built around him, hopeless and the coaches and management.....the worst shower of bastards you can imagine.
We need a stronger forward pack and strike out wide, we need it now and we need Hunt to lead them.
Flanagan at best will make us competitve and win us a few more games but without upgrades where we really need them, 12th - 13th on the ladder is our ceiling. Spend our money sensibly and don't go strengthening other teams to our own detriment in the delusion it's value for money.

 

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

If we lose Hunt at the end of next year then maybe Dearden is a suitable replacement but I wouldn't rush into that, maybe wait and see how he goes next year and keep an eye on other candidates. I certainly wouldn't be offering him a million a year or sacrificing our best player in a dubious swap.
What I'd like to know is how the Cows went from 3rd on the ladder in 2022 to 11th this year. On paper they're a top 4 team, massive forward pack with the likes of Taumalolo, Cotter, McClean, Hess, Nanai, Luki, not one but two extremely capable Hookers in Robinson and Granville and a backline that includes SOO players Holmes and Taulagi as well as Drinkwater, Feldt. I'd say it's easy for a half to shine in a team like that, not to mention Chad Townsend as your partner but still.......11th, something's not right. You put Hunt in that team they make the 8 no problem. In a shit bottom 2 team Hunt's try and line break assists are still double Dearden's. Why is that. Anyone saying Dearden is better than Hunt isn't looking at all the facts. I don't blame Hunt one bit for wanting out of Saints, look at the team we've built around him, hopeless and the coaches and management.....the worst shower of bastards you can imagine.
We need a stronger forward pack and strike out wide, we need it now and we need Hunt to lead them.
Flanagan at best will make us competitve and win us a few more games but without upgrades where we really them 12th - 13th on the ladder is our ceiling. Spend our money sensibly and don't go strengthening other teams to our own detriment in the delusion it's value for money.

I'm not a big follower of the Cowboys, but I have friends who are. They've never said Dearden was the issue in 2023. They've thrown up plenty of excuses like Taumalolo being out with injuries, Chad having a bad year, and letting the Hammer go while hanging on to ageing players like Granville and Feldt. Make of that what you will. They also reckon Dearden is better playing the running five-eight role than being an organising half. Personally I reckon he's shown enough that he can play either role, but that's mostly based on his state of origin game in 2022.

Totally agree we need better forwards. We do have some strike out wide but they either never get enough space or Hunt never passes when there is some. Hunt & Dearden would be a good combo, but I reckon it's more likely to happen at the Cowboys than with us.

 

[TheRev]

I'm not a big follower of the Cowboys, but I have friends who are. They've never said Dearden was the issue in 2023. They've thrown up plenty of excuses like Taumalolo being out with injuries, Chad having a bad year, and letting the Hammer go while hanging on to ageing players like Granville and Feldt. Make of that what you will. They also reckon Dearden is better playing the running five-eight role than being an organising half. Personally I reckon he's shown enough that he can play either role, but that's mostly based on his state of origin game in 2022.

Totally agree we need better forwards. We do have some strike out wide but they either never get enough space or Hunt never passes when there is some. Hunt & Dearden would be a good combo, but I reckon it's more likely to happen at the Cowboys than with us.

tbh I don't follow Dearden at all, I just saw the stuff he did on origin debut in place of Munster, and I was really blown away.. I thought he would prove the weakness.. if he can do it at that early age... he is clearly a gun player with his best in front of him (he's only 22!).. whether hes a long term 6 or 7 I dunno.. but it doesnt matter, we need quality fullstop and there are very few to choose from.

In anycase.. if he's a worse 7 than Hunt, id be shocked.

 

[CozDragon]

If we lose Hunt at the end of next year then maybe Dearden is a suitable replacement but I wouldn't rush into that, maybe wait and see how he goes next year and keep an eye on other candidates. I certainly wouldn't be offering him a million a year or sacrificing our best player in a dubious swap.
What I'd like to know is how the Cows went from 3rd on the ladder in 2022 to 11th this year. On paper they're a top 4 team, massive forward pack with the likes of Taumalolo, Cotter, McClean, Hess, Nanai, Luki, not one but two extremely capable Hookers in Robinson and Granville and a backline that includes SOO players Holmes and Taulagi as well as Drinkwater, Feldt. I'd say it's easy for a half to shine in a team like that, not to mention Chad Townsend as your partner but still.......11th, something's not right. You put Hunt in that team they make the 8 no problem. In a shit bottom 2 team Hunt's try and line break assists are still double Dearden's. Why is that. Anyone saying Dearden is better than Hunt isn't looking at all the facts. I don't blame Hunt one bit for wanting out of Saints, look at the team we've built around him, hopeless and the coaches and management.....the worst shower of bastards you can imagine.
We need a stronger forward pack and strike out wide, we need it now and we need Hunt to lead them.
Flanagan at best will make us competitve and win us a few more games but without upgrades where we really them 12th - 13th on the ladder is our ceiling. Spend our money sensibly and don't go strengthening other teams to our own detriment in the delusion it's value for money.

While it would be a stretch to put Dearden on the same level as Hunt at this stage. Considering one is at the beginning of his career and the other at the end, it is very possible Dearden does reach Hunts level, maybe even better.
As for comparing their seasons, I don't think it is accurate to do so. Dearden is not the focal point of Cowboys attack while Hunt was the only point of attack.
It's easy for Hunt to control all of our stats, because he is the captain and the side was setup to suit his playstyle, regardless of whether it stunted other players.

 

[Illusion]

While it would be a stretch to put Dearden on the same level as Hunt at this stage. Considering one is at the beginning of his career and the other at the end, it is very possible Dearden does reach Hunts level, maybe even better.
As for comparing their seasons, I don't think it is accurate to do so. Dearden is not the focal point of Cowboys attack while Hunt was the only point of attack.
It's easy for Hunt to control all of our stats, because he is the captain and the side was setup to suit his playstyle, regardless of whether it stunted other players.

"Dearden on the same level as Hunt at this stage" respect your thoughts on this , but for me Dearden is a better player than Hunt is now .......... you say As he controlled all the stats the year he was in front for the Dally M player award , not hard to do when every play went to him and he stood out in a poor team and was never going to repeat that again once Hook went ........ For me the sooner he is gone the better .........

 

[TheRev]

for me Dearden is a better player than Hunt is now

While maybe Hunts rep experience would give him an edge in 'some' aspects.. such as getting a kick off under pressure he does really well.. but if we're ranking them as playmakers I 100% agree.. Hunt is really a hooker playing 7 for us.. its been 5 years since he would even have been considered as a (backup) rep 6 or 7... he doesn't tie DCE's bootlaces imo.

Throw in that Dearden has just starting to come into his time, with 10yrs to go.. its a no brainer for me also... and then you consider that Hunt has lost the respect of fans and the squad in terms of leadership.

 

[SIR LANCELOT]

Unfortunately forum members are plucking at straws re our future sign ups.The Illawarra is not attracting the players we would welcome.Our best hope for the future would be a draft system.I hope I am wrong however I fear we are not going to come up with the players mentioned as future marquee signings.Hopefully I will be wrong.Things need to change and very soon.

 

[kit66]

I'm not a big follower of the Cowboys, but I have friends who are. They've never said Dearden was the issue in 2023. They've thrown up plenty of excuses like Taumalolo being out with injuries, Chad having a bad year, and letting the Hammer go while hanging on to ageing players like Granville and Feldt. Make of that what you will. They also reckon Dearden is better playing the running five-eight role than being an organising half. Personally I reckon he's shown enough that he can play either role, but that's mostly based on his state of origin game in 2022.

Totally agree we need better forwards. We do have some strike out wide but they either never get enough space or Hunt never passes when there is some. Hunt & Dearden would be a good combo, but I reckon it's more likely to happen at the Cowboys than with us.

The Cows played some of their best games when Taumalolo was out or on the bench, certainly all their high scoring matches happened then.
I don't think Townsend had a bad year, his stats are almost the same as 2022 when he was the Cows MVP. I thought they put more responsibility on Deardens' shoulders this year but maybe it was too early.
Granville this year played off the bench as a lock (I suppose for his defence) and Feldt lost his spot to the up and comer Semi Valemei.
Dearden is a solid half, good skills, short kicking game developing nicely but who else but the Dragons think he's worth a $1mil + at this stage of his career. Luai yes, $1mil definitely but we seem to have dropped out of that race.
You have to take into account what a change of clubs - especially from a good team/system to a lesser team can do to a player. Kyle Flanagan 2020 at the Roosters for example absolutely killed it then signs with the Dogs and basically regresses to insignificance. We're lucky the Dragons weren't looking to replace Hunt in 2021 or we'd have signed Kyle for squillions.

 

[Inisai Toga]

Unfortunately forum members are plucking at straws re our future sign ups.The Illawarra is not attracting the players we would welcome.Our best hope for the future would be a draft system.I hope I am wrong however I fear we are not going to come up with the players mentioned as future marquee signings.Hopefully I will be wrong.Things need to change and very soon.

…or we need to ‘sell’ it better; rather play football in the Illawarra than some other options in the NRL

 

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

The Cows played some of their best games when Taumalolo was out or on the bench, certainly all their high scoring matches happened then.
I don't think Townsend had a bad year, his stats are almost the same as 2022 when he was the Cows MVP. I thought they put more responsibility on Deardens' shoulders this year but maybe it was too early.
Granville this year played off the bench as a lock (I suppose for his defence) and Feldt lost his spot to the up and comer Semi Valemei.
Dearden is a solid half, good skills, short kicking game developing nicely but who else but the Dragons think he's worth a $1mil + at this stage of his career. Luai yes, $1mil definitely but we seem to have dropped out of that race.
You have to take into account what a change of clubs - especially from a good team/system to a lesser team can do to a player. Kyle Flanagan 2020 at the Roosters for example absolutely killed it then signs with the Dogs and basically regresses to insignificance. We're lucky the Dragons weren't looking to replace Hunt in 2021 or we'd have signed Kyle for squillions.

Fair enough, I just passed on what people told me, Cowboys aren't a team I take much interest in. I well remember that last state of origin game in 2022, that was where Dearden showed what he could do and what he's capable of. Doesn't mean he'd work out at St George though, he might need the motivation of playing for Queensland. In any case you still need good forwards laying the platform, and we don't have that either.

 

[Murfy]

Apparently we might be getting New Zealand rugby player Hugh Renton in June after he finishes his super rugby reason with Highlanders. 27 years old and plays backrow in rugby union

 

[justadragon]

Apparently we might be getting New Zealand rugby player Hugh Renton in June after he finishes his super rugby reason with Highlanders. 27 years old and plays backrow in rugby union

Really, thats one out left field, what is this guys background and whats your source ??

 

[Murfy]

Really, thats one out left field, what is this guys background and whats your source ??

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/rugby/who-is-next-on-nrl-hit-list-for-rugby-stars-after-nawaqanitawases-defection/news-story/fe30529b96ce2336e9130d5efb05a7a2

 

[justadragon]

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/rugby/who-is-next-on-nrl-hit-list-for-rugby-stars-after-nawaqanitawases-defection/news-story/fe30529b96ce2336e9130d5efb05a7a2

Thanks mate, unfortunately its behind the paywall.

 

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

Apparently we might be getting New Zealand rugby player Hugh Renton in June after he finishes his super rugby reason with Highlanders. 27 years old and plays backrow in rugby union

That's gotta be a wind-up. He's never played League in his life. He was/is a potential All Black. And he could make a lot more money playing Union in France or Japan than we could offer. I'm not buying it.

 

[Dragon David]

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/rugby/who-is-next-on-nrl-hit-list-for-rugby-stars-after-nawaqanitawases-defection/news-story/fe30529b96ce2336e9130d5efb05a7a2

Wow, that would be a first for a long time for the Dragons signing a rugby union player especially one from NZ. This guy must be some standout that our scouts might have identified as being useful in our team. Now that this has been made aware to league followers through the Daily Telegraph you watch what other clubs will start circling for his signature.

 

[Dragon David]

That's gotta be a wind-up. He's never played League in his life. He was/is a potential All Black. And he could make a lot more money playing Union in France or Japan than we could offer. I'm not buying it.

Yes it seems weird. I can't imagine this guy coming into league if he hasn't played the game before and for the amount he would be paid. Another click bait that the DT has done for the off season attention grabbing.

 

[Auntie.Gerald]

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Learn from JDB this season

Then challenge for that no13 and prop role year after

Our Saffy?

Renton has played at 5 clubs last 6 years

The Gypsy so maybe he will move again

Not applied against the salary cap

Could make it within two seasons and if it doesn’t work even if u signed him for 3 years and he left early it is easy for him to move on back to Raaaa Raaaa

 

[Illusion]

When I seen this before I even read it , I knew it wasn't us and straight away thought of the Roosters ...... Something we never do , look outside the box ...... https://www.theroar.com.au/2023/12/...e-in-reality-check-at-start-of-golden-decade/