The Rumours Thread

[possm]

Yesterday just showed we are a developing team with a coach in his first year of change. We can’t compete with top 4 teams as we don’t have the squad or the depth of talent.

Last year we finished 16th, this year we will finish between 8-12 with players generally improved, except for Lawrie and Rava who appear to have gone backwards.

Next year with a couple more squad tweaks I think we will improve again to a 5-9th. We have the hooker sorted, need a prop and a strike centre and ideally a speedy winger.

to get to top 4 and contenders in 26 we need a quality 6,7 added to mix, along with an improved or replaced Sloan.

Both Couchmans will be quality in 26.

The doomsayers are all back this week after being deadly silent last week as expected.

Onwards and upwards, we need to beat a depleted broncos next week as Storm and Panthers to follow

My kids bought me game and plane tickets for last weekend. All went well except for the game against the Roosters. What a display of rubbish from our team especially since we got within two points at one stage.

Our highest priority is two Big Bobber first-grade quality props. No matter how good our halves and outside backs, we will get nowhere without a good pack. I say let Lawrie, BBM go. For me, F Molo is a bench prop and De Belin needs to build up if he wants to stay in our prop rotation.

We also need a like-for-like replacement of Lomax and a marquee fullback. Yes, the halvers were poor but maybe they would have done better if our forwards were competitive.

The hooker rotation of Cook and Liddle will be great next year. Both are not 80-minute players and so, they will not run out of gas if they have 40 minutes each most games.

Leilua is not fit and because of this, I would use him of the bench as a shot minutes impact edge forward.

 

[Dragon David]

My kids bought me game and plane tickets for last weekend. All went well except for the game against the Roosters. What a display of rubbish from our team especially since we got within two points at one stage.

Our highest priority is two Big Bobber first-grade quality props. No matter how good our halves and outside backs, we will get nowhere without a good pack. I say let Lawrie, BBM go. For me, F Molo is a bench prop and De Belin needs to build up if he wants to stay in our prop rotation.

We also need a like-for-like replacement of Lomax and a marquee fullback. Yes, the halvers were poor but maybe they would have done better if our forwards were competitive.

The hooker rotation of Cook and Liddle will be great next year. Both are not 80-minute players and so, they will not run out of gas if they have 40 minutes each most games.

Leilua is not fit and because of this, I would use him of the bench as a shot minutes impact edge forward.

Nice to see you are posting again possm. I agree with your suggestions.

 

[<StGeorgeDragons>]

Just heard on 2GB we are meeting with Matt Lodge and definitely going for Saifiti.

Ain't no AFB but I am not going to complain.

 

[Desperate Dragon]

Just heard on 2GB we are meeting with Matt Lodge and definitely going for Saifiti.

Ain't no AFB but I am not going to complain.

Will be guided by the coach, but just not feeling it as far as possibly signing Matt Lodge.
All in for D Safiti.

 

[BLM01]

FMD Dean Young is here as is K F and that is all on S F’s head.

The board is still running the joint because they picked a compliant coach.

Well you just shot your own argument. Flanno picked his staff and players not the board so how is he compliant and not running his own race?

 

[Parko1310]

Matt Lodge? No, no, no, no, no

 

[BLM01]

I find it a tad amusing that our measure of performance this year is gauged against all the hoopla of last year including an out of favour coach about to be sacked and an absolute rookie taking over and despite that their against at this stage is still superior keeping in mind that S F has Eisenhuth, Sele, Leilua, K F and Hook had Burns, Hunt.

Why would it not be, it takes a coach time to instill his methods and culture and remove out the old

 

[Bin Chicken]

Matt Lodge? No, no, no, no, no

We need a thug . Take him in a heart beat

 

[RedVee]

Will be guided by the coach, but just not feeling it as far as possibly signing Matt Lodge.
All in for D Safiti.

Agree, but Lodge is a large jump to take.

 

[Parko1310]

We need a thug . Take him in a heart beat

He's a shit player as well as a shit human

 

[KingFlanno7]

Sign them up, for the right price that is..beggars cant be choosers, bottom line is we need some middles with some aggression

 

[Parko1310]

Sign them up, for the right price that is..beggars cant be choosers, bottom line is we need some middles with some aggression

There are other aggressive middles who have never threatened a 9 year old's life, and that also perform better on field. He isn't good

 

[KingFlanno7]

There are other aggressive middles who have never threatened a 9 year old's life, and that also perform better on field. He isn't good

Is flanno talking to them?..

 

[RedVee]

Lodge has also been injured a lot

 

[<StGeorgeDragons>]

Lodge has also been injured a lot

On the one hand it's a player with a bad history, questionable attitude and injuries and he is past his peak. On the other hand we haven't got anyone other than Flanagan fighting for this club and so he has done his best to speak to better than average players in Saifiti and Lodge.

It's a step up from Woods, Gojeiski and Mbye level. Will it make us a premiership threat? Not on its own it won't.

 

[Wolfgang90]

Look at the bulldogs, they don't have big middles but have one of the best defences. You need the right coaching & players to suit the coaches gameplan. Bulldogs got rid of players that didn't fit Ciraldo's gameplan & style of coaching, they're now reaping the benefits.

 

[John moz]

I was told today that the service of excellence in wollongong is not going ahead it was to be completed by the end of this year. Issue with the 3 old heritage huts plans was to have 3 training fields now will plan for 2 only if it gets approved.

 

[Old Timer]

Well you just shot your own argument. Flanno picked his staff and players not the board so how is he compliant and not running his own race?

FMD how many other clubs wanted K F and or D Y but we got both.

A dirty deal if ever there was one but you just don't want to even consider that might be the case.

What had D Y done to even remotely come back to our club in the newly created Senior Assistant role?

Well I can tell you what he has done since he's been back and that is to set some records re the size of defeats ( I think he got that mantle at the Cowboys too) and despite our side winning more games than this time last year our points against is still worse well done D Y.

So if S F did pick him then that along with signing of Nu Brown, C T, J M, the wounded Warrior, the injury prone Sele, the re-signing of Fegai, the pursuit to resign Hunt, the constant selection of Lawrie and the willingness to lose Lomax and Tamali and now talk to Lodge tells me an awful lot about our messiah.

I'm trying to give S F the benefit of the doubt but if he is solely responsible for all of the above then that simply put is being bent over and f**ked.

There isn't another team or coach in the entire comp that would take those options.

 

[TheRev]

I've said it before, but I dont give a f*** anymore who Flanno wants to recruit.. if he thinks he can keep them in-line, im in.. I just want a roster of 1st graders... and a pack of Lodge, Saifiti, JDB, Frank, Sele, Couchman1, Couchman2.. I mean we only need 5 of them per game so its a lil excessive... maybe 6 if Ryan covers 2nd row... but we have injury cover atleast..... the risk is Sele and Lodge seem to have injury issues... a gamble.

The problem is we cant seem to land the players we really want.. so this might just need to be a 2-3yr growing pains period.. squeeze them with short contracts and improve the roster year on year on year...

As for the dogs, I mean I cant explain why they work... but what they lose in the forward battle, they seem to make up with Burton and his damn long kicks... and they stole Chrichton for a steal who locks down 1 edge completely and leads them... they have 2 very good fullback options.. 2 very good halfback options.. speed out wide.. quality like curran and mahoney... like a lot of these players are rep or close to rep level.. I dont think were going to be able to buy that.... so I think were going to bash teams instead.. cause lets be honest.. that forward pack really is the non-negotiable.. its the first thing we need to fix.. I think we can build resilience off the back of holding our own up front.

 

[Coffs dragon]

FMD the thought of a team carrying Lodge, Hunt, Bird, Laurie, Rav & mud guts Luch, would just about see me out the door.

Why the hell can’t Flanno see the need for speed & smarts!