The Rumours Thread

[Dragon David]

Hold on DD, look who posted it before getting upset.

Yes, didn't look at the poster! Silly me!

 

[Saint52]

Same as auntie, not 1st grade standard

 

[Old Timer]

Can you share with the group your last positive sentiment post?
I can’t recall any so I would love to see your more balanced views.

Lol you don’t have to look back very far I actually posted that if given a fair go by the refs and if we happened to have a good day with Hunt’s kicking game we might just sneak a win despite the obvious advantages the Roosters had.

So having gotten that out of the road I note your negativity in thinking that objectivity is unbalanced.

By all means tell me why I should be upbeat about any of the following

Dean Young Snr Assistant Head Coach in charge of defence and H C in waiting

Kyle Flanagan a lock in at 5/8 for 2024/5

Signing of Nu Brown, C T, J M, H S

Picking Lawrie every week

Extending Bird and playing him in the centres

Losing Lomax & Tamali

Suffering several times the biggest losing margins in the St GI era

Not being able to secure a decent player even remotely approaching SOO quality

So desperate that we are talking to Lodge and eulogising that would be good for our club

Still pursuing Hunt to extend despite years of abject failure

Suffer watching the same game plan of predominantly 5 hit ups and a shit kick from Hunt intermingled with the occasional brain explosion dumb option of run it on the 5th and give a hospital pass

Maybe in your world that is all acceptable or maybe just needs to be swept under the carpet while we all hold hands and rejoice that we have won more games than we did last year when we sacked a coach that had lost the dressing room and we put a rookie in charge.

FMD if we are lucky we might struggle past where we got to in 2022 when everyone claimed that Hooks result was shit and any old coach could have done heaps better.

No doubt there are more excuses to come
I just can’t wait.

 

[Dragons4me]

Yep R&W4ever I agree with your views.
I was interested to hear Gus on 100% Footy last night, sing the praises of Jason Ryles as a student of the game & his thirst for coaching knowledge. Gus mentioned also that they had history & still speaks to him regularly.

Having heard that, I’m sure Gus was in his ear & warned him of the Dragons coaching offer. Gus has done the fictional review of the Dragons during the Mary era & knows 1st hand the management debacle in Dragonland.

Ryles will most likely go on to be a successful coach at the Eels, whilst we rebuild with scraps.

I wouldn't be listening to Gould too much. Gould looks after Gould and is 100% personal agenda driven. He knows how to play the media like noone else.

 

[BLM01]

It can only happen to the Dragons. Are we just completely jinxed of everything? We are dead set becoming a joke of a club. This, together with the current inherent problems will set us back years and in the meantime players of any league playing decency which we try to get will ignore us.

It will go ahead. Like all DAs there always are modificatikns required after initial approval subject to conditions and outcomes from assessments put forward from an environmental impact statement

 

[TheRev]

They mentioned on 100% Footy that the Dragons did meet with Lodge, I think Lodges management might have set it up.. but it would have to be a really well priced deal to be considered.

The issue they mentioned is that we also dont have a free spot currently, which is kind of true.. although if Eisenhuth isnt signing.. perhaps that opens up.. otherwise the last 2 spots were earmarked for Blaize/Saifiti (or equivalent).

 

[Gomarchin]

The amount of times the last Rooster still had our player with the ball in a hold so he couldn’t play the ball seemed excessive in the delays

it’s these tiny things that allow the Rooster defensive line time to get back and then push off the line fast

it’s kills u

This is why the captain needs to be in the ref's ear every chance he gets. That's his job.

 

[redandwhite4evr]

I don’t think Bird, Cake, & Rav would be in Flano’s top 17 next year, unless there is a dramatic change in their game.

I’m pretty sure Cake is definately being moved on, Rava is on the outter, Bird I don’t know what Flano has in mind with him but all signs are pointing to him being on the outer aswell.

I don’t think Luc starts in our strongest 1-17, with all troops on board he’s been playing off the bench. Each games he’s played off the bench he’s played well and impacted the game in a positive way.

Couchmen has been impressive, I highly doubt he plays another reserve grade game again, Cook will be good, Sloan will benefit from a good off-season I expect a big year from him next year.

This year was always going to be and up and down (more down then up) next year will be much better, hopefully Flano can jag 2-3 more players for 2025.

Can't find stats on the Couchmen's (plural) height and weight, but they are about to turn 21 and probably will be told to bulk up in the next off season. They look a tad small to me for the grunt work of middles.

 

[kit66]

NAS and Saifiti would go a long way to making us more competitive but after watching the Rorters game I think we have to find a new half with a good short kicking game. We had plenty of opportunities in the first half, with penalties, 6 agains and some good runs getting us to their red zone and then we'd come up with nothing - a world of difference when they were in our red zone, they killed us with perfect short kicks.
I also watched a video I came across on Youtube today featuring all our tries from 2023 and noticed both Amone and Bud were getting us tries with clever kicks to the in-goal while Hunt and Lomax combined well with bombs on the line for Zac. It's not that hard but Kyle aint doing it for us.
Kyle has been pretty good for us especially in defence but surely we can find a better option to support Hunt and take on an attacking kicker role - either that or get someone to work with Kyle and add that string to his bow.
Walker was outstanding and has been all year - he's put us to bed twice in 2024 with one of the best kicking games I can recall in recent history - he's a freak. We need that as much as we need big boppers or fast backs. Our attack has been ok this year, imagine if we had someone to ice those missed opportunities.

 

[JubileeJeffro]

Lol you don’t have to look back very far I actually posted that if given a fair go by the refs and if we happened to have a good day with Hunt’s kicking game we might just sneak a win despite the obvious advantages the Roosters had.

So having gotten that out of the road I note your negativity in thinking that objectivity is unbalanced.

By all means tell me why I should be upbeat about any of the following

Dean Young Snr Assistant Head Coach in charge of defence and H C in waiting

Kyle Flanagan a lock in at 5/8 for 2024/5

Signing of Nu Brown, C T, J M, H S

Picking Lawrie every week

Extending Bird and playing him in the centres

Losing Lomax & Tamali

Suffering several times the biggest losing margins in the St GI era

Not being able to secure a decent player even remotely approaching SOO quality

So desperate that we are talking to Lodge and eulogising that would be good for our club

Still pursuing Hunt to extend despite years of abject failure

Suffer watching the same game plan of predominantly 5 hit ups and a shit kick from Hunt intermingled with the occasional brain explosion dumb option of run it on the 5th and give a hospital pass

Maybe in your world that is all acceptable or maybe just needs to be swept under the carpet while we all hold hands and rejoice that we have won more games than we did last year when we sacked a coach that had lost the dressing room and we put a rookie in charge.

FMD if we are lucky we might struggle past where we got to in 2022 when everyone claimed that Hooks result was shit and any old coach could have done heaps better.

No doubt there are more excuses to come
I just can’t wait.

Is this you being objective?

all we see you do is complain, never offering any actual solutions. You are in your element when we lose and deathly silent when we win.

You told us you weren’t going to post this year in defiance of the Flanagan signing, yet here you are after every loss bleeting your conspiracy theories about the board and Flanagan being responsible for everything right down to the running out of tomato sauce on the hill.

Your magic wand turnaround just doesn’t happen. It will take 3 years.

We have been on the slide down since 2011, and most of us can see we are starting to improve. A few more squad additions for next year and we will continue to rise. 26 I believe we will actually be a contender if we can get some new halves also.

Lomax, we are all sad to see go now that he is actually doing something on the wing, shame he delivered minimal impact the 3 years prior. At $850k he was way over priced for output as a centre and the money should help the squad depth more broadly.

Tamale, great speed and shocking defence. 50:50 if he makes it in NRL.

We need a strike centre and winger for next year along with two bigger forwards , and hopefully we can pick them up. But due to the above mentioned slide, the club are a tough sell.

For future reference, Objectivity is seeking the positive and the negatives out of a situation.

 

[Hound of Dracula]

Lol you don’t have to look back very far I actually posted that if given a fair go by the refs and if we happened to have a good day with Hunt’s kicking game we might just sneak a win despite the obvious advantages the Roosters had.

So having gotten that out of the road I note your negativity in thinking that objectivity is unbalanced.

By all means tell me why I should be upbeat about any of the following

Dean Young Snr Assistant Head Coach in charge of defence and H C in waiting

Kyle Flanagan a lock in at 5/8 for 2024/5

Signing of Nu Brown, C T, J M, H S

Picking Lawrie every week

Extending Bird and playing him in the centres

Losing Lomax & Tamali

Suffering several times the biggest losing margins in the St GI era

Not being able to secure a decent player even remotely approaching SOO quality

So desperate that we are talking to Lodge and eulogising that would be good for our club

Still pursuing Hunt to extend despite years of abject failure

Suffer watching the same game plan of predominantly 5 hit ups and a shit kick from Hunt intermingled with the occasional brain explosion dumb option of run it on the 5th and give a hospital pass

Maybe in your world that is all acceptable or maybe just needs to be swept under the carpet while we all hold hands and rejoice that we have won more games than we did last year when we sacked a coach that had lost the dressing room and we put a rookie in charge.

FMD if we are lucky we might struggle past where we got to in 2022 when everyone claimed that Hooks result was shit and any old coach could have done heaps better.

No doubt there are more excuses to come
I just can’t wait.

You're slipping O.T.

You missed the one you are least 'upbeat' about, in fact it trumps all - The rest are just caveats to support your overriding objection being, (You remember point 4?)

An untarnished coach with no links to nefarious sports medicine Dr’s and illegal substances. I firmly believe that is somewhat a deterrence for some established players and parents of emerging players.

Blah Blah Blah

 

[Dragon David]

‘They’re concerned’: Fears Arthur could raid Eels for star trio as Ryles’ big task laid bare

‘They’re concerned’: Fears Arthur could raid Eels for star trio as Ryles’ big task laid bare

www.foxsports.com.au

Interesting read. Brad Arthur looks likely to be the head coach of the new Perth Bears franchise which is expected to be announced in a few months time as the 18th club in the NRL.

Arthur could be targeting several of the Eels players one of which is Blaize Talagi. Talagi also wanted by Ryles to remain at the Eels. But seeing the Perth Bears won't come in until 2027, Ryles might be successful in retaining him at least until then by which time maybe Blaize realises his future as being at the Eels longer term.

 

[JubileeJeffro]

Perth will be a tough sell

 

[twinkletoes]

It will go ahead. Like all DAs there always are modificatikns required after initial approval subject to conditions and outcomes from assessments put forward from an environmental impact statement

According to Wollongong Council DA tracking the following information is available:

-DA application accepted on 20/10/2022
-Plans needed to be resubmitted in August 2023 which incorporated key updates related to the site layout, design and operations, including preserving the current location of the Migration Huts and the slight relocation of the main building and elite playing field further south, designed to be situated further away from neighbouring residential properties.
-Currently awaiting advice and feedback from Heritage NSW - Department of Premier and Cabinet, Department of Planning, Industry and Environment and Local Aboriginal Community.

So that's we're we are at.... Once the DA is approved the project then needs to get a Construction Certificate through a private certifier which could take a number of months before construction can start. Being optimistic I would think the project could commence towards the end of this year...if someone would push the case.

 

[Old Timer]

Is this you being objective?

all we see you do is complain, never offering any actual solutions. You are in your element when we lose and deathly silent when we win.

You told us you weren’t going to post this year in defiance of the Flanagan signing, yet here you are after every loss bleeting your conspiracy theories about the board and Flanagan being responsible for everything right down to the running out of tomato sauce on the hill.

Your magic wand turnaround just doesn’t happen. It will take 3 years.

We have been on the slide down since 2011, and most of us can see we are starting to improve. A few more squad additions for next year and we will continue to rise. 26 I believe we will actually be contender if we can get some new halves also.

Lomax, we are all sad to see go now that he is actually doing something on the wing, shame he delivered minimal impact the 3 years prior. At $850k he was way over priced for output as a centre and the money should help the squad depth more broadly.

Tamale, great speed and shocking defence. 50:50 if he makes it in NRL.

We need a strike centre and winger for next year along with two bigger forwards , and hopefully we can pick them up. But due to the above mentioned slide, the club are a tough sell.

For future reference, Objectivity is seeking the positive and the negatives out of a situation.

FMD no solution offered you say we get your head out of the f**king sand and stop posting misinformation.


I outline a case for Ryles with clear delineation of the differences I see in him compared to others that applied for the job.

That is met with all the usual negativity of “he’s just a rookie and has no runs on the board”.

So the negativity as you call it comes from a position we sit in that for me was foreseeable. We are here because IMO we made a poor choice and that choice was always going to lead us here.

As I said in the previous post tell me what there is to rejoice about?

18 rounds in and still beating ourselves and leaking like a sieve which S F said would not happen so is he not accountable for his words?

Just the other day the commentators had us as the big improvers heading for the 8 (they love to talk S F up) well nothing but crickets now.

Solutions you say
Don’t pick Lawrie
Move Hunt to 6 or 9
Move K F to 14
Don’t pick Bird
Pick speed on the wings
Promote both Couchman’s
Punt the defence coach he has NFI
Blood the younger props if the intention is to keep them
Get a better kicking strategy into the game plan.

This and more has all been offered up before by not only me but many others but you see it somehow as being unbalanced lol.

You and your lot are like sparrows searching for and happy with eating crumbs and being hand fed bird seed by the powers to be.

For others we have eaten all the crumbs year in year out and due to the poor nutritional value in bird seed we are now losing all our feathers and have got scurvy on our feet.

Only a diet of raw flesh visciously torn from birds, fish, horse, cats, dogs and the various human forms that NRL clubs take will ultimately see us back to good health.

 

[Old Timer]

You're slipping O.T.

You missed the one you are least 'upbeat' about, in fact it trumps all - The rest are just caveats to support your overriding objection being, (You remember point 4?)

An untarnished coach with no links to nefarious sports medicine Dr’s and illegal substances. I firmly believe that is somewhat a deterrence for some established players and parents of emerging players.

Blah Blah Blah

Well surely I didn’t have to repeat everything.

So all the caveats as you call them have no foundation for concern, discussion, consideration?

Nothing to see anywhere all tickety boo rah rah Flanno.

FMD do some serious analysis FFS.

 

[AyiosYiorgos]

‘They’re concerned’: Fears Arthur could raid Eels for star trio as Ryles’ big task laid bare

‘They’re concerned’: Fears Arthur could raid Eels for star trio as Ryles’ big task laid bare

www.foxsports.com.au

Interesting read. Brad Arthur looks likely to be the head coach of the new Perth Bears franchise which is expected to be announced in a few months time as the 18th club in the NRL.

Arthur could be targeting several of the Eels players one of which is Blaize Talagi. Talagi also wanted by Ryles to remain at the Eels. But seeing the Perth Bears won't come in until 2027, Ryles might be successful in retaining him at least until then by which time maybe Blaize realises his future as being at the Eels longer term.

Isn't one of the reasons that the Ells board sacked Arthur, was because of Talagi as his manager was pushing to get rid of him and basically said either he goes or Talagi goes, can't see how he signs for Arthur..

 

[Mojo]

FMD no solution offered you say we get your head out of the f**king sand and stop posting misinformation.


I outline a case for Ryles with clear delineation of the differences I see in him compared to others that applied for the job.

That is met with all the usual negativity of “he’s just a rookie and has no runs on the board”.

So the negativity as you call it comes from a position we sit in that for me was foreseeable. We are here because IMO we made a poor choice and that choice was always going to lead us here.

As I said in the previous post tell me what there is to rejoice about?

18 rounds in and still beating ourselves and leaking like a sieve which S F said would not happen so is he not accountable for his words?

Just the other day the commentators had us as the big improvers heading for the 8 (they love to talk S F up) well nothing but crickets now.

Solutions you say
Don’t pick Lawrie
Move Hunt to 6 or 9
Move K F to 14
Don’t pick Bird
Pick speed on the wings
Promote both Couchman’s
Punt the defence coach he has NFI
Blood the younger props if the intention is to keep them
Get a better kicking strategy into the game plan.

This and more has all been offered up before by not only me but many others but you see it somehow as being unbalanced lol.

You and your lot are like sparrows searching for and happy with eating crumbs and being hand fed bird seed by the powers to be.

For others we have eaten all the crumbs year in year out and due to the poor nutritional value in bird seed we are now losing all our feathers and have got scurvy on our feet.

Only a diet of raw flesh visciously torn from birds, fish, horse, cats, dogs and the various human forms that NRL clubs take will ultimately see us back to good health.

For what it's worth, I agree with you - generally. Although I'm OK with Flanno and I abstain re Ryles (as I just dont have enough info), I appreciate your anti-rose-coloured-glasses perspectives.

 

[Old Timer]

For what it's worth, I agree with you - generally. Although I'm OK with Flanno and I abstain re Ryles (as I just dont have enough info), I appreciate your anti-rose-coloured-glasses perspectives.

Thanks for the post

 

[TheRev]

Isn't one of the reasons that the Ells board sacked Arthur, was because of Talagi as his manager was pushing to get rid of him and basically said either he goes or Talagi goes, can't see how he signs for Arthur..

Thats what I was led to believe.. Moses had been pushing to get arthur out for ages.. and finally got his way.. thats what stuffed us.. we probably had Talagi otherwise.. now I dunno whats gonna happen, but we probably dont want this dragging out for months.. we would want to move onto other centre targets I imagine..