The Rumours Thread

[VodkaSaint]

Hang on fellas. A bit over the top here. We're talking about a human being. His friends and family would read these comments, and no doubt find a way of getting back to him. Lawrie always gives 100% in every hit up and every tackle. He proudly wears the Red V and by all means is a top bloke. I've stated on another post that he'd benefit from a step or an offload. I'm not prepared to ridicule and denigrate him like some on here.
And no, I don't know him nor have ever met him!

Yes but it is also a business and if you don’t perform you have to go.
It is a contract and he was shopped around and he knows the deal
No one is wants him so it is the clubs duty to look after him
He is heart broken already
If I don’t perform at work I’m out
That’s the way it works

 

[since77]

The Dragons can pay Lawrie his contract out, cop the hit in the cap and have a free space, but they haven't and they won't.

They haven't simply because they can't. They've been trying to offload him for half the season. No NRL team out there is interested. Rest assured if someone else is silly enough to want him, Flanno will flick the switch on it instantly and he'll be out the door. I was going to add that he'd be out the door quickly but then I thought he'd probably be rolled onto his back first, then slowly get up before he actually got out the door......

 

[TheRev]

Every recruitment decision has to be viewed from a lens: "what were the options & consequences at that time?"

The best example I always give is Frank Molo's extension this year.. tbh we overpaid for an average forward.. and the deal probably involved signed his brother who isn't really a Top30 player (sorry Mick).

Looking back, maybe a dud deal for us.. but going back to early April:
o Frank started the season on-fire for all of a few weeks, he was off-contract, and he had the Warriors and other clubs hunting him after they lost AFB.
o At that time we also didnt have JDB or Sua locked up.. tbf those extensions were no sure thing.. we almost lost both.
o So here we are, Flanno in his first year, having a nightmare time signing anyone, 3 of his best 1st grade forwards are all off-contract and unsigned.. everything seems fine now (in hindsight), but if we lost Frank, and lost 1 or both of the others.. mate we would be in absolute strife.. noone would have signed to play behind that pack.

Even now if we get our 7 and a half-decent prop.. im feeling pretty good.. but not gonna lie before Cook and before Val.. and even before Gutho.. some pretty dark times.. none of those contracts were sure things.. but somehow Flanno is patiently 'just' somehow getting a side together.. I couldnt live with the stress of the unknown he deals with daily.

 

[Parko1310]

Sure but after signing Lawson and the number of spots available, another winger has to be way down the pecking order now.

Half or two, prop or two are surely the priority moving forward.

Plus I also think JAC is a massive gamble on a guy on a downhill slide we just don't need to take...

Lawson isn't supposed to be top 30 next season, so he doesn't take up a spot. 2025 will be about development and transitioning for him. There's hype around him, but we realistically have no idea how he's going to go in his transition. He's not an established star in the 15-a-side game by the looks of things, hasn't even been playing professionally other than in 7s. He gives us some depth though for sure, and if we were to sign Addo-Carr, then the chances of Ravalawa sneaking his way into the side through injury is basically zero with 2 more roadblocks (JAC + Lawson) in front of him. Might free up his spot once he realises he needs to go now, or he might never get another contract again. Would be stupid of him not to leave even if it is to England, given his value is never going to be higher than what it is right now, it's only going down.

 

[Victoire]

Hang on fellas. A bit over the top here. We're talking about a human being. His friends and family would read these comments, and no doubt find a way of getting back to him. Lawrie always gives 100% in every hit up and every tackle. He proudly wears the Red V and by all means is a top bloke. I've stated on another post that he'd benefit from a step or an offload. I'm not prepared to ridicule and denigrate him like some on here.
And no, I don't know him nor have ever met him!

You must be new here mate. This forum is akin to a sewing circle of mean old gossiping grannies who only bitch about one person. The main difference being that a sewing circle actually produces something tangible of note, like a pouch, or a quilt. In here we just get weird people screaming at the tv and passing their petty rage onto their children. Welcome!

 

[Victoire]

Interesting that so far I haven’t seen any pics or vids of Sione Finau training with the rest of the young crop

I understand the confusion. I wasn't sure if this picture was of Sione Finau, or Juggernaut from X-Men

 

[Jubilee]

Every recruitment decision has to be viewed from a lens: "what were the options & consequences at that time?"

The best example I always give is Frank Molo's extension this year.. tbh we overpaid for an average forward.. and the deal probably involved signed his brother who isn't really a Top30 player (sorry Mick).

Looking back, maybe a dud deal for us.. but going back to early April:
o Frank started the season on-fire for all of a few weeks, he was off-contract, and he had the Warriors and other clubs hunting him after they lost AFB.
o At that time we also didnt have JDB or Sua locked up.. tbf those extensions were no sure thing.. we almost lost both.
o So here we are, Flanno in his first year, having a nightmare time signing anyone, 3 of his best 1st grade forwards are all off-contract and unsigned.. everything seems fine now (in hindsight), but if we lost Frank, and lost 1 or both of the others.. mate we would be in absolute strife.. noone would have signed to play behind that pack.

Even now if we get our 7 and a half-decent prop.. im feeling pretty good.. but not gonna lie before Cook and before Val.. and even before Gutho.. some pretty dark times.. none of those contracts were sure things.. but somehow Flanno is patiently 'just' somehow getting a side together.. I couldnt live with the stress of the unknown he deals with daily.

Yes. These are the same circumstances that led to Sloane being resigned just six months ago for two years at $500k. But now there is a chance he may not play first grade in 2025.

For me - I always beat this drum - the problem is the three year contract. A three year contract is only for a must-have player where there is competition for his signature.

 

[Mojo]

You must be new here mate. This forum is akin to a sewing circle of mean old gossiping grannies who only bitch about one person. The main difference being that a sewing circle actually produces something tangible of note, like a pouch, or a quilt. In here we just get weird people screaming at the tv and passing their petty rage onto their children. Welcome!

I knitted one of these during Hook's tenure:

 

[Dragon David]

I understand the confusion. I wasn't sure if this picture was of Sione Finau, or Juggernaut from X-Men

He has muscle on muscle. Would be a tough nugget. To me he is a keep and forget JAC.

 

[Dragon David]

Sione is younger and has much less baggage than JAC. He needs experience and he will shine for sure.

 

[Mother Nature's Son]

Looks like Ilias is available IF we want him.

"Dragons recruit Damien Cook could get his wish to play alongside former teammate Lachlan Ilias next season after Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly revealed the club won't stand in the halfback's way if a deal can be struck with a rival NRL club. Ilias still has another year left on his current deal but has been given permission to explore his options elsewhere after finding himself down the halfback pecking order at Souths."

 

[Wolfgang90]

I understand the confusion. I wasn't sure if this picture was of Sione Finau, or Juggernaut from X-Men

Nick T fits Juggernaut to a T. BTW who is the tall ranga on the right?

 

[Number of the Beath]

Looks like Ilias is available IF we want him.

"Dragons recruit Damien Cook could get his wish to play alongside former teammate Lachlan Ilias next season after Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly revealed the club won't stand in the halfback's way if a deal can be struck with a rival NRL club. Ilias still has another year left on his current deal but has been given permission to explore his options elsewhere after finding himself down the halfback pecking order at Souths."

Yep. Go for it. A more than decent player, thrown under the bus by Demetriou to deflect attention from his own inadequacies as a first grade coach & player manager.
It's a pity Souffs got rid of him cos he was killing them. Sadly, they will have a resurgence under Bennett.

 

[JackDeBelinFan]

who does everyone here want to captain the boys next year?

 

[TheRev]

'If' we can get on top of those soft-tissue injuries he seems to have with his legs, SFinau as I mentioned many times I think is a really obvious pick over CTui or Feagai.. we dont know his ceiling yet but he pokes his nose through and hes athletic...

But hes still a relative rookie.. I mean hes far more advanced that most of our kids.. who are always too impatient to do a few years reggies.. but hes also no JAC.. well not in the short-term... We can play JAC & FInau as starting wingers though.. the problem is we just dont have the top30 slots, nor do we likely have the money unless we can 'sell' a few players for their value...

SFinau is also off-contract after this year, so if he is signing with parra as per some rumours, I'd be happy for him to go early.. I only want to invest in him if we are extending him.

 

[JackDeBelinFan]

who should we resign next year after the contracts on player run out? or extend the stay

 

[TruSaint]

who does everyone here want to captain the boys next year?

There's a thread for that

Dragons New Captain 2025

I forgot who said this first, but: Sua for club captain Gutho for captain on the field. (Happy to make cookie v captain if not Sua)

forums.leagueunlimited.com

 

[TheRev]

Nick T fits Juggernaut to a T. BTW who is the tall ranga on the right?

There are a couple I get confused in the training photos, but pretty sure that one is Hamish Stewart, he's also one of the tallest.

 

[Parko1310]

Nick T fits Juggernaut to a T. BTW who is the tall ranga on the right?

Tom Kirk

 

[Victoire]

Yep. Go for it. A more than decent player, thrown under the bus by Demetriou to deflect attention from his own inadequacies as a first grade coach & player manager.
It's a pity Souffs got rid of him cos he was killing them. Sadly, they will have a resurgence under Bennett.

I don't think Jason Demetriou threw him under the bus, if anything he stuck by him for too long in 2023 when his form was shit and Souths became predictable. A stint in reserve grade might have helped him come back better than before but we'll never know. I think he was pretty average at best and certainly never a star. Too similar to Kyle Flanno really