Time to prepare properly

[possm]

Sign Fifta from the Sharks.
CC

Well unlike some, I doubt we can keep the players we have. I'd say the salary cap will be slashed from the NRL contribution of approximately 9m to approximately 6m per club. In addition each club will be asked to stump up 2m bringing the total cap to 8m.

So we look like losing De Belin and Frizell from our back row.
I suggest we buy Fifita from Broncos and promote Ford to the top 17.

We should also let go Aitken, Lafai and Dufty in the outside backs. It makes sense to recruit a good fullback from another club maybe Alex Johnston.

To better balance the books and to also afford two first grade props, I would let Norman and Hunt go and promote Clune and Sulivan in their place.

So the SGI team would be:
1. A Johnston - form Souths - backup Ramsey
2. Pereira - backup Max Feagai
3. Lomax - backup Shiller
4. Williame - backup Mathew Feagai
5. Saab - backup Ravalawa
6. Sulivan - backup Sailor
7. Clune
8. Kerr
9. McInnes - backup Brittain
10. Vaughan
11. T Sims
12. Fifita
13. Tyrell

14. Merrin
15. Lawrie
16. Ford
17. Brittain

 

[KiamaSaint]

Let's pray Manly go under and we pick up Jake and Tom T and AFB and RG returns home.

 

[Saint_JimmyG]

Well unlike some, I doubt we can keep the players we have. I'd say the salary cap will be slashed from the NRL contribution of approximately 9m to approximately 6m per club. In addition each club will be asked to stump up 2m bringing the total cap to 8m.

So we look like losing De Belin and Frizell from our back row.
I suggest we buy Fifita from Broncos and promote Ford to the top 17.

We should also let go Aitken, Lafai and Dufty in the outside backs. It makes sense to recruit a good fullback from another club maybe Alex Johnston.

To better balance the books and to also afford two first grade props, I would let Norman and Hunt go and promote Clune and Sulivan in their place.

So the SGI team would be:
1. A Johnston - form Souths - backup Ramsey
2. Pereira - backup Max Feagai
3. Lomax - backup Shiller
4. Williame - backup Mathew Feagai
5. Saab - backup Ravalawa
6. Sulivan - backup Sailor
7. Clune
8. Kerr
9. McInnes - backup Brittain
10. Vaughan
11. T Sims
12. Fifita
13. Tyrell

14. Merrin
15. Lawrie
16. Ford
17. Brittain

An untried halves pairing is a recipe for disaster, especially with McIdiot in charge. By all means, let Norman go but not Hunt.

 

[Saint_JimmyG]

Let's pray Manly go under and we pick up Jake and Tom T and AFB and RG returns home.

Let’s concen on staying financially visible first then punting McGregor first.

 

[Forbes Creek Dragons]

A couple of games (one against the Tigers) doesn’t make an NRL player. Williame’s history and that no other club pursued him concerns me greatly. A recommendation from Trent Barrett means Sweet FA.

Time will tell.

No one chased John Bateman either, no one chased Sivo or Radradra. Sometimes you pick up an under the radar player that comes good. He has shown me all I need to see. Big, strong and fast can hit big and finally a centre that can pass. He is really all we need. We don’t need every position to be a superstar. We just need a player that can put his winger over the stripe. We just need a decent winger now.

 

[Dragon David]

No one chased John Bateman either, no one chased Sivo or Radradra. Sometimes you pick up an under the radar player that comes good. He has shown me all I need to see. Big, strong and fast can hit big and finally a centre that can pass. He is really all we need. We don’t need every position to be a superstar. We just need a player that can put his winger over the stripe. We just need a decent winger now.

Williame in my opinion can do the job and do it well. He has only played a few games for us but showed me that he a lot of tenacity in attack and defence to warrant full time inclusion in the team. And yes, he possesses the ability to pass and that is what we need. If Saab wants selection on a full time basis, he needs to bulk up and show more aggression and not be a sook. Got to be tough and uncompromising.

I'd keep Dufty at full back with Lomax as centre on the opposite side of Williame. We would be strong having T Sims with Lomax and Tyrell with Williame. Clune at 5/8th to partner Hunt in the halves - Norman on the bench. By the time league gets up and running again, McInnes will be ready, willing and able and take back the captaincy - he has got to rally the troops firmly and make definitive decisions on the field particularly in challenging the refs decisions. Hunt and Frizell are too meek and mild as co-captains.

A lot of the players will be off contract at the end of this year and a number of those guys will be let go. The new recruits will be subject to what the salary cap level is allocated to each club by the NRL - a substantial reduction for 2021 and onwards is predicted. Getting good players at good prices will be challenging for Millward - we need to utilise our juniors as much as possible.

So now its a wait and see in a number of areas - still some time away is my guess.

 

[Ben_Kusto_magic]

As long as William can do the basics like set up his outside man, make good defensive decisions, pass the ball etc etc, he us an upgrade on previous centre pairings.

 

[Saint_JimmyG]

No one chased John Bateman either, no one chased Sivo or Radradra. Sometimes you pick up an under the radar player that comes good. He has shown me all I need to see. Big, strong and fast can hit big and finally a centre that can pass. He is really all we need. We don’t need every position to be a superstar. We just need a player that can put his winger over the stripe. We just need a decent winger now.

Sometimes...

If there’s one thing with the Dragons’ recruitment and journeymen (and that’s Williame really is), it’s that they: 1. rarely work out and 2. appear to be good because whoever they’ve replaced has been so poor.

Not sometimes, always.

I agree with your last sentence. Bear in mind, Saints have desperately needed decent wingers since Morris left in 2014....six years ago!

In the Nines, a retired Nightingale showed just how inadequate the likes of Ravalawa, Saab etc. really are.

 

[Dragonslayer]

The current team situation has been the result of having a reactive approach rather than a proactive approach.
It is no co-incidence that our 'backline' has been poor for several seasons, yet we see the same names on the team sheet each and every Tuesday. Our 'coach' prefers to pick and stick players, especially those who "don't argue or rock the boat". We have centres, for example, who are there based on reputation, not on form. Anyone getting their 'chance', are unceremoniously dumped, or at the very least, played in a position unfamiliar or unsuited to them. Zac Lomax is a prime example.
Buying journeymen also ensures that there is little 'coaching' to be done (individually) on players, just walk in and learn the McGregor way. Lats a prime example.
Yes, we've been lucky at times, Friz and Vaughan are testament to that.
However, we haven't had a fullback (stablized) for many years, and our only winger of note was an ageing Nightingale. It's almost been a parade of wingers, all based on their 'previous experience', the Fijian porter the only exception.
And don't forget we stuck with McCrone for a season, and his name became synonymous with any f&*% up.
We now enter a phase where we have some young talent coming through. A couple of fullbacks, some centres and a young winger. All need the confidence to persue their dreams of playing 1st grade for the Dragons. Unfortunately, this won't happen given our penchant for always chasing that 1 player with "experience". Suli maybe a good example of this as Dezzie would yave coached him well already.
With the players we have, and I include a few 'big' names, I will reserve judgement on them until we get an actual coach with effective game plans. Until then, every player we have will always look ordinary.

 

[Dragon David]

Sometimes...

If there’s one thing with the Dragons’ recruitment and journeymen (and that’s Williame really is), it’s that they: 1. rarely work out and 2. appear to be good because whoever they’ve replaced has been so poor.

Not sometimes, always.

I agree with your last sentence. Bear in mind, Saints have desperately needed decent wingers since Morris left in 2014....six years ago!

In the Nines, a retired Nightingale showed just how inadequate the likes of Ravalawa, Saab etc. really are.

We have certainly recruited many a journeyman over the years and I must agree that they unfortunately rarely work out and they only look OK because the guys they have replaced have been poor - although I do think that guys like Nightingale and some others were not poor. I am guessing that this recruitment process is due to Millward signing up guys at bargain prices and to meet squad number criteria (30).

I mentioned in another thread some time ago that we are a reject club and we either take rejects or players reject us for reasons obvious to us fans. Williame could very well fit into your points 1 and 2 and my comments about rejects, however, I have a feeling that while Williame is not a world beater, he has shown me that he is more than capable of holding on to a centre position in first grade

 

[hazzbeen]

We have certainly recruited many a journeyman over the years and I must agree that they unfortunately rarely work out and they only look OK because the guys they have replaced have been poor - although I do think that guys like Nightingale and some others were not poor. I am guessing that this recruitment process is due to Millward signing up guys at bargain prices and to meet squad number criteria (30).

I mentioned in another thread some time ago that we are a reject club and we either take rejects or players reject us for reasons obvious to us fans. Williame could very well fit into your points 1 and 2 and my comments about rejects, however, I have a feeling that while Williame is not a world beater, he has shown me that he is more than capable of holding on to a centre position in first grade

Williame IMO will be better than what we have had , and will turn out a good signing ... Again my option would move Hunt to 9 McInnes to lock Clune to 7 .....

 

[Dragon David]

Williame IMO will be better than what we have had , and will turn out a good signing ... Again my option would move Hunt to 9 McInnes to lock Clune to 7 .....

We agree on those names Hazzbeen. What positions they take on the field is the decision of the almighty one! The common name I am seeing is Clune. He has a good amount of ability from what I have seen of him in the games he has played in CC and Nines and trials to date. Will McNoIdea have any idea himself?

 

[BLM01]

We agree on those names Hazzbeen. What positions they take on the field is the decision of the almighty one! The common name I am seeing is Clune. He has a good amount of ability from what I have seen of him in the games he has played in CC and Nines and trials to date. Will McNoIdea have any idea himself?

I like Clune as a creative player and has talent in attack.
I dont believe he will handle the speed and defensive side of the game at NRL level.

 

[Forbes Creek Dragons]

Sometimes...

If there’s one thing with the Dragons’ recruitment and journeymen (and that’s Williame really is), it’s that they: 1. rarely work out and 2. appear to be good because whoever they’ve replaced has been so poor.

Not sometimes, always.

I agree with your last sentence. Bear in mind, Saints have desperately needed decent wingers since Morris left in 2014....six years ago!

In the Nines, a retired Nightingale showed just how inadequate the likes of Ravalawa, Saab etc. really are.

He was a bit of a bad boy in his early days. Moved to the UK/France grew up and matured over there and is now a steady mid 20s professional footballer. He will go fine, you will disagree no doubt because that’s what you tend to do generally but injury aside I’ll come back to you in 12 months and continue this discussion.

 

[Forbes Creek Dragons]

As long as William can do the basics like set up his outside man, make good defensive decisions, pass the ball etc etc, he us an upgrade on previous centre pairings.

100% We just need a centre that does his job. I watched a heap of SL games on Kayo. Sometimes you won’t even notice him because the ball might not come his way but without fail every half chance I seen him get to put a winger in space he took it even if he had barely received the ball all game. He just has good instincts for the position. One negative if I could find one is his right arm seems to be perpetually bandaged.

 

[redv13]

Clune is no worse than Norman has been for us but only at 1/4 of the price. Norman really gives me the shits and has done very little since coming to the club. For 900,000 he can go and I wouldn’t shed 1 tear. Panic replacement for Widdop and been a serious dud!!

 

[Father Ted]

Sometimes...

If there’s one thing with the Dragons’ recruitment and journeymen (and that’s Williame really is), it’s that they: 1. rarely work out and 2. appear to be good because whoever they’ve replaced has been so poor.

Not sometimes, always.

I agree with your last sentence. Bear in mind, Saints have desperately needed decent wingers since Morris left in 2014....six years ago!

In the Nines, a retired Nightingale showed just how inadequate the likes of Ravalawa, Saab etc. really are.

Some journey men work out okay . Some examples from 1996 alone show Mark Bell , Kevin Campion, Colin Ward and even Noel Goldthorpe when we first got him . The difference was we had a first class coach in David Waite . One other thing I have noticed for whatever reason the Dragons play better under older coaches

 

[Father Ted]

Clune is no worse than Norman has been for us but only at 1/4 of the price. Norman really gives me the shits and has done very little since coming to the club. For 900,000 he can go and I wouldn’t shed 1 tear. Panic replacement for Widdop and been a serious dud!!

The thing with Norman in a game is he can do the odd brilliant thing but you get the impression that at times his mind drifts off to thoughts of the beach and getting laid or whats on the television that night, For me he's not mentally there in a game for 80 minutes, I'd much rather a cheaper slightly less talented guy whose in it to win it for the whole game. Clune would be a good experiment . If it failed and we didn't have Norman at least we'd have money in the bikkie tin to pick and choose in the market. We are now the club who has to pay overs for a player , so we must be very clever in who we buy and how much we pay and we must be the club who gets the right people to develope our juniors. Clean out the front office and coach and we will be back as a power.

 

[BLM01]

Some journey men work out okay . Some examples from 1996 alone show Mark Bell , Kevin Campion, Colin Ward and even Noel Goldthorpe when we first got him . The difference was we had a first class coach in David Waite . One other thing I have noticed for whatever reason the Dragons play better under older coaches

Mark Bell...still remember that day John Cross run him down when he was in the clear....we got him at the wrong time of his career.
KC had years left in him and a tough competitor.
Goldy I'll give you but lacked the finishing touch bit like our Benny Hunt
No frills Wardy with the tape round his head...tradesman like but nothing flash.
David Waite good coach..just could not get us over the line in 99....ouch that one hurt!

 

[redv13]

Goldy was a little legend and no surprise that during his 5 years at Saints we made 3 gf’s and we’re very unlucky in 95 vs the dogs!!