will thurston be an eel?

[Belly in Brisvegas]

With players like Hayne, Mateo, Inu, Cayless, Grothe, Mortimer, Kris Keating, Matt Keating, Burt and a few others off contract.

I reckon it will be unlikely that the club sign Cayless, Grothe and Burt to long extensions if at all.

We still need to wrap up Hayne and Mateo long term. We'll have Tahu picking up a bit extra on his backloaded deal as well as Hindy. You would hope that we would keep Mortimer.

I don't think it is as easy as saying give him Cayless's money and grab a few outside sponsors (the third party sponsorships are limted to a two or three players and capped at $150,000 a player - if for instance Tahu and Hindmarsh are bieng topped up in that way we can't approach anyone for Thurston anyway) to nab him.

I don't think we'll be looking at $700,000 for him to move clubs but we'd be looking at a fair chunk over $450,000 which would place at the very least four players (Hayne, Hindmarsh, Tahu and Thurston) taking up to close to $1.7 million of our cap.

Mateo certainly won't come cheap either so you could estimate $2 million on five players.

The next twenty under $2 million? :lol:

Well some club is going to do it and we still only have one real marquee player in positions 9, 7, 6 and 1 (being Hayne).

 

[JessEel]

If he wears the Eels jumper I forgive, maybe you should consider it too Jess.

:lol: - this from a guy who often rocks vendettas against a few current eels!

In my defence, i said it would take a spectacular fkn chain of events to change my (and others) opinions of him. Noone's fault but his own.

There's one thing to be a great player, and there's another to be known as a grub on and off the field. Hayne has worked really hard in 2009 to increase his profile on and off the field, and good on him! Thurston would have to work just as hard to earn people's forgiveness.

I want to be proud of my team - successful or not!

 

[The Colonel]

Well some club is going to do it and we still only have one real marquee player in positions 9, 7, 6 and 1 (being Hayne).

They may well be the case.....but in all honesty I think if we sign Thurston we lose a Mateo or a Moimoi in the long run.

Cowboys have a decent side up there but they have two marquee players in Bowen and Thurston and while they are looking good at the moment at home I doubt they'll be really challenging for the title away from Nth Qld.

You need a decent team to be built around them to really challenge for the title..... at this stage we are building towards one but Thurston has yet to win a premiership outside of playing off the bench for the Bulldogs in 2004 IMO because he has cost so much money they can't keep a decent team around him to do it.

 

[benkustosgrandmother]

Is there any chance that we could have a team that features Mateo, Inu, Hayne, Thurston , Tahu , Hindmarsh and Keating/ Mortz?

 

[murraymob]

based on the players you would have to offload to fit him under the cap why would you want to.You will not win if losing several quality players to gain one is the case .Mortimer will get better as he learns and gain experience

 

[Parra Guru]

What's the 10 year rule again? Can you only use that on one player?

We currently have Hindy, Caylo and Burt. Surely Burt would be worth keeping if we had that to help?

 

[Avenger]

:lol: - this from a guy who often rocks vendettas against a few current eels!

I'm coming around Jess getting more tolerant in my older age. Only Benny and Lowrie annoy me now.

In all honesty I'm now undecided re: Thurston. It's a very tough call assuming we do want him and he is willing to come.

I would firstly decide on who is the long term 6 before I decide anything. Is it Keating or Mortimer ? I actually think they are both 5/8ths. I think that if we nab Thurston prematurely KK or Morts will leave.

The priority for me would be:

Hayne, Mateo, Mortimer/Keating then Inu before I thought about Thurston. We should do this before Novmember 1 so that other clubs cannot try and take them from under our nose.

 

[Bigfella]

Unless it's Matt Giteau, no player could get close to Price, Crow, ZipZip, Bert & Sterlo. While I'm at it, I hope that this Thurston rubbish will go away. His body is falling apart already. No thanks to the hairy scumbag diver for me.

:lol::lol::lol:

 

[muznik]

I dont want Thurston, especially at that sort of $$$
Would be my most disliked Eel #7 since Freeman.

Interesting that Telecrap & Footy Show (W@nkler) are saying we are going all out but Ossie says we aren't. Who do you believe ??

I heard a rumour we were sniffing around another Far NQ half who has had his far share of off field dramas in the past..... but I thought he already had a club next year. Maybe the incoming coach thinks he has been down that road before and its all too much trouble.

One thing for sure the ol' rumour mill really is in overdrive.

 

[Avenger]

I know he is under contract but if we were to lose Mortimer I reckon Cooper Cronk would be a great fit for our club.

 

[TheRam]

He is signed for 5 years or something like that Avenger.

 

[Avenger]

He is signed for 5 years or something like that Avenger.

I know buddy but things change. When Bellamy goes back to the Broncos and Henjak gets the arse things could all change contractually speaking.

 

[TheRam]

Aw...I see, gotcha. ;-)

 

[Belly in Brisvegas]

They may well be the case.....but in all honesty I think if we sign Thurston we lose a Mateo or a Moimoi in the long run.

Cowboys have a decent side up there but they have two marquee players in Bowen and Thurston and while they are looking good at the moment at home I doubt they'll be really challenging for the title away from Nth Qld.

You need a decent team to be built around them to really challenge for the title..... at this stage we are building towards one but Thurston has yet to win a premiership outside of playing off the bench for the Bulldogs in 2004 IMO because he has cost so much money they can't keep a decent team around him to do it.

I would also say that Aaron Payne is a key player for them as well mate. Season ending injury aside he would have been as important to their chances as the other two. My point is that having JT in their team gives them a better chance than us at a premiership tilt.

My gut feel is that he won't be at Parramatta ever.

But I would hope the club would move heaven and earth to get him and extiguish any hope we had of landing him.

Cronk also fits into that group.

 

[benkustosgrandmother]

You guys cry about it and ill happy sit here with the Best half in the world at Parra.

 

[The Colonel]

I would also say that Aaron Payne is a key player for them as well mate. Season ending injury aside he would have been as important to their chances as the other two. My point is that having JT in their team gives them a better chance than us at a premiership tilt.

My gut feel is that he won't be at Parramatta ever.

But I would hope the club would move heaven and earth to get him and extiguish any hope we had of landing him.

Cronk also fits into that group.

So are we talking key players or marquee players?

Payne is a key player but they've only had one better shot than us since 2005 to win it.

They have still yet to form a solid forward pack around them to challenge on a regular basis however.

You only have to look at the teams with a big chance this year. Hornby isn't a marquee player, nor would I call Cronk a marquee player either. Bulldogs have a standout half in Kimmorley who has won in the past and while Orford commands the big dollars he's only really stepped up in the past year to win a premiership. The team built around them is a big part of acheiving that goal.

If Thurston signs well I won't be upset about it..... unless we lose other key players in the process.

With players like Hayne, Mateo and emerging players like Keating, Mortimer and Anthony Mitchell I think we are well set for the future and could look to a cheaper yet talented halfback off contract that either is playing first grade at the moment or emerges over the next twelve to eighteen months to fill any void.

 

[Avenger]

With players like Hayne, Mateo and emerging players like Keating, Mortimer and Anthony Mitchell I think we are well set for the future and could look to a cheaper yet talented halfback off contract that either is playing first grade at the moment or emerges over the next twelve to eighteen months to fill any void.

Colonel you make great points as always. However maybe our coaching staff are thinking that we have tried for the past 23 years to win a premiership with this strategy and it may be time for us to just bite the bullet and go with the best 7 in the world.

 

[The Colonel]

Colonel you make great points as always. However maybe our coaching staff are thinking that we have tried for the past 23 years to win a premiership with this strategy and it may be time for us to just bite the bullet and go with the best 7 in the world.

So why are we chasing Thurston? I forgot.... Prince re-signed with the Titans didn't he.

;-)

I can understand the reasoning for it - however there is much water to flow under the bridge between now and 2011. With the money being thrown around I doubt we will sign him. I could be wrong. I wouldn't be upset if we did sign him (the Tim Smith groupies will have to be placed on suicide watch though) but I wouldn't lose sleep if we didn't.

 

[Ike E Bear]

I'd love to see Tahu and Inu combining as centre and wing again. Man, I miss 2007.

But if he doesn't leave earlier, Inu will no doubt face a big pay cut in his next contract negotiation. He's one of my favourites, but he isn't delivering a standard to justify his "reported" pay packet.

Rumour has it that Burt is a bit of a bargain anyway. In 2011 he'll be 30. I'd keep him for the right price, but with Hayne and Tahu in the backline, guys like Reddy, Uaisele and Wright will be more than adequate to fill out the backline in 2011 ... even if Grothe, Burt and Inu are gone.

Cayless will defintely head overseas at the conclusion of this contract. Surely.

I don't think Thurston is an impossibility. I'd love to see any proven, genuinely match-winning halfback in Blue and Gold. I'd welcome him as a signing, but I won't lose too much sleep if we miss out on him, either. I like the way the Eels are thinking though.

 

[Belly in Brisvegas]

Yeah I do want it on record that I don't want to lose guys like Feliti or Fui. I suppose something has to give.

At the moment, I suppose my mindset is that I've had a bit of a gutful trying to develop a halfback giving them some space to "flower" or buying one past their best and in the twilight of their careers since Sterlo.

I want the marquee.

Actually I want it ALL...ALL OF IT!!!!