Cooper Cronk confirms he will play on with a Sydney club in season 2018

[Deadpool]

I’d be happy to get Pearce. 2018 spine could be Slater, Munster, Pearce & Smith, maybe put Croft on the bench similar to Cronk was when he first started. Then 2019 would be Munster, Croft, Pearce & Smith. Yes he was had a few stuff ups off the field but apparently he is a really good bloke, down in Melbourne away from all the media and bullshit in Sydney could be just the thing for him

[Mattpoet]

No thanks

[TC]

Not too many better club half backs the last 5 years than Pearce. He's obviously been a dick off the field and has never really come up with the right play in big games, but he'd be a huge upgrade to most teams.

Pretty keen to see Croft play regular first grade but Pearce under Bellamy is appealing to me.

Whereas Pearce at Melbourne is appalling to me.
We have got a couple of kids (including Croft) in the pipeline who have the potential to be better than Pearce, and they come without the baggage and the sense of entitlement.

[TC]

I’d be happy to get Pearce. 2018 spine could be Slater, Munster, Pearce & Smith, maybe put Croft on the bench similar to Cronk was when he first started. Then 2019 would be Munster, Croft, Pearce & Smith. Yes he was had a few stuff ups off the field but apparently he is a really good bloke, down in Melbourne away from all the media and bullshit in Sydney could be just the thing for him

You must know different people to me. The ones I know who know him tell me the behaviour that makes the media is more typical than not.

[yourhero]

Not too many better club half backs the last 5 years than Pearce. He's obviously been a dick off the field and has never really come up with the right play in big games, but he'd be a huge upgrade to most teams.

Pretty keen to see Croft play regular first grade but Pearce under Bellamy is appealing to me.

Whereas Pearce at Melbourne is appalling to me.
We have got a couple of kids (including Croft) in the pipeline who have the potential to be better than Pearce, and they come without the baggage and the sense of entitlement.

Have to agree TC.

Not an option I hope the club even considers. I saw Smithy’s comments in the media yesterday and again hope it was just niceties for general public consumption.

A great culture takes years and extraordinarily hard work to nurture and maintain but it can be destroyed in the blink of an eye if you allow some bad apples in. It is why the “no d*ckheads policy” has historically been so relied on.

[Cameron]

We don't have the salary cap for Pearce unless we move a couple of players on.

And do we really want to do that when Croft looks the real deal.

[Lucas]

I'd rather spend any extra cash we may have on forwards. Perhaps even a utility back with Earl gone.

[Cameron]

I think it is all newspaper talk.

From what I have seen Croft is going to be a star.

We don't have the salary cap either.

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/leag ... zrgqj.html

earce would have to take a massive pay cut for the Storm to become a serious contender. The premiers have barely any room in their salary cap for next year after re-signing Billy Slater and extending or upgrading several other stars including wingers Josh Addo-Carr and Suliasi Vunivalu.

Melbourne would have to shift several players and offer a heavily back-ended deal to be any chance.

[Deadpool]

I think we’ve got more space under the cap then most people think. Just think we’ve lost Cronk, Harris and Mclean along with some fringe players. And we’ve only replaced them with Hoffman (who wouldn’t be on much), Kasiano (dogs will be picking up some of his contract) and Kaufusi (who also wouldn’t be on much), plus the salary cap has gone up. Got to think we have more then the Sharks have available, they’ve signed Dugan and Moylan and only lost Maloney (who wanted out cause he was getting nowhere near what he’s worth), yet the sharks are said to have plenty of space, while we have very little. I’m not buying it

[Cameron]

But haven't we upgrade contacts for Addo-Carr, Scott and Suliasi Vunivalu

so some of the money would have gone there.

I still say. if we have any spare cash - believe in Croft and instead buy another big forward where I believe we are still lacking a bit.

[LESStar58]

It's all scuttlebutt . Reminds me of when Orford left and every off contract half like Craig Gower was linked to Melbourne.

That said... PLEASE GOD NO!

[Cameron]

Croft is already almost as good as Pearce.

[blazza18]

Croft is already almost as good as Pearce.

Calm down.

[Cameron]

Wally knows better than most.

Wally Lewis believes Storm’s Brodie Croft has the making of a champion halfback

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl ... d35e0201b9

HE’S played 318 fewer first-grade games than the last Melbourne halfback, but Wally Lewis reckons Brodie Croft can get the job done for the Storm next year.

Croft has experienced five NRL games for the Storm, biding his time mostly with Easts Tigers in the Intrust Super Cup this year while Cooper Cronk helped carve out one last grand final-winning campaign with the Storm.

A convincing pre-season with the Storm will clinch Croft, a 20-year-old Queenslander, the first crack at the halfback berth when Melbourne’s premiership defence starts.

“A real champion of the future,’’ Lewis said of Croft on Channel 9 on Sunday.

[LESStar58]

I hope Pearce doesn't come... it's already a bridge too far for me to have to like Sam Kasiano for the next few years.