Official thread and signing news
Massively overpay to keep Proctor but then not pay up to keep someone like Widdop or even a younger player like Mann here, who both play a more crucial position(s). Seems a bit off to me. Any young forward on minimum wage can do what Proctor does. We know what's happened since Widdop left. Rate him or not, he still played an important role and would've come in handy when Cronk was injured.
As for the White signing. I just don't see any positives behind it. I find the whole "we must sign an experience forward" quite comical really. We'd win more games with 3 or 4 younger guys with upside than a plodder like White on the team. The fact that we've been targeting him for awhile is concerning.
As for the White signing. I just don't see any positives behind it. I find the whole "we must sign an experience forward" quite comical really. We'd win more games with 3 or 4 younger guys with upside than a plodder like White on the team. The fact that we've been targeting him for awhile is concerning.
blazza18 wrote:As for the White signing. I just don't see any positives behind it. I find the whole "we must sign an experience forward" quite comical really. We'd win more games with 3 or 4 younger guys with upside than a plodder like White on the team. The fact that we've been targeting him for awhile is concerning.
I'm so glad we feel the same way
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Danger D
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I totally understand all the frustration towards the team and the club. It has been a very inconsistent year for us which is something we as fans aren't used to. Having said that, we're still in the top 8 and headed to the finals. Prior to last week we were gunning for a top 4 spot. Every team loses and every team loses to another team they should have beaten. That's the nature of the game. We should still be proud that our champion team have achieved so much this year and that we aren't in the same situation as the likes of Canberra, Manly, Warriors, etc who could have (and by all thinking SHOULD have) been playing finals but aren't.
Regarding recruitment, I'm quite happy with the White signing. An experienced forward is a handy backup for our young guns coming through and hopefully will provide some leadership and advice behind the scenes. And we certainly wouldn't have paid a whole lot of money for him. I would imagine the reason we aren't just recruiting anyone and everyone is that we have a great roster in-house. It's been hard enough keeping some of our younger guys (Guerra, Garbutt, Mann) without having to worry about bringing in guys from outside the club.
Also, can we please just put the whole Widdop-leaving to bed? He wanted to leave and develop his game out of the shadow of the big 3. We would have had to pay significant overs for him to stay and potentially having to manage the sharing of duties like the dragons are having to do now with him and benji. I'm happy he left to be honest. It's worked out really well for him and he's achieved more than he would have if he was still here having to play second fiddle to Coops. Who knows, maybe he might come back at some point? Sure we struggled a bit last year, but Blake has been a great pickup for us this year (for less than what Widdop would have been paid).
Regarding recruitment, I'm quite happy with the White signing. An experienced forward is a handy backup for our young guns coming through and hopefully will provide some leadership and advice behind the scenes. And we certainly wouldn't have paid a whole lot of money for him. I would imagine the reason we aren't just recruiting anyone and everyone is that we have a great roster in-house. It's been hard enough keeping some of our younger guys (Guerra, Garbutt, Mann) without having to worry about bringing in guys from outside the club.
Also, can we please just put the whole Widdop-leaving to bed? He wanted to leave and develop his game out of the shadow of the big 3. We would have had to pay significant overs for him to stay and potentially having to manage the sharing of duties like the dragons are having to do now with him and benji. I'm happy he left to be honest. It's worked out really well for him and he's achieved more than he would have if he was still here having to play second fiddle to Coops. Who knows, maybe he might come back at some point? Sure we struggled a bit last year, but Blake has been a great pickup for us this year (for less than what Widdop would have been paid).
Well said Kya, excellent post all round. Also agree with not paying overs for Widdop which exactly what we would've had to do to keep him. The bottom line is that you cant keep them all, especially the higher paid players and if we had've then who knows how that would've affected the retention of others?
I'd much rather be paying Green what we are this season than what we'd be paying Widdop had he stayed. Sure, it can be argued that Widdop is a better player but a $300k-$400k better player a season? Not on your life and certainly doesn't do anywhere near enough more to warrant so a salary discrepancy IMO. Anyway not sure why it's even an issue now given he's been gone for nearly two seasons now. Time to move on now, it was when back when he did....
I'd much rather be paying Green what we are this season than what we'd be paying Widdop had he stayed. Sure, it can be argued that Widdop is a better player but a $300k-$400k better player a season? Not on your life and certainly doesn't do anywhere near enough more to warrant so a salary discrepancy IMO. Anyway not sure why it's even an issue now given he's been gone for nearly two seasons now. Time to move on now, it was when back when he did....
Danger D wrote:Also, can we please just put the whole Widdop-leaving to bed? He wanted to leave and develop his game out of the shadow of the big 3. We would have had to pay significant overs for him to stay and potentially having to manage the sharing of duties like the dragons are having to do now with him and benji. I'm happy he left to be honest. It's worked out really well for him and he's achieved more than he would have if he was still here having to play second fiddle to Coops. Who knows, maybe he might come back at some point? Sure we struggled a bit last year, but Blake has been a great pickup for us this year (for less than what Widdop would have been paid).
Letting him leave was a bad move by the club and it was made to look even worse when we didn't have a suitable replacement for him. The club completely underrated how important he was to our team. He should've been groomed as our future captain.
As for the money issue, I'd much prefer Widdop on whatever $$$ playing a key position + cheap backrower than average 5/8 + average backrower on big money. There are plenty of good backrowers in the comp who can do what Proctor does every week. Not a lot of quality halves around though.
2015 Roster:
Asofa-Solomona, J.Bromwich, K.Bromwich, Chambers, Cronk, Finucane, Glasby, Griffin, Green, Hampton, Harris, Kaufusi, Koroibete, McLean, Munster, Proctor, Slater, Smith, Tonumaipeia, White, Britt, Stimson
Maybe:
Duffie, Hunt, Kennar, Welch, Nona, Vunivalu, Brittain, Tualau
Under 20s who could be elevated:
Tumusa, Kirisome, Nichol-Klokstad, Cullen-Mihinnick, Nakubuwai, Ah Fook, Bernard, Frei (Based on what I've watched, these are the most likely - first 4 are outside backs, others are forwards).
Wishlist:
Experienced centre, another hooker?
Asofa-Solomona, J.Bromwich, K.Bromwich, Chambers, Cronk, Finucane, Glasby, Griffin, Green, Hampton, Harris, Kaufusi, Koroibete, McLean, Munster, Proctor, Slater, Smith, Tonumaipeia, White, Britt, Stimson
Maybe:
Duffie, Hunt, Kennar, Welch, Nona, Vunivalu, Brittain, Tualau
Under 20s who could be elevated:
Tumusa, Kirisome, Nichol-Klokstad, Cullen-Mihinnick, Nakubuwai, Ah Fook, Bernard, Frei (Based on what I've watched, these are the most likely - first 4 are outside backs, others are forwards).
Wishlist:
Experienced centre, another hooker?
Well we are definitely on the look out for a hooker (or two) with Ryan Hinchcliffe and Billy Brittain both leaving. They were in the departing players video along with Travis Robinson, Tom Learoyd-Lahrs, Dayne Weston, Kurt Mann and Mahe Fonua (I may have forgotten one other player not sure).
So we already knew definitely about four of those players and we were expecting TLL and Robinson to move on. So Billy Brittain was the only one that was news to me.
So interesting that there was no Kennar or Tualau so fingers crossed the stories about them are false.
I also take heart that Shaun Nona wasn't on that list. Could we promote Nona to top 25 as a utility (half/hooker) and pick up another hooker outside top 25?
So that is seven confirmed departures and two confirmed additions in Stimson and White.
So we already knew definitely about four of those players and we were expecting TLL and Robinson to move on. So Billy Brittain was the only one that was news to me.
So interesting that there was no Kennar or Tualau so fingers crossed the stories about them are false.
I also take heart that Shaun Nona wasn't on that list. Could we promote Nona to top 25 as a utility (half/hooker) and pick up another hooker outside top 25?
So that is seven confirmed departures and two confirmed additions in Stimson and White.
MELBOURNE have beaten 11 rival NRL clubs to land the signature of one of rugby league’s hottest prospects in 17-year-old Australian Schoolboy Curtis Scott.
The captain of Cronulla’s under-18s SG Ball premiership side this season, Scott is currently putting the finishing touches on his HSC at Endeavour Sports High School.
Since being named player of the tournament at the Australian Schoolboys carnival in Wollongong in July, the Sharks centre has attracted the interest of some of the most respected coaches in the NRL.
But premiership-winning Storm coach Craig Bellamy has won the race to sign Scott after rolling out the red carpet on a visit to AAMI Park. The Storm have landed the future NRL star on a three-year deal.
Test fullback Billy Slater was a key element of the Storm’s sales pitch, taking time out to sit with Scott during Melbourne’s victory over the Gold Coast in round 22.
Scott will begin next season in the Storm’s under-20s system but is strongly tipped to challenge for a position in the NRL sooner rather than later.
The teenager will celebrate his 18th birthday next month, with at least one family member also to move to Melbourne.
The captain of Cronulla’s under-18s SG Ball premiership side this season, Scott is currently putting the finishing touches on his HSC at Endeavour Sports High School.
Since being named player of the tournament at the Australian Schoolboys carnival in Wollongong in July, the Sharks centre has attracted the interest of some of the most respected coaches in the NRL.
But premiership-winning Storm coach Craig Bellamy has won the race to sign Scott after rolling out the red carpet on a visit to AAMI Park. The Storm have landed the future NRL star on a three-year deal.
Test fullback Billy Slater was a key element of the Storm’s sales pitch, taking time out to sit with Scott during Melbourne’s victory over the Gold Coast in round 22.
Scott will begin next season in the Storm’s under-20s system but is strongly tipped to challenge for a position in the NRL sooner rather than later.
The teenager will celebrate his 18th birthday next month, with at least one family member also to move to Melbourne.