2013 Best ever recruitment??

[MK Eagle]

Not trying to say the signings are big names like the Magpies bunch, but the key areas that were missing are glowing atm in 2013 with extra aggression & effort from these lessor name players - similar to those mentioned earlier from 2008.
Though I was a massive Boyd fan & also have great memories of Joe Cool Dorahy we only won a midweek cup with these guys on board.
I think in terms of great big name signings & results, 1987 with Mick O'conner, Ward & my old fave Rambo Gibbs got the job done.
For mine the signing of BK has really shaped us since in recent times with Killer the X Factor on every level & part of everthing good today.
The recruitment I refer to includes bargain buys & from early signs, these guys are competing for a top grade spot & this helps maintain good intensity that was missing in 2012 imo.
Also picking up these unwanted players, I feel our recruiting staff done their homework & are well above a pass mark atm.

 

[Masked Eagle]

Some of our recruitment in the early stages of Des/Crusher was pretty good. These guys laid the platform for the 08 premiership. Guys like Robbo, Bryant, Hall, etc who were all unheralded players but turned into great clubman for us during that period.

 

[jbb/james]

The year we recruited Boyd, Brown and Dorahy from Wests was pretty good too.

Exactly. We'll never match the 70's for recruitment - there was no salary cap.

In '71 we got Graeme Eadie, Mal Reilly & Ken Irvine. Only Eadie was an unknown.

In '72 we got John O'Neill and Ray Branighan.

The hatred of Manly started right then - from unbridled jealousy.

Tom Mooney and johnny mayes was in that lot too from memory, crusher, rambo and marty gurr form the chooks was pretty handy as well,

didnt we get spud, tezza and sedaris together as well......maybe

 

[StuBoot]

I loved that big Fao'oso hit yesterday - put the bellringer on one of his former teammates.

He'll have at least four more games to do that too.
v Storm, Panthers, Eels, Roosters

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The recruitment I refer to includes bargain buys & from early signs, these guys are competing for a top grade spot & this helps maintain good intensity that was missing in 2012 imo.
Also picking up these unwanted players, I feel our recruiting staff done their homework & are well above a pass mark atm.

Time will tell MK, but the initial signs are good.

Lawrence & Richie are at the last chance saloon, Horo would be out to prove a point and Symonds played less than 30 games in 4 yrs at the chooks.
Albeit that Gifty and King are out, to think these four are in our top 17 and contributing significantly after two games shows that something is right somewhere - on probably two thirds of She-Rex money.

Add in looking to the future in MCK, Hiku, Sao etc you may be proven correct, time will tell.

 

[6/71]

I honestly think we'll get more years out of BJ than you'd first think. Although he is 28, he doesn't have ten years of NRL footy in his body. Plus he's a specimen and incredibly fit so I don't see why still playing at 34 or 35 is out of the question (providing no injuries or anything zany).

 

[Stevo]

Ritchie Fa'aoso makes me squeal. He's got the aggression our pack has lacked in recent years.

 

[Rex]

The year we recruited Boyd, Brown and Dorahy from Wests was pretty good too.

Exactly. We'll never match the 70's for recruitment - there was no salary cap.

In '71 we got Graeme Eadie, Mal Reilly & Ken Irvine. Only Eadie was an unknown.

In '72 we got John O'Neill and Ray Branighan.

The hatred of Manly started right then - from unbridled jealousy.

Tom Mooney and johnny mayes was in that lot too from memory ...

Yeah, and I forgot to mention Manly signed Bob Moses (another big name) from Souths with the other two. Souths fans never forgave us.

But Souths fans soon forget about Easts pinching Ron Coote, Michael Cleary and Elwyn Walters from them (equally big names) around the same time. Maybe because Easts weren't as successful. Maybe because Souths knew they had done much worse to Easts - pinching most of Easts' recruitment territory through "political" intervention.

 

[Napper]

Ritchie Fa'aoso makes me squeal. He's got the aggression our pack has lacked in recent years.

Couldn't agree more. His impact has been excellent. Made 105m last week too. Agression is something we have lacked in the front row, nothing against kite and king, they do their job really well but lack the agro. Fa'oso seems the old school type; F*** the quick play the ball, Run as hard as you can, if i kill someone or myself, so be it.

 

[Pittwater Legend]

I don't think King lacks aggression at all. Fa'aoso is a great pick up though. He goes all out but seems to be a player who keeps himself in check by not giving away penalties.

 

[EagleFromMay1967]

Best ever? Bob Fulton. No question.
Best in 2013: Symonds and Lawrence.

Bob Fulton was not a big name signing. 1966. He was 18 for pity's sake. In those days, you probably didn't 'SIGN' anything. Just handshake and turn up for training.