Isaac John

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I honestly think we will be a serious contender next season . Lussick myles brown Parcell Api and Co are very good signings imo . Throw in Stewart matai Lyon Buhrer tafua tom t jake t and that man dce as the nucleus with Lawrence starling gutherson as back ups jeez I think some are selling us short . I'm expecting barring injuries nothing short of a top 4 finish with that squad.
 
Yes we saw what this team can do in round 17-26 and It wasn't all just for tooves. We lost our inspiration once we lost to parra but we managed to top a gun sharkies forward pack and with our new recruits we will be aiming for a top 4 finish at the most.
 
Im not sold that reducing the interchange from 10 to 8 will make much difference.

Instead of 2 of the 3 back rowers getting a rest now Mateo is the only one.
 
I honestly think we will be a serious contender next season . Lussick myles brown Parcell Api and Co are very good signings imo . Throw in Stewart matai Lyon Buhrer tafua tom t jake t and that man dce as the nucleus with Lawrence starling gutherson as back ups jeez I think some are selling us short . I'm expecting barring injuries nothing short of a top 4 finish with that squad.

3 out of those, have had season ending injuries (or close to it). I'm worried how long it will take them to get back to some form next season.

Lyon and Myles ended their seasons with injuries. Matai will be getting all his broken bones fixed, and DCE will be operating on his shoulder.

Api has had a terrible thing happen to him.

Without trying to sound so gloomy, the pre-season training may not start with a bang, or hardly at all for some of the aforementioned.

I hope i'm wrong, and that Barrett can manage most of these setbacks before the first kick off, and not get a repeat of our 2015 start.

Sorry if I've come across negative, I'm just a bit of a realist. But in saying that, I have faith in the club, the staff, and the Manly spirit to get us where we need to be, as soon as possible!
 
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Yep that is a lot of stars who won't be having great pre seasons. But at the same time you don't win the Comp in April as the Bunnies discovered this year. Timing our run home with those players being fully fit is what we need. May be a little more depth then usual to cover at the start of the year. We'll be right.
 
I just don't understand why we don't have the entire Autralian squad on our books and the NZ team in NSW cup in case of injuries.

Surely it cannot be that hard, what would be stopping us?

Roosters branded brown paper bags
 
3 out of those, have had season ending injuries (or close to it). I'm worried how long it will take them to get back to some form next season.

Lyon and Myles ended their seasons with injuries. Matai will be getting all his broken bones fixed, and DCE will be operating on his shoulder.

Api has had a terrible thing happen to him.

Without trying to sound so gloomy, the pre-season training may not start with a bang, or hardly at all for some of the aforementioned.

I hope i'm wrong, and that Barrett can manage most of these setbacks before the first kick off, and not get a repeat of our 2015 start.

Sorry if I've come across negative, I'm just a bit of a realist. But in saying that, I have faith in the club, the staff, and the Manly spirit to get us where we need to be, as soon as possible!
Hey mate I see what ur saying and nothing wrong with being a realist but barring injuries and being optimistic I think we will be in the thick of it .
 
Melbourne seem to do just fine with 'average unheralded' forwards. We don't need stars, just a cohesive hard working forward pack to lay a platform.
Centred around a star forward in Jesse Bromwich - we don't have one of those. Jake will become one, but he is not quite at that level yet.
 
I think were all underestimating the new rule change from 12to8 interchange nxt year,the days of the big forwards are numberd in that they have to play more minutes,so where can we utilize our strengths in playing forwards that have to play more than 20 minute stints,I think we have a well balanced side nxt year,dce and co will have a field day once they come up a tiring defense ,so if we get that balance right I think will do ok.

If you have a back row that can play 80mins it won't change the prop rotation. Teams will still be able to use the big boppers at the expense of thier back row.

But come 2017 if it drops to 6 that's when their will a noticeable difference with the rotation where the big boys will have to punch out 60mins each
 
So have we actually signed Isaac John, or is it just media speculation ??

No " members first" email to me yet , mind you I don't think I've had one since we signed DCE that's a signing announcement !!
 
Look I completely agree with you that we need a big prop forward to really challenge, a Tamou or Moa or Tapau would get me very excited and that should be our primary recruitment target without a doubt.

But I don't buy that we are useless without a big pack and that's including the signings we've made. I won't mention this year because of injuries and off-field disruptions, but going back to early 2014 when we were going well and the group was still focused, this was the pack that lined up v the biggest pack in the comp at the time in the Dogs.

8. Starling
9. Ballin
10. Lawrence
11. Watmough
12. Horo
13. Buhrer

14. Hasson
15. Lui
16. Sene-lefao
17. Symonds

Now that for me is the smallest pack and bench I have ever seen Manly field. Literally none of the bench options were even out and out prop forwards.

We won very convincingly, 32-10.

My point is, size isn't the be all and end all. Attitude is IMO more important. I saw very often over the course of 2013 and 2/3rds 2014 our small pack match roosters, souths and dogs with line-speed, intensity and guts. It can be done again this year if the group retain that focus and the coaching staff and veteran players re-install that attitude in to this team.

I believe our recruitment has been 'okay'. Could have been better, still lacking that big front rower, but the signings we've made I believe will improve our team (things couldn't be worse than this year?) and will take us in a new direction.

To those posters who say recruitment has been poor, you also need to factor in our retention of what will be the heart of our team for years to come in Guthbo and the Turbos. Again, I'm not saying it's been great, just that it's not been as poor as some people make out.
We will see next season because we sure as hell will have the smallest and most inexperienced pack in the comp. My optimism towards next season was on the basis of statements made about rebuilding the forward pack. What has happened so far is not a rebuild, it's a patch up job. Examples of our recruitment when we were rebuilding our pack was a young Brent Kite and a Josh Perry with a point to prove.

What we have bought is an aged warrior who only performs with a Qld jersey on and an angry young man who's specialty is giving away penalties and dropping the ball. I was optimistic about Lussick at first, even a little excited, but for reasons I don't know I have moved to the corner in the foetal position with concern over our forward pack.
 
We will see next season because we sure as hell will have the smallest and most inexperienced pack in the comp. My optimism towards next season was on the basis of statements made about rebuilding the forward pack. What has happened so far is not a rebuild, it's a patch up job. Examples of our recruitment when we were rebuilding our pack was a young Brent Kite and a Josh Perry with a point to prove.

What we have bought is an aged warrior who only performs with a Qld jersey on and an angry young man who's specialty is giving away penalties and dropping the ball. I was optimistic about Lussick at first, even a little excited, but for reasons I don't know I have moved to the corner in the foetal position with concern over our forward pack.

You're right.

We were buzzed early season about getting some gun forwards with supposed our war chest left by foz, and one by one they signed elsewhere or resigned. Now we're left with 'if and maybe' forwards again.

'If Myles plays in a champion team again he'll find his Qld form'

'Maybe Darcy can go up a level because he's back at Manly'

They might well do, but boy it would be nice to grab a bloke that you know before a ball was kicked that this guy will be a tough gritty forward and will really take it to the opposition.

I'm still positive about next year, and I'm excited to have a team all pulling in the same direction again (hopefully, there's still the offseason to come yet). But in terms of a premiership, there's work to be done.
 
I hope we have signed him now. After initially thinking Bozo must have been off his face and thought he was signing Will Smith. I've now convinced myself Isaac will be a good fit for us. He might only be small, slow and not renounced for his kicks. But he will have combination with Koroisau, and Brown, that can only be a good thing yeah. He has played rep footy. Which may not mean much given it is for the kiwis (lol). He has to have some serious talent hiding which is ready to be unleashed. Those players that aren't fast, aren't big, aren't quick and make it to the top level. Usually they're the best they have that uncanny ability to create time and space because they're heads seeing things way before they happen on the field. Now I've built the kid up. Just wait tomorrow the club will announce Penns car has gone missing but we've signed Kevin Locke to play 6. You know that won't happen our club dosent make signing announcements;-)
 
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Nah Isaac is a sound signing. He is not out of place at rep level and I'm sure he grow if given regular time in the top grade. Point is Kiwis don't have a real lot of depth in the halves. If 2 of Foran, Benji or Johnson are out, Isaac is almost guaranteed a Kiwi jumper even playing NSW Cup.
 

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