2026 recruitment & retention

[KNUCKLES]

Jayden Sa’u 26 years old and proven second row. Offer decent 3 years deal. Oka and Sa’u as second row would be really dominant and help or forward rotation.

Kai Pearce Paul is another good option I reckon

 

[Marto1970]

We have to many props ( Jake is a prop and only need 4 in the team not 6) need a mobile, ball playing lock and utility

 

[Shells Eagles]

I am not sure how to share it on here however there is a brilliant article regarding Fifita signing with the Roosters on news.com about the death of the game. It is so true the rich getting richer ….

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

Here you go:

https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/bombshell-david-fifita-signing-is-final-straw-for-cooked-nrl/news-story/8159fa26a006fb9c747693b38a9b74d4

 

[Nappa]

We have to many props ( Jake is a prop and only need 4 in the team not 6) need a mobile, ball playing lock and utili

Tallis Duncan from souths is a young lock with great leg speed and footwork.
Contract with souths expires in 2025, so we could make offer to him in the offseason.

 

[Sheikheagle]

Tallis Duncan from souths is a young lock with great leg speed and footwork.
Contract with souths expires in 2025, so we could make offer to him in the offseason.

Great young player.

 

[XV-1]

Tallis Duncan from souths is a young lock with great leg speed and footwork.
Contract with souths expires in 2025, so we could make offer to him in the offseason.

Is he playing first grade for the last placed Souths?

 

[Scorpio]

01. Tolu Koula
02. Jason Saab (his injuries are concerning)
03.
04. Reuben Garrick
05. Tommy Talau
06. Luke Brooks
07. Jamie Humphreys
08. Taniela Paseka
09.
10.
11. Haumole Olakau'atu
12.
13.

14. Jake Arthur
15. Ethan Bullemor
16. Jake Trbojevic (c) - wayy too slow to start
17.

Nathan Brown: too injured all the time
Aaron Woods: games moved past him
Tom Trbojevic: too injured all the time
Ben Trbojevic: too injured and average all the time
Matt Lodge: games moved past him
DCE - it's time (averaged 10th over the past decade)
Josh Aloiai - games moved past him
Josh Schuster - already released
Karl Lawton - already released
Toff Sipley - Blacktown and depth only cover
Find Upgrade on the others - Condon, Matterson, James (they don't have first grade quality about them)

With all the cap space back , You can balance the books MUCH better. We can't keep paying massive dollars to rehab players anymore.

It's been a decade of complete **** (average 10th).

Over to you recruitment and retention.

The jury is out on Humphreys I think... heard a lot (mostly on this forum) but seen little to justify the hype.

By all means let him develop here but I think it is unwise to bank the future on him.

 

[master blaster]

Here you go:

https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/bombshell-david-fifita-signing-is-final-straw-for-cooked-nrl/news-story/8159fa26a006fb9c747693b38a9b74d4

Thats so very true, thanks TZ for sharing the link

 

[Ranga]

With Hughes confirming he will play until he retires in Melbourne, we should try and get Pezet as DCE’s successor. Out with an ACL injury at the moment, but the kid has class.

 

[Tragic Eagle]

We need to be planning our future beyond DCE and Turbo. We need to sign another class back rower, hooker and fullback. Our spine has been poor and you can’t expect to win in those circumstances.

 

[eagleron]

Regarding the Roosters: one has to ask why there's been a massive player exodus? I think something will come out. They breed a mercenary culture there. They are a meat factory. They'll take a promising career, demand too much and screw them and place them in the junk heap. Examples:

Lama Tasi
Michael Oldfield
Jack Elsegood

and many, many others. The meat factory is always grinding. BUT, they want any player in or outside the NRL, they do get them.

You'd have to be an idiot not to realise there's more than a contract being offered at Easts, in this day and age it's unlikely for any player to sign on with them simply for the "culture", uncle Nick obviously has sufficient power in the NRL to persuade V'Landys and Co to look the other way otherwise why would Fifita sign on for less than the premiers were offering without questions being asked? If it were us there'd be a team of accountants at Manly HQ pouring over our books

 

[eagleron]

Haven't they got 3m to spend, probably enough to retain Crichton as well.

Although with the talent they're signing perhaps Chrichton might struggle to stay in firsts, I'd love to see him in our colours, you never know 😉

 

[eagleron]

3rd party agreements would be a massive incentive to sign with the Chooks I'd say.

It's time to flick 3rd party agreements, on one hand the league imposes a salary cap to encourage a level playing field and on the other they offer up this bs that just invites clubs to add millions to their budgets and unless you're Manly a lot of sh*t goes undetected

 

[Eagle 1]

Although with the talent they're signing perhaps Chrichton might struggle to stay in firsts, I'd love to see him in our colours, you never know 😉

Yeah, he'd be a handy pick-up alright . We really struggle to pick up top shelf players tbh...at least we got one in Brooksy this season.

 

[eagleron]

Maybe once DCE goes along with a few others in the next couple of seasons we'll be able to compete for a top shelf player or two.

My only concern is will they want to go to the Eagles? We're obviously not the most attractive destination atm

 

[Eagle 1]

It's time to flick 3rd party agreements, on one hand the league imposes a salary cap to encourage a level playing field and on the other they offer up this bs that just invites clubs to add millions to their budgets and unless you're Manly a lot of sh*t goes undetected

Yeah, they are unregulated and hidden from view. Wonder what Fifi got on top of his 850k at the Chooks...accommodation is at a premium around Bondi, it's so obvious.

 

[eagleron]

Butcher would be a good signing

I reckon anyone who's prepared to tackle would be good at this point, we've got too many bludgers to be a threat unfortunately

 

[bob dylan]

I bet players are hoping they all get the call from a team that has played finals in 3 of the last 9 years.

From 2015 read them and weep;

9th
13th
6th
15th
6th
13th
4th
11th
12th

We are not much better than the Wests Tigers and the Gold Coast Titans.

For those interested the unacceptable results from the Toovey coached years we finished:

4th
4th
2nd
9th.

 

[The Who]

You hear all the time that a player has moved to another club "to win a premiership."
It is a politically correct line to utter but I'm calling it out.
If winning a premiership was so important why then have 17 players left Penrith over the past three years?
Na. It's all about the money -- and I don't mean just the announced salary. It's about the free accommodation for family members, the poker machine pocket money; the free use of a motor vehicle; the promise of side hustles; the pledge of a career after football....
And we all know which clubs are best placed to offer these, don't we?