2026 recruitment & retention

[Disco]

You know what I love all of our outside backs individually. But as you say, collectively there is a lot of speed and not a whole lot of yardage in the back 5. It's why Tommy Talau was pretty important last year, and it's not like he would be in the top echelon of outside backs when it comes to the hitting the ball off our line.

Conversely, our pack is generally full of ageing plodders.

The balance is off in the team and unless the forwards dominate, we are toast. That applies to most teams, but particularly Manly.

You know Lehi is second in the entire league for run metres and 5th in the league for post contact.

Koula averages 120m per game, Saab 121m, Garrick 100m and Turbo 138m.

Our backs arent the issue.

 

[Tragic Eagle]

Two main issues last week. poor defence and a lack of creativity with the football. Arthur is a good player but is not a ball playing back. Sadly Brooks has for the most part been disappointing and Tommy is not offering much at the moment. IMO Simpkin has been our best spine player with the rest very ordinary.

 

[master blaster]

Mahony , he has the mongrel and cheekiness that we need and have been missing, ok fire when ready ....

 

[TJ55]

Mahony , he has the mongrel and cheekiness that we need and have been missing, ok fire when ready ....

The Eagles are missing a niggle to get under the skin of the opposition
Hes a good player but needs to change his ways a bit, Mick Ennis jr

 

[Waz13]

The Eagles are missing a niggle to get under the skin of the opposition
Hes a good player but needs to change his ways a bit, Mick Ennis jr

If we want to get back to the side that everyone hates, Mahoney is a pretty good acquisition.

 

[manly al]

If we want to get back to the side that everyone hates, Mahoney is a pretty good acquisition.

Apparently on 600 grand at the present time so out of Manly 's range
Don 't mind the combo of Simpkin and Jazz covering 9 and Froggy probably still has some useful footy in him to offer there .and that is not taking into account a couple of 9 prospects in the lower grades right now
Anyway , if the side can still not perform up to an expected and consistent level with the likes of Tent , Jake , Aloiai , Burbo and including Ola and ideally Bully generally available into the future , there would be some serious introspection needed

 

[Rocky]

You know Lehi is second in the entire league for run metres and 5th in the league for post contact.

Koula averages 120m per game, Saab 121m, Garrick 100m and Turbo 138m.

Our backs arent the issue.

I said I like the backs - but i would prefer a better mix of strengths among them.

Stats for their total metres over the entire game doesn't convince me we are good at hitting the ball off our line, given the overall expansive style of game we play.

But i admit this is well down on our list of issues and the forwards are the glaring problem

 

[Seagles68]

You know Lehi is second in the entire league for run metres and 5th in the league for post contact.

Koula averages 120m per game, Saab 121m, Garrick 100m and Turbo 138m.

Our backs arent the issue.

No they are not. The recruitment and development focus needs to be the forwards and then the forwards and then the forwards.

 

[Phobia]

I would like Mahoney, but only on the basis that Muagututia is unlikely to play NRL this year. Otherwise, if we signed him, we would have four specialist hookers in our Top 30 for next year. That's not good roster management. Either you get rid of one, or you don't get him at all.

We don't have a roster spot to get him now, without a trade.

 

[JakeyB789]

You know Lehi is second in the entire league for run metres and 5th in the league for post contact.

Koula averages 120m per game, Saab 121m, Garrick 100m and Turbo 138m.

Our backs arent the issue.

Those Lehi stats are unreal - not a lot to be excited about at the moment but geez we have a good one there.

Even as a critic of Garrick in the centres his defence has been much improved there this year. The 1-5 is perfectly fine as is, the rest of the team however...

 

[manly al]

Very hard to get the best mix of everything in a back 3 and particularly wingers
Just based on his speed , ariel and finishing ability , Saab has to be one wing and has gradually improved his hit up value .
Lehi pretty much in the same category and has always shown some quite capable hit up ability .
T T 2 of course is a quality back at his best , good finisher on the wing but probably would still go better in the centres but Garrick can hardly displace Saab or Lehi as wingers
And considering Faulalo and Ray Ray are also in the mix , outside back performance levels or depth are definitely not the issue

 

[TJ55]

I would like Mahoney, but only on the basis that Muagututia is unlikely to play NRL this year. Otherwise, if we signed him, we would have four specialist hookers in our Top 30 for next year. That's not good roster management. Either you get rid of one, or you don't get him at all.

We don't have a roster spot to get him now, without a trade.

Apart from the niggling and blowing his cool he is a mobile workhorse i rate him, i think he wont find any trouble finding a club

 

[Sea Eagle 4 Life]

Apart from the niggling and blowing his cool he is a mobile workhorse i rate him, i think he wont find any trouble finding a club

Off to the Cowgirls for sure.

 

[The Who]

Mahoney is a good player, but what a d***head.
So there would be plenty of clubs who would chase him.
In the NRL winning matches is more important for clubs than anything else. Mam anyone?

 

[Rocky]

TBH i see Mahoney as a middling hooker - and not a cheap one and at over 600k a season - not one i would touch.

P.S there is a reason the dogs are moving him on

P.P.S he's also a fckwit.

 

[Highflier]

I think Jake Simpkin is getting better the more game time he gets . I think with Jazz and Froggy as cover plus young Muagututia coming thru our $ would be better spent on at least one of those young FRs from the Rorters ,take your pick White or any 2 of the others ,even the concreter FR if he lost a few pounds would be better than what we are offering in the FR without Paseka and to a lesser degree Aloai .
Bully is our only FR who can hold his head up ,.The other player I would be going for is Jacob Preston from the dogs only on apparently 300k .Cleanout Waddel ,Sippers, Cheekham maybe Lodge if he doesn't aim up this year(i'm not going to condemn him on one performance ) and a few others I cant bring to mind and go for the above
edit actually Takiaho has been pretty good ,but again is getting on

 

[Thewestisbest]

Apart from the niggling and blowing his cool he is a mobile workhorse i rate him, i think he wont find any trouble finding a club

I agree.

 

[bigd1972]

We don't need Reed Mahoney. The last thing we need is more ill discipline to add to our slow moving forwards. Our hooker stocks are well covered with Simpkin, Croker, GCKT and Tevaga (if needed). Then there is Zaidis who will develop with time and be ready to take over in 2026/2027. Mobile fast powerful forwards are what we need going into next season.

 

[Coops manly]

For years we have gone for budget no name forwards. I am shocked the expert coaches continue to go for large immobile body types when clearly the game in the last year or so doesn't suit it. It has me seriously worried expert coaches cant pick up on this. We get carved up in the middle when things dont go our way it happens all the time and won't change until we start recruiting some good young forwards. Correct me if im wrong but I don't see many clearly obvious youngsters in the forwards coming up in the lower grades apart from navale who gets 6 minutes anyway .