Cooper Johns

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swoop

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I don't know if we have a good junior in our ranks to cover the halfback spot after DCE. We should be targeting young players like Johns while they are affordable. He's behind Munster and Hughes so we should plan ahead a go after him, if not go after Hughes who can play in the halves and Fullback. My understanding is that Hughes is off-contract.

The storm have a few players stuck out of the starting squad, Nico Hynes, Johns, Brandon Smith will lose his spot and Hughes. Surely they can't keep every player.
 
We need to plan ahead, it looks like Schuster is being groomed as a long term 5/8th so we need someone to partner him, like who I've named. Cooper Johns is a halfback who should come cheap, but Nico Hynes and Hughes can play multiple positions and could be enticed to come with a better chance of cracking 1st grade.
 
Pretty sure Hughes has recently re-signed.

Trying to get a halfback here that is willing to sit behind DCE for another 3 seasons will be the issue. You can say whatever you want about DCE but he is certainly resilient, barely misses a game through injury. So you have to find a patient young 7 willing to bide his time for that long. You aren't going to get an almost ready/keen for a crack halfback to come here and twiddle his thumbs till end of 2023.

Anyway don't we have young Humphries in the mix ?
 
We need to plan ahead, it looks like Schuster is being groomed as a long term 5/8th so we need someone to partner him, like who I've named. Cooper Johns is a halfback who should come cheap, but Nico Hynes and Hughes can play multiple positions and could be enticed to come with a better chance of cracking 1st grade.
We are planning ahead

There is a freak half called Humphreys waiting in the wings in the lower grades
 
Cooper Johns won't be a starting first grade half, not now not ever.

He couldn't even make the first team in Union at his school, haven't heard or seen anything of him dominating in nsw cup/flegg or anything. Bloke is average and is at the storm because he is good for their culture and is mattys son / andrews nephew. If they truly needed a backup young halfback it would not be cooper.
 
We need to plan ahead, it looks like Schuster is being groomed as a long term 5/8th so we need someone to partner him, like who I've named. Cooper Johns is a halfback who should come cheap, but Nico Hynes and Hughes can play multiple positions and could be enticed to come with a better chance of cracking 1st grade.
Looks to me like Schuster is being groomed as a second rower
 
Just because he is the nephew of an immortal doesn't mean he will be a star. Manly had him and if they saw anything special they would have kept him. We have Humphreys in SG who is literally kicking goals. Why would we re-sign him? Sorry. A big no from me.
 
Looks to me like Schuster is being groomed as a second rower
If thats the case then by 2023 schuster will be gone he has made it clear he wants to play 6..in his last media he said he is just happy to be in the 13 even if its 2nd row i guess..he is happy to be on field but he isnt happy in 2nd row is basically what he is saying..2nd row will however harden up his defence and give him match fitness so when he does return to 6 he will be even more of a gun..he just cant be wasted there for to long
 
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Cooper Johns won't be a starting first grade half, not now not ever.

He couldn't even make the first team in Union at his school, haven't heard or seen anything of him dominating in nsw cup/flegg or anything. Bloke is average and is at the storm because he is good for their culture and is mattys son / andrews nephew. If they truly needed a backup young halfback it would not be cooper.
Craig Fitzgibbon was about the 5th best player in his high school team yet none of the first 4 went on to play NRL let alone for the Kangaroos, win premierships and be the all time highest point scoring forward in history....

...there is a lot to be said for dedication and perseverance....
 
Need to get Nicho Hynes here. He played both halfback and 5/8 for us in juniors, and is amazing fullback cover for The Storm. He's only 24. Offer him $400k per, for 3 seasons.

That's after you offer DCE to Brisbane where his SOO coach would want him to replace Milford in a flash. Just like Ennis said.

01. Tom Trbojevic (24 years old)
06. Josh Schuster (19 years old)
07. Nicho Hynes (24 years old)
09. Manase Fainu (22 years old)
14. Karl Lawton (25 years old)

(and a crap tonne of more cap space.)

Re-Sign Walker for 1 year (play him in the farking centres !!)
Re-Sign Cust for when Turbo is out (Hynes goes back there)
Re-Sign Sironen (who would flourish under halves like Schuster / Hynes)
Release: DCE, Foran, Taupau, Suli, Parker, Taufua, Croker, Boyle, Funa, Garrick, Gosiewski & Sipley

01. Tom Trbojevic (when fit, one of the best)
02. Jason Saab (would kill it next to Walker)
03. Dylan Walker (plays in his preferred position)
04.
05.
06. Josh Schuster (Main play maker)
07. Nicho Hynes (Running half)
08. Jake Trbojevic (time to play as a prop)
09. Manase Fainu (hopeful thinking, hopefully Aloiai/Davey rubs off)
10. Taniela Paseka (time for him to explode this season)
11. Andrew Davey (need his passion, heart and effort)
12. Curtis Sironen (is actually fantastic when healthy and in form)
13.

14. Karl Lawton (would be one of the better back-ups)
15. Josh Aloiai (one of the bright spots this season)
16. Sean Keppie (another one of the bright spots this season)
17. Haumole Olakau'atu (needs a consistent run in 1st grade)

The cap space created from the releases would allow for marquee upgrades in the holes there. Nathan Brown, Katoni Staggs, Daniel Tupou should be the target types.

Depth:

18. Cade Cust (fills in at 6, 7 & 9)
19. Morgan Harper (fills in at 1, 3 & 4)
20. Tolutau Koula (fills in at 1, 3 & 4)
21. Christian Tuipulotu (fills in at 2, 3, 4, 5)
22. Ben Trbojevic (fills in at 3, 4, 11, 12)
23. Sione Fainu (fills in at 8, 10, 15, 16)
24. Kaeo Weekes (fills in at 1, 2, 5, 6)
25. Alec Tuitavake (fills in at 8, 10, 15, 16)
26. Zac Saddler (fills in at 8, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16)
27. Jack Birt (fills in at 9, 14)

Leaves 3 spots for lesser acquisitions (consider forwards).
 
Craig Fitzgibbon was about the 5th best player in his high school team yet none of the first 4 went on to play NRL let alone for the Kangaroos, win premierships and be the all time highest point scoring forward in history....

...there is a lot to be said for dedication and perseverance....
and that is the great mentality that has inspired our recruitment the past few years - forget talent. Some players with no talent go well so lets sign them

Has turned out well for us
 
and that is the great mentality that has inspired our recruitment the past few years - forget talent. Some players with no talent go well so lets sign them

Has turned out well for us
Not what i am saying at all... not saying we should sign Cooper either...

blokes can improve if they are dedicated and they will get nowhere if they are not - even if they were smacked on the arse by a rainbow at birth...

Our club would be going a lot better if we had a team of dedicated athletes rather than a team of blokes who believe their own publicity...
 
Team P W L PD Pts
3 3 0 48 6
4 3 1 28 6
3 2 1 10 6
4 2 2 39 4
3 2 1 28 4
3 2 1 15 4
3 2 1 14 4
2 1 1 13 4
2 1 1 6 4
3 2 1 -3 4
3 1 2 0 2
3 1 2 -5 2
3 1 2 -15 2
3 1 2 -22 2
3 1 2 -36 2
2 0 2 -56 2
3 0 3 -64 0
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