Cust vs Croker at 9

[Shoe1]

Did anyone happen to read this article only 4 days ago? A further push for the no fault stand down policy to be scrapped is it? So this is what Man are hanging their hat on, Fainu being available.

NRL players stand up to contentious stand-down rule

The Rugby League Players Association will challenge the rule at an arbitration hearing starting on Thursday. Defeat will be costly for the loser – a six-figure sum in legal expenses.

www.smh.com.au

Rlpa is a toothless tiger, don’t hold your breath

 

[double hoops]

Dragons could net up to $270,000 in salary cap dispensation as Jack de Belin cover, reports | Sporting News Australia

St George Illawarra could receive up to $270,000 in salary cap relief to sign a positional replacement for Jack de Belin, but the club might not bother applying.

www.sportingnews.com

This one explains the NRL player dispensation side of things to some degree.

In short if we go down the dispensation track we have to bring in a hooker, but they effectively replace Fainu in the top 30. like for like may mean similar price tag per year?. So we'd potentially have a problem if Fainu gets cleared. He wouldn't be in our top 30 at that point in time, we'd have to out someone of similar value to Fainu to bring him in.

Signing a new contract makes a lot of sense now. Especially if it's a nice and cheap one.

 

[XV-1]

I actually thought he looked fit! What photos are you basing that on?

Best pics: Sea Eagles pre-season Week 3

Check out some of the best photos from Sea Eagles pre-season training this week. Pics: @benny.hamilton

www.seaeagles.com.au

Have a look at photo #2, when he is next to Foran. He looks more like George Rose

 

[The better Robbo]

Dragons could net up to $270,000 in salary cap dispensation as Jack de Belin cover, reports | Sporting News Australia

St George Illawarra could receive up to $270,000 in salary cap relief to sign a positional replacement for Jack de Belin, but the club might not bother applying.

www.sportingnews.com

This one explains the NRL player dispensation side of things to some degree.

In short if we go down the dispensation track we have to bring in a hooker, but they effectively replace Fainu in the top 30. like for like may mean similar price tag per year?. So we'd potentially have a problem if Fainu gets cleared. He wouldn't be in our top 30 at that point in time, we'd have to out someone of similar value to Fainu to bring him in.

Signing a new contract makes a lot of sense now. Especially if it's a nice and cheap one.

My understanding is that of Fainu is cleared he would still be in top 30 and could still play. We would use the dispensation to sign player 30 in our squad so would be able to use both he and Fainu.
If Fainu is on say 400k and we apply in March then we would have about 200k to buy a hooker, doesn't sound like a lot but remember this is for 6 months not a whole year

 

[joeboy]

Its absurd, in all likelihood fainu won’t be granted to play from March, so we will scramble to get a hooker two weeks from the season starting, a hooker who hasn’t trained with us, done preason, knows the players/coach/staff

The mind boggles that we are handling it like this. If croker has anything to do with our squad this year, we are toast before the mains have even been flicked.

Dreadful contingency planning.

 

[The better Robbo]

Its absurd, in all likelihood fainu won’t be granted to play from March, so we will scramble to get a hooker two weeks from the season starting, a hooker who hasn’t trained with us, done preason, knows the players/coach/staff

The mind boggles that we are handling it like this. If croker has anything to do with our squad this year, we are toast before the mains have even been flicked.

Dreadful contingency planning.

Do you think Elijah Taylor is already part of that contingency? Supposedly signed with Blacktown and played hooker for kiwis only a few years ago. He would be a good depth option

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Do you think Elijah Taylor is already part of that contingency? Supposedly signed with Blacktown and played hooker for kiwis only a few years ago. He would be a good depth option

Yeah I reckon that’s the fallback.

Good pickup Robbo!

 

[Tomay]

I’m sorry but Croker doesn’t have it. You need your hooker to be one of your smartest players and Croker has as little match awareness of any NRL player wearing Maroon and White I’ve seen (and that’s saying something). He looks hopelessly out of confidence 90% of the time and then finally backs himself at the complete wrong time and mostly gets it wrong. I would be happy for him to prove me wrong and I hate writing off a Manly player so harshly but I can’t see us being a threat with him at 9.

 

[Tragic Eagle]

Elijah Taylor is a solid player and would be a very useful addition to the top 30. Maybe still keeping the door open for Garner.

 

[joeboy]

Do you think Elijah Taylor is already part of that contingency? Supposedly signed with Blacktown and played hooker for kiwis only a few years ago. He would be a good depth option

He could well be, I thought Taylor was a fantastic lock 8 years ago. But he was never a hooker, cannot pass off the ground, no running game, he will keep the middle tight, but he ain’t a hooker. We seem to be collecting players who are not hookers to maybe play hooker

 

[Ron E. Gibbs]

He could well be, I thought Taylor was a fantastic lock 8 years ago. But he was never a hooker, cannot pass off the ground, no running game, he will keep the middle tight, but he ain’t a hooker. We seem to be collecting players who are not hookers to maybe play hooker

Agree. Taylor is to hooker what Lewis Brown was to hooker. Also what Lewis Brown was to centre and the back row: ie, a stopgap at best.

 

[Bring back the.... Biff?]

Best pics: Sea Eagles pre-season Week 3

Check out some of the best photos from Sea Eagles pre-season training this week. Pics: @benny.hamilton

www.seaeagles.com.au

Have a look at photo #2, when he is next to Foran. He looks more like George Rose

Hahaha no he is just crouching and his singlet is giving an optical rose like illusion. In other pics he looks fine. In for a big year with Foran on that left edge

 

[Bring back the.... Biff?]

Agree. Taylor is to hooker what Lewis Brown was to hooker. Also what Lewis Brown was to centre and the back row: ie, a stopgap at best.

Yes but he is better than croker. He has a decent pass on him but he cant play 80.. maybe 25 max and he would be effective. Dont expect him to run much or kick. I hope we have a 9 lined up this is ridiculous and worrying

 

[double hoops]

If DES was looking at bringing in a PEATS or someone similar not currently contracted, you would think they'd be on a train and trial to at least be training with the MAN squad now yeah?

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

If DES was looking at bringing in a PEATS or someone similar not currently contracted, you would think they'd be on a train and trial to at least be training with the MAN squad now yeah?

As Robbo said the other day the backup plan will be Elijah Taylor.

Only an opinion but I reckon he’ll be close to the money!!

 

[Smokin Joe]

We have Foran,Cust,Croker to play dummy half,we have Birt working with the squad and possibly trialling for a development squad spot.The Roosters won a grand final with a rookie dummy half (Verrills) who was about 20 at the time,I think he started the year on the development squad.
Birt I think is currently 19 and maybe 20 next year,whilst I am not saying he will be as good as Verrills was in 2019,maybe we should not get too overworked about the situation yet.....

 

[Ned]

We have Foran,Cust,Croker to play dummy half,we have Birt working with the squad and possibly trialling for a development squad spot.The Roosters won a grand final with a rookie dummy half (Verrills) who was about 20 at the time,I think he started the year on the development squad.
Birt I think is currently 19 and maybe 20 next year,whilst I am not saying he will be as good as Verrills was in 2019,maybe we should not get too overworked about the situation yet.....

Here's the difference, the Roosters didn't go into the season with a few fill in hookers and a dev player with promise like we are, they had a goo hooker in Friend who got injured, then the young guy who delivered. We've got nothing but a few excess halves that we're trying to slot into hooker. And even if Birt (I have no knowledge of him btw) is good he's behind cust, croker, foran and whoever else before he even gets a look in. We need a real NRL level hooker before the season starts IMO.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Here's the difference, the Roosters didn't go into the season with a few fill in hookers and a dev player with promise like we are, they had a goo hooker in Friend who got injured, then the young guy who delivered. We've got nothing but a few excess halves that we're trying to slot into hooker. And even if Birt (I have no knowledge of him btw) is good he's behind cust, croker, foran and whoever else before he even gets a look in. We need a real NRL level hooker before the season starts IMO.

I think we all agree BUT who ???

 

[double hoops]

Here's the difference, the Roosters didn't go into the season with a few fill in hookers and a dev player with promise like we are, they had a goo hooker in Friend who got injured, then the young guy who delivered. We've got nothing but a few excess halves that we're trying to slot into hooker. And even if Birt (I have no knowledge of him btw) is good he's behind cust, croker, foran and whoever else before he even gets a look in. We need a real NRL level hooker before the season starts IMO.

I thought the same last year. This year not so much. Croker definately took wrong options in 2020, and offered little in attack, But I still think he out performed Levi, and was tighter around the ruck.

I'm pretty confident Cust will carve it up at hooker.

Levi didn't come into the squad till late which wouldn't have helped his cause. If someone else was to get added, then get em in as early as we can in the new year i say. Other wise we'd be just making the same mistake over.

 

[joeboy]

We have Foran,Cust,Croker to play dummy half,we have Birt working with the squad and possibly trialling for a development squad spot.The Roosters won a grand final with a rookie dummy half (Verrills) who was about 20 at the time,I think he started the year on the development squad.
Birt I think is currently 19 and maybe 20 next year,whilst I am not saying he will be as good as Verrills was in 2019,maybe we should not get too overworked about the situation yet.....

I like your posts usually mate, but how many games of hooker have Foran, cust and croker got between them? Hooker isnt any of their first choice position.

It’s ludicrous we are in this position