Latu Fainu

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If it’s the first few steps in a rebuild & 2 of those 4 signings are for this season only, I don’t think it’s stupid.

The Woods deal helped get rid of 2 Tartak players & cost us nothing & freed up a top 30 spot which was filled by Jake Arthur on (I assume) minimal coin - a young half who has shown glimpses of ability & who may well become a solid first grader.

Woods will depart at the end of this season, as will Johns, freeing up 2 top 30 spots & some salary cap.

Talau is being swapped for a player on $250k per season so isn’t costing any more than Latu is currently. Yes Latu is touted to be great but it still remains to be seen if he can cut it in first grade. If, as has been suggested, he or Tartak have agitated for a release for he & Samuela, what point is there in forcing him to stay, if it would also result in Samuela being unhappy here?

I don’t believe Talau has nothing to offer either - players don’t get first grade opportunities unless they’ve shown some talent & ability.
What and who are we rebuilding with, we've just got rid of the guts of our youth. Fainu bros, tuitavake, fifita and Myers. And no salary cap to play with apparently. Penn thinks we already have a premiership winning roster.
 
There is much I dont know about this situation however it seems unfathomable. If it were me I would be fast tracking latu into FG as 5/8. Schuster is a 2nd rower not our long term 5/8. Latu is very highly regarded by recruiters. His brother at 19 has already shown that he is a FG with potential. What give? Maxta has hinted it is Manly's decision. If so there must be some real intent here - but why?

On the back of no major signings we have been waiting for our juniors to transition to FG. Now Fifita, Tuitavake, Fain x 2 and Myers look to be leaving. It does not leave a lot left. All the good work of our pathway programs for the past 4 years has been basically undone. It feels like we have gone backwards (from an already low base). I am very concerned.
 
On the back of no major signings we have been waiting for our juniors to transition to FG. Now Fifita, Tuitavake, Fain x 2 and Myers look to be leaving. It does not leave a lot left. All the good work of our pathway programs for the past 4 years has been basically undone. It feels like we have gone backwards (from an already low base). I am very concerned.
Cheer up. Does the Storm have such an astonishingly good record through major signings or pathways?

I've always been a bit skeptical about the excitement around our 'juniors'. How many juniors get poached by other clubs before they make any return on investment for the original club? Pathways works if you're the likes of Penrith where there's a gazillion kids all wanting to wear the jumper they grew up idolising, but for our bunch of imports? Show me the money honey!

And as for major signings? Difficult when you already have three of the game's best in DCE, Jake, and Turbo (impossible to predict his miseries upon signing). The key for us is to be a bit more astute in the signing of those back up journey men like Bellamy and Bennett are.

Over to you Seibs.
 
I thought we got Woods for free? How does his leaving free up any cap space, if anything, it takes cap space from next season because we'll need to pay someone to fill his spot. And if Cooper Johns is on $1 more than minimum contract then we are even more royally screwed than I imagined.
“Woods will depart at the end of this season, as will Johns, freeing up 2 top 30 spots & some salary cap.”
 
What and who are we rebuilding with, we've just got rid of the guts of our youth. Fainu bros, tuitavake, fifita and Myers. And no salary cap to play with apparently. Penn thinks we already have a premiership winning roster.
Suli managed by Tartak.

Tartak puts squeeze on club for new, larger contract for Suli, club does not comply & releases Suli. Suli hasn’t set the world ablaze at Saints.

Schuster, Olakau’atu & Saab, managed by Tartak.

Tartak puts squeeze on club for upgrades to Schuster, Olakau’atu & Saab. Club upgrades all 3.

3 x Fainus, Fifita & Tuitavake all managed by Tartak.

Tartak puts squeeze on club to release Sione Fainu to Tigers, club complies. Sione hasn’t played first grade yet.

Tartak puts squeeze on club to release Fifita & Tuitavake, club complies. Neither have played first grade yet.

Tartak puts squeeze on club to release Latu Fainu OR club decides it doesn’t want Latu Fainu, club swaps Fainu for Talau (apparently). Rumours are Samuela will follow.

What has the club done wrong here?

It’s kept the 3 players it wanted of the 10 managed by Tartak.

It’s reduced Tartak’s power base & hold over the club by reducing the number of players he can keep squeezing the club for upgrades.

Now Tartak & Fulton can squeeze Tigers dry for upgrades & ruin that club instead of Manly.

Manly were going for Flegler preseason so there obviously is some space under the cap.
 
Cheer up. Does the Storm have such an astonishingly good record through major signings or pathways?

I've always been a bit skeptical about the excitement around our 'juniors'. How many juniors get poached by other clubs before they make any return on investment for the original club? Pathways works if you're the likes of Penrith where there's a gazillion kids all wanting to wear the jumper they grew up idolising, but for our bunch of imports? Show me the money honey!

And as for major signings? Difficult when you already have three of the game's best in DCE, Jake, and Turbo (impossible to predict his miseries upon signing). The key for us is to be a bit more astute in the signing of those back up journey men like Bellamy and Bennett are.

Over to you Seibs.
Summed up well, this situation gets played out regularly in most clubs. Clubs develop jnr talent at great cost then loose them to other clubs when other club recruiters come calling. I always thought it was a big gamble by Manly to be paying a kid who was still at school 300k a year on a 3yr deal. Penrith and the Broncs have a big jnr catchment to pick from, although with 2 Bris teams and one on the gold coast and a possible 3rd Bris team in the near future the Broncs could be heading in the same direction as the rest of us very soon.
 
Suli managed by Tartak.

Tartak puts squeeze on club for new, larger contract for Suli, club does not comply & releases Suli. Suli hasn’t set the world ablaze at Saints.

Schuster, Olakau’atu & Saab, managed by Tartak.

Tartak puts squeeze on club for upgrades to Schuster, Olakau’atu & Saab. Club upgrades all 3.

3 x Fainus, Fifita & Tuitavake all managed by Tartak.

Tartak puts squeeze on club to release Sione Fainu to Tigers, club complies. Sione hasn’t played first grade yet.

Tartak puts squeeze on club to release Fifita & Tuitavake, club complies. Neither have played first grade yet.

Tartak puts squeeze on club to release Latu Fainu OR club decides it doesn’t want Latu Fainu, club swaps Fainu for Talau (apparently). Rumours are Samuela will follow.

What has the club done wrong here?

It’s kept the 3 players it wanted of the 10 managed by Tartak.

It’s reduced Tartak’s power base & hold over the club by reducing the number of players he can keep squeezing the club for upgrades.

Now Tartak & Fulton can squeeze Tigers dry for upgrades & ruin that club instead of Manly.

Manly were going for Flegler preseason so there obviously is some space under the cap.
I do not not agree…
 
Suli managed by Tartak.

Tartak puts squeeze on club for new, larger contract for Suli, club does not comply & releases Suli. Suli hasn’t set the world ablaze at Saints.

Schuster, Olakau’atu & Saab, managed by Tartak.

Tartak puts squeeze on club for upgrades to Schuster, Olakau’atu & Saab. Club upgrades all 3.

3 x Fainus, Fifita & Tuitavake all managed by Tartak.

Tartak puts squeeze on club to release Sione Fainu to Tigers, club complies. Sione hasn’t played first grade yet.

Tartak puts squeeze on club to release Fifita & Tuitavake, club complies. Neither have played first grade yet.

Tartak puts squeeze on club to release Latu Fainu OR club decides it doesn’t want Latu Fainu, club swaps Fainu for Talau (apparently). Rumours are Samuela will follow.

What has the club done wrong here?

It’s kept the 3 players it wanted of the 10 managed by Tartak.

It’s reduced Tartak’s power base & hold over the club by reducing the number of players he can keep squeezing the club for upgrades.

Now Tartak & Fulton can squeeze Tigers dry for upgrades & ruin that club instead of Manly.

Manly were going for Flegler preseason so there obviously is some space under the cap.
Great post. That’s exactly as I see it. It’s all about reducing the power base of the blood suckers.
 
Cheer up. Does the Storm have such an astonishingly good record through major signings or pathways?

I've always been a bit skeptical about the excitement around our 'juniors'. How many juniors get poached by other clubs before they make any return on investment for the original club? Pathways works if you're the likes of Penrith where there's a gazillion kids all wanting to wear the jumper they grew up idolising, but for our bunch of imports? Show me the money honey!

And as for major signings? Difficult when you already have three of the game's best in DCE, Jake, and Turbo (impossible to predict his miseries upon signing). The key for us is to be a bit more astute in the signing of those back up journey men like Bellamy and Bennett are.

Over to you Seibs.
A large issue that I see is that we have too many big units that go missing when they are tired…

we lack the Joel Thompson or Curtis Sironen (before he got injured) or Watmough or Shane Rodney type players that are ultra fit and can continually grind for long periods, are safe with the ball (watmough maybe not so much) and can produce outstanding plays and extra efforts despite being gassed…
 
A large issue that I see is that we have too many big units that go missing when they are tired…

we lack the Joel Thompson or Curtis Sironen (before he got injured) or Watmough or Shane Rodney type players that are ultra fit and can continually grind for long periods, are safe with the ball (watmough maybe not so much) and can produce outstanding plays and extra efforts despite being gassed…
Add to that players that are mentally tough and don’t turn up their toes at the first sign of adversity or when they cop a baking from the coach
 
A large issue that I see is that we have too many big units that go missing when they are tired…

we lack the Joel Thompson or Curtis Sironen (before he got injured) or Watmough or Shane Rodney type players that are ultra fit and can continually grind for long periods, are safe with the ball (watmough maybe not so much) and can produce outstanding plays and extra efforts despite being gassed…
I can never remember ever seeing the great Beaver gassed. Maybe the sweat was hiding under the headgear.
 
Probably not helping if salary cap issues are a factor with the current Latu situation having to accommodate the 1 . 4 mil combined for the Shu and Alioia for the indefinite future , . Made so much more unappealing with some very indifferent form and availability reliability to say the least from them both the past couple of seasons . Disturbingly also no definite indication that this can change for the better in the near or longer term future . If it is just a case of Mestrov or others just trying to prove a point or not making more of an effort to come to terms with Tarik 's influence at Manly at the expense of losing a couple of very promising juniors who could still be retained in the system ., very poor form if that is the case Shame if Fletcher - Myers leaves also , looks to have not quite gone on with it this season and a couple of other outside backs even showing more promise now so also disappointing .Most likely just on base salary so will not influence that aspect of the recruit and retention programme [ if there is such an effective plan operating right now or for some time now ] Of course hard to say just how much more upside there could be for both Latu and Samual but still more concerned what type of a succession plan is being considered when D C E 's contract is up in a couple of season"s time . Humphries looks to be really coming on at Flegg level but playing 9 . Still some consolation if Samual stays but probably also unlikely if Latu leaves . Has to be the highest priority to re sign Koula , just have not seen enough of Talu to have any idea how he may be able to improve on what Parker and Harper are offering now . Wonder where Weekes 's retention is around all of this intrigue or more appropriately uncertainty right now let alone with Bulemor
 

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