Lodge, you Monster

[The '47ers]

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-2024-manly-sea-eagles-prop-matt-lodge-meets-with-dragons-market-watch/news-story/dd72ba6b3fc3a1ff80d38a09aa090c12

 

[frank stokes]

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-2024-manly-sea-eagles-prop-matt-lodge-meets-with-dragons-market-watch/news-story/dd72ba6b3fc3a1ff80d38a09aa090c12

...if there is a recruitment god.... 🙏

 

[The Insomniac]

...if there is a recruitment god.... 🙏

Pay wall guys. Can someone assist ? Or at least tell us about this recruitment God.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

Best headline I’ve read all year. Happy to start a gofundme page for the Dragons to get the deal over the line

 

[Sheikheagle]

Best headline I’ve read all year. Happy to start a gofundme page for the Dragons to get the deal over the line

I thought you would be cheering Kiwi 😂. Along with the baggage he has been underwhelming.

 

[Ben]

https://archive.md/2zkYf

Here is the article

 

[LeonardCohen]

Fingers crossed.

If we end up with the same pack of forwards next year, we should expect the same results.

 

[Adz]

Flanagan and Lodge managed by Moses,hope they re-unite.....

 

[Adz]

Supposedly there is disagreement about whether Lodge should be offered another lifeline and the value of it,maybe this is Moses weak attempt to try to show others are interested and get some leverage by using his client Flanagan to help.

 

[Ohgeez]

Navale takes his spot in 1st grade & free up some money for a 2nd rower/lock?

 

[Eagle 1]

Supposedly there is disagreement about whether Lodge should be offered another lifeline and the value of it,maybe this is Moses weak attempt to try to show others are interested and get some leverage by using his client Flanagan to help.

yep, this is well known tatic. What Lodge wants and what Manly is prepared to pay this time around, well, I'd say he's Kogarah bound then.

 

[Chunkytuna]

Yeah I wouldn't be devastated if he moved on. I do feel a little sorry for him with the injuries he's had whilst here. We haven't really had a chance to see what he can do when fit.

 

[LeonardCohen]

It's ridiculous to think we might consider re-signing him when you factor in that he was a gamble in the first place...and he has played a total of 8 games in total (7 when you consider one of those caps was a two minute stint before he did his ACL).

If Manly are serious about the top 4 finish (yes, top 4; a premiership is not on the horizon), they need to upgrade the pack. Realistically, we need a couple of top middles to have any hope. We'll be lucky to get one, let alone two. If we go around with Lodge, Brown, Sipley, Paseka, Bullemor and Aloiai, we can forget it.

Start with Daniel Safiti as the experienced marquee prop and throw a heap of coin at a Penrith junior middle or something.

 

[lsz]

It always amazes me, much like some coaches, there are players who seem to just get by on a name and desperate clubs trying to money ball success.

Is it somewhat driven by the nature of having to spend the cap? Where clubs will take a punt because they have to? Or just short term thinking / gamble

 

[LeonardCohen]

It always amazes me, much like some coaches, there are players who seem to just get by on a name and desperate clubs trying to money ball success.

Is it somewhat driven by the nature of having to spend the cap? Where clubs will take a punt because they have to? Or just short term thinking / gamble

I think it's just a low risk gamble. As you suggest, all clubs must have 30 players on the roster and spend the cap. So they grab players like Lodge on the cheap thinking at worst, he'll provide depth, at best, he'll return to his previous form and prove a masterstroke.

 

[manly al]

Just has not worked out for his return this season and regaining some of his previous solid impact , looks a lot on problematic side .
Apart from the previous consideration for a major upgrade for his salary . .
Probably will go with the Jake - Brown option at 13 next season . Still the advantage of Jake having some time as a prop but one more good level middle [ prop ] , a desirable option as well

 

[KNUCKLES]

It's ridiculous to think we might consider re-signing him when you factor in that he was a gamble in the first place...and he has played a total of 8 games in total (7 when you consider one of those caps was a two minute stint before he did his ACL).

If Manly are serious about the top 4 finish (yes, top 4; a premiership is not on the horizon), they need to upgrade the pack. Realistically, we need a couple of top middles to have any hope. We'll be lucky to get one, let alone two. If we go around with Lodge, Brown, Sipley, Paseka, Bullemor and Aloiai, we can forget it.

Start with Daniel Safiti as the experienced marquee prop and throw a heap of coin at a Penrith junior middle or something.

Gould has said that NAS is leaving Melbourne. I wonder where? Wouldn't mind him here

 

[jbb/james]

It's ridiculous to think we might consider re-signing him when you factor in that he was a gamble in the first place...and he has played a total of 8 games in total (7 when you consider one of those caps was a two minute stint before he did his ACL).

If Manly are serious about the top 4 finish (yes, top 4; a premiership is not on the horizon), they need to upgrade the pack. Realistically, we need a couple of top middles to have any hope. We'll be lucky to get one, let alone two. If we go around with Lodge, Brown, Sipley, Paseka, Bullemor and Aloiai, we can forget it.

Start with Daniel Safiti as the experienced marquee prop and throw a heap of coin at a Penrith junior middle or something.

I know our opinions differ but in 2018 we had AfB and marty up front going gangbusters. Joel thompson and shaun lane with jurbo as back row
Our hookers were api and manase
We finished second last

No way that is all trenties fault

I love a tough pack and we need what you say but balancing the cap after spending large on turbo jurbo dce and now guac makes it tough

Saifiti rumoured to be on 800k and lodge looking for 450/500so no where near a direct swap

Middles are vitally important ,always have been but our spending priorities suggests we are fine with mid tier

Squad is packed tight for next season already. Not much wriggle room in spots or coin
If we can unload parker and condon we get 2 spots but not much cash

 

[LeonardCohen]

Gould has said that NAS is leaving Melbourne. I wonder where? Wouldn't mind him here

I'm not suggesting I wouldn't take him because he is better than anything else we have but I do worry he is the wrong kind of player for us. Paseka is a cheaper albeit less dynamic version of Nelson in that you get a pretty modest work rate but some big and damaging carries. Essentially, we already have someone that can come on and play a 20 minute stint and skittle a few defenders to allow the halves some time against a retreating defence.

What I feel we need is a busier, faster, lively type in the middle to lift the tempo of our yardage sets. Bullemor is probably the best we have of this ilk but someone to go with him would be nice. We are just too slow. Jake is painfully slow but we need his defence. Then you've got the rest of our lumbering middle that are getting beaten most weeks. How we won that game on the weekend is baffling. I'll take it but it certainly masks some pretty deep problems with this middle rotation.

 

[LeonardCohen]

I know our opinions differ but in 2018 we had AfB and marty up front going gangbusters. Joel thompson and shaun lane with jurbo as back row
Our hookers were api and manase
We finished second last

No way that is all trenties fault

I love a tough pack and we need what you say but balancing the cap after spending large on turbo jurbo dce and now guac makes it tough

Saifiti rumoured to be on 800k and lodge looking for 450/500so no where near a direct swap

Middles are vitally important ,always have been but our spending priorities suggests we are fine with mid tier

Squad is packed tight for next season already. Not much wriggle room in spots or coin
If we can unload parker and condon we get 2 spots but not much cash

I had a similar discussion with another poster recently. I think that pack was outstanding and I recall many occasions where we rolled through opposition middles but had trouble scoring points. Other than the year we had Blake Green (2017), we really struggled during those seasons where we had a champion pack. DCE had a few pretty ordinary years himself and battled without a genuine foil in the halves. By the time we got Foran, Api and AFB had left and Taupau was a shadow of his former self. Our pack held us back in 2021 from competing against the likes of Souths and Melbourne. We could score points but couldn't go with the opposition packs.

The answer is probably the most obvious one - you need good forwards and good backs, not one or the other. The Eels have had a great pack in recent years and regularly win the middle but their outside backs have been atrocious in defence and have cost them many many games.

We've got a pretty slick backline but I am adamant our forwards are grossly ineffective. I'd call it one of the least effective packs in the NRL. I also think our outside backs are fast but not the best yardage carriers. They did a great job on the weekend but have not been consistent. I think our yardage sets are the single biggest problem with the team at the moment.

When you look at the Dogs, they have been very effective in the middle this season without marquee middles because they have lean forwards with leg speed. It's the way the game is going. They're particularly effective in defence this year because their mobility is allowing them to scramble and shut down scoring opportunities.