Manly 2021: Who we need to sign NOW (and who we need to punt)

[cf2 is back]

MY MANLY 2021 TEAM:

1. Addo-Carr - just pay him whatever he wants, (see how below), and yes he can play FB or rotate with Tom
2. Saab - we badly need height (6'5) and speed on the wing, reality is better option than Garrick so do the swap
3. Suli - but only if off the Maccas, could be anything if he puts his mind to it
4. Tom Turbo - I know people won't agree with this but he does actually make a few mistakes at no. 1 (go back and watch Brett Stewart matches to realize who our best FB was by miles) plus look how lethal he is at centre for NSW, plus he can defend on the wing (saves injuries), plus with height take cross field kicks a la Tupou
5. Funa - swap with Tom in defence, score tries in attack, plus back up FB
6. Schuster - the next Wighton, make the 6 his jersey
7. DCE - keep on keeping on (but must run the ball more, and practice goal kicking all summer)
8. Aloia - turn him into the next Josh Perry
9. Fainu - court case willing, will remind everyone why we let Api go, a lethal 9 in waiting with the 6 again rule
10. Marty - keep on keeping on
11. Sirro - keep on keeping on
12. Garner - this guy hits hard lets get him, ideal Thompson replacement
13. Jake - keep on keeping on

14. Foran - superb experienced dummy half fill, plus doubles as great halves backup if an injury
15. Keppie - keep improving
16. Paseka - love how much he improved at back of this (crap) season
17. Olakau-atu - massively untapped potential could be anything

Reserve backs:
18. Cust - love this guy, takes the no. 14 when Foran (very likely) injured, plus great back up in halves
19. Parker - toss up between him and Funa as a winger, but reality is would struggle to start at centre at any other club
20. Harper - baby Parker, needs to hit the gym, good centre reserve
21. Ben Turbo - hopefully not far away from making a major 1st grade impact like his brothers
22. Koula - young centre, hopefully potential
23. Find the next young Sivo/Vunivalu
24. Find an 80% goal kicker

Reserve forwards:
25. Gosiewski - proven versatile back row reserve
26. Davey - back row, potential solid reserve
27. Sipley - seemed a real gun prop season before last, but (injuries aside) what happened to him this year?
28. Titmuss - great junior potential prop after starring in 2017 NYC
29. Find a back up second row or prop
30. Find a young no. 9 and/or half (goal kicker wouldn't hurt either)

OUT:
Walker - reality: hasn't starred in 2 years, plus way too much trouble off field, big $ pay for Addo-Carr
Taufua - reality: way too slow/short,/butterfingers, light years past his best, would not start at any other club
(add up those 2 contracts and Ado-Carr is living at Newport in no time on double his Melb $)
Garrick - reality: tries hard but we badly need speed and impact on the wing, would struggle to start at most other clubs
Croker - reality: a reserve grade star who struggles in firsts, plus sitting behind Schuster/Fainu/Foran/Cust/new junior 9
Boyle - reality: can't break the line, plus sitting behind Marty/Aloia/Paseka/Keppie/Sipley/Tittmus

If you add up those 5 above it has to be at least $1m (likely more), plus then add on the departed Fonau-Blake, Thompson, Waddell, Levi, Elliot, Hopoate, Metcalf, Tony Williams, that's surely another $1m at the very least there too.

So conservatively $2m back in the can.

The two big points for me are:

1. We MUST get at least one superstar winger and why not Addo-Carr. Look at the top teams they all have fast dangerous wingers who score stacks of tries and win comps. The money above suggests we can afford it easily.

2. We MUST think like Roosters and remove dead wood for better players and free up cash.

Remember when we use to buy players like Jamie Lyon, Ben Kennedy, Mark Carroll, David Gillespie, and many more.

Come on Des/Humphries, we are Manly, a premiership club, not the Tigers happy to run 9th!

 

[bazeagle]

love all of this - this post should be on Des's and Humphries desks or inboxes and discussed and actioned...I couldn't bear another season of underperformance and Des refusing to drop clearly not up to it repeatedly players...we seem to have slipped into a dangerous zone mentally and it kicked in with the 6 again rule change...have we adapted? na

 

[lillchip]

CF2 sure is back.

This is brilliant and could not be more spot on.

Yes - get rid of Walker - time is up - and for those saying hang on it will cost us - you'd think after last years court escape there'd be a 2-3 strikes and out clause in his contract for the recent pizza shop debacle

Yes - get Addo-Carr even if it means giving Melb Garrick/Jorge/Walker or all bloody 3 of them! Like CF2 said we used to sign superstar players, that's how you win comps just ask Uncle Nick

Yes - good idea with Tom Turbo - he would kill it at centre in attack or rotating with Addo-Carr - and he can rest on the wing in defence since wingers often only make about 3 tackles a game (I recall Jorge often only made 1-2 or even none!)

And absolutely agree we are MANLY PREMIERSHIP CLUB not a bottom 8 team!

 

[Supreme Leader]

love all of this - this post should be on Des's and Humphries desks or inboxes and discussed and actioned...I couldn't bear another season of underperformance and Des refusing to drop clearly not up to it repeatedly players...we seem to have slipped into a dangerous zone mentally and it kicked in with the 6 again rule change...have we adapted? na

let it be written, let be done!

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Good work CF2

 

[bob dylan]

Hard to argue any of that.

 

[The Wheel]

Send it to Des I am sure he has never thought of recruiting a SOO team

 

[Disco]

Personally I think moving Turbo from fullback is madness

Even moreso moving him for someone who is a career winger

 

[manlyfan76]

That team WOULD fit under the cap.

Great post.

 

[Mataiforever]

MY MANLY 2021 TEAM:

1. Addo-Carr - just pay him whatever he wants, (see how below), and yes he can play FB or rotate with Tom
2. Saab - we badly need height (6'5) and speed on the wing, reality is better option than Garrick so do the swap
3. Suli - but only if off the Maccas, could be anything if he puts his mind to it
4. Tom Turbo - I know people won't agree with this but he does actually make a few mistakes at no. 1 (go back and watch Brett Stewart matches to realize who our best FB was by miles) plus look how lethal he is at centre for NSW, plus he can defend on the wing (saves injuries), plus with height take cross field kicks a la Tupou
5. Funa - swap with Tom in defence, score tries in attack, plus back up FB
6. Schuster - the next Wighton, make the 6 his jersey
7. DCE - keep on keeping on (but must run the ball more, and practice goal kicking all summer)
8. Aloia - turn him into the next Josh Perry
9. Fainu - court case willing, will remind everyone why we let Api go, a lethal 9 in waiting with the 6 again rule
10. Marty - keep on keeping on
11. Sirro - keep on keeping on
12. Garner - this guy hits hard lets get him, ideal Thompson replacement
13. Jake - keep on keeping on

14. Foran - superb experienced dummy half fill, plus doubles as great halves backup if an injury
15. Keppie - keep improving
16. Paseka - love how much he improved at back of this (crap) season
17. Olakau-atu - massively untapped potential could be anything

Reserve backs:
18. Cust - love this guy, takes the no. 14 when Foran (very likely) injured, plus great back up in halves
19. Parker - toss up between him and Funa as a winger, but reality is would struggle to start at centre at any other club
20. Harper - baby Parker, needs to hit the gym, good centre reserve
21. Ben Turbo - hopefully not far away from making a major 1st grade impact like his brothers
22. Koula - young centre, hopefully potential
23. Find the next young Sivo/Vunivalu
24. Find an 80% goal kicker

Reserve forwards:
25. Gosiewski - proven versatile back row reserve
26. Davey - back row, potential solid reserve
27. Sipley - seemed a real gun prop season before last, but (injuries aside) what happened to him this year?
28. Titmuss - great junior potential prop after starring in 2017 NYC
29. Find a back up second row or prop
30. Find a young no. 9 and/or half (goal kicker wouldn't hurt either)

OUT:
Walker - reality: hasn't starred in 2 years, plus way too much trouble off field, big $ pay for Addo-Carr
Taufua - reality: way too slow/short,/butterfingers, light years past his best, would not start at any other club
(add up those 2 contracts and Ado-Carr is living at Newport in no time on double his Melb $)
Garrick - reality: tries hard but we badly need speed and impact on the wing, would struggle to start at most other clubs
Croker - reality: a reserve grade star who struggles in firsts, plus sitting behind Schuster/Fainu/Foran/Cust/new junior 9
Boyle - reality: can't break the line, plus sitting behind Marty/Aloia/Paseka/Keppie/Sipley/Tittmus

If you add up those 5 above it has to be at least $1m (likely more), plus then add on the departed Fonau-Blake, Thompson, Waddell, Levi, Elliot, Hopoate, Metcalf, Tony Williams, that's surely another $1m at the very least there too.

So conservatively $2m back in the can.

The two big points for me are:

1. We MUST get at least one superstar winger and why not Addo-Carr. Look at the top teams they all have fast dangerous wingers who score stacks of tries and win comps. The money above suggests we can afford it easily.

2. We MUST think like Roosters and remove dead wood for better players and free up cash.

Remember when we use to buy players like Jamie Lyon, Ben Kennedy, Mark Carroll, David Gillespie, and many more.

Come on Des/Humphries, we are Manly, a premiership club, not the Tigers happy to run 9th!

I agree with most of this except JAC at fullback

JAC has never played fullback in first grade, would have no idea on the defensive positioning (which is much harder than it looks) and really does not have the hands whatsoever. Also what is a guarantee he would even be good chiming in and around the ruck?

The best part of JAC's games are:
1. Running game to chase kicks --> see Origin 2... Cleary kicking was perfect, we see it wit hSmith and JAC for the Storm... why would you ruin that threat on the wing
2. His defensive positioning on the wing --> watch him tonight in Origin, i nOrigin 2 he was perfect in that he knows he doesn't need to go outside too far as he can let his opposite winger run outside, as he is faster than all of them, so he pushes them towards the sideline. His defense is serially underrated on the wing.

Fullback is the most valuable position in the modern game (statistically speaking and financially speaking) and I think putting the best winger in the comp, potentially the best winger in Modern NRL, to fullback is ludacris.

Other than that - completely agree with the above. I also agree with 'Chuck anything you can at JAC' - he is probably the best winger i've ever seen (Wasn't alive for the old manly legends). Chuck as much as we can at him and get him here.

Unfortunately we don't have the cash for all these signings - Garner would be what 300-450k, JAC 700k, Aloiai 450-550k... would love it but out of budget.

 

[Ron E. Gibbs]

Agree with a lot of your points, cf2, except for Croker being a reserve grade "star". Even in reserve grade, he's average at best.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Agree with a lot of your points, cf2, except for Croker being a reserve grade "star". Even in reserve grade, he's average at best.

My old team the Moree Boars will be looking for a Captain / Coach in 2021, he’d go well there !!