Move Heaven and Earth...

[BOZO]

Get this young bloke in. Can play, and will enjoy his footy at Manly and grow as a man.

We will get him eventually feathered friend
We will follow our new Manly low budget train and trail recruiting policy and get him in his 30s just before he retires

 

[LeonardCohen]

Not looking much chance... I cant get through paywall but the blurb sayd StMerge, Bulldogs and Tigpies have met with May... doubt we can compete on coin with either of the last 2 and, besides, we can't sign him if we don’t even talk to him...

I also doubt the club see a deficit of middle forwards. We aren’t short middles per se, we’re short good middles. The writing was on the wall when we upgraded Brown, extended Paseka and re-signed Aloiai that the club were satisfied with what we’ve already got. On top of that, they’ve given a trail and trial to Taukeiaho, which tells me the cap is stretched in terms of money for middles. They’re probably holding on some coin for Bateman or another edge forward.

It’s interesting…I’d prefer a mobile middle like May and a no frills edge forward like Ben T or Waddell, than no May but with Bateman on an edge. At the same time, I trust the coaching staff knows more than me.

 

[frank stokes]

I also doubt the club see a deficit of middle forwards. We aren’t short middles per se, we’re short good middles. The writing was on the wall when we upgraded Brown, extended Paseka and re-signed Aloiai that the club were satisfied with what we’ve already got. On top of that, they’ve given a trail and trial to Taukeiaho, which tells me the cap is stretched in terms of money for middles. They’re probably holding on some coin for Bateman or another edge forward.

It’s interesting…I’d prefer a mobile middle like May and a no frills edge forward like Ben T or Waddell, than no May but with Bateman on an edge. At the same time, I trust the coaching staff knows more than me.

Yeah as much as I would love to see him here, I also feel like there is too much cap assigned to other middles already - plus we are paying for Schuster still...

if we could offload Aloiai then we might be a chance but I feel like we would be carrying freight anyways... don't suppose Tigpies want their prodigal prop/groundskeeper back?

If there IS coin left than I would love to see them sign May and play Burbo/Talau on an edge... I just think Paseka and May could be the front row combination that turns us into a premiership contender...

 

[LeonardCohen]

Yeah as much as I would love to see him here, I also feel like there is too much cap assigned to other middles already - plus we are paying for Schuster still...

if we could offload Aloiai then we might be a chance but I feel like we would be carrying freight anyways... don't suppose Tigpies want their prodigal prop/groundskeeper back?

If there IS coin left than I would love to see them sign May and play Burbo/Talau on an edge... I just think Paseka and May could be the front row combination that turns us into a premiership contender...

Yeah agree. If you look at Penrith, they have Martin and Sorensen. So they’ve got one weapon and a no frills system player and they won a comp. It’s possible for Manly to be successful with Olakau’atu and another lesser name edge forward that just does his job. I don’t feel we need two weapons on the edges to challenge. We need mobility in the middle and May brings that.

 

[double hoops]

That didn't work out too well for the eels

 

[BOZO]

We need mobility in the middle and May brings that.

You make a very good point about our need for more mobility in the middle
This need has been evident for a few years
I am not sure why we keep investing in immobile players like Woods and Taukeiaho to add to our middle immobility

 

[LeonardCohen]

You make a very good point about our need for more mobility in the middle
This need has been evident for a few years
I am not sure why we keep investing in immobile players like Woods and Taukeiaho to add to our middle immobility

I wonder how mobile he will be when we sign him on a train and trial for the 2030 season? 😂

 

[Ryan]

He's not in our sweet spot.

1. He's wanted by other clubs
2. He's still young
3. He's coming from a finalist
4. He's not returning from multiple long term injuries.
5. He's not considering retirement.

Our recruitment team wouldn't consider him.

 

[LeonardCohen]

He's not in our sweet spot.

1. He's wanted by other clubs
2. He's still young
3. He's coming from a finalist
4. He's not returning from multiple long term injuries.
5. He's not considering retirement.

Our recruitment team wouldn't consider him.

6. He hasn't played for the Tigers.

 

[Phobia]

Worth remembering that the media had zero clue about the Sharks signing AFB, and Mestrov has publically said he's "closed the leaks".

Whoever is available, those three clubs are always linked to them. I wouldn't think about it too much, it's just that their media management is incompetent.

 

[double hoops]

6. He hasn't played for the Tigers.

That's back on Penn and Mestrov and the amount of $ our recruitment team have to play.

There is only one reason anyone looks in the bargain box.

 

[frank stokes]

Worth remembering that the media had zero clue about the Sharks signing AFB, and Mestrov has publically said he's "closed the leaks".

Whoever is available, those three clubs are always linked to them. I wouldn't think about it too much, it's just that their media management is incompetent.

Good point... no-one knew about Brooks until he turned up at training with his kit bag...

 

[LeonardCohen]

That's back on Penn and Mestrov and the amount of $ our recruitment team have to play.

There is only one reason anyone looks in the bargain box.

or four reasons in the case of two Trbo’s, DCE and Olakau’atu.

 

[double hoops]

or four reasons in the case of two Trbo’s, DCE and Olakau’atu.

All the top clubs have a few marque men.

Our club just needs to stop making that an excuse for who we don't sign.

Third parties, unit blocks, rounds of golf, lunches with bags.

Other clubs give us competition, but the best come out on top.

 

[LeonardCohen]

All the top clubs have a few marque men.

Our club just needs to stop making that an excuse for who we don't sign.

Third parties, unit blocks, rounds of golf, lunches with bags.

Other clubs give us competition, but the best come out on top.

I can’t think of a club that has four players around the million dollar mark that have just gone to market and snapped up a big name.

Even the Roosters have coin to go to market at the moment.

Penrith have lost some much talent, that speaks to some integrity within the cap.

I don’t believe Manly are just dumb and haven’t woken up to some talent on the market…they obviously can’t fit it under the cap or they’d be making a play. We have a lot of established first graders like Garrick that would be 200k more than the average run-of-mill roster filler. It adds up. It’s a pretty stacked roster that just needs to find an extra edge. I can’t remember the last time a team won a comp because they recruited a 475k middle forward that’s only just broken into regular FG.

 

[double hoops]

I can't see us adding another million dollar man. At least not without a couple of outs.

May be that's the play..

But the Shoe freed up some $ to play with. Since we've also lost Lawton.

So even just in terms replacing the shoe in the back rower.

In all that time.

We had a crack at Curran. Lost out to the Dogs.

We had a look at Sitili. Lost out to the Dogs.

We've been linked to Bateman. Wait n see.

But there is only one reason we are missing out on players to the dogs. $. $. $.

If our head office can get more third party $ or some other smart way of doing business, we might be a chance.

But ya need $ to win premierships.
When we last won it in 11 des was back loading deals to create a window, and the NRL have taken the extreme end of that away.

So our creative head office just better find another way. Our time is due.

 

[silvereagle]

You make a very good point about our need for more mobility in the middle
This need has been evident for a few years
I am not sure why we keep investing in immobile players like Woods and Taukeiaho to add to our middle immobility

Yes pretty obvious for anyone who has watched any of our games last couple of seasons. We desperately need a dominant mobile middle forward (or two). Even more obvious after watching the Tonga v Aus game last night. Taniela is our main go-to-middle and he looked seriously pedestrian and way out of his depth amongst the big boys. If he is our main middleman next year, then with the greatest respect, we will not be challenging for the title (yet again).

 

[Tragic Eagle]

Its kind of like shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic.

 

[rmd]

I agree, Nella looked really pedestrian for Tonga, which was really odd, given some of his performances during the year for Manly. He has so much potential talent and yet just isn't really showing what he has. Hopefully in 2025 he'll really stand up and be a significant leader of the Manly forward pack.

If we get Bateman, and that's a big 'IF', maybe he can stir up Nella to be the type of 'go forward' and agressive player we need, and emulate Huamole.

Taukeiaho, Aloiai, Brown and Huamole add some real mongrel to the pack, while, in my opinion, Jake just has to move to the front row and do what he does, with his great defence and decoy runs.

Ultimately the forwards have two jobs:
1) get our attack on the front foot to free up our backline when we have the ball
2) secure the middle and put the opposition on the back foot when they have the ball

Simple solution but harder to do if they are not playing with extra energy.

 

[LeonardCohen]

I agree, Nella looked really pedestrian for Tonga, which was really odd, given some of his performances during the year for Manly. He has so much potential talent and yet just isn't really showing what he has. Hopefully in 2025 he'll really stand up and be a significant leader of the Manly forward pack.

If we get Bateman, and that's a big 'IF', maybe he can stir up Nella to be the type of 'go forward' and agressive player we need, and emulate Huamole.

Taukeiaho, Aloiai, Brown and Huamole add some real mongrel to the pack, while, in my opinion, Jake just has to move to the front row and do what he does, with his great defence and decoy runs.

Ultimately the forwards have two jobs:
1) get our attack on the front foot to free up our backline when we have the ball
2) secure the middle and put the opposition on the back foot when they have the ball

Simple solution but harder to do if they are not playing with extra energy.

Nothing personal, but I’m tired of the ‘Paseka - potential’ narrative. It’s not a small sample size we are working with…he is average. It takes more than height and weight to be elite and Paseka sadly does not possess much more. I don’t think he needs to try harder, I think we just need to accept that he is not elite. Inconsistency is not a choice, it’s a sign of a limitation and for various reasons, Paseka does not have consistency. He is just a decent first grader; nothing more and nothing less. I’ll be bowled over if a switch is suddenly flicked and begins playing like a man possessed week in week out for the length of a season, let alone what’s left of his career.