My recruitment scenario thread:-

Ryan

Journey Man
1st of all lads. Anika Jewel Winter born Anzac Day (gets public holiday on her b'day for the rest of her life !!!). She's gorgeous etc. I'm a very happy father !!!

In regards to recruitment, and the million threads about Monnas / Burns etc etc, this is what I'd do with the team:-

01. Brett Stewart - signed for a few years yet - no brainer.
02. Michael Robertson - I'd offer a two year contract. He hasn't put a foot wrong.
03. Steve Matai - Young, and a contingency in the centres for Bell when Bell retires (I would anticipate 2-3 years?). I wouldn't throw him in the backrow, because he's a great player, and will play centres for a long time to come.
04. Steven Bell - Signed until the end of 2008 - no brainer
05. Chris Hicks - I'd re-sign Hicks for an additional 2 years. I'd bring Bani along slowly, to replace Hicks in the long term. I would also give Bani a shot if any player 1 through 5 gets injured, or plays rep football.
06. Jamie Lyon - I'd actually play Jamie Lyon @ 5/8 up until Bell retires. That would mean Burns immediately plays 5/8 at that time. Burns would also get to play 5/8 when Lyon plays rep, or 1 to 5 get injured, and Dessie doesn't want to play Bani. Lyon is tied up for ages - and he's a no brainer.
07. Matt Orford - Tied up for a fair while yet - no brainer.
08. Jason King - Going great guns. I also now believe he is playing himself into rep (SOO) contention like Mata believes. He's tied up until the end of 08, so again - no worries here.
09. Matt Ballin - I'd extend his contract for another 3 years (until the end of 2011). He's a thoroughbred Hooker, and an 80 minute Hooker that adds the same amount of value minute one through minute 80. I believe Monnas may play elsewhere next year, which stinks in my opinion, because he is a handy, solid utility player - that can single handedly win matches (like Orford). I'm actually pretty dirty to be honest he's going.
10. Brent Kite - some are saying he's already re-signed until the end of 2011. If so, brilliant. Absolute leader and top gun. Taken over as my favourite player.
11. Anthony Watmough - he's a junior, he's a great player (I'm concerned about his OFF field antics to be honest), but I guess that doesn't sway me from wanting him re-signed for another 3 years. Young, damaging, and turning into a leader, as well as what appears to be a chanhe in the positive in his OFF field issues.
12. Feleti Mateo - I'd sign Mateo up to a deal for 3 years. He's very young, and very damaging, as well as confident. Cutting out his errors would make him a great player, and I'm anticipating after 50 games, that he'd be a gun - much like David Kidwell as a player. I'd also get him to bulk up muscle wise a little.
13. Glenn Stewart - He's a real improver, and may become a rep player in front of players like Gallen maybe !!! He's re-signed for another 3 years, so this is a no brainer.

14. Travis Burns - I'd have a discussion with Burns about growth as a player, and patience. I'd re-sign him for FOUR years, on a pretty lucrative offer. I personally believe that he may be the QLD Origin 5/8 after Lockyer along with Thurston at 1/2, and that may mean at a very, very long shot, he'll be the Australian 5/8 - and as soon as he meshes with these types of players, his ON field game will improve exponentially. As seen above @ 5/8, any chance at all (which will be a lot) to put him into 5/8, I would. As soon as Bell retires, Burns has a mtg on the 5/8 spot.
15. George Rose - Rose is signed for another year. No brainer. He's getting fitter and fitter, and better, and better. I'd actually try him to do a Kane Clealisk off season to lose more bulk, and gain more mobility (but not so much as to lose his impact).
16. Glenn Hall - I'd re-sign Hall for another 2 years, on around $110k per season. He's proven to me that he's more mobile than Bryant, and has more impact at the line. For this reason, I'd have him on the bench as a prop AND 2nd rower. We need to remember all second rowers from 11-13 above are 80 minute players.
17. This is the up for grabs spot. This season (mid season), I pull in Mark Bryant, Luke Williamson, Jack Afamsanga, Sione Fenefekai, Adam Cuthbertson & Jason Wells. I know they are already trying to do so, but I issue a challenge for them to prove they deserve this last spot. What this means, is a re-sign Willow for another 2 years.

This would then mean I consider:-

1. Steve Menzies - to retire
2. Michael Monghan - to be released (again - Bah Humbug !)
3. Shayne Dunley - let go (Willow to be replacement Hooker worst case scenario)

When you consider that the cap went up $700k this year, we lost Bk and Leuluai, and only replaced them with Lyon at $450 + Orford's increase in salary by $250k, you's assume we have PLENTY to hrow around.

Add that to Beaver retiring, Monaghan leaving, and Dunley playing in the ESL, and the fact were are after O'Donnell, one would assume we may be placed to make an offer to - oh - say - Mark O'Meley.

I'd then go for:-

8. King
9. Ballin
10. O'Meley
11. Watmough
12. Kite
13. Stewart

14. Burns
15. Rose
16. Hall
17. Mateo

Thanks for your time lads...
 
Thanks boys. I only get a rare chance to come on these days - so I tried to make it worth it !!!

Hehehe..
 
Congrats on the baby.

I don't follow your logic on Burns. If you are touting him as a future SOO or even Aust 5/8 than why have him on the bench as a utility player. If he is going to be that good at his chosen spot than he should be able to hold up a starting spot in the NRL no problems. I assume that you are going to use him in the hooking role to replace Ballin, but you are claiming Ballin is an 80 minute player so no point. If you play him off the bench purely as a back up 5/8 than you are both wasting a bench spot and risking a disgruntled player looking elsewhere for opportunity.

Matai is the weak link, leave Lyon in the centres and Burns at 5/8 for the time being. Buy a decent utility, or turn a PL player into one, to fill the role of Monas / Willo. I'm not sold on Burns as a matchwinning 5/8 just yet, he is solid and his defence is great but he doesn't dazzle with the ball in hand IMO. See how he goes once we get Orford back and he can build a game around him and the outside backs. If he doesn't improve than look at moving Lyon to 5/8 and worry about another centre than.

I'd still like to see us get another good prop, King has a long way to go to prove he is the real deal (but early signs this season are good) and I'm not sold on the 3 amigos Bryant, Hall and Rose. Of those I think Rose has most potential if he can get more mobile and fix his defence.

I still think the Matai to backrow school of thought has merit. His defence 1 on 1 is shaky at times, but he can tackle hard and would be useful in the ruck with support around him. He is a determined runner of the ball and really has a good leg drive which will see him over the advantage line more often than not. Look at the work he normally does out of dummy half. I think we have the ball playing backrower spot filled with Stewy2 so we just need a workhorse to do all the tough stuff.

We are looking OK for the future at the moment, with key positions 1, 7 and 9 covered by guns and a 6 with potential. Beaver will be a hard hole to fill, but not impossible, we certainly seemed to have survived the departure of BK without the world falling around our ears.
 
Congrats rhino

guess we now know what you were doing whilst waiting for her to be born - a super yart ;)
 
Congrats to Anika & Mum :clap: you both did very well.

Ryan of course did nothing and Mum & baby were happy about that, so :clap: from the girls.

Now back to the footy & Ryans post :

Thats a very big post there Ryan. I can summarise it as folllows:
- keep everyone except Dunners
- sign a bulldogs forward and an eel

:lol: ;)
 
Congrats Ryan.

Some pretty good thoughts there as well. Well areticulated. I think the 5/8 situation and the backrow conundrem have to be sorted out.
 
Team P W L PD Pts
2 2 0 36 4
2 2 0 26 4
2 2 0 23 4
2 2 0 19 4
2 2 0 12 4
2 1 1 13 2
2 1 1 10 2
2 1 1 3 2
2 1 1 0 2
2 1 1 0 2
2 1 1 -14 2
1 0 1 -20 2
1 0 1 -24 2
2 0 2 -8 0
2 0 2 -17 0
2 0 2 -22 0
2 0 2 -37 0
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