One has to go ... who ?

[Tragic Eagle]

He literally wasn’t going to sign a extension if he stayed on the wing lol. This is when he signed his deal to stay:

‘The deal also comes with a positional switch of its own, the club promising to move Garrick into the centres to allow the Dragons junior to get his hands on the ball more.

Garrick and his management had made it clear that the 25-year-old had no interest in remaining on the wing, a message heard loud and clear by Manly CEO Tony Mestrov.’

In that case I’d be letting him go.

 

[Dion Johnson]

It is not the amount of money they are costing that is the issue ... we can pay it ... BUT rather than paying for 7 backline stars ... letting one go for a cheaper replacement and spending the difference on a prop or second row upgrade is a better option .

Salary cap is about balance ... not total amount.

That’s the one, no use in having a stack of Bugatti’s when you need a couple of Bulldozers to pave the road ahead, a large percentage of the game is played in the middle.

Those continuous shifts to the edges get thwarted quickly when you don’t own the middle.

 

[HoldenV8]

Some of you are dreaming if you think Garrick is going to be the one to be pushed out.

 

[double hoops]

Things can change quickly. Blokes perform, others don't. Right now we have the depth of 1, and last year showed that was needed almost always.

If our forwards don't cut it. We might be better off cutting a forward.

 

[Brookie Bob]

Can’t agree. The club and the media are aware that we will have injuries, but a club’s long term injury cover is typically not an expensive seasoned first grader or a rookie that’s already an International and one of the hottest properties in the game. It might work a year or two but eventually something has to give, similar to the Suli to Saints deal. These guys want to be walk up starts not the NSW Cup for a month at a time. It’s completely valid and highly likely that unless we decide to transition someone into the forwards, we won’t be able to keep them all long-term, regardless of desire. They’ll all want a regular starting position and they can all command a decent wage for an outside back.

I'm only talking about 2025. All bets are off after that.

 

[Brookie Bob]

I'm bemused that we've all been induced to speculate on who may be chopped out of a quality backline that's taken a few years to put together - by an outside party who wrote the article - who is not a Manly supporter......

Wasn't so long ago that we would all endlessly speculate on who needed to go because their quality as a back at Manly wasn't good enough - now it's because we have too many - who are too good? Really?

Enjoy it in 2025 - and lets hope it helps with a top 4 finish this year, and let 2026 look after itself - at this point.

 

[Eagle thru 'n' thru]

Ray Vaega says "hi"

 

[Kalvin]

We are one long term injury away from not having too much depth in the backline! 😆

 

[MightyEagles]

Chez goes problem solved

 

[HoldenV8]

Chez goes problem solved

As much as I don't blame DCE one bit for that contract because the club were the ones at fault at the time, and who could blame a player for signing an 8 year, $10 million contract ... unfortunately the size if the contract has had a choke hold on the clubs salary cap ever since.

I hate to say it because I'm a DCE fan, but I do agree with you in that once he retires we're going to have around 10% of the cap freed up in one foul swoop. That's around $1.3 million which could be used to attract another, younger half (Luke Brooks turns 30 in less than 2 days so he's no rugby league spring chicken either) and/or a quality front rower.

 

[LeonardCohen]

I'm bemused that we've all been induced to speculate on who may be chopped out of a quality backline that's taken a few years to put together - by an outside party who wrote the article - who is not a Manly supporter......

Wasn't so long ago that we would all endlessly speculate on who needed to go because their quality as a back at Manly wasn't good enough - now it's because we have too many - who are too good? Really?

Enjoy it in 2025 - and lets hope it helps with a top 4 finish this year, and let 2026 look after itself - at this point.

Yeah, really, because they all want to be first graders.

Ask yourself if you can honestly see one of Hopoate, Saab, Talau, Koula or Garrick spending the next three or four seasons in and out of first grade, only getting an opportunity when injury strikes? Personally, I can’t. You mentioned you were referring to this coming year but that’s squirrelling the debate because the conjecture is clearly based on what will happen down the track, i.e, we have to let one go. The ‘why’ should be obvious - they’ll all want a starting position and the one that keeps missing out will eventually agitate for a release or sign elsewhere when their contract is up for renewal. The club won’t stand in their way because it’s not good business to pay a fringe first grader a starting wage.

To me, it’s simple. It’s why Katoa is playing for the Dolphins. Penrith had Luai and Cleary and the kid was good enough to demand a decent wage and a starting spot and was cut loose. Then the revolving door of fringe players (Schnieder, Cogger, and O’Sullivan) were purchased instead. It happens at every club, all the time.

I think the speculation can coexist with enjoyment for 25’. It’s just an intriguing situation to question who might be the odd man out.

 

[parala]

Another hot take from Clarkey. He's got more conspiracy theories than a US election.

 

[frank stokes]

Some of you are dreaming if you think Garrick is going to be the one to be pushed out.

Certainly dont think he will or should be moved on... his goalkicking alone is invaluable as we lose a LOT more games without Sandwich nailing them from the sideline...
I would just like to see him moved back to wing with Lehi and Talau/Koula in the centres...
Saab and Garrick on our edges is our best strike option imo...

 

[Brookie Bob]

Yeah, really, because they all want to be first graders.

Ask yourself if you can honestly see one of Hopoate, Saab, Talau, Koula or Garrick spending the next three or four seasons in and out of first grade, only getting an opportunity when injury strikes? Personally, I can’t. You mentioned you were referring to this coming year but that’s squirrelling the debate because the conjecture is clearly based on what will happen down the track, i.e, we have to let one go. The ‘why’ should be obvious - they’ll all want a starting position and the one that keeps missing out will eventually agitate for a release or sign elsewhere when their contract is up for renewal. The club won’t stand in their way because it’s not good business to pay a fringe first grader a starting wage.

To me, it’s simple. It’s why Katoa is playing for the Dolphins. Penrith had Luai and Cleary and the kid was good enough to demand a decent wage and a starting spot and was cut loose. Then the revolving door of fringe players (Schnieder, Cogger, and O’Sullivan) were purchased instead. It happens at every club, all the time.

I think the speculation can coexist with enjoyment for 25’. It’s just an intriguing situation to question who might be the odd man out.

"Like sands through the hourglass........these are the Days of Our Lives"

We do all enjoy the never-ending soap opera called the NRL............we write about the good times, the bad times, anything in-between; reflecting on it, speculation probably accounts for 95% of all the content on ST....

 

[LeonardCohen]

"Like sands through the hourglass........these are the Days of Our Lives"

We do all enjoy the never-ending soap opera called the NRL............we write about the good times, the bad times, anything in-between; reflecting on it, speculation probably accounts for 95% of all the content on ST....

Spot on Brookie Bob!

 

[The Who]

There are always injuries. Very rarely do you get a full squad from which to select.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

we write about the good times, the bad times,

What the Dickens!

 

[nightster]

Apart from Turbo, Hoppa, Koula, Garrick & Saab and we also have outside backs Clayton Faulalo, Ray Vaega, Aaron Schoupp and Navren Willett and if necessary, Michael Chee Kam and Burbo.

 

[silvereagle]

Should not be surprise to anybody ... but If the salary cap and a surplus of talent forces one to go ... then My reluctant choice would be Koula ...

Good to see you back on here @Woodsie. Yes it's a valid question raised. There are actually two issues here. One is real and the other one I suspect is not. One real issue is financial. Where do the dollars come from for the inevitable and looming upgrades required for Lehi and for Tommy Talau? The other issue raised which I don't think is an issue at all, is having that extra back and potentially who to drop. Now I don't profess to have the right answers here but certainly in regards to the financial issue I would be looking at the level of our current cap investment in not only our "Big 3" elite players but also the recent contract values assigned to a couple of our big lumbering middle forwards. Between these 5 guys there is about $4m -$4.5m tied up that I think should be closer to $3m. Yes all these guys have contracts so not sure how to navigate through these waters, but that is where I think we fix the financial side of the problem. Not surprisingly this is all about cap management and as boring as that subject is, that is where we find the extra dollars for both Lehi and TT. The other supposed issue of having 8 players for 7 positions, I don't regard as an issue. As Seibold has mentioned on numerous occasions now, we want strong competition for positions. That means we must have extra players to compete for the same position. So I would not be dropping anybody just yet. If that is not acceptable to any player then they know what to do and ask for a release. But that applies to virtually all the players so no issue there.

Re-balancing our cap is our single biggest requirement and with given contracts, that's a tough fix in the short term. We fix that and we fix a myriad of other collateral issues.

 

[Ryan]

Turn Tommy Talau into a fast moving mobile back rower like Dene Halatau, who also excelled at both and was an extremely similar player. Halatau ended up being an international doing that btw.