Recruitment & Retention ...

[Woodsie]

Well, days before the season kick-off, and apart from the views that we need one more big name (5/8, centre or water-boy), given the cap restraints, I am prepared to call our overall club recruitment over the past 18 months a success.

And I will name our biggest and most significant signing ... one Wayne Lambkin.

With the 7/8 former Westfield High players in our u/20's he attracted ... plus his obvious coaching ability ... he may just be our best signing since Jamie Lyon.

I will gush even further .... I believe (except for that one mythical big name) ..... that the biggest problem facing us now .... will be retention ....

 

[The Wheel]

Yes I bet the other blood suckers will be sniffing around those U20s team

 

[Ryan]

Roosters in particular. The steal everyone's juniors at will, because they can offer more cash and "incentives" than anyone else. THEN, if the kid doesn't improve exponentially, they throw them on the scrapheap.

 

[manly al]

Wayne Lambkin must be a very good motivator in particular . I have very rarely seen a R L side at any level basically dominated and even out muscled for long periods as the Manly 20 "s were in the G f last season , yet who were still able to manage a great win . Manly can only try their best to retain all of their preferred juniors now and in the short term , they don"t seem to be doing too bad to date with development contracts for some of the really promising juniors and even retaining the likes of Fainu , Tom Wright and Parker into next year . But for sure it is going to be a challenge keeping all of the good up and comers currently in the club system . And as long as no one hopefully does not advocate any back ended deals / [ only partly joking ]

 

[EaglesDontTweet]

Given what appears to be Trent's pick and stick top team selection strategy (team cohesion, harmony, etc.), the opportunity for the youngsters to be promoted up might not be as apparent to them as it really is. Bit of a double-edged sword.

 

[Budgie]

Roosters in particular. The steal everyone's juniors at will, because they can offer more cash and "incentives" than anyone else. THEN, if the kid doesn't improve exponentially, they throw them on the scrapheap.

Though, to be brutally honest, they're not really our juniors either.

 

[Ryan]

Though, to be brutally honest, they're not really our juniors either.

I'm talking about guys who went through our junior systems they steal like Michael Oldfield, Liam Knight, Lama Tasi, Jack Elsegood, JWH etc etc etc. Not many go on to succeed there either. They take them, chew them up, then spit them out. Career destroyers.

They also made pretty big offers to J Buhrer, but he knocked them back to stay with us (I know that as fact)

 

[Budgie]

I'm talking about guys who went through our junior systems they steal like Michael Oldfield, Liam Knight, Lama Tasi, Jack Elsegood, JWH etc etc etc. Not many go on to succeed there either. They take them, chew them up, then spit them out. Career destroyers.

They also made pretty big offers to J Buhrer, but he knocked them back to stay with us (I know that as fact)

And to every other team in the comp. But you must acknowledge that all these kids doing the daily long haul from the outer western suburbs didn't exactly grow up on the Northern Beaches before deciding to move to greener pastures.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Yes I bet the other blood suckers will be sniffing around those U20s team

Especially the blood suckers towards Bondi way!

 

[Woodsie]

Given what appears to be Trent's pick and stick top team selection strategy (team cohesion, harmony, etc.), the opportunity for the youngsters to be promoted up might not be as apparent to them as it really is. Bit of a double-edged sword.

Yeah, gone are the days when the likes of Maxie Krilich and Frog's eyes were prepared to bide their time and hone their skills in reggies until an incumbent retired.

Now if they don't get a FG gig straight away they are gonski .....

 

[Woodsie]

We could do a lot worse than signing Wayne Lambkin up to a longer contract ....

 

[Ryan]

We could do a lot worse than signing Wayne Lambkin up to a longer contract ....

Honestly, he is a godsend, and I completely agree with you. He would be amazing succession for Trent Barrett if / when the inevitable happens one day (but hoping that's not anytime soon of coarse.)

 

[Budgie]

Now if they don't get a FG gig straight away they are gonski .....

So much easier for the talented though. My cousin's poor kid was playing at Blacktown with no chance of a shot in the big dance so has now moved to Rockhampton just to have one final crack at realizing his dream.

 

[Woodsie]

Honestly, he is a godsend, and I completely agree with you. He would be amazing succession for Trent Barrett if / when the inevitable happens one day (but hoping that's not anytime soon of coarse.)

I don't know if he has FG coaching in him ... it's a jump up from juniors .... but I am fairly confident in saying he is a good man to have around the club in some capacity ...

 

[EaglesDontTweet]

Yeah, gone are the days when the likes of Maxie Krilich and Frog's eyes were prepared to bide their time and hone their skills in reggies until an incumbent retired.

Now if they don't get a FG gig straight away they are gonski .....

I miss the simpler days when all the grades played on the same day, you could see the youngsters go around followed by the up and comers playing with some of the old warhorses not quite ready to hang up their boots, and all having a chance to be called up to the top team. Player's families together absorbing the culture of the club.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

I miss the simpler days when all the grades played on the same day, you could see the youngsters go around followed by the up and comers playing with some of the old warhorses not quite ready to hang up their boots, and all having a chance to be called up to the top team. Player's families together absorbing the culture of the club.

The good old days, I hate saying that ( given I’m older than 60 now) but they were actually “ good”.

 

[Smokin Joe]

The focus away from the U20s does make it a little easier to retain talent if you are prepared to...The salary cap for the Flegg is way less than the past and if a club wants to pick a young player from you,the main way financially to do it is to offer them a $60k maximum contract on their 6 man development squad(eg Hopoate/Schuster) but if we value them just as highly,we can match that offer and put them on our own development squad(although it depends if you want to offer a 16/17 year old that much cash).If a club is highly desperate they can offer them a spot on their 30 man squad and a $100k contract,but the risk is having to use them if there are injuries...For us we can potentially look to offer Fainu/Olakau'atu/Cust/Metcalfe spots in the 30 man squad for 2019 and if Schuster/Hopoate are attracting interest then we can look to place them on a $60k development contract (for 2019)and anyone wanting to poach them would have to offer them a spot at 17 years of age in their 30 man squad to trump us.Of course if we don't value a player as much as another club does then obviously they will sign and go...

 

[maxta]

Some red hot talent through the ranks at Manly at this time...and they will be targeted.
Personally have really liked the recent signings and the evidence was in 2017 where 2 Key players in Stewart and Matai were goneski's, yet the team aimed up, this is evidence itself that even with a lesser budget to most, the recruitment had done its homework fielding a competitive side that scared some more fancied teams in 2017.
The Real test will be retention from 2019, as kids who have not broken into the grade as quickly as would have liked, will have Politis and friend with cheque books in hand, knocking on the doors.
The good thing is with this current stock of talent - only really need the odd Marquee player and concentrate on nurturing whats in the backyard and there is another window of success in the coming years, so should hold onto most of them.

 

[nightster]

The good old days, I hate saying that ( given I’m older than 60 now) but they were actually “ good”.

they were great days Mark

 

[Althewomanspal]

I'm talking about guys who went through our junior systems they steal like Michael Oldfield, Liam Knight, Lama Tasi, Jack Elsegood, JWH etc etc etc. Not many go on to succeed there either. They take them, chew them up, then spit them out. Career destroyers.

They also made pretty big offers to J Buhrer, but he knocked them back to stay with us (I know that as fact)

Cmon mate you can’t be serious they steal? When other clubs take our juniors it’s stealing? Haha mate VAST majority of our players we have grabbed from other clubs.