Serious Wish List

[double hoops]

A lot of posts saying we need a front rower not a back rower. I don't disagree. So who is on your wish list. Be realistic though we can't afford Matt Scott. If King pulls up the boots on the estimated $185k and you only had that much to spend. Who's the toiler who you think we need that we can afford?

 

[joeboy]

Kelepi tanginoa.

Played tight forward for parra last year. Looked awesome. Got injured, now some other young guys at parra get the jump on him and he is down the pecking order.

Great player, heaps of potential. 21 I think

 

[the mauler]

I'd love Josh McGuire from the Broncos.

 

[dowdz]

The 2014 premiership

 

[Dan]

This is a really hard topic, we play such good money ball. To be honest I want to compare us to the Sea Hawks.

They are the first and really the only NFL team adjusting and playing the salary cap. It is about buying the best young blokes as well as keeping the right mix of veteran quality older blokes and shedding the high cost guys. You have to accept the guys you blood will end up eventually having a handful of brilliant stars that you wont be able to keep.

This means risks, as well as reward and pays off more in a draft system. I think our recruitment team have already imagined and thought of this, played the numbers and understand the way to do this properly and efficiently.

10 years at the top isn't an accident, the fact other teams haven't clued on is kind of incredible. Des is actually doing a good job of trying to bring that same mentality to the bulldogs (think shedding Barba and bringing in the likes of inu and Perret). That is NRL money ball.

So who would I bring in at this point? Personally I don't think we need a metre eater, we have enough backs that already do hard yards, our defense speaks for itself so where do we improve?

I'd say personally where we have room is in the backrow, we get chopped up on the edges quite a lot, i would say the most tries or breaks against us are either right on the sidelines or just on the edges of the back row.

The thing is here, that our defense is still awesome, and we have cover defender like Foz, Ballin, Chez and Lyon who seem to clean up more than you would ever expect of them, not to mention Starlo performing clear miracles.

So for me, if I would have money to spend, it would go straight on foz and DCE and start looking for Lyon v2 and a ball handling coach for Hiku.

We are right now on the edges of winning, but also on the edges of losing our winning element, we have another 2 or 3 years out of the current formula, with some changes, but what then?

 

[niccipops]

Kelepi tanginoa.

Sma-ashui Rekkirekki

Smashes opposition and wrecks defence lines.
*I did make him up though.
I just love the Islander names. They're great.

---

Oops - did not read the 'serious' part to the thread title.

 

[dowdz]

Wouldn't Sao or Jake T be ready to step up next year? We don't seem to really spend on props.

If we did have money for a prop i wouldn't mind Maguire, better yet Fafita would of been a handy pick up.

 

[seaeagles4life]

My 2018 YART.

1. Tom Trjbovic
2. Clinton Gutherson
3. Peta Hiku
4. Kallum Watkins
5. Jorge Taufua
6. Kieran Foran
7. DCE
8. Brenton Lawrence/Ligi Sao
9. Matt Ballin/Michael Stig
10. Aaron Woods
11. Jake Trjbovic
12. Tom Symonds
13. Jamie Burher
14. Justin Horo
15. James Hasson
16. Jesse Sene Lafao
17. Dunamis Lui

How is that for money ball? Youth of tomorrow with some older heads with 2 major signings by 2018.

 

[Fluffy]

Jake turbojet will be a prop, already over 110kg with a big barrel chest.

Chee-kam will hopefully get over his injuries and make a run of it for the backrow.

On topic - if King goes I would be after a replacement at this stage, I would have liked to have seen more blooding of Jake turbojet and Sao this year

 

[The Who]

That long-haired Titan, Ryan James, has impressed me. Don;t know if it's simple that he stands out because of his flowing mane, or it's his aggression. With the Titans self-destructing he may be a worthwhile target.

 

[Killer03]

Jake T. I want to see him develop and get into top grade.

I'm really happy with what we are doing with front rowers, ie Lawrence and Starling. These so called 'nobodies' that are in fact good quality players when put in the right environment.

 

[Brookie]

re-sign glenn stewy!
time for kingy to hang them up...

 

[The Indian]

I think in regard to props we have already been down the "bargain basement" path and as a result we have heaps of cover in the prop area. We've gone for quantity over quality and now we have "as many" props as any team in the comp. Not sure we want to buy more re-cycled props to add to the pile.

So to me we either let them develop OR sacrifice a few and buy one really good one, which is risky.

For years I have heard people bang on about how front rowers win games, but I reckon our team this year shows us otherwise. Sure they have to hold their own and not get smashed, but its our football smarts than win us more games than our brute force. Our props are doing a good job, but lets face it there aren't too many stars there....just lots and lots of solid workers who do a job. The communist model if you like.

 

[HappilyManly]

Just saw the Rd 22 NSW Cup Thread and Epa is starting

He is a beast, just what we need at the end of the Season when the opposition Props are exhausted

 

[mozgrame]

Sam Tagataese. Getting a bit long in the tooth maybe, but on his day, one of the most destructive back rowers in the game.

 

[RiverEagle]

That long-haired Titan, Ryan James, has impressed me. Don;t know if it's simple that he stands out because of his flowing mane, or it's his aggression. With the Titans self-destructing he may be a worthwhile target.

No I agree on Ryan.

He seems to have fallen out of favour this year (or is he injured?)

I think he'd be awesome in our system!

Failing that, and since the Parra flavour's flowin' again (Joseph Paulo talk)
why not get Fui Fui on a lower-end deal for next year?

We could then have our own pair of hair-bears (Moi Moi and Epa L!)

Hell grab Ryan James too, and we'd have a trio of hairy heroes.

AND a perfect platform to entice sleeve-sponsors like Garnier, Head and Shoulders or Vidal Sassoon.

 

[Masked Eagle]

I should give my expert opinion because I tipped Brenton Lawrence as someone we should sign when he was at the Titans ....
Now you're all on tenterhooks waiting for what I think, I agree with those who think we already have him. Jake T will be a representative level front rower. I think only his injury has prevented him playing a roll off the bench late in the season but he'll be a star. If we are looking for someone from another club to give a chance too like Lawrence then I think Jack Buchanan at the Tigers is someone who looked OK at the Tigers last year but really hasn't been sighted in first grade at all this year and would be someone who would thrive in our set up.

 

[Stevo]

Jayden Hodges will be our next hooker

 

[HappilyManly]

Ryan James had a season ending injury thats why he is out.


(Most of the Titans halves were also out due to injury too this year.)

 

[Budgie]

In Dave Warwick we trust.

---

This is a really hard topic, we play such good money ball. To be honest I want to compare us to the Sea Hawks.

They are the first and really the only NFL team adjusting and playing the salary cap. It is about buying the best young blokes as well as keeping the right mix of veteran quality older blokes and shedding the high cost guys. You have to accept the guys you blood will end up eventually having a handful of brilliant stars that you wont be able to keep.

This means risks, as well as reward and pays off more in a draft system. I think our recruitment team have already imagined and thought of this, played the numbers and understand the way to do this properly and efficiently.

10 years at the top isn't an accident, the fact other teams haven't clued on is kind of incredible. Des is actually doing a good job of trying to bring that same mentality to the bulldogs (think shedding Barba and bringing in the likes of inu and Perret). That is NRL money ball.

So who would I bring in at this point? Personally I don't think we need a metre eater, we have enough backs that already do hard yards, our defense speaks for itself so where do we improve?

I'd say personally where we have room is in the backrow, we get chopped up on the edges quite a lot, i would say the most tries or breaks against us are either right on the sidelines or just on the edges of the back row.

The thing is here, that our defense is still awesome, and we have cover defender like Foz, Ballin, Chez and Lyon who seem to clean up more than you would ever expect of them, not to mention Starlo performing clear miracles.

So for me, if I would have money to spend, it would go straight on foz and DCE and start looking for Lyon v2 and a ball handling coach for Hiku.

We are right now on the edges of winning, but also on the edges of losing our winning element, we have another 2 or 3 years out of the current formula, with some changes, but what then?

Shhhhh. Ricky Stuart et al need all the help they can get!