Young Forwards - Do we have any?

[KNUCKLES]

Bailey Simonsen as well.

Hot Tamale from the raiders as well apparently

 

[1972]

The Roosters are smart in their ability to get quality talent into the ranks very early; they claim them as juniors but they're not local boys. They've just been brought to the club at Harold Matts level. We should do the same but we look in the wrong places. Western Sydney is a market flooded with other NRL clubs competing for talent. Manly should have been smart about the Central Coast years ago, when the joint venture crumbled. The area was there for the taking.

Manly just do not have the money the clubs with a real chance of winning have, either from a leagues club or super wealthy owners willing to do what it takes and make a loss year after year for their love of the club. Thank the long shadow of Super League (leagues club) and the GFC (Delmege). Very sad. Go Manly.

 

[Ohgeez]

Is anyone actually taking Tamale or Simonsson over Saab or Hoppa anyway? Every team loses junior players it’s just how it goes

 

[Eagle 1]

He was somebody else’s junior.

Meanwhile Scott, seen here with brother Brett,
View attachment 30307
was too busy scouring the Never Never. That is everything west of the Roseville Bridge - but more particularly west of the Silverwater Bridge - for talent, when he missed this Belrose (a real Manly junior) player:
View attachment 30308

Wish Latu could of stayed someone else's junior and not our's.

 

[Ohgeez]

Wish Latu could have stayed someone else's junior and not our's.

Has all the talent but his injury track record is looking really bad for someone that hasn’t even turned 20 yet. May have dodged a bullet on this 1 but time will tell

 

[maxta]

Why aren't we lining up some of these young warriors forwards they all look to have talent.

Yeh they just signed Halasami longer term....would have been something positive if he landed at Manly....but not to be....probably waiting for Kapow instead ???

 

[Rafferty]

Is anyone actually taking Tamale or Simonsson over Saab or Hoppa anyway? Every team loses junior players it’s just how it goes

Young Tamale looks the goods to me, I would have him in a heart beat, it’s always hard to rate players against players, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him become an elite winger and play rep footy, his ball running and aggression are exceptional for a 20 yo.

 

[Disco]

I think it would be reasonably achieveable to look at some like.

For 2026 (all off contract)
2 of Tanner Stowers-Smith, Lazarus Vaalepu or Josiah Puhulu
Along with Harrison Hassett

That is 3 young talended forwards to replace Matterson, James and Sipley.

Then come Nov1 go hard at Liam Henry and Blake Steep for 2027. Very confident they will be Origin quality prop and lock.

A marquee would be great and if we have the cap space than yes please but I think an injection of youth with upside would also work.

 

[MW66]

If you look at the Bulldogs model we don't need superstars. Fit, hard working and defensively sound meets the bill.

 

[Bomb Voyage]

Update: Josiah Puhulu no longer available as the Storm have signed him.

 

[Disco]

Update: Josiah Puhulu no longer available as the Storm have signed him.

Signed with Immediate effect.

Ugggh see if we were a bit proactive that could have been us.

 

[47MVEagle]

So? we need to be better we don't have many juniors so we can't be losing them. Who was asleep at the wheel? the same with the young raiders winger who is another of ours it is not good enough.

Not every local junior wants to play for Manly.

Sam Verrills for example - apparently he wanted to get away from the area after his older brother's suicide.

I think there are a lot of people involved in league on the northern beaches who weren't too keen on the Fultons, so many avoided trying out to avoid having to work with them while they were there - I've been told by that many older blokes that "their son was a gun hooker coming up though the grades but Bozo put his son in the first grade team so we looked elsewhere" so it seems to have been a common sentiment.