Apparently bulldogs are in talk with semi radradra?

[B-Train]

I think anyone who expects us to be signing multiple marquee players over the next few years is going to be very disappointed.

I spoke to someone at the club and they are focusing heavily on junior recruitment and retention and splashing huge money on big names isn't in the plans.

Retention? Who do we have aside from 10 players max that are worth retaining? And some of the juniors we have worth retaining don't get to play!

Signing young players should be a focus, but established highly rated young players. Not more Meaneys and Coggers etc.

If they sign players like Papenhuyzen, Grant, Butcher and Cotric etc then that would be a good use of the money.

If they want to extend Jackson on 800k and sign three more players like Chrichton and expect fans to keep putting up with mediocrity then they're more inept than we thought.

 

[Spoonman84]

Your kidding yourself if you think we don't eventually need at least 1 or 2 marquee players

You don't need marquee players if you get junior recruitment right. You get the next Latrell coming through instead of buying the finished product that soaks up a huge chunk of cap space.

 

[Spoonman84]

Retention? Who do we have aside from 10 players max that are worth retaining? And some of the juniors we have worth retaining don't get to play!

Signing young players should be a focus, but established highly rated young players. Not more Meaneys and Coggers etc.

If they sign players like Papenhuyzen, Grant, Butcher and Cotric etc then that would be a good use of the money.

If they want to extend Jackson on 800k and sign three more players like Chrichton and expect fans to keep putting up with mediocrity then they're more inept than we thought.

I should have been clearer there I meant junior retention is a key focus. The club is very excited with the juniors they currently have and want to lock them up.

 

[B-Train]

You don't need marquee players if you get junior recruitment right. You get the next Latrell coming through instead of buying the finished product that soaks up a huge chunk of cap space.

The problem is that's been their focus for two seasons and what gun youngsters have they recruited?

Instead they wasted 600k or more on Napa and didn't sign Robson when he was available. Instead now they're making desperation moves like Luke, Levi, Reynolds etc because they haven't been able to sign one hooker in two seasons.

 

[B-Train]

I should have been clearer there I meant junior retention is a key focus. The club is very excited with the juniors they currently have and want to lock them up.

Yeah but in saying that we lost Talau and two other schoolboys last season and the kid to Nth Qld. So it's not like they're retaining all of our best prospects.

And also, we should be recruiting other clubs best prospects but that hasn't happened either. If they did that, more people could have excitement and faith in the club.

Being linked to Packer, Levi and being turned down by Jennings doesn't inspire confidence.

 

[Spoonman84]

The problem is that's been their focus for two seasons and what gun youngsters have they recruited?

Instead they wasted 600k or more on Napa and didn't sign Robson when he was available. Instead now they're making desperation moves like Luke, Levi, Reynolds etc because they haven't been able to sign one hooker in two seasons.

They have a very promising group in SG Ball and Flegg and these are the players they are focusing on.

The problem is they aren't ready yet so we are forced to buy players until they come through. They had a go at a several hookers and they didn't get one so its not like they had a choice with Robson and decided not to buy him.

 

[B-Train]

They have a very promising group in SG Ball and Flegg and these are the players they are focusing on.

The problem is they aren't ready yet so we are forced to buy players until they come through. They had a go at a several hookers and they didn't get one so its not like they had a choice with Robson and decided not to buy him.

It's great in principle but the conversion rate of players from those junior grades to any NRL player, let alone a good one is very low. Like less than 5%. So putting all of our hopes into that is great in theory but not practical. It should be a massive focus, but part of the plan, not the only basket they put all of their eggs into.

 

[Spoonman84]

Yeah but in saying that we lost Talau and two other schoolboys last season and the kid to Nth Qld. So it's not like they're retaining all of our best prospects.

And also, we should be recruiting other clubs best prospects but that hasn't happened either. If they did that, more people could have excitement and faith in the club.

Being linked to Packer, Levi and being turned down by Jennings doesn't inspire confidence.

Losing juniors is a fact of life you won't keep them all we have also retained a bunch of them too.

They never announce junior signings they have been recruiting there.

Being linked to players means absolutely nothing in the scheme of things

 

[Spoonman84]

It's great in principle but the conversion rate of players from those junior grades to any NRL player, let alone a good one is very low. Like less than 5%. So putting all of our hopes into that is great in theory but not practical. It should be a massive focus, but part of the plan, not the only basket they put all of their eggs into.

Of course that's why they aren't going to rely solely on the juniors.

 

[bradyk]

You don't need marquee players if you get junior recruitment right. You get the next Latrell coming through instead of buying the finished product that soaks up a huge chunk of cap space.

You do that aswell? You can have both. You don't go out and overpay on 4-5 average-decent (or even more tbh) players tho. We have a good starting point/base with the squad we have, add 2 marquee players and a young gun and we're good...

 

[bradyk]

Don’t we still have to spend 95% of the cap?
Are we just going to pay our juniors bigger salaries to get to that mark?

Buy players for 1 season as a stop gap, I call them mercenaries (e.g. Morris, Segeyaro, Luke, SBW, etc) or front load current players contracts (which also could help us retain for 2021).

 

[Spoonman84]

You do that aswell? You can have both. You don't go out and overpay on 4-5 average-decent players tho. We have a good starting point/base with the squad we have, add 2 marquee players and a young gun and we're good...

Who said anything about over paying 4-5 average players? Who knows what will happen but I’d be surprised if we get 2 marquees anytime soon.

 

[bradyk]

Who said anything about over paying 4-5 average players? Who knows what will happen but I’d be surprised if we get 2 marquees anytime soon.

2021 we will sign 2 marquee players. What type of players are you going to bring to the club without overpaying? No one is going to come. We'll have the exact same squad. Every player we've missed out on recently literally is an e.g. of what I'm saying and it'd be the same moving forward.

 

[Spoonman84]

2021 we will sign 2 marquee players. What type of players are you going to bring to the club without overpaying?

I’m not getting into the whole overpaying thing again. We will just have to wait and see what happens.

 

[bradyk]

I’m not getting into the whole overpaying thing again. We will just have to wait and see what happens.

Wait and believe. Really good idea. Maybe mid season we'll get another player forced out of their club, where we're the only option they have otherwise they're playing reserve grade!

 

[NPC83]

You do that aswell? You can have both. You don't go out and overpay on 4-5 average-decent (or even more tbh) players tho. We have a good starting point/base with the squad we have, add 2 marquee players and a young gun and we're good...

As long as we don’t buy Latrell for $900k-$1M tonights game was evidence he is definitely not worth the money. $1m is for a Thurston , Smith, Munster type of player.

 

[bradyk]

As long as we don’t buy Latrell for $900k-$1M tonights game was evidence he is definitely not worth the money. $1m is for a Thurston , Smith, Munster type of player.

Latrell's been out of form recently (not just tonight), but he's shown me enough over the last 2 seasons he's a 700k Centre, therefor it'll cost us 900k-1m. The whole Roosters' team was off and for all we know he's already thinking about his future (yeah a top player shouldn't do that, but he's 22). Also if the Rabbitohs were to come in with the same offer, we'd have no chance in signing him.

 

[Natboy]

Latrell's been out of form recently (not just tonight), but he's shown me over the last 2 seasons he's a 700k Centre, therefor it'll cost us 900k-1m. The whole Roosters' team was off and for all we know he's already thinking about his future (yeah a top player shouldn't do that, but he's 22). Also if the Rabbitohs were to come in with the same offer, we'd have no chance in signing him.

You’re like a broken record mate

 

[bradyk]

You’re like a broken record mate

So are the people I'm replying to and who are replying to me. That was also the 1st time I've mentioned Latrell's form and the Roosters' as a team.

 

[NPC83]

Latrell's been out of form recently (not just tonight), but he's shown me enough over the last 2 seasons he's a 700k Centre, therefor it'll cost us 900k-1m. The whole Roosters' team was off and for all we know he's already thinking about his future (yeah a top player shouldn't do that, but he's 22). Also if the Rabbitohs were to come in with the same offer, we'd have no chance in signing him.

You are right bro 100% I just don’t want to pay that for him. I’d rather sign a $600k centre and spread the other $300k around incase we need $50-$100k to sign somebody and we are competing with another club.