News Canterbury head of football Phil Gould has been caught in another clandestine meeting, this time with a potential signing — New Zealand Warriors forwa

[Yougra]

Is It ime to get extravagant ???
As it stands our roster is well covered in every position some better than others except for props,
Through no lack of effort we have missed out on Haas Tino and Fotuaika amongst other forwards but where opportunities close others open,
AFB is one of the best props in the game and in high demand, we are the most desperate team in the comp for a prop of his caliber,
I ask, to what extreme should we go to insure he is signed ???
IMO, Gus needs to make sure he is signed and money isn't the reason we don't !!!
There is a lot more at stake if we miss out again !!!

For me, we need to go all out and make him our marquee million dollar man.

He is in the top 4 props in the game with Haas, Tino and JFH

He would make all the difference to our team and take us from also rans to a definite top 8 side

Surely we have room in our cap for at least one, million dollar player, other teams have at least one and some have more

 

[1967]

Foran and JMK or Averillo and Waddell?

Look at you, still championing the average … good on you gun …

When are you going to ChatGPT us another long boring thread that is 75% not even your material ??

I’m sure there’s some on here naive enough so say it’s fantastic and well written again, give you a strut in your step for a couple of days [emoji106]

 

[1967]

It's easy to say "so and so was never leaving"
It's the number 1 excuse when you fail to lure a player.

I can assure you, just about every player (other than JT) has had their contract renewed in the last 4 years. You can argue that players who have not gone onto market cannot have contract discussions before Nov of their final year but you'd have to be naive to think such discussions dont take place anyway.

My point is, we have Gus and CC in charge of forward planning this team and roster. If they aren't thinking 2 or 3 years ahead, they aren't doing their jobs properly.

We are not an established team where you lose 1 or 2 players and are tasked with finding replacements year to year.

We are rebuilding and need to be constantly on the look out.

TPJ was on the outer for 2 years. Thommo was out of the team that while time and the club was trying to get rid of him that whole time. Us fans knew we were in some trouble for middle forwards before season 2023 and here we are even in more trouble for '24.

You and I aren't being paid in the hundreds of thousands to sort it out. They are.

Still with the blah blah blah …

Not one word you mentioned above is anything everyone of us didn’t already know … we’re all sick of the same old things being bought up as if we didn’t know it or it’s the first we’re hearing about it …

Every fan knows what we need .. Gould CC and all the coaching staff know what we need, even the media know what we need ..

What you clowns keep on failing to mention is, who we should have in our team, sign sealed delivered that we actually really had a chance of signing ?

Give us these alpha props names that we should have that can lead the way make the metres and dominated up front ..

We’re all waiting for your wise council !

 

[King Gus]

Still with the blah blah blah …

Not one word you mentioned above is anything everyone of us didn’t already know … we’re all sick of the same old things being bought up as if we didn’t know it or it’s the first we’re hearing about it …

Every fan knows what we need .. Gould CC and all the coaching staff know what we need, even the media know what we need ..

What you clowns keep on failing to mention is, who we should have in our team, sign sealed delivered that we actually really had a chance of signing ?

Give us these alpha props names that we should have that can lead the way make the metres and dominated up front ..

We’re all waiting for your wise council !

They only know how to criticise, they don’t know how to problem solve.

 

[albatross]

Is It ime to get extravagant ???
As it stands our roster is well covered in every position some better than others except for props,
Through no lack of effort we have missed out on Haas Tino and Fotuaika amongst other forwards but where opportunities close others open,
AFB is one of the best props in the game and in high demand, we are the most desperate team in the comp for a prop of his caliber,
I ask, to what extreme should we go to insure he is signed ???
IMO, Gus needs to make sure he is signed and money isn't the reason we don't !!!
There is a lot more at stake if we miss out again !!!

I agree we need to go hard for him, and pay a bit more if needed for a marquee in a position we really need. Just saying I can see the Tigers offering silly money.

 

[D- voice]

For me, we need to go all out and make him our marquee million dollar man.

He is in the top 4 props in the game with Haas, Tino and JFH

He would make all the difference to our team and take us from also rans to a definite top 8 side

Surely we have room in our cap for at least one, million dollar player, other teams have at least one and some have more

Yes we do have room in the cap and lots of money to spend but need to spend it on the quality players that we need, AFB is one of them !!!

 

[Shnissss]

V silly statement

You can bet your kennel accounts on it

 

[D- voice]

I agree we need to go hard for him, and pay a bit more if needed for a marquee in a position we really need. Just saying I can see the Tigers offering silly money.

I know times have changed but some things never do, " If he will only come for wrong reasons ( unreasonable and ridicules money ) we are better off without him " . no individual in greater than the club !!!

 

[Marki]

Still with the blah blah blah …

Not one word you mentioned above is anything everyone of us didn’t already know … we’re all sick of the same old things being bought up as if we didn’t know it or it’s the first we’re hearing about it …

Every fan knows what we need .. Gould CC and all the coaching staff know what we need, even the media know what we need ..

What you clowns keep on failing to mention is, who we should have in our team, sign sealed delivered that we actually really had a chance of signing ?

Give us these alpha props names that we should have that can lead the way make the metres and dominated up front ..

We’re all waiting for your wise council !

I'm not saying we need forwards!
That's the thing!

We needs our spine sorted first and foremost. If we focus on forwards, we will miss the next boat on halves, and we are back to square 1 where you guys will be asking "who's the hot shot half that we can actually get"

Same crap just different position.

You guys think we need forwards to unlock our halves....I reckon we need our spine sorted to unlock any forwards we have.

One of us right.

My concern is we haven't resolved either. And so it will be difficult to prove one way or other.

 

[chemdog]

I'm not saying we need forwards!
That's the thing!

We needs our spine sorted first and foremost. If we focus on forwards, we will miss the next boat on halves, and we are back to square 1 where you guys will be asking "who's the hot shot half that we can actually get"

Same crap just different position.

You guys think we need forwards to unlock our halves....I reckon we need our spine sorted to unlock any forwards we have.

One of us right.

My concern is we haven't resolved either. And so it will be difficult to prove one way or other.

our spine is fine for now plus we have few kids coming through who will end up in first grade in a few years time once they're ready.

no point fixing our spine when our forwards get dominated each game and we're having to come out of our end making 30-40 meters each set

 

[Dogiezz]

Look at you, still championing the average … good on you gun …

When are you going to ChatGPT us another long boring thread that is 75% not even your material ??

I’m sure there’s some on here naive enough so say it’s fantastic and well written again, give you a strut in your step for a couple of days

Ignore him!

This forum is so much better reading fan comments than trolls with agenda's!

Ignore them!

Polly no penis

04dickhead too afraid to say it to my face... pussy!

Flanna troll, who's but hurt because his but isn't being hurt

Then there is the dopey idiot Nasheed. I spell stupid with his name

 

[Marki]

our spine is fine for now plus we have few kids coming through who will end up in first grade in a few years time once they're ready.

no point fixing our spine when our forwards get dominated each game and we're having to come out of our end making 30-40 meters each set

That's not just our individual forwards issue.
That's a collective issue of how we ruck out the ball. We are still not hitting the ball at speed and not running in numbers.

The benefits of what I thought I'd see from Mahoney and CC on the training field has not come to fruition, and sadly I feel Mahoney will end up playing the "Bulldog style" as oppose to changing our style.

I don't know how to describe it, but when I watch us play and watch other teams play, we look very 1 dimensional and easy pickings for the defence, hence getting dominated in tackles with slow PTB and only making 30m per set. In defence, our marker play and line speed is so poor, we routinely concede 50-60m per set.

It's nothing really to do with the calibre of forwards. We are structurally poor.

It's why I think Tino, Haas, AFB might improve us, but no guarantee of top 8.

A good spine will.

 

[Dogiezz]

That's not just our individual forwards issue.
That's a collective issue of how we ruck out the ball. We are still not hitting the ball at speed and not running in numbers.

The benefits of what I thought I'd see from Mahoney and CC on the training field has not come to fruition, and sadly I feel Mahoney will end up playing the "Bulldog style" as oppose to changing our style.

I don't know how to describe it, but when I watch us play and watch other teams play, we look very 1 dimensional and easy pickings for the defence, hence getting dominated in tackles with slow PTB and only making 30m per set. In defence, our marker play and line speed is so poor, we routinely concede 50-60m per set.

It's nothing really to do with the calibre of forwards. We are structurally poor.

It's why I think Tino, Haas, AFB might improve us, but no guarantee of top 8.

A good spine will.

We need tough Bulldogs props! Been obvious for a long time!

 

[1967]

I'm not saying we need forwards!
That's the thing!

We needs our spine sorted first and foremost. If we focus on forwards, we will miss the next boat on halves, and we are back to square 1 where you guys will be asking "who's the hot shot half that we can actually get"

Same crap just different position.

You guys think we need forwards to unlock our halves....I reckon we need our spine sorted to unlock any forwards we have.

One of us right.

My concern is we haven't resolved either. And so it will be difficult to prove one way or other.

Last reply because you prove yourself inadequate every time you comment …

You can have Munster & Cleary in the team, they’ll win you games but you won’t be competing with the top 7 because if the squads being dominated up front and not going forward, they can’t do shit ..

You can win premierships with a dominate forward pack and an average spine .. Burton, Sexton, Mahoney and Crichton aren’t exactly average, they just need one or two alpha props to lead the way and get them down the park, that spine will do us fine.

Props / forwards win games, the rest of the blokes determine by how much !

Can you now reveal your masterstroke on what players we should have bought to fix this so called spine ?

 

[TwinTurbo]

If Tigers get AFB surely Stefano would want out then?
Either way I see Dogs more desperate than Dragons and Tigers. Both have good packs tbh. Ours is shit

sorry @TwinTurbo if that was too negative for you

Not so much negative as ill-informed.
Are you seriously suggesting that Kikau is shit, interesting.
And Preston, you claim he is shit too, also interesting.
And Mahoney, claiming he is shit is, well, interesting.
Turpin most would agree is a decent back up, except you who think he is shit.
Curran at lock, a very interesting opinion that you think he is shit.
Mann is a pretty decent back up at lock, but not for you, you think he is shit.

A more informed opinion would be that our forwards as a whole are pretty good. Of course we could do with a prop, but that’s one position in the forwards, not the only forward.


Always a Bulldog

 

[D0GMATIC]

Laundy is rich also, doesn't matter of Dragons have this bloke or not. Money won't be an issue as all clubs in the race could offer 1mil imo. Best roster and chance of premiership will take priority surely

Agreed, but Forrest will likely do what it takes to make his investment work, That's how he got 39 billion

 

[D0GMATIC]

Ignore them!

Polly wally

O4dickhead

Flanna flop

Reading their posts is like diaheria

In your eyes

 

[D0GMATIC]

Add Safiti to list of front rowers Gus has missed out on

Safiti is like SST . . .A bullet dodged imo

 

[rainman]

Canterbury head of football Phil Gould has been caught in another clandestine meeting, this time with a potential signing — New Zealand Warriors forward Addin Fonua-Blake.


This masthead has obtained a picture of Gould meeting Fonua-Blake and his management team of Tyran Smith and Ahmad Merhi on Friday, part of a recruitment drive aimed at turning the Bulldogs into a powerhouse once again.

Fonua-Blake has three years remaining on his mega-deal with the Warriors but has been given permission to explore his options on the open market after requesting a release to return to Sydney for personal reasons.

The Bulldogs are at the front of a long queue for the Tongan and New Zealand international, who is regarded as one of the elite front rowers in the game.

Gould took to social media this week to air his concerns after he was captured on camera at a meeting last weekend with former Bulldogs club captain Raymond Faitala-Mariner, who is on his way out of the club.

He is unlikely to be pleased that a private meeting has again been captured by a member of the public, particularly given the coterie of clubs chasing the prized signature of Fonua-Blake.

The Warriors forward is regarded as one of the elite props in the competition and he has a pay packet to match. Fonua-Blake is on more than $1 million a season at the Warriors and the Bulldogs are one of the few clubs with the salary cap space to accommodate his salary demands.

Gould has made no secret of their desire to strengthen the middle of the field, having made a failed attempt to sign former Roosters front rower Sio Siua Taukeiaho.

Taukeiaho’s bid to move to the Bulldogs was scuppered after it emerged that he needed surgery to repair a foot injury.

It appears they have now turned their attention to Fonua-Blake as they look to strengthen their forward pack for the 2025 season.

This masthead revealed that Fonua-Blake had requested an immediate release on personal grounds to be closer to his parents in Sydney.

The Auckland-based side rejected his request to leave immediately but the parties struck an agreement that he would be able to return to Sydney at the end of the 2024 season.

It is understood Fonua-Blake met the Wests Tigers on Thursday and spoke to the Bulldogs and St George Illawarra on Friday as he looked to gain some clarity over where he will spend the 2025 season.View attachment 95476

Is that a brown paper bag on the table

 

[D.O.W.]

3-4 player turn over per year. I said 3-4. Not a dozen per year like us.

In case you didn’t notice, he’s broadly removing the “deadwood” under the old regime - only Davey, Brown and Pele were signed by Gus and turned over from last season, all the other players are pre-Gus recruits. A little accuracy helps….