News JIMMY BRINGS: All the inside mail on the NRL, delivered by James Hooper

Jackson_1994

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TIGERS WILL PUSH STORM TO GRANT HARRY A RELEASE

Expect the Wests Tigers to do everything they can within the rules to retain Harry Grant if Cameron Smith decides to play on with the Melbourne Storm.

The Storm have been in damage control this week stipulating how Grant will return to Melbourne irrespective of whether Smith decides to play on.

The only problem might be the salary cap. If Smith continues playing then there goes at least $800,000 out of Melbourne’s cap for next year.

That will be music to the ears of rival clubs queuing up to try and sign young gun number 9 Grant.

The Bulldogs offered Grant a three-year $1 million deal in 2018 – 18 months before he’d even played an NRL match.

BULLDOGS’ BAD REED ON MAHONEY

The latest name to come up on the Canterbury-Bankstown recruitment radar is Parramatta hooker Reed Mahoney, the Sunshine Coast no.9 who the Bulldogs let walk out the door back in 2017.

Back then, it would have only cost the Bulldogs about $5000 to hold on to Mahoney.

Instead, arch-rivals the Eels swooped and Mahoney has continued to evolve his game since breaking into the NRL at the back end of 2018.

The Eels are still very much in the box seat to retain the no.9 who has played every game since the start of last season.

HEAT IS ON FOR MISSING TOP DOGS

The heat is about to intensify on Bulldogs chair Lynne Anderson who has not been sighted off Nobby’s for the entire season.

While coach Dean Pay has been left to answer the tough questions in front of the cameras every week, Anderson and CEO Andrew Hill have been invisible.

We’re flat out getting them on the phone aside from returning text messages saying nothing to see here.

The in-fighting at Canterbury-Bankstown will spill over into a joint board meeting on Thursday where the football club and leagues club boards will get together.

Expect Leagues club chairman George Coorey to be making himself heard.

As it sits right now the Bulldogs are chasing Nick Cotric and John Bateman for next year.

The trouble is all the instability and uncertainty at Belmore around who will be the head coach is the first question all potential recruits want answered
 

Natboy

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Haha, James they are ignoring you because you’re a smug **** and make shit up. If you’re reading this stick to damaging cars
He is right about Grant though. So much for us not even trying to sign anyone hey
 

Spoonman84

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Pretty ironic that Hooper is whinging about not getting info from the Dogs yet he can mention the Dogs in all three articles.........

Fronting the press comes with the territory of being a NRL coach. It's probably uncomfortable for Pay but that's what he signed up for. Anderson and Hill are just going to say the old generic shit about supporting Pay even if they spoke to the media as much as Pay does.
 
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B-Train

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Haha, James they are ignoring you because you’re a smug c*** and make shit up. If you’re reading this stick to damaging cars
He is right about Grant though. So much for us not even trying to sign anyone hey
So we should be content that they tried to sign Grant but missed out and couldn't seal the deal?

I knew early last season that they were talking with Robson and Grant but both deals fell through. Same with Sam Walker. So there's no point identifying talent if you never sign any of them.
 

Bulldogs09

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So we should be content that they tried to sign Grant but missed out and couldn't seal the deal?

I knew early last season that they were talking with Robson and Grant but both deals fell through. Same with Sam Walker. So there's no point identifying talent if you never sign any of them.
Spot on. Well done they heard someone’s a talent. So did we. We aren’t paid hundreds of thousands to sit and watch others recruit while we wait for a call?
 

Spoonman84

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So we should be content that they tried to sign Grant but missed out and couldn't seal the deal?

I knew early last season that they were talking with Robson and Grant but both deals fell through. Same with Sam Walker. So there's no point identifying talent if you never sign any of them.
It's like getting a encouragement award for trying really hard but not being good enough.

Of course the club won't sign every player they target but if they just nailed one of the numerous hooker's they targeted over the last few years we would be in a much better position.
 

B-Train

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Spot on. Well done they heard someone’s a talent. So did we. We aren’t paid hundreds of thousands to sit and watch others recruit while we wait for a call?
People want fans to stop being negative or doubting the club... Well how about they make more signings to be positive about instead of having to celebrate missing out on players they targeted just because they tried?
 

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I wonder how much more it would have taken for Grant to sign - $50K-$100 a year extra and it might have happened. If he was a backrower or a winger, the club would be wise to stick to your guns but for a 9 they should have taken a punt, especially with the lack of quality 9's available. This is the Tedesco situation all over again
Mahoney would only come if we blow the Eels out of the water with our offer. He would want to be loyal to Parra plus there's the minor issue of having a chance to win a comp with Parra so I wouldn't be dreaming about him either.
And there is talk that another young gun hooker we have could be leaving the club too
Good news guys, sounds like JMK will still be the starting 9 next year. I'm sure Thommo's gonna love the quality service he gets from JMK
 

wendog33

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So we should be content that they tried to sign Grant but missed out and couldn't seal the deal?

I knew early last season that they were talking with Robson and Grant but both deals fell through. Same with Sam Walker. So there's no point identifying talent if you never sign any of them.
Haha I feel better now. All good. Nothing to worry about. We did chase Grant. Told yas we were trying to get players.
 

Natboy

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So we should be content that they tried to sign Grant but missed out and couldn't seal the deal?

I knew early last season that they were talking with Robson and Grant but both deals fell through. Same with Sam Walker. So there's no point identifying talent if you never sign any of them.
Did I say you should be content?
Not you but other negative people told us a million times the board was shit for not even trying to sign players. That’s my point
 

Natboy

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Haha I feel better now. All good. Nothing to worry about. We did chase Grant. Told yas we were trying to get players.
You were one of the fools saying we hadn’t even tried to sign players...
 

B-Train

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Did I say you should be content?
Not you but other negative people told us a million times the board was shit for not even trying to sign players. That’s my point
Yeah but the way I see it, it makes the club look worse as they know who they want but can't entice those players to sign.

If they start signing players of Grant's calibre like Burton in the halves then people will be delighted. As I've said before, hopefully they've learnt from those situations and are more aggressive because I'd rather they pay a little more for a young gun like Grant, Robson or Burton than overpay for someone like Napa.
 

Family Guy

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People want fans to stop being negative or doubting the club... Well how about they make more signings to be positive about instead of having to celebrate missing out on players they targeted just because they tried?
Exactly what is there to get excited about? The footy? Hell no. It's the future and right now the future looks grim
Maybe the board will pull it off and they'll announce a new coach and 4-5 key players next month (Burton, Cotric, Hastings, Bateman, B Smith) and everybody will be over the moon. That's what the Pay/Board apologists keep telling us and it MAY very well (and should) happen but as each day goes by, and these near misses get reveled, the majority of fans lose confidence in the likelihood of this happening. It seems more likely now that Pay will be extended, Elliot, Tolman, Montoya and Holland will all be re-signed and we'll pay massive overs to land JAC - just because the board cant sign anyone else - player or coach
I know where supposed to be patient and wait for 2021 (or is it 2024 now) but at this point in time the new coach and at least 2-3 players should have been announced by now yet here we are still debating whether Pay should be the coach next year. Fucking hell. Hopefully some of the powerbrokers last night stirred shit up and put the board on notice - especially for Lyn's ridiculous comment about admiring the fucking Eels.
 

Natboy

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Yeah but the way I see it, it makes the club look worse as they know who they want but can't entice those players to sign.

If they start signing players of Grant's calibre like Burton in the halves then people will be delighted. As I've said before, hopefully they've learnt from those situations and are more aggressive because I'd rather they pay a little more for a young gun like Grant, Robson or Burton than overpay for someone like Napa.
We’ve been very limited on what we could spend. You know that
 

Spoonman84

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I wonder how much more it would have taken for Grant to sign - $50K-$100 a year extra and it might have happened. If he was a backrower or a winger, the club would be wise to stick to your guns but for a 9 they should have taken a punt, especially with the lack of quality 9's available. This is the Tedesco situation all over again
Mahoney would only come if we blow the Eels out of the water with our offer. He would want to be loyal to Parra plus there's the minor issue of having a chance to win a comp with Parra so I wouldn't be dreaming about him either.
And there is talk that another young gun hooker we have could be leaving the club too
Good news guys, sounds like JMK will still be the starting 9 next year. I'm sure Thommo's gonna love the quality service he gets from JMK
Nothing is going to change with this side while JMK is at hooker its the most important piece of the puzzle for us.

Unfortunately I have no idea how they are going to fix it with the options available and I'm pretty much conceding JMK is going to be there in 21. Which is very disappointing.
 

B-Train

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We’ve been very limited on what we could spend. You know that
Of course. But we're talking an extra 50k for Grant or Robson. Even with cap issues, they could have afforded a better counter offer..

They've still spent a decent amount on average players like Napa, Stimson, Britt, Meaney, Sue etc that could have been better spent elsewhere.

Anyway, as I said what's done is done. Hopefully they learn from missed opportunities.
 
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youoboys

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Bulldogs fan here: gossip columnists.... that all they are hear days. He will end up at new idea and rothfield ..... oh rothfield is 9 drinks away from alcohol poisoning. Did you hear buzz didn’t need sanitiser during this pandemic.... he seeps alcohol through his pores. What a sausage he is
 

wendog33

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You were one of the fools saying we hadn’t even tried to sign players...
Thats just plain stupid to even say that about any posters on here.

There's enough evidence to suggest we've tried to sign several players. List all the so called fools who said we aren't trying to sign players.

You are a fool for saying ...well most everything you say is foolish.

You've lost it Nathan.
 

Natboy

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Thats just plain stupid to even say that about any posters on here.

There's enough evidence to suggest we've tried to sign several players. List all the so called fools who said we aren't trying to sign players.

You are a fool for saying ...well most everything you say is foolish.

You've lost it Nathan.
You never had it Wendy. Go back to your tapestries
 
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