NRL Player Movements & Rumours

[Kooly87]

I agree on a lot of those points which is why I wouldn't necessarily install them as premiership favourites. Still, they have the cattle to surpass those teams and at this stage the competition looks far more open than it has in seasons gone by.

If Souths add Arrow to their roster, anything less than a Top 4 spot would be a major disappointment. If they can get Jai, it will off-set the loss of Sam who let's be honest was really struggling to get through last year.

I don't consider George Burgess a loss at all.

They really do need to add Arrow though. Without him, they're probably a gun middle forward short and that will tell over the course of a full season. Still plenty of time for them to pull it off though, and if they can get him there a year early they probably become close to favourites, or at least as good as Melbourne and the Roosters who have both probably gone slightly backwards in terms of roster strength.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

**** him. He cut and run from us the moment things got hard and he was told we expected better effort from him. Weak pisshead.

Bingo. When you give yourself up as an indifferent turd like Roberts did, you shouldn't be too surprised when you lose all respect.

 

[Sproj]

If they get Arrow, on paper:

1. Raiders
2. Eels
3. Roosters
4. Souths
5. Storm
6. Cowboys
7. Broncos
8. Sea Eagles
9. Sharks
10. Knights
11. Dragons
12. Panthers
13. Warriors
14. Tigers
15. Bulldogs
16. Titans

something like that

 

[Kooly87]

If they get Arrow, on paper:

1. Raiders
2. Eels
3. Roosters
4. Souths
5. Storm
6. Cowboys
7. Broncos
8. Sea Eagles
9. Sharks
10. Knights
11. Dragons
12. Panthers
13. Warriors
14. Tigers
15. Bulldogs
16. Titans

something like that

1. Roosters
2. Souths
3. Melbourne
4. Raiders
5. Sea Eagles
6. Eels
7. Knights
8. Broncos
9. Cowboys
10. Sharks
11. Panthers
12. Dragons
13. Bulldogs
14. Warriors
15. Titans
16. Tigers

The Roosters still have a huge amount of quality, but they should come back to the pack a bit this year. Souths with Arrow become a big chance. Melbourne should still have enough quality and experience to run inside the Top 4 comfortably and Canberra will probably still be pretty close, but they have challenges around an untested Halfback and the fact that a few more sides will have done their homework and have them figured out this year. If Manly had Fainu I think they could be a Top 4 chance, so their chances rest on finding a suitable replacement at Dummy Half for 2020.

I think the Knights will be a real surprise packet if they can get a kind run with injuries and Origin and I probably put us in that same boat too.

 

[broncos4life]

Do we have to call him Jimmy the drunk? He has his personal issues but we don't have to stick the boot in.

Are you joking? After everything we did for him he cut and ran and disrespected the organisation on the way out. Add to that on the first game against us he knocked out a completely defenceless ex-teammate by ramming his head into the ground with one of the cheapest shots I have ever seen. The bloke is a dog and deserves everything he gets.

 

[Accept]

1. Roosters
2. Souths
3. Melbourne
4. Raiders
5. Sea Eagles
6. Eels
7. Knights
8. Broncos
9. Cowboys
10. Sharks
11. Panthers
12. Dragons
13. Bulldogs
14. Warriors
15. Titans
16. Tigers

The Roosters still have a huge amount of quality, but they should come back to the pack a bit this year. Souths with Arrow become a big chance. Melbourne should still have enough quality and experience to run inside the Top 4 comfortably and Canberra will probably still be pretty close, but they have challenges around an untested Halfback and the fact that a few more sides will have done their homework and have them figured out this year. If Manly had Fainu I think they could be a Top 4 chance, so their chances rest on finding a suitable replacement at Dummy Half for 2020.

I think the Knights will be a real surprise packet if they can get a kind run with injuries and Origin and I probably put us in that same boat too.

Bit early for ladder predictions but with the current rosters of each team, here's what I think it might look like. Undoubtedly, this might change in two months time.

1 Souths
2 Sydney
3 Melbourne
4 Canberra
5 St George
6 NQ
7 Manly
8 Parramatta
9 Newcastle
10 Penrith
11 Brisbane
12 Cronulla
13 Canterbury
14 NZ
15 Wests
16 Gold Coast

Melb, Syd, Souths still look like the teams to beat for me with Manly and NQ as possible dark horses. It'll be a close run thing as per usual. St George the big improvers this year and the likes of Pen, Bris and Newc will threaten a playoff spot but may fall short.

 

[lynx000]

Bit early for ladder predictions but with the current rosters of each team, here's what I think it might look like. Undoubtedly, this might change in two months time.

1 Souths
2 Sydney
3 Melbourne
4 Canberra
5 St George
6 NQ
7 Manly
8 Parramatta
9 Newcastle
10 Penrith
11 Brisbane
12 Cronulla
13 Canterbury
14 NZ
15 Wests
16 Gold Coast

Melb, Syd, Souths still look like the teams to beat for me with Manly and NQ as possible dark horses. It'll be a close run thing as per usual. St George the big improvers this year and the likes of Pen, Bris and Newc will threaten a playoff spot but may fall short.

Are you taking the piss???? Seriously? St George 5th and Broncos 11th? On what possible basis can St George improve that much given their losses and their recruiting. Relying on a halves combination of Hunt and Norman? Isaac Luke at hooker and no recognised fullback. This is not even mentioning the McGregor factor.

NQ 6th?? They have done reasonably well in recruiting, but a big question mark surrounds Holmes and his return, particularly in a fullback role. Also serious concerns about Michael Morgan and his longevity, plus the Green factor.

If you are taking the piss, very well played.

 

[Kooly87]

Are you taking the piss???? Seriously? St George 5th and Broncos 11th? On what possible basis can St George improve that much given their losses and their recruiting. Relying on a halves combination of Hunt and Norman? Isaac Luke at hooker and no recognised fullback. This is not even mentioning the McGregor factor.

NQ 6th?? They have done reasonably well in recruiting, but a big question mark surrounds Holmes and his return, particularly in a fullback role. Also serious concerns about Michael Morgan and his longevity, plus the Green factor.

If you are taking the piss, very well played.

Cowboys at 6th isn't out of the question, but yeah, the Dragons are realistically probably going into this season with a worse side than last year, and we all saw how last year went. They'll be lucky to miss the bottom 4.

 

[Accept]

Are you taking the piss???? Seriously? St George 5th and Broncos 11th? On what possible basis can St George improve that much given their losses and their recruiting. Relying on a halves combination of Hunt and Norman? Isaac Luke at hooker and no recognised fullback. This is not even mentioning the McGregor factor.

NQ 6th?? They have done reasonably well in recruiting, but a big question mark surrounds Holmes and his return, particularly in a fullback role. Also serious concerns about Michael Morgan and his longevity, plus the Green factor.

If you are taking the piss, very well played.

You said the same thing to me last year when I tipped the Broncos to finish 8th. How did that work out? Every season has a side who are a surprise packet. St George may be that side this year. Anyways, this is just an early prediction. We'll see how the sides are shaping up injury wise after the trials. The Broncos will finish in that 8th to 12th corridor. Anyone who expects better aren't being realistic.

 

[Battler]

You said the same thing to me last year when I tipped the Broncos to finish 8th. How did that work out? Every season has a side who are a surprise packet. St George may be that side this year. Anyways, this is just an early prediction. We'll see how the sides are shaping up injury wise after the trials. The Broncos will finish in that 8th to 12th corridor. Anyone who expects better aren't being realistic.

We have the best pack in the comp and a very good backline if picked correctly. The spine is the biggest question but you can say the same for the rorters (no Cronk, friend an injured mess, keary a concussion magnet who may be one away from retirement), raiders, storm (three full backs in the spine), cows (Holmes isn’t even a proven fullback. People forget how trash he was when he first went back there).

If we made the 8 with Boyd and Turpin in the halves and Macca at 9 I think we’ll improve this year.

 

[Dexter]

We have the best pack in the comp and a very good backline if picked correctly. The spine is the biggest question but you can say the same for the rorters (no Cronk, friend an injured mess, keary a concussion magnet who may be one away from retirement), raiders, storm (three full backs in the spine), cows (Holmes isn’t even a proven fullback. People forget how trash he was when he first went back there).

If we made the 8 with Boyd and Turpin in the halves and Macca at 9 I think we’ll improve this year.

The only thing I'm looking for is some semblance of a game plan beyond one out hit ups.
Our roster is better no doubt but if we can't grasp the Seibold style, whatever the **** that is, it will be ground hog day.

I'm already worried when I read things like this

The Broncos’ NRL squad’s final assignment before their Christmas break was to complete the camp designed to build a cohesive team, build resilience, create a memory and achieve something as a group.

every word that comes out of the place sounds like a public service resume'.

 

[NSW stables]

I'm not a fan of all this talk that you need to be "elite fit" to be a fullback in the nrl.

Players of the style of Slater and Teddy have NRL coaches jumping at shadows around the need for fitness and speed as the key criteria for the position.

Everytime Justin Hodges got a chance to play fullback at the end of his career, he absolutely dominated, and I think Mitchell can be a similar style of player.

You don't have to do all the off ball running and rushing the line every single half chance to be a fullback.

So long as Souths get players other than Mitchell supporting Cook's runs (Walker as a Terry Lamb type) they'll do fine and Mitchell will add more depth back into the fullback role.

In attack, yes he could be a threat but defensively, fullback is much more aerobic. Your example of Hodges, he had a much better footy brain and knew where he could take short cuts and could predict the play making sure he was in position early. I havent seen anything in latrell that would indicate that he has that level of footy IQ. But i could very well be proved wrong

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

Do we have to call him Jimmy the drunk? He has his personal issues but we don't have to stick the boot in.

He seemed like a tool but probably wouldn't deserve that..


Until he hit a defenceless, prone oates who had his hands by his side and his face on the ground in the back of the head unconscious after the play had finished. Absolute shit **** of a person. I can't wait to walk past him in 10 years when he is on the kerb begging for money to buy a long neck the ****ing loser. It's guaranteed to happen.

 

[lynx000]

You said the same thing to me last year when I tipped the Broncos to finish 8th. How did that work out? Every season has a side who are a surprise packet. St George may be that side this year. Anyways, this is just an early prediction. We'll see how the sides are shaping up injury wise after the trials. The Broncos will finish in that 8th to 12th corridor. Anyone who expects better aren't being realistic.

Did I?? I don't remember that, I recall being reasonably pessimistic about their prospects.

 

[Wolfie]

The x-factor for me in our forwards isnt our props, even with Payne Haas in there, for me it would be potentially if we play TPJ and Fifita in the back row. I feel they are just so hard to handle and there wouldnt be a back row pairing like them.

 

[lynx000]

You said the same thing to me last year when I tipped the Broncos to finish 8th. How did that work out? Every season has a side who are a surprise packet. St George may be that side this year. Anyways, this is just an early prediction. We'll see how the sides are shaping up injury wise after the trials. The Broncos will finish in that 8th to 12th corridor. Anyone who expects better aren't being realistic.

Mate, I had a look at the equivalent thread from the start of last year and you certainly did predict 8th spot (kudos) but I did not comment in the thread at all (unless it is somewhere else??).

 

[lynx000]

I would accept that as a goalpost only if the halves and the hooker and fullback issue are resolved. With our current spine we will not win it in my view in the next three years.

I love the optimism in this thread, but here is a dose of reality, the problems we have had in the last couple of years (in no particular order) are:

1. Attitudinal
2. Consistency
3. Commitment to defence
4. injuries
5. Our spine

4. is down to lady luck. The new coaching team seem to be addressing 1 to 3 in the pre-season. Whether that is successful will be significant in how our season unfolds.

5. remains a significant issue in my view. I will be surprised if at this stage there is any significant change in the way our hooker plays. Boyd is getting on and has proven to be somewhat injury prone. If he is fit and can regain some enthusiasm we could see some marked improvement in his game. Re the halves, it will be dependent on how productive the work being done by M. Johns is.

I think we will improve. I think that suggesting we are favourites or near favourites is very, very optimistic.

@Accept, here is what I did say in the above quotes well before the season started.

As it turned out, the coaching staff did not address 1, 2 and 3, the spine if anything was worse by the end of the season and we did not have a lot of luck with 4.

 

[Kooly87]

In attack, yes he could be a threat but defensively, fullback is much more aerobic. Your example of Hodges, he had a much better footy brain and knew where he could take short cuts and could predict the play making sure he was in position early. I havent seen anything in latrell that would indicate that he has that level of footy IQ. But i could very well be proved wrong

Hodges learnt a lot of that over time though. Sure, he was supremely talented, but his footy smarts grew commensurate with his experience. Latrell has plenty of time on his side to learn those same things provided he can apply him self sufficiently.