Broncos Roster, Signings and Rumours Discussion 2024

[Bucking Beads]

And so do our premiership chances. You need superstars for a reason.

Absolutely true but we need our stars to be smarter and not take up all our cap. Our Squad is in bad shape right now. Way too top heavy and we haven't upgraded Walsh yet

 

[Sproj]

Absolutely true but we need our stars to be smarter and not take up all our cap. Our Squad is in bad shape right now. Way too top heavy and we haven't upgraded Walsh yet

Look at who else is top heavy: Storm, Panthers, Roosters

Guess who have won the most premierships in the last 15-20 years. Our issue is not so much our salary cap as our injury toll.

 

[Wolfie]

Haas, Piakura and Mam look poor deals imo right now. We know they are all good players but I still think they are overpriced. Carrigan for $850k ish a year is a good deal. Payno at $1.2 million isn't imo. That's why our cap is and squad has gone out of balance again, good players being signed for too much money because we are afraid to make hard choices when it comes to retention.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Look at who else is top heavy: Storm, Panthers, Roosters

Guess who have won the most premierships in the last 15-20 years. Our issue is not so much our salary cap as our injury toll.

Yes but we need to make sure we can get quality role players around them and not over pay some up and comers. We were obviously terrified of losing Mam and Piakura so blew our lot when paying them.

 

[Sproj]

I'm pretty sure we will let Staggs and Hetherington go, that's some hard choices there unless both want to take huge pay cuts. And Haas is injured, hence he is not playing at the level he normally does.

Regardless, this is a premiership capable squad to build around:

1. Walsh
2. (Solid player/Leota/young tall kid I have suddenly forgotten)
3. Mariner
4. Cobbo
5. (Arthars)
6. Mam
7. (Black/Rogers/Walker/someone solid)
8. Willison
9. Mozer
10. Haas
11. Piakura
12. Riki
13. Carrigan

14. (Bukowski)
15. Te Kura
16. (Semu/solid player)
17. (Solid player)

Those are our key players / long term signings - we need to build around that and the guys in brackets look likely.

 

[Sproj]

Yes but we need to make sure we can get quality role players around them and not over pay some up and comers. We were obviously terrified of losing Mam and Piakura so blew our lot when paying them.

Do we know how much we've paid them? Mam scored a hattrick in a GF and for around 800k or less which is what he is reportedly on, that seems a fine deal to me. We often forget how young he is and youth brings inconsistency, especially without his mature halfback leading him around.

Piakura recently re-signed with little fanfare, I doubt he is on that much either. Plus this is why you need to reward guys like Riki and Oates with a year or two too many because they have re-signed for less than they could have got elsewhere. Carrigan too.

I suspect when it comes to Haas, given how much rubbish he has been through, how much he supports his family and how well liked he is by his teammates, some of the other have / will take paycuts so he gets that money he has got. I'm talking likes guys like Carrigan and yes, Walsh.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Do we know how much we've paid them? Mam scored a hattrick in a GF and for around 800k or less which is what he is reportedly on, that seems a fine deal to me. We often forget how young he is and youth brings inconsistency, especially without his mature halfback leading him around.

Piakura recently re-signed with little fanfare, I doubt he is on that much either. Plus this is why you need to reward guys like Riki and Oates with a year or two too many because they have re-signed for less than they could have got elsewhere. Carrigan too.

I suspect when it comes to Haas, given how much rubbish he has been through, how much he supports his family and how well liked he is by his teammates, some of the other have / will take paycuts so he gets that money he has got. I'm talking likes guys like Carrigan and yes, Walsh.

Paying guys top $$ but then being prepared to accept that paying like a guy on $400K is the problem. Pay to $ and get top performances IMO.

 

[vertigo]

I just want some genuine news about what we're doing to get through this season with our forward pack and even into next year. We have little depth in the backrow and outside backs.

politis trying to offload the next dud to us.

Maybe a few more scraphead players like Gojetski to really bolster our pack.

 

[Foordy]

We had the opportunity to sign TPJ btw

We didn't have the money to sign him.

BTW, you guys remember what generally happens after a beast TPJ performance right ... That's right about 5, where did the beast disappear to performances.

P.s. the Storm also turned TPJ down ...

 

[BroncsFan]

Haas, Piakura and Mam look poor deals imo right now. We know they are all good players but I still think they are overpriced. Carrigan for $850k ish a year is a good deal. Payno at $1.2 million isn't imo. That's why our cap is and squad has gone out of balance again, good players being signed for too much money because we are afraid to make hard choices when it comes to retention.

I think the approach rorters are taking with Walker is how we should've gone with Ezra.

He had earned an upgrade based on his form last year, but they went way too hard and for way too long.

Give him a decent upgrade over a 3yr contract (24,25,26) and then if he has developed and progressed give him the big payday and extension... or if he hasnt then he will have settled into a role and value suitable for the roster. At the moment Ezra is the longest signed player we have on the books through to 2029. We better hope to hell that he becomes the player that the club thinks he will otherwise he will be an anchor on our cap that we cant move.

Haas I dont have as much of an issue with, purely because it's pretty short term and if things get dire it wont be hard to move.

He comes off contract at the end of 2026, so the contract saga will spark up again halfway through next year. Based on his form this year he's not really looking a $1m player so if his management start talking about upgrades you'd tell them to test the market and see what comes back... but at least with his contract we're not locked into Haas at $1.1m for 5yrs.

Piakura is signed pretty long 2026 or 27 (I think?), but I daresay he's on about normal value for a second rower. If Crichton just got signed for $800k then Piakura and Riki should be barely scraping $600k qualifying as first grade standard second rowers.

Need to stop paying on potential and not lock potential players into long contracts. Long contracts should only be reserved for proven quality and value.

In the squad at the moment I'm limiting that to Patty and Walsh, and maybe Payne, but that's if the price comes down. Even for Cobbo I'd like to see some consistency over a full season before committing to a 4 or 5yr deal and also noting that he's a role player and not a spine player.

Sure we can sign players on potential, but only give them 3yr max contracts and mostly target them as 2yr extensions. If the player wants longer for security then price comes down, but you can still upgrade contracts later if they exceed expectations.

 

[Hoof Hearted]

I heard a whisper we have signed Jeral Skelton from bulldogs for next season. He play wing or centre. I think he played rugby sevens for Australia. Big unit.

 

[Big Del]

And Haas is injured, hence he is not playing at the level he normally does.

OK ,,, So NSW had some magic juice to get him back to top form for Origin ?
He played like we know he can in game 2 .
That excuse is not gonna cut it .

 

[Bucking Beads]

I heard a whisper we have signed Jeral Skelton from bulldogs for next season. He play wing or centre. I think he played rugby sevens for Australia. Big unit.

Now that would be a good pick up. Big and Strong with wheels.

 

[Financeguy]

Haas, Piakura and Mam look poor deals imo right now. We know they are all good players but I still think they are overpriced. Carrigan for $850k ish a year is a good deal. Payno at $1.2 million isn't imo. That's why our cap is and squad has gone out of balance again, good players being signed for too much money because we are afraid to make hard choices when it comes to retention.

I agree but Haas was always going to be at least a $1M after however many player of the year awards in a row and being first picked rep player but yeah, would be nice for him to have shaved 100-200k off his deal each year.

Issue is compounded when we probably have a number of players like Haas, Mam, Staggs, Piakura, and i would even throw Reynolds in that are probably at least 100k overpaid which added up would get you a solid to good backrower or backline player.

The Broncos are a destination club so the recruitment of a dime a dozen forward the Roosters didn't want, a player the Cows were happy to get rid of and a player the Dragons didn't want was underwhelming at best...need to do better in this department to offset the high contracted players.

 

[mitch222]

OK ,,, So NSW had some magic juice to get him back to top form for Origin ?
He played like we know he can in game 2 .
That excuse is not gonna cut it .

NSW dominated field position from the kick off in game 2. He didnt have to do any real hard defensive work that game.

 

[Sproj]

OK ,,, So NSW had some magic juice to get him back to top form for Origin ?
He played like we know he can in game 2 .
That excuse is not gonna cut it .

Easy to look good when you have a team opposite you who didn't turn up and a ref giving a saloon ride AND you are playing in a team not dropping it every second tackle. Even so, let's look at the facts:

Haas - origin 2 - 19 runs, 186 metres, 79 post-contact metres, 31 tackles
Haas - last NRL game - 14 runs, 110 metres, 38 post-contact metres, 40 tackles

This was in a FAR inferior team up against a FAR better team than the Qld team in origin 2.

Could Haas improve? Yes but again, how many forwards would love to have numbers like that up against Penrith?

 

[Sproj]

Very good pick up, have been impressed every time he's been given a shot.

 

[BroncsFan]

I heard a whisper we have signed Jeral Skelton from bulldogs for next season. He play wing or centre. I think he played rugby sevens for Australia. Big unit.

Seems like a decent option to pick up. He likes to take hitups as well, so definitely helps with our lack of yardage at the moment.

I think the issue he's had is defensive decisions... if they can get that sorted youd have a very capable player. Defence may have already improved considering the monster shot he put on a few weeks back.