The big thing we are overlooking

[Wolfie]

Having a think about things after last night, its a worry how we dont seem to be proactive about fixing our issues. We need to look outside the club. All we keep hearing about is how we dont want to lose Staggs, or Coates, or Piakura, why are we going out there and actively chasing players who will be available, we seem to be obsessed with not losing players rather than trying to recruit players to fix us up. We need some outside solutions because the internal ones are going to work.

Its clear we need a half back and we need experience, well Adam Reynolds is available and has both, publicly make it known we want him. We need a fullback, Nico Hynes is off contract, Will Kennedy is off contract, Scott Drinkwater is off contract, Matt Dufty is off contract, chase one of them. We need a center, chase Opacic, Gagai or Naden. Go after a tough forward or two like Capewell, Nathan Brown, Dale Finucane or Aiden Tolman. All experienced, tough forwards. Look to ISC for players with a point to prove on cheapish contracts like Grant, Hoeter and Frei. Look at some super league players. The only positon i cant really see a solution is hooker.

Try to move on some players if possible ( easier said than done i know ) to clear more cap space, but i believe the players are out there than can help get us back to at least being a top 8 side.

 

[rnabokov]

For mine, the focus has to be on spine players. I think we are good in every other position, in fact very good. Absolutely I'd be chasing Reynolds. After him, unless Turpin removes his cloak of invisibility, a hooker.

Hynes, Reynolds and Grant would make for a killer spine. Dreaming on ...

 

[LittleDavey]

I agree, @Wolfie - this approach would also have the other benefit of putting our players on notice.

1 - the ones who aren't performing are under no illusions they will be replaced if they don't step up; and
2 - the ones who are trying and struggling will see that the club is making moves to fix the issues, and may see some light at the end of the tunnel.

I'd like to know what the club has done in the psychological space, because there's clearly mental weakness being compounded by losses week after week. These young guys will forget how to win and only know how to lose, and that's just not okay.

 

[nopatience101]

I agree, I said in another thread we are trying to keep Staggs for the wrong reasons - we are afraid of what it will look like if we lose him, particularly if it were to the titans.
The priority should be an experienced half, or even two, go after Reynolds and SJ, that buys us 2-3 years before we need to replace them.

Game management is what we don’t have, and it’s a rare commodity, much more so than an explosive centre or an athletic winger. Start there and work backwards. There’s no point having a classy backline if they never see the ball.

I like Dearden, but he’s on a hiding to nothing if they expect him to lead this side around next year with Staggs his 5/8. Either let him go or find him an experienced halves partner to learn off.

I think Isaako is a flake of a player, but I think we would see a lot of improvement in him if given some structure for him to play to.

 

[Nashy]

Need to get a new marquee when we offload Milf.

 

[WASSHHH]

Need to get a new marquee when we offload Milf.

I’d settle for something like this, and we’d have heaps of change left over.

 

[BruiserMk1]

What changes have been made to our recruitment and retention team?

If we want changes to how we approach @Wolfie question above, this will need an overhaul with fresh ideas.

 

[JungleBoogie]

It's a slow burn as we have to wait for the current roster to be cleaned. We have way too many props on too much money.

 

[Bull Shark]

I’d settle for something like this, and we’d have heaps of change left over.
View attachment 12176

Still a better #6 than Milford

 

[Sproj]

It's a slow burn as we have to wait for the current roster to be cleaned. We have way too many props on too much money.

Which really highlights that whoever's idea it was to sign up Flegler on so much and if they are still in the same role/s, this club is not going to improve anytime soon unfortunately.

 

[Kimlo]

The best thing about Dave coming is you can pretty much be sure the insane contracts will end. He knows better than anyone you don't give big contracts on potential Melbourne never do it. When you become a star, then you get paid mega bucks, until then earn your money.

 

[Sproj]

The best thing about Dave coming is you can pretty much be sure the insane contracts will end. He knows better than anyone you don't give big contracts on potential Melbourne never do it. When you become a star, then you get paid mega bucks, until then earn your money.

But the key point is that we are a desperate club, we don't have juniors wanting to come to us because we are a basket case. Melbourne have been successful forever and are reigning champions, plus have two books so they can keep whoever they want really.

 

[Kimlo]

But the key point is that we are a desperate club, we don't have juniors wanting to come to us because we are a basket case. Melbourne have been successful forever and are reigning champions, plus have two books so they can keep whoever they want really.

Then he should bring an extra book with him.

Who cares if we get caught? You probably won't anyway and if you do the only punishment is giving back what you took illegally. You'd be a fool not to take those odds.

 

[winslow_wong]

This rebuild could take 5 years or more..

 

[I bleed Maroon]

1. Isaako
2. Coates
3. Staggs
4. Farnworth
5. Niu
6. Dearden
7. Reynolds (c)
8. Haas
9. Turpin
10. Lodge
11. Riki
12. TPJ
13. Carrigan

14. Paix
15. Kennedy
16. Flegler
17. Te'o

Barring any dramatic wholesale changes to the lineup (in particular the front row e.g. Lodge leaving/Te'o retiring), this is probably the absolute best 1-17 we could hope for going into 2022. Isaako at the back and Turpin at hooker will remain weaknesses in the spine that will need to be looked at further down the line, but I beg anyone to tell me who is coming onto the market at the end of this season that we can afford that can fill all of those roles. There is just no way we can solve our halves issue and fullback + hooker in the same off season. It just won't happen. We would need the likes of Grant to come at serious unders and I am Blackbeard Teach if he will do that over staying at Melbourne. Same story goes for Brandon Smith.

I'm not seeing the hype around Carrigan so he is looking like a stop gap. If we could lure Moose back on a modest wage then Carrigan becomes a bench prop at best and would push Flegler out. Paix is on the bench because forcing Turpin to play 80 minutes is dramatically depleting his effectiveness. Hopefully by that point Paix will have enough experience in the dummy half as to not be too much of a downgrade (is he even playing 9 in ISC?). I think it's an utter tragedy that RTS has fallen for the All Blacks bait because if he were available, I would be throwing half the value of the entire club at him.

The bottom line is there is not a single man in our current 17 that you would call a "Marquee player". Milford is on marquee money but as for him being an actual marquee quality player well, that ship has not only sailed, it's halfway to the New World by now. Discussion of snagging DCE has been brought up recently in the rumors thread but his form so far this season has left a lot to be desired, so a fair amount of caution will need to be applied when thinking about him. Maybe we could leverage that to get him on unders? But personally I doubt he's falling for that. He would sooner take desperation money from the Cowboys.

At the end of the day, people can have their cynicisms regarding the state of Adam Reynolds all they like, the fact of the matter is he is everything that our current squad needs right now: Experience, leadership, legit captain material, a cool head and all of that IN THE HALVES. You kick Milford to the curb and he is quite easily the best option to replace him with. We lose nothing in the kicking game and gain a premiership winning half who knows how not to shit the bed when it matters.

 

[NSW stables]

It's a slow burn as we have to wait for the current roster to be cleaned. We have way too many props on too much money.

Yes but we just resigned flegler (another middle) again well above his worth showing that we dont fucking learn. We cant clean out our roster properly whilst the same fucking dickheads are still in charge of recruitment and retention.

 

[NSW stables]

1. Isaako
2. Coates
3. Staggs
4. Farnworth
5. Niu
6. Dearden
7. Reynolds (c)
8. Haas
9. Turpin
10. Lodge
11. Riki
12. TPJ
13. Carrigan

14. Paix
15. Kennedy
16. Flegler
17. Te'o

Barring any dramatic wholesale changes to the lineup (in particular the front row e.g. Lodge leaving/Te'o retiring), this is probably the absolute best 1-17 we could hope for going into 2022. Isaako at the back and Turpin at hooker will remain weaknesses in the spine that will need to be looked at further down the line, but I beg anyone to tell me who is coming onto the market at the end of this season that we can afford that can fill all of those roles. There is just no way we can solve our halves issue and fullback + hooker in the same off season. It just won't happen. We would need the likes of Grant to come at serious unders and I am Blackbeard Teach if he will do that over staying at Melbourne. Same story goes for Brandon Smith.

I'm not seeing the hype around Carrigan so he is looking like a stop gap. If we could lure Moose back on a modest wage then Carrigan becomes a bench prop at best and would push Flegler out. Paix is on the bench because forcing Turpin to play 80 minutes is dramatically depleting his effectiveness. Hopefully by that point Paix will have enough experience in the dummy half as to not be too much of a downgrade (is he even playing 9 in ISC?). I think it's an utter tragedy that RTS has fallen for the All Blacks bait because if he were available, I would be throwing half the value of the entire club at him.

The bottom line is there is not a single man in our current 17 that you would call a "Marquee player". Milford is on marquee money but as for him being an actual marquee quality player well, that ship has not only sailed, it's halfway to the New World by now. Discussion of snagging DCE has been brought up recently in the rumors thread but his form so far this season has left a lot to be desired, so a fair amount of caution will need to be applied when thinking about him. Maybe we could leverage that to get him on unders? But personally I doubt he's falling for that. He would sooner take desperation money from the Cowboys.

At the end of the day, people can have their cynicisms regarding the state of Adam Reynolds all they like, the fact of the matter is he is everything that our current squad needs right now: Experience, leadership, legit captain material, a cool head and all of that IN THE HALVES. You kick Milford to the curb and he is quite easily the best option to replace him with. We lose nothing in the kicking game and gain a premiership winning half who knows how not to shit the bed when it matters.

Fullback i would definitely go for hynes. We cant keep isaako there, he offers very little for the team there. Failing the recruitment of a fullback. I would do a preseason of arthurs, farnworth and isaako and see who looks like they offer most.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

Fullback i would definitely go for hynes. We cant keep isaako there, he offers very little for the team there. Failing the recruitment of a fullback. I would do a preseason of arthurs, farnworth and isaako and see who looks like they offer most.

I doubt we could even get Hynes at the moment without spending ridiculous overs. That is just where the club is at, at the moment. The combination of screwing Bennett for the 2nd time plus signing on a shit kicker like Seibold has buried us 6 feet under, and nothing short of spending overs or a miracle of form is going to get us out of it.