Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour thread V4 : Sun Aug 27, 2023 8:34 am  

Is Hazelton the big bald kid who’s played some NRL this year?

What I’m hanging my hat on is for the first time in a while there seems to be a plan.

We clearly needed size, we’ve added size and the pack has shown they can mix it with the likes of saints who have blown us away with regularity. It’s up to Smith to get performances out of them on a more consistent basis.

We needed depth, so we weren’t just throwing 17 year olds in. To varying levels, Hooley, Mcdonell and Roberts have all done that.

We were very slow at fullback, a position where everyone seems to be getting faster, we went and got Miller.

We’re not going to get it all right, but at least it looks like joined up thinking. We need improved halves. We’ve put ourselves in a position to do it, let’s see what comes off.

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour thread V4 : Sun Aug 27, 2023 8:59 am  

Agree. I'm not suggesting we will sign any of the Dolphins trio (two of whom are reserves anyway). But we seem to be generally fixing the glaring deficiencies in the squad - we've got a bit more size in the pack and depth and now a fullback. Its a huge challenge to get the halfbacks we need, but at least we're not having to sign a whole team any more.

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour thread V4 : Sun Aug 27, 2023 11:12 am  

Once were Loiners wrote:

Well lp, given that none of us on here are player agents or work for the club, its very hard to tell. But Miller was contracted for two more years at the Knights and we signed him. The point is that the club shouldn't - and clearly hasn't - just assume that a contracted player won't sign. I've named the Dolphins trio (Nikorima, Milford, O'Sullivan) multiple times, all of whom are way better than Clune or Frawley. Are they interested? Don't know. Are they available? No idea.

Hopefully someone at the club is looking into them and others of similar ability, regardless of contract status. All I do know is applying the criteria of decent quality, available and not contracted means signing nobody. If you don't ask you won't know, and what we can offer some of these guys is a length of contract they wouldn't get in the NRL. Not to mention we should have marquee spots available which means the money shouldn't be that far off either.

IMO the time has passed for the club to sign some makeweight plodder at halfback. We currently have no contracted halfback for next season worth squat. Myler is not a starting halfback, as we've found to our cost in 2018 and 2019. Sinfield may or may not make it (frankly if he had a different surname I'm not sure anyone would be pinning much hope on him). And we've had years of mediocrity, with our longest run outside the top 4 since the early 1950s.

So while I don't know who might or might not be available, I do think its time for the club to push the boat out and take a risk on getting the absolute best we can. Its time to draw a line in the sand so everyone can at least feel the club is doing its best to get back to the top. Answering that challenge is up to the club, not us on here randomly naming players (including me of course).

But surely, using your logic that we don’t work for the club, they may be making enquiries about all of those players you mention? They aren’t going to announce it are they? A number of comments on here, we aren’t moving quickly enough, we aren’t doing anything to address our issues. We probably are aren’t we? Maybe the players we would like just don’t want to come. I am sure we may be asking about numerous NRL players who are contacted. The point I was making is, if Frawley isn’t good enough and everybody else is in for players we should be in for (those are both comments found on this thread) who are those players we should have been in for? Who should we have signed?
There is also just a harsh reality people don’t like and that is why would anybody want to move to the UK from Australia? I Either money, life experience or a chance to play. Leeds are not going to attract regular, good level NRL players, especially in spine positions. We aren’t shopping in the basement bin (another comment on here) we are just shopping where we should be shopping. The issue is numerous posters expectations compared to the reality of what is actually going on.

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour thread V4 : Sun Aug 27, 2023 11:13 am  

Once were Loiners wrote:

Well lp, given that none of us on here are player agents or work for the club, its very hard to tell. But Miller was contracted for two more years at the Knights and we signed him. The point is that the club shouldn't - and clearly hasn't - just assume that a contracted player won't sign. I've named the Dolphins trio (Nikorima, Milford, O'Sullivan) multiple times, all of whom are way better than Clune or Frawley. Are they interested? Don't know. Are they available? No idea.

Hopefully someone at the club is looking into them and others of similar ability, regardless of contract status. All I do know is applying the criteria of decent quality, available and not contracted means signing nobody. If you don't ask you won't know, and what we can offer some of these guys is a length of contract they wouldn't get in the NRL. Not to mention we should have marquee spots available which means the money shouldn't be that far off either.

IMO the time has passed for the club to sign some makeweight plodder at halfback. We currently have no contracted halfback for next season worth squat. Myler is not a starting halfback, as we've found to our cost in 2018 and 2019. Sinfield may or may not make it (frankly if he had a different surname I'm not sure anyone would be pinning much hope on him). And we've had years of mediocrity, with our longest run outside the top 4 since the early 1950s.

So while I don't know who might or might not be available, I do think its time for the club to push the boat out and take a risk on getting the absolute best we can. Its time to draw a line in the sand so everyone can at least feel the club is doing its best to get back to the top. Answering that challenge is up to the club, not us on here randomly naming players (including me of course).

But surely, using your logic that we don’t work for the club, they may be making enquiries about all of those players you mention? They aren’t going to announce it are they? A number of comments on here, we aren’t moving quickly enough, we aren’t doing anything to address our issues. We probably are aren’t we? Maybe the players we would like just don’t want to come. I am sure we may be asking about numerous NRL players who are contacted. The point I was making is, if Frawley isn’t good enough and everybody else is in for players we should be in for (those are both comments found on this thread) who are those players we should have been in for? Who should we have signed?
There is also just a harsh reality people don’t like and that is why would anybody want to move to the UK from Australia? I Either money, life experience or a chance to play. Leeds are not going to attract regular, good level NRL players, especially in spine positions. We aren’t shopping in the basement bin (another comment on here) we are just shopping where we should be shopping. The issue is numerous posters expectations compared to the reality of what is actually going on.

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour thread V4 : Sun Aug 27, 2023 11:31 am  

I know Hull have been linked with him recently but I wonder if we could get Martin to have a word in the ear of Jacob Alick. Good young png forward.

Then one of Flanagan or Wakeham. I wouldn’t get both because I think they’re both out and out 7s. Not sure what other halves to target. Ironically Clune has looked ok in his recent return to the knights line up.

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour thread V4 : Sun Aug 27, 2023 12:48 pm  

Seth wrote:

Looking at the rhinos Twitter, oh to have someone of Iestyn Harris' talent.

Once in a generation talent. No one in SL has a player like that ,
Not just us….

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour thread V4 : Sun Aug 27, 2023 12:51 pm  

sublime. ghosted past players

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour thread V4 : Sun Aug 27, 2023 12:59 pm  

Possibly my favourite Leeds player that I’ve seen in the flesh

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour thread V4 : Sun Aug 27, 2023 1:15 pm  

tad rhino wrote:

sublime. ghosted past players

Yes
I was at Odsal,think 1998, when Shaun Edwards was at the Bulls.
Harris ghosted,from memory, past Edwards 3 times to score.
If only we had a few players with half of his talent at his peak.

Re: Transfer Talk / Rumour thread V4 : Sun Aug 27, 2023 1:29 pm  

lp my only 'logic' is that if the club assumes the only available players are the ones you suggested - out of contract, willing to come etc - then the pool is very shallow indeed. Miller wasn't out of contract, but somehow the club managed to get him to sign. I guess my expectations are somewhat higher than yours given that we have marquee spots available. I'd hope the club is aiming far higher than the likes of Frawley as well. If you don't try then you deserve everything you get.