SL player drain to Australia starting already? : Mon Aug 27, 2012 10:08 pm  

I was speaking to a lad from Aus last week who is staying with our neighbours and playing for a Warrington amateur football team for a bit. He was saying he's heard of two English players that are in talks with the NRL team he supports, North Queensland Cowboys. One was Scott Moore and the other was Tom Makinson. I laughed at him, mostly because he mentioned Scott Moore and the thought of him in Australia made me laugh, due to him not being the most professional player ever. I also didn't think he'd be good enough. He reckons Makinson has asked to leave and has been offered around the NRL, as well as Jamie Foster and Lee Gaskell. He said a bidding war for Tomkins has already started and he's well into discussions about a move.

I didn't think too much of it but then a google search found an article with North Queensland Cowboys' admitting they are interested in signing Moore (WTF!!!) and have already held talks with his agent. He's OOC so it wouldn't be too much of a surprise to see him go there, but it makes you wonder just how many will end up asking for a release once the offers start coming in under their new salary cap? It's not like clubs have much power these days, if a player wants out, he pretty much goes.

Re: SL player drain to Australia starting already? : Tue Aug 28, 2012 7:46 am  

The Moore thing has been out there for some days now, the rest is just throwing names in a barrel.

Re: SL player drain to Australia starting already? : Tue Aug 28, 2012 8:25 am  

Foster in the NRL?

Can see why clubs would have a look at Makinson, although similarly to Tom Briscoe I think any NRL team would allow him to develop a bit more before making the move, same with Gaskell the potential is there but need to develop over here before pushing down under.

Foster (unless being signed purely as a goalkicker) has a lot to do as he doesnt look the best against SL three quarters so imagine the likes of Boyd, Inglis, Hodges etc up against him??

Re: SL player drain to Australia starting already? : Tue Aug 28, 2012 8:58 am  

Sounds like utter smelly stuff of the very highest order to me. I can see an NRL club taking a chance on Moore as a fairly cheap development project with a big potential upside and low risk with the right contract, but Gaskell, Makinson and FOSTER??? Gaskell and Makinson aren't even vaguely NRL standard yet (nor probably ever will be) and Foster is hardly even SL standard at present... I know NRL clubs have got a lot of dosh to throw around but they could find better ways to waste it than on those I'm sure...

However, a big talent drain from SL to the NRL is almost inevitable and SL clubs will all be losing most of their best players over the next few years. Probably not Gaskell and Makinson just yet though

Re: SL player drain to Australia starting already? : Tue Aug 28, 2012 9:08 am  

I'm not sure if you watch NRL often Northampton_Saint but some of the three quarters there are not quite as exceptional as you may think. For example Daniel Vidot at St George. Just this year Dmitri Pelo who used to be a pretty average winger for Catalans was signed by Canberra. Makinson could quite easily fit in over there - he can catch a ball and has a bit of pace...
Foster would probably struggle, unless he really toughens up.

Re: SL player drain to Australia starting already? : Tue Aug 28, 2012 10:47 am  

Well if the Aussie clubs have got all this money and their youth systems can't produce players of this quality then can you blame them?

Re: SL player drain to Australia starting already? : Tue Aug 28, 2012 11:16 am  

The way the talk about Moore was going, it was that they needed a few dummy half options. The arguement from the fans on their forum, was not that they needed several dummy half options but that they needed to put that money into getting one very good hooker.

With the wage increases in the NRL, you can see some of that money coming this way for speculation players. They can probably snap up a few players on the cheap and never even have to put them in their first grade team. Just having them there as a punt incase they turn good or as back up if they have an injury crisis.

Whilst I'm not commenting on the quality of the players mentioned, it does seam to be a bit of a story. Take one bit of truth, then take a player who everyone is interested in like Tomkins and then sprinkle a few local names on top to truely embelish the story.

But anything is possible and if it is true then I hope Saints hold out for as much cash as they can. That's the trickle down effect SL clubs need to cash in on, get them signed up long term and cash in on the transfer

Re: SL player drain to Australia starting already? : Tue Aug 28, 2012 11:25 am  

Plenty of players good enough and the odd one better than a lot of what they have, look at Ryan Hall, a winger who leaps like a basketball player, runs like a pro sprinter and is just shy of 17st. Show me a better winger in Oz and ask yourself why a club wouldn't try to entice him over?

Re: SL player drain to Australia starting already? : Tue Aug 28, 2012 11:31 am  

Horatio Yed wrote:

Plenty of players good enough and the odd one better than a lot of what they have, look at Ryan Hall, a winger who leaps like a basketball player, runs like a pro sprinter and is just shy of 17st. Show me a better winger in Oz and ask yourself why a club wouldn't try to entice him over?

He also catches like an STD.

Re: SL player drain to Australia starting already? : Tue Aug 28, 2012 12:49 pm  

JonB95 wrote:

I'm not sure if you watch NRL often Northampton_Saint but some of the three quarters there are not quite as exceptional as you may think.

Maybe not, but they're certainly a lot more exceptional than most of the 3/4s Makinson plays against over here on a regular basis, and he doesn't exactly manage to pull up too many trees against them does he?