Re: Recruitment, rumours and links : Fri Dec 13, 2024 9:25 am  

Lord Tony Smith wrote:

I don't care if someone is from or knows the town. He could have lived on Fletcher Street as a kid or played on Orford Park with his mates every weekend. The question should be, is the player good enough? In this case, he absolutely isn't. If we start signing players on a nostalgic/geographical basis over ability then we really are screwed.

This.

IIRC The recruitment since the DoR and new go forward reads as follows

IN
Yates
Bateman (loan)
Oli Leyland
Dan Russell
Alfie Johnson

OUT
Matty Nicholson
John Bateman (loan)
Gil Dudson
Josh Drinkwater
Matty Russell
Joe Bullock
Wesley Bruines

Re: Recruitment, rumours and links : Fri Dec 13, 2024 11:08 am  

Wires71 wrote:

This.

IIRC The recruitment since the DoR and new go forward reads as follows

IN
Yates
Bateman (loan)
Oli Leyland
Dan Russell
Alfie Johnson

OUT
Matty Nicholson
John Bateman (loan)
Gil Dudson
Josh Drinkwater
Matty Russell
Joe Bullock
Wesley Bruines

I guess we could also put some of the academy graduates in the IN column. And some of those are very good. In fact I'd go as far as saying that Lindop and Taylor-Wray are infinitely better than any signings we've made or mooted over recently. Apart from Cleary of course, who was never really on the cards.

Re: Recruitment, rumours and links : Fri Dec 13, 2024 12:18 pm  

easyWire wrote:

I guess we could also put some of the academy graduates in the IN column. And some of those are very good. In fact I'd go as far as saying that Lindop and Taylor-Wray are infinitely better than any signings we've made or mooted over recently. Apart from Cleary of course, who was never really on the cards.

That's a good call. Our feed from the young 'uns is a very important plus.

Re: Recruitment, rumours and links : Fri Dec 13, 2024 12:55 pm  

Lord Tony Smith wrote:

I don't care if someone is from or knows the town. He could have lived on Fletcher Street as a kid or played on Orford Park with his mates every weekend. The question should be, is the player good enough? In this case, he absolutely isn't. If we start signing players on a nostalgic/geographical basis over ability then we really are screwed.

You're just making up a strawman so you can knock it down.

I think it's perfectly fine to say you don't think Livett is good enough: he wouldn't have appeared in my top 500 list of signings either.

All I was saying is that many clubs have a few 6/10 players and you sometimes need those to balance the salary cap and/or ensure you don't burn out your first 17. And that given a choice between a 6/10 player who lives in Toowoomba and one who lives in Warrington or developed in the club, the latter has more advantages.

But sure, feel free to say that by that logic you could get a game next year and I'm sure you'll rack up the likes.

Re: Recruitment, rumours and links : Fri Dec 13, 2024 2:59 pm  

just_browny wrote:

You're just making up a strawman so you can knock it down.

I think it's perfectly fine to say you don't think Livett is good enough: he wouldn't have appeared in my top 500 list of signings either.

All I was saying is that many clubs have a few 6/10 players and you sometimes need those to balance the salary cap and/or ensure you don't burn out your first 17. And that given a choice between a 6/10 player who lives in Toowoomba and one who lives in Warrington or developed in the club, the latter has more advantages.

But sure, feel free to say that by that logic you could get a game next year and I'm sure you'll rack up the likes.

We already have our fair share of 6/10 players. Infact, I think we have more than most clubs.

Other than Ashton, Thewlis, Williams, Harrison, Walker and Fitzgibbon I'd say the rest are all pretty average and can be much improved on.

Unfortunately it appears that the club have spent a huge chunk of the cap on improving Dufty's new deal when we seemingly have a immensely talented fullback waiting in the wings already. Another poor indictment of the recent recruitment at the club.

Re: Recruitment, rumours and links : Fri Dec 13, 2024 3:20 pm  

Lord Tony Smith wrote:

We already have our fair share of 6/10 players. Infact, I think we have more than most clubs.

Other than Ashton, Thewlis, Williams, Harrison, Walker and Fitzgibbon I'd say the rest are all pretty average and can be much improved on.

Unfortunately it appears that the club have spent a huge chunk of the cap on improving Dufty's new deal when we seemingly have a immensely talented fullback waiting in the wings already. Another poor indictment of the recent recruitment at the club.

Sure I read that Dufty’s increase was already built into his contract.

Re: Recruitment, rumours and links : Fri Dec 13, 2024 3:49 pm  

Lord Tony Smith wrote:

We already have our fair share of 6/10 players. Infact, I think we have more than most clubs.

Unfortunately it appears that the club have spent a huge chunk of the cap on improving Dufty's new deal when we seemingly have an immensely talented fullback waiting in the wings already. Another poor indictment of the recent recruitment at the club.

Not sure that’s fair, Dufty’s contract is up at the end of 2026, at which point CTW will be 20 I think. Seems sensible planning to me…?

Re: Recruitment, rumours and links : Fri Dec 13, 2024 4:04 pm  

Alffi_7 wrote:

Not sure that’s fair, Dufty’s contract is up at the end of 2026, at which point CTW will be 20 I think. Seems sensible planning to me…?

Sensible planning yes. However, I'm talking more about how much Dufty is now on. Which means we can't improve the squad that much. He's now on silly money.

Re: Recruitment, rumours and links : Fri Dec 13, 2024 4:06 pm  

Actually I remember now it was Abe that posted something about Dufty’s contract a good while back and that an increase would kick in.

Re: Recruitment, rumours and links : Fri Dec 13, 2024 4:33 pm  

Lord Tony Smith wrote:

We already have our fair share of 6/10 players. Infact, I think we have more than most clubs.

Other than Ashton, Thewlis, Williams, Harrison, Walker and Fitzgibbon I'd say the rest are all pretty average and can be much improved on.

Unfortunately it appears that the club have spent a huge chunk of the cap on improving Dufty's new deal when we seemingly have a immensely talented fullback waiting in the wings already. Another poor indictment of the recent recruitment at the club.

If you think Dufty is 'pretty average' - as well as, presumably, Currie, Vaughan, Yates and King - I can probably leave it there.