Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sun Nov 15, 2020 10:13 pm  

JWarriors wrote:

I don’t see any ways in which Marshall has been defensively inferior to any of our other wingers in the last year, or even people like Tom Johnstone if I’m honest. His height he can’t change, but he’s been very good under the high ball for the last 12 months or so. And his tackling has been really good, just look at the try saving tackle he made after damaging his knee in his last appearance for us.

He may have been weaker in defence previously when he was smaller/younger, but IMO its now completely overstated based on performances from 2-3 years ago. His carries from defence have also been really good and much improved.

We are all entitled to our own opinions of course, but for me Marshall has been the best winger at the club for this season and most of last season too, and I’m not just basing that on scoring wonder tries (although at times last year he was basically our only attacking threat).

It became the in thing to say Marshall was a defensive liability in his early days and even though he’s come on ten fold in that regard, it’s still stuck with a few people. He had made one poor read in that first game back after lockdown against Wakey but bar that I’m stumped.

I backed the lads defence even in those early days. I always felt it was over played how weak he was simply because people look at him, see a short bloke and go ‘he’ll not be able to defend’. He made no more errors taking high kicks or day dreaming and coming in off his wing than Tom Davies or Joe Burgess. I was always more of a nervous wreck watching Tom Davies defend the high ball, simply because his basic skills are pretty ordinary (catch, pass etc) but in fairness to him he makes up for his limited skill set with some amazing assets. The only one of our winger who was never dodgy under the high ball and who is a great defender is Dom Manfredi. He’s lost a bit of confidence on the high ball this year but he’s still defensively very sound and Marshall hasn’t been a million miles off either.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sun Nov 15, 2020 11:44 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

Results on any signings will always be mixed in truth, regardless of them being ex Wigan players or not. You just want to sign good players and if they’re ex Wigan, ex Wire, ex Saints or whatever, it doesn’t really matter. To say we’d take Tom Davies back isn’t being obsessed with signing ex players, it’s just the position we find ourselves in regards wingers means we could do with one and he’s a good one (not a great one IMO but potentially a realistic signing depending on his situation).

I’d have Davies back no problem
Personally I think we need a winger quite urgently and wouldn’t be surprised if Greenwood was moved on to give us some cap headroom to seek out a winger

We’ve currently got an imbalanced squad for next year so I’m expecting at least one more new signing albeit it will be a low-key one or as you state a realistic one
Davies or Mead from Catalan maybe good examples of such deals

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon Nov 16, 2020 9:14 am  

I'd have a recovered and fit marshall in over Dom anytime doesnt offer much does Manfredi but that's down to his bad injuries not his attitude or capabilty
If Marshall comes back as good pre injury then hes straight back in imo

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon Nov 16, 2020 4:30 pm  

JIMMY MAGNETS wrote:

I'd have a recovered and fit marshall in over Dom anytime doesnt offer much does Manfredi but that's down to his bad injuries not his attitude or capabilty
If Marshall comes back as good pre injury then hes straight back in imo

he will with manfredi as I think Budgie has gone and Bibby isnt upto it

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon Nov 16, 2020 6:39 pm  

Pieman wrote:

he will with manfredi as I think Budgie has gone and Bibby isnt upto it

Bibby has been much better on the right wing than he was on the left, or at centre. I've been pleasantly surprised with him the last couple of games.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon Nov 16, 2020 8:38 pm  

https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/nrl-news-t ... 7a1c56501f One of the hottest rumours in recent weeks is that Englishman Luke Thompson isn't happy at the Bulldogs and wants to return home. But I've checked out the goss and it is 100% wrong, with Thompson committed to the Dogs and new coach Trent Barrett in 2021. The 25-year-old from St Helens didn't quite set the world on fire in his maiden season in the NRL but showed enough promise in his 10 games to indicate he will be a force next season. Bulldogs Football Manager Stephen Litvensky confirmed that the rumours are way off beam. "We've heard them too but there is nothing to them," Litvensky said. Luke is happy here, we love to have him in the place and in fact, his missus just got out of quarantine a couple of days ago. He was never going back - it was just a crazy rumour someone started that went out of control."

https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/nrl-news-t ... 7a1c56501f One of the hottest rumours in recent weeks is that Englishman Luke Thompson isn't happy at the Bulldogs and wants to return home. But I've checked out the goss and it is 100% wrong, with Thompson committed to the Dogs and new coach Trent Barrett in 2021. The 25-year-old from St Helens didn't quite set the world on fire in his maiden season in the NRL but showed enough promise in his 10 games to indicate he will be a force next season. Bulldogs Football Manager Stephen Litvensky confirmed that the rumours are way off beam. "We've heard them too but there is nothing to them," Litvensky said. Luke is happy here, we love to have him in the place and in fact, his missus just got out of quarantine a couple of days ago. He was never going back - it was just a crazy rumour someone started that went out of control."

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon Nov 16, 2020 8:48 pm  

cherryandwhitedavid06 wrote:

https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/nrl-news-the-mole-cronulla-sharks-john-morris-backed-by-star-players/ffd3408f-153c-4d57-82d3-5e7a1c56501f

One of the hottest rumours in recent weeks is that Englishman Luke Thompson isn't happy at the Bulldogs and wants to return home. But I've checked out the goss and it is 100% wrong, with Thompson committed to the Dogs and new coach Trent Barrett in 2021.

The 25-year-old from St Helens didn't quite set the world on fire in his maiden season in the NRL but showed enough promise in his 10 games to indicate he will be a force next season.

Bulldogs Football Manager Stephen Litvensky confirmed that the rumours are way off beam.

"We've heard them too but there is nothing to them," Litvensky said.

Luke is happy here, we love to have him in the place and in fact, his missus just got out of quarantine a couple of days ago.

He was never going back - it was just a crazy rumour someone started that went out of control."

I suppose we will have to settle for Josh Papalii then.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon Nov 16, 2020 11:09 pm  

cherryandwhitedavid06 wrote:

https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/nrl-news-the-mole-cronulla-sharks-john-morris-backed-by-star-players/ffd3408f-153c-4d57-82d3-5e7a1c56501f

One of the hottest rumours in recent weeks is that Englishman Luke Thompson isn't happy at the Bulldogs and wants to return home. But I've checked out the goss and it is 100% wrong, with Thompson committed to the Dogs and new coach Trent Barrett in 2021.

The 25-year-old from St Helens didn't quite set the world on fire in his maiden season in the NRL but showed enough promise in his 10 games to indicate he will be a force next season.

Bulldogs Football Manager Stephen Litvensky confirmed that the rumours are way off beam.

"We've heard them too but there is nothing to them," Litvensky said.

Luke is happy here, we love to have him in the place and in fact, his missus just got out of quarantine a couple of days ago.

He was never going back - it was just a crazy rumour someone started that went out of control."

So marquee for 2021 then?

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Nov 17, 2020 10:25 am  

cherryandwhitedavid06 wrote:

https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/nrl-news-the-mole-cronulla-sharks-john-morris-backed-by-star-players/ffd3408f-153c-4d57-82d3-5e7a1c56501f

One of the hottest rumours in recent weeks is that Englishman Luke Thompson isn't happy at the Bulldogs and wants to return home. But I've checked out the goss and it is 100% wrong, with Thompson committed to the Dogs and new coach Trent Barrett in 2021.

The 25-year-old from St Helens didn't quite set the world on fire in his maiden season in the NRL but showed enough promise in his 10 games to indicate he will be a force next season.

Bulldogs Football Manager Stephen Litvensky confirmed that the rumours are way off beam.

"We've heard them too but there is nothing to them," Litvensky said.

Luke is happy here, we love to have him in the place and in fact, his missus just got out of quarantine a couple of days ago.

He was never going back - it was just a crazy rumour someone started that went out of control."

I'd be surprised if any fan seriously thought this was going to happen.

Hope springs eternal, but a signing of that magnitude and expense would be a once-in-a-season event, and as we've already seen a couple such acquisitions made for 2021, the odds were always against it.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Nov 17, 2020 5:04 pm  

Just been listening to the Behind The Athlete podcast with Jackson Hastings and he talks about the great squad we will have next year. He mentions that the spine or played will be the same as this year and “both centres are still at the club next season”. I’d like to think that means Gildart is staying