Re: Shopping list for 2025 : Thu Aug 29, 2024 7:33 pm  

We managed to get herman to sign last season so it can't be that hard to bring in quality players

Re: Shopping list for 2025 : Thu Aug 29, 2024 7:56 pm  

Jake the Peg wrote:

We managed to get herman to sign last season so it can't be that hard to bring in quality players

The are are more Props about than Half Backs. Of the 24 first choices halves in SL how many are actually any good right now?

Re: Shopping list for 2025 : Thu Aug 29, 2024 7:58 pm  

Jake the Peg wrote:

We managed to get herman to sign last season so it can't be that hard to bring in quality players

Its just lazy recruitment from an inexperienced DOR who has no selling experience so wouldnt have a clue how to sell the club to a player who we had interest in.
Thats why companies employ sales and marketing personnel

Re: Shopping list for 2025 : Thu Aug 29, 2024 8:02 pm  

Jake the Peg wrote:

We managed to get herman to sign last season so it can't be that hard to bring in quality players

And Asiata this season. If we offer bigger and better deals than other SL clubs they will come here irrespective of our standing. As someone pointed out (sorry can't remember who) Penrith's Jerome Luai one of the best players in the world has signed a 5 year contract at Wests who are regarded as a badly run club fighting it out for the wooden spoon. I'd say 99% of NRL players come over here for the money and the majority of those players will sign for the club who offers most.

Lam is an exception. His dad is the coach, he may have secured a better deal with Leigh and the contract dispute may have got messy.

Re: Shopping list for 2025 : Thu Aug 29, 2024 8:12 pm  

bonaire wrote:

Its not just Charles though.Its seems the stategy of the club is to have five or six of our younger players being regular first team players by then but its hardly likely to happen given past experience at the club.
Yes we have promise in Charles and Moy but will they make it no one knows.
The two who i think will make it are Barron and Martin.
Cant see any of the current forwards making the grade.
Staveley showed promise before his injury and maybe he could be the odd forward who breaks through as a regular first team player

Agree with this, I just haven’t seen it with Charles yet I know he’s young etc but I think Martin and Moy are much better equipped to make it long term.

Re: Shopping list for 2025 : Thu Aug 29, 2024 8:20 pm  

I'm extremely concerned about the recruitment thus far and money aside I bet bet Asiata is wondering what the hell he's signed up for, playing in a team full of ageing journeymen and a few promising local youngsters, hardly an inspiring recipe.

We started off with the signing of Asiata and the thought of financial investment but that all just seems like a smokescreen now.

This p1ss poor recruitment will not inspire new passholders and will struggle to maintain the current level. I'm struggling to remain positive and can't see me spending the £400 or so on renewing, not with this level of signing.
I'm no longer prepared to help subsidise the club when we get absolutely nothing in return in terms of signings or performances.
Where does the line get drawn?

Re: Shopping list for 2025 : Thu Aug 29, 2024 8:23 pm  

Bombed Out wrote:

I'm extremely concerned about the recruitment thus far and money aside I bet bet Asiata is wondering what the hell he's signed up for, playing in a team full of ageing journeymen and a few promising local youngsters, hardly an inspiring recipe.

We started off with the signing of Asiata and the thought of financial investment but that all just seems like a smokescreen now.

This p1ss poor recruitment will not inspire new passholders and will struggle to maintain the current level. I'm struggling to remain positive and can't see me spending the £400 or so on renewing, not with this level of signing.
I'm no longer prepared to help subsidise the club when we get absolutely nothing in return in terms of signings or performances.
Where does the line get drawn?

Have to say, I’m really considering renewing next year, just don’t see the point.

Re: Shopping list for 2025 : Thu Aug 29, 2024 8:30 pm  

Bombed Out wrote:

I'm extremely concerned about the recruitment thus far and money aside I bet bet Asiata is wondering what the hell he's signed up for, playing in a team full of ageing journeymen and a few promising local youngsters, hardly an inspiring recipe.

We started off with the signing of Asiata and the thought of financial investment but that all just seems like a smokescreen now.

This p1ss poor recruitment will not inspire new passholders and will struggle to maintain the current level. I'm struggling to remain positive and can't see me spending the £400 or so on renewing, not with this level of signing.
I'm no longer prepared to help subsidise the club when we get absolutely nothing in return in terms of signings or performances.
Where does the line get drawn?

Your use of the phrase 'it seems like a smokescreen now' is interesting and bears out what I said yesterday about a concern that whatever was on the table investment wise could just have been withdrawn in the face of what a mess we are in. I hope we are wrong but I'd like some sort of statement on it from the club.

Re: Shopping list for 2025 : Thu Aug 29, 2024 8:35 pm  

The Dentist Wilf wrote:

For heavens sake its not so much a case of which top level signing we will get but more a choice of who the hell will come to a club which is, as I said the other day, a basket case with a depressing record an appauling attitude over several seasons and overtly demanding fans. We are at rock bottom. Cartwright has arrived and I think he will be really good but he's probably come to support his dad and not because we are a great proposition. As for Asiata lets face it all he talked about on signing was making a future for his family so in the end at his age, its a good pay day and who could blame him.

I'd like to know who some fans feel is a realistic proposition for us, who would come? It almost has to be someone no one else wants. We could even offer transfer fees that a club might like but who's to say the actual player would come?

We have chased and made great offers to two top quality halves who I think would have changed the dynamic at the club pretty quickly but both turned us down for. I think, the obvious reason stated above, as did two top quality coaches. Let's face it would you come? I think we've done bloody well to get Cartwright and I wonder what he is thinking now watching our games week in week out.

We have, as fans, to lower our sights I feel and try and trust in our new coach who must steer the signings we bring from Australia and attempt to get the best he can cajole into coming, improve things and make us a better prospect for new players coming in in future years. .

We all want the very best for the FC and when players like Sneyd, Kelly Connor Manu Taylor and Minichiello were signing every year it was exciting and they came because of our potential and for a chance to win something, quite frankly at present we have no potential besides a host of quality young players who might or might not make it.

When Mini, Ellis, Manu, and Pritchard faced the attitude and inertia of the rest of the squad head on in the changing rooms at Widnes that night in 2016, they changed the whole dynamic of the team, by saying we came here to win things not to bugger about, they then policed it, but they also saw the potential of what we had and signed up to make the difference and a further name for themselves.
Anyone looking at our team at present must see moving here as a last resort.

Shaun McCrae, Motu Tony or Superman couldn't do any better than Myler because of the current state we are in as a club. It's not for the want of trying and having high aspirations but we are hardly attractive as a career development prospect are we?? I think for now, we just have to get the best Cartwright can persuade to come (if its Sizer than so be it), and hope he can make a difference. We are in dire straights right now and as I said earlier would you want to come??

I really liked the Cartwright appointment on paper as he seems to tick most of the boxes of what we need at the club. My only worry was that sometimes Aussies with no experience of the league really underestimate the competition, I know he did a season as a player but that was 30 years ago. Maybe he’s just massively underestimating what’s needed? Sezer just isn’t a player that’s anything special in SL, in fact he’s one of those rare players that’s seemingly better suited to the NRL and how it’s structured. Having him tied to a two year deal at 33 taking a quota spot is just absolute madness. A lesser extent Cust too, I feel he could offer a bit more but on the evidence so far he’s not been anything special.

Maybe the coach has just been allowed to make a couple of poor calls? Maybe he’s been offered better players but stubbornly wants people who he’s worked with? That’s just a huge guess on my part, but I’m not convinced players refuse to join because we’ve had a couple of poor seasons. It’s not stopped Wakey recruiting decent players. We’ve either not got the money or maybe just still making poor recruitment decisions.

Re: Shopping list for 2025 : Thu Aug 29, 2024 8:42 pm  

Marcus's Bicycle wrote:

And Asiata this season. If we offer bigger and better deals than other SL clubs they will come here irrespective of our standing. As someone pointed out (sorry can't remember who) Penrith's Jerome Luai one of the best players in the world has signed a 5 year contract at Wests who are regarded as a badly run club fighting it out for the wooden spoon. I'd say 99% of NRL players come over here for the money and the majority of those players will sign for the club who offers most.

Lam is an exception. His dad is the coach, he may have secured a better deal with Leigh and the contract dispute may have got messy.

A factor with Luai will be he's won everything at Penrith, played SOO, been in a world cup final etc so not a lot more to achieve so may as well take the money. Also it's believed Penrith can only offer him a certain amount due to the salary cap, everyone's had a wage rise due to their success so the cap is doing is doing its job and redistributing players across the league.

But yes money is still the biggest factor though.