Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Nov 28, 2023 1:44 pm  

I think he would be very poorly advised to go before 2026/7.

I don’t see him having the physicality at the moment to cope with the NRL.

His ability to control and read the game is certainly good enough now but I think a few more years would work best for him.

The physical side of his game has improved massively but it’s still a long way off NRL standards yet in my opinion.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Nov 28, 2023 2:10 pm  

nathan_rugby wrote:

Very much doubt this would be part of the consideration considering how dead international rugby league is.

It’s frustrating the international game granted but it’s not dead for any English players. Hopefully Samoa get over here in 2024 (but Smith will be here next year anyway so that’s irrelevant to his decision) but then players have an Ashes tour and a World Cup to aim for and I can pretty much guarantee every single English player will be desperate to be part of those events.

I don’t think playing for a bottom of the table NRL side overly impacts your chances mind, as long as you’re going ok yourself.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Nov 28, 2023 2:37 pm  

Getting somewhat annoying this, the only thing that could stop us doing what Saints did over the past few seasons is the NRL continually forcing us to rebuild our team

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Nov 28, 2023 2:41 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

It’s frustrating the international game granted but it’s not dead for any English players. Hopefully Samoa get over here in 2024 (but Smith will be here next year anyway so that’s irrelevant to his decision) but then players have an Ashes tour and a World Cup to aim for and I can pretty much guarantee every single English player will be desperate to be part of those events.

I don’t think playing for a bottom of the table NRL side overly impacts your chances mind, as long as you’re going ok yourself.

Yeah was pretty average most of last year and was in a terrible team but still got the nod ahead of Faz who had a good year in a champion team

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Nov 28, 2023 4:07 pm  

jonh wrote:

I think he would be very poorly advised to go before 2026/7.

I don’t see him having the physicality at the moment to cope with the NRL.

His ability to control and read the game is certainly good enough now but I think a few more years would work best for him.

The physical side of his game has improved massively but it’s still a long way off NRL standards yet in my opinion.

Completely agree.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Nov 28, 2023 4:07 pm  

MadDogg wrote: The third marquee player has to be federation trained (i.e. trained by a member club of the European Federation) but not necessarily home grown (i.e. developed through the club's own academy). there is a distinction though in the wording and appropriate costs to the cap, but it doesnt state you can only have or have to have, 1 of each, other than you have to have a minimum of 1 Federation trained Club Trained Marquee player = £50k Federation Trained = £100k Non Federation Trained = £150k https://www.rugby-league.com/article/61 ... lculations. hence my example and explanation of why Thompson cannot be club trained, he would be Federation trained player Further confirmation below (its an out of date article given Smithies still at Wigan ) First off, let's define what all the different trained type of players are. A club-trained player is someone who has been trained and developed at the club they are currently at. Examples would be Harry Newman at Leeds Rhinos, James Roby at St Helens and Morgan Smithies at Wigan Warriors. A federation trained player would be someone who wasn't produced by the club they are but was trained by a club affiliated to the RLEF (Rugby League European Federation). George Williams is as an example of this as he was trained by Wigan but is at Warrington, so he is classed as a federation trained player. Finally, a non-federation trained player is someone who wasn't developed or trained by an RLEF affiliated clubs. Basically, if they spent their junior career in Australia, New Zealand or the Pacific Islands. So Bevan French, Wigan's marquee player, is a non-federation trained player. https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/ru ... r-27049111

MadDogg wrote: The third marquee player has to be federation trained (i.e. trained by a member club of the European Federation) but not necessarily home grown (i.e. developed through the club's own academy). there is a distinction though in the wording and appropriate costs to the cap, but it doesnt state you can only have or have to have, 1 of each, other than you have to have a minimum of 1 Federation trained Club Trained Marquee player = £50k Federation Trained = £100k Non Federation Trained = £150k https://www.rugby-league.com/article/61 ... lculations. hence my example and explanation of why Thompson cannot be club trained, he would be Federation trained player Further confirmation below (its an out of date article given Smithies still at Wigan ) First off, let's define what all the different trained type of players are. A club-trained player is someone who has been trained and developed at the club they are currently at. Examples would be Harry Newman at Leeds Rhinos, James Roby at St Helens and Morgan Smithies at Wigan Warriors. A federation trained player would be someone who wasn't produced by the club they are but was trained by a club affiliated to the RLEF (Rugby League European Federation). George Williams is as an example of this as he was trained by Wigan but is at Warrington, so he is classed as a federation trained player. Finally, a non-federation trained player is someone who wasn't developed or trained by an RLEF affiliated clubs. Basically, if they spent their junior career in Australia, New Zealand or the Pacific Islands. So Bevan French, Wigan's marquee player, is a non-federation trained player. https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/ru ... r-27049111

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Nov 28, 2023 8:36 pm  

https://www.wigantoday.net/sport/rugby- ... wWZiwgHm9M Not a shock this one but it confirms another one off the books. It was a weird one this, as if he was only signed on to keep KPP company when moving up from London.

https://www.wigantoday.net/sport/rugby- ... wWZiwgHm9M Not a shock this one but it confirms another one off the books. It was a weird one this, as if he was only signed on to keep KPP company when moving up from London.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Nov 28, 2023 10:14 pm  

MattyB wrote:

https://www.wigantoday.net/sport/rugby-league/ramon-silva-departs-wigan-warriors-for-championship-move-4425334?fbclid=IwAR2pwCNXib5OmjvNIyZW3_JYPSXjbXV3lG25tj-g-USpij47xwWZiwgHm9M

Not a shock this one but it confirms another one off the books. It was a weird one this, as if he was only signed on to keep KPP company when moving up from London.

Not SL standard let alone a plsyer who would command a place at a team hoping to be at the top end of the table.

Good luck to him at Barrow.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Wed Nov 29, 2023 8:21 am  

jonh wrote:

I think he would be very poorly advised to go before 2026/7.

I don’t see him having the physicality at the moment to cope with the NRL.

His ability to control and read the game is certainly good enough now but I think a few more years would work best for him.

The physical side of his game has improved massively but it’s still a long way off NRL standards yet in my opinion.

He's almost 24 now and 5'10 at best, he's fine defensively and he's never going to break tackles. What more physicality are you expecting from him at this stage? If he's not ready right now (and I'd dispute that) he certainly will be in another 12 months.

He's not particularly well paid and especially not now considering the year he's just had. Lifestyle benefits are endless and he's moving to a better competition and instantly trebling his money in a career which he can only expect to have another 10 good years. Not to mention every SL club with cap space would bend over backwards to have him sign if it didn't immediately work out. He would be very poorly advised if he didn't go.

Imagine if injury-prone Thompson being on marquee money for four years prevents Smith from signing a longer improved deal. Absolute madness.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Wed Nov 29, 2023 9:20 am  

SFW wrote:

He's almost 24 now and 5'10 at best, he's fine defensively and he's never going to break tackles. What more physicality are you expecting from him at this stage? If he's not ready right now (and I'd dispute that) he certainly will be in another 12 months.

He's not particularly well paid and especially not now considering the year he's just had. Lifestyle benefits are endless and he's moving to a better competition and instantly trebling his money in a career which he can only expect to have another 10 good years. Not to mention every SL club with cap space would bend over backwards to have him sign if it didn't immediately work out. He would be very poorly advised if he didn't go.

Imagine if injury-prone Thompson being on marquee money for four years prevents Smith from signing a longer improved deal. Absolute madness.

i think in terms of physicality we are generally referring to defensively where he has been targetted previously. However, he has improved massively over the last 12 months and certainly wasnt shirking the defensive side of things v Tonga, where he couldnt have really gotten a bigger / more physical team running at him

in terms of Marquee, Smith and Thompson would fall into different categories ie club trained v federation trained. So both could be marquee, and Smith would only cost us £50k on the cap and Thompson £100k