Re: Shopping list for 2025 : Thu Aug 29, 2024 6:06 pm  

ComeOnYouUll wrote:

The stark reality is we're not an attractive proposition for potential signings. No play off place since the random 2020 season, a string of players leaving before the end of their contracts and Cartwright will be our sixth coach since the start of 2020. We not going to sign top players. In 2016/2017 we would probably been able to sign a Lam or a McMeeken or a Whitehead.

Our best hope is that the likes of Hardaker, Sezer, Abdull and Cust improve us and make us a little harder to beat and less of a basket case over the next couple of years.

I’m not sure I fully buy into this ‘tough sell’ stuff, especially in rugby league. Obviously it’s true to a point the best players at the top of their game don’t want to sign for the worst teams generally, but it’s a salary cap sport and a short career. Offer players a better contract and more security and they’ll take it, Wests have been a basket case for years but have pulled Luai. The Bulldogs pulled themselves out of the doldrums by offering the likes of Crichton and JAC big money deals.

Was it such a hard sell for Asiata? He’s a good player and let’s face it he’s not come for rugby reasons, we obviously offered him a bigger better deal. Lam aside as I think his loyalty to his dad must have played a part, but if we are missing out on all these targets it’s because we can’t or won’t offer what’s needed financially. The players we are signing must be the only players available in our budget which must be well below everyone else in the competition.

Re: Shopping list for 2025 : Thu Aug 29, 2024 6:17 pm  

Marcus's Bicycle wrote:

Step forward Jordan Abdull our new running half back.

Keep Abdull fit and trim he's a good player. Terrific left boot an array of kicking skills, great hand off and actually he does have a running game for a few metres anyway but rarely chooses to use it.

But Radford, Peters and McNamara tried and gave up on him. I was a bit upset when Rovers gave him away for nothing but it's proved to be the right decision.

Re: Shopping list for 2025 : Thu Aug 29, 2024 6:25 pm  

From Lam to Sezer, jam tomorrow again.Paid for our passes during covid to help the club and the club have just taken the mick this season with the poor signings they bought and got rid of virtually right away.I think the club will be in for a shock selling passes unless they up the ante after looking at every other clubs signings, loyalty only goes so far. Us mugs who have always supported the club will still be there but many others won't be

Re: Shopping list for 2025 : Thu Aug 29, 2024 6:27 pm  

DSJ1983 wrote:

I’m not sure I fully buy into this ‘tough sell’ stuff, especially in rugby league. Obviously it’s true to a point the best players at the top of their game don’t want to sign for the worst teams generally, but it’s a salary cap sport and a short career. Offer players a better contract and more security and they’ll take it, Wests have been a basket case for years but have pulled Luai. The Bulldogs pulled themselves out of the doldrums by offering the likes of Crichton and JAC big money deals.

Was it such a hard sell for Asiata? He’s a good player and let’s face it he’s not come for rugby reasons, we obviously offered him a bigger better deal. Lam aside as I think his loyalty to his dad must have played a part, but if we are missing out on all these targets it’s because we can’t or won’t offer what’s needed financially. The players we are signing must be the only players available in our budget which must be well below everyone else in the competition.

Agree with this. Money does talk in this game. Not like football where it's big bucks. Offer players money and a decent contract length and they'll sign. Well known that's why Asiata signed as Degsy made that clear.


A lot of talk about players not been available. Therefore offer a transfer fee like we did with Rowley. Ask to speak to the player and say this is how much you'll earn if you come here and for this long. A bit like we did with Lam.

I personally think with Lam it was a case of the contract was only for NRL releases, as no extension has been announced. Just he'll be a player next season for them.

Bizarre to sign Sezer. Almost identical player to Abdul, and I think this won't make for a great balance in the team.

Re: Shopping list for 2025 : Thu Aug 29, 2024 6:48 pm  

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??

Re: Shopping list for 2025 : Thu Aug 29, 2024 6:50 pm  

Marcus's Bicycle wrote:

Another Josh Reynolds signing? Same club same age.

same pathetic lazy recruitment
Its a dads army of Mylers mates

Re: Shopping list for 2025 : Thu Aug 29, 2024 7:00 pm  

Marcus's Bicycle wrote:

Once Bonaire finds out he'll be like that football fan in Ripping Yarns.

Found out early this afternoon but had to be fished out of Lake Como by the rescue services.
Just recovered now to post a few comments and replies to the deluded who as usual be trying to make a case for another dud joining the club.
Dreading the nightmare when the reality kicks in again

Re: Shopping list for 2025 : Thu Aug 29, 2024 7:13 pm  

bonaire wrote:

Found out early this afternoon but had to be fished out of Lake Como by the rescue services.
Just recovered now to post a few comments and replies to the deluded who as usual be trying to make a case for another dud joining the club.
Dreading the nightmare when the reality kicks in again

Thought you were a bit quiet this afternoon. Maybe it was the shock. Normal service resumed I see.

Re: Shopping list for 2025 : Thu Aug 29, 2024 7:22 pm  

ComeOnYouUll wrote:

Hopefully just for one season, I guess the club are now looking at Jack Charles as a regular starter from 2026.

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

Re: Shopping list for 2025 : Thu Aug 29, 2024 7:32 pm  

ComeOnYouUll wrote:

The stark reality is we're not an attractive proposition for potential signings. No play off place since the random 2020 season, a string of players leaving before the end of their contracts and Cartwright will be our sixth coach since the start of 2020. We not going to sign top players. In 2016/2017 we would probably been able to sign a Lam or a McMeeken or a Whitehead.

Our best hope is that the likes of Hardaker, Sezer, Abdull and Cust improve us and make us a little harder to beat and less of a basket case over the next couple of years.

and then what?
We become harder to beat so that makes a difference when we try and sign quality players.I dont think so
Signing quality players is about the DOR selling the club, maybe telling a few porkies on the way like Pearson did with Gaz Ellis but getting your man is what its all about.
Myler is a Rookie at selling..Started well in signing Asiata but it all went backwards after that. and instead of making him the benchmark and a selling point used to attract some quality players he made the lazy recruitment of the average Joes we will be seeing next season