Recruitment & Retention 2027

[GCRV]

Why do we hate depth and competition for positions

Salary cap.

 

[Justadragon]

Brodie Croft is that 7 for a year or two, but will he be a good enough.

Its a real catch 22 ..... get Metcalf for 3 years and maybe this year and possibly lose Kade or get Brodie and keep Kade.

Either way you wont have KR for this season, he's out with a 3 month injury or more so everything will be delayed with him anyway.

 

[dragonheart]

In such an important position, we have been poorly represented in the halves since Widdop and thats a long time

 

[Mug Fan]

We need a marquee half its that f*cking simple.

 

[Dragon David]

We need a marquee half its that f*cking simple.

Agreed Mug Fan 100%. It is better we get winning results now than maybe's later. It is about the present and not the future. We really don't know who and/or what we are dealing with in a year or two's time.

 

[Dave03]

We need a marquee half its that f*cking simple.

Metcalf, come on down.

 

[RedV01]

Agreed Mug Fan 100%. It is better we get winning results now than maybe's later. It is about the present and not the future. We really don't know who and/or what we are dealing with in a year or two's time.

Sir, who is the halfback who is going to bring us winning results now? Metcalf? Had half a good season before injury and now he has been eclipsed by a GC reject. But not against signing him. Only against it if it means losing Reed. Fair dinkum! Only 3 months ago he could walk on water now after 2 games inside the worst 1~5 in all of history and possibly prehistoric, he's gotta go. 2 games in which he wasn't even that bad.

Then again, what is Ashton Ward's contract status?

 

[Eric]

Sir, who is the halfback who is going to bring us winning results now? Metcalf? Had half a good season before injury and now he has been eclipsed by a GC reject. But not against signing him. Only against it if it means losing Reed. Fair dinkum! Only 3 months ago he could walk on water now after 2 games inside the worst 1~5 in all of history and possibly prehistoric, he's gotta go. 2 games in which he wasn't even that bad.

Then again, what is Ashton Ward's contract status?

Aston Ward is a good point. All the talent in the world, well let's just say very talented, won't help him make it if he just isn't physically up to it. I don't think that is the case with Reed but a good chance he won't be physically ready until he's 22 at the earliest.

 

[Frank Facer]

So NQ retained Purdue for 750,000 for next 3 years, surely these are exactly the type of players we should be buying, good age, fast and elusive. Chester is the other one........We dont have one player like these now or signed up for next year.

We should have offered Purdue 1 mil a year for 3 years and played him fullback. I think he will be excellent for Nth Qld at fullback next year, while we take their offcut for 900K a year.

 

[Frank Facer]

Sir, who is the halfback who is going to bring us winning results now? Metcalf? Had half a good season before injury and now he has been eclipsed by a GC reject. But not against signing him. Only against it if it means losing Reed. Fair dinkum! Only 3 months ago he could walk on water now after 2 games inside the worst 1~5 in all of history and possibly prehistoric, he's gotta go. 2 games in which he wasn't even that bad.

Then again, what is Ashton Ward's contract status?

I would play Reed at 5/8 if we signed Metcalf. I think he will sign with Canterbury and form a good halves combination with Galvin at 5/8.

I am wondering if Burton 5/8 with Reed halfback would be a good idea?

 

[Frank Facer]

Fair enough. I wonder if we can get Aston Ward back. I only watched a few parts of the Souffs vs Shonkies game but in that Aston Ward was defending perfectly fine. They were 30-0 up with 7 minutes to go. Let Shonkies in for a couple of consolation tries to make the score look respectable.

As a matter of fact, the only tackle I remember Reed missing was the one on Ponga and how many tackle breaks did Ponga have? A quick check of the stats showed he tackled at 85.71% which was second best of 1~7 only losing to ......... LYHKAN KING-TOGIA who made 17 tackles with one miss. Apart from that intercept, I thought he was the best of the 1~7. Sloan was probably second and Reed 3rd. The other 4 were so bad, let's just say they were as bad as each other.

Ward has impressed me in the few games I have seen him play. He looks to be very good technically. He is good at putting players into holes. His lack of size is a disadvantage.

It my memory serves me correctly, Marzew pushed Reed off to score one of his tries.

 

[Frank Facer]

Nearly all our outside backs are pretty much 1 trick ponies & none of em are elite in their strength.

Gutho - ball playing but nothing else
CT - yardage but nothing else
Val - explosive & potentially tackle breaks
Suli - tackle break & yardage
Sloan - Speed but nothing else

Next year we get Sami with speed & yardage. Who knows how long the speed will last with him & holmes. Are they both elite in their strengths anymore? I don't know.

Even getting 1 player with speed + other strengths would do wonders for our backline next year.

1. Drinkwater
2. Holmes
3. Bostock*
4. Suli
5. Sami

I'd go all out to get Bostock. He ticks soo many boxes & is a local junior. At least attempt it to make Phins pay up & potentially get someone else they can't afford.

With this type of backline, I can see some points & easy try scoring opportunities. It has speed & yardage with Holmes & Sami, tackle break & yardage with Suli, all round ability of Bostock with a proper aerial threat & the creativity of Drinky.

I agree regarding Bostock. I think he even looks better at centre than wing. He did say, he mostly played centre as a junior.

 

[Frank Facer]

Recruit Metcalf to play 5/8? Can he do that? Does that mean giving up on Atkinson? I know most have given up on LKT though I certainly haven't.

The story is that Metcalf wants out of New Zealand, because he doesn't want to play 5/8 with Boyd halfback. He basically wants to be the halfback and run the show or play full field as James Hooper said tonight.