jodragon40
Staff
You have a good eye for talent then. My view of Tallis is I wish we had that type of enforcer now. In regards to his tantrum he threw in relation to the Broncos issue he got what he deserved and lost a bit of my admiration for him.
Junior Reps 2026
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jodragon40
Staff
You know and this is my views based on my own past experiences in the game. If you throw that type of money around for a player, Purdue, Casey as you have mentioned they have to show more than a season of outstanding performances.
They would be called marquee players , players you then build a football team around. Personally I wouldn't have paid or chased either until they proved that they could consistently perform at that high level for at the very least 3 season in a row.
Consistency in an individual player and as a team is the number 1 priority that I tried to achieve in my days of playing and coaching albeit never quite being good enough to reach the pinnacles of our sport.
Then and only then would I be approaching the powers to be and putting my case forward with scenarios and visions for a future built around individual players. But that's just me
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GCRV
SGI NSW Cup
Walsh is obviously going to be QLD's long-term fullback. Purdue? Don't know. He's good for his age but will he keep getting better? What about Dragons players. I'd say of course LPT at prop and Hamish Stewart lock are going to be rep players. But unlike you, I'm not a genius when it comes to making these kind of predictions
.Can we please keep the chat on topic. This is a juniors 2026 thread.
I still see franks posts eventhough I've ignored him and it has nothing to do with juniors. Sorry Frank but I think alot of your posts are nuts, especially location thread & you talking yourself up from the get go. St.George would fold as a single entity. This isn't the 60s anymore, get with the future.
Speaking of future, who are the juniors to keep an eye out for 2026?
I still see franks posts eventhough I've ignored him and it has nothing to do with juniors. Sorry Frank but I think alot of your posts are nuts, especially location thread & you talking yourself up from the get go. St.George would fold as a single entity. This isn't the 60s anymore, get with the future.
Speaking of future, who are the juniors to keep an eye out for 2026?
RedV01
SGI NSW Cup
Mr. Moderator, I promise this is the last I will say on the issue. And it's not off topic really.
Who was the last St. George junior (excluding Illawarra) who made it big? Like played Origin or test matches for one of the top tier countries? Was it Nighty?
If not for the fact that it's a done deal once and for all, I'd be suspicious about the motivation anyone casting aspersions on the JV.
As for the current crop, CST is a St. George junior. Think so anyway. Expecting big things from him. So we will be able to 2 have made it in the last 20 years.
Who was the last St. George junior (excluding Illawarra) who made it big? Like played Origin or test matches for one of the top tier countries? Was it Nighty?
If not for the fact that it's a done deal once and for all, I'd be suspicious about the motivation anyone casting aspersions on the JV.
As for the current crop, CST is a St. George junior. Think so anyway. Expecting big things from him. So we will be able to 2 have made it in the last 20 years.
RandomDragon
SGI Junior League
Who cares about others opinions haha, if you don’t like what they post skip past it… no big deal… opinions are like assholes, everyone’s got one, it’s not that deep
jodragon40
Staff
Join the clubWalsh is obviously going to be QLD's long-term fullback. Purdue? Don't know. He's good for his age but will he keep getting better? What about Dragons players. I'd say of course LPT at prop and Hamish Stewart lock are going to be rep players. But unlike you, I'm not a genius when it comes to making these kind of predictions
Justadragon
SGI NSW Cup
I think the fans and members have, and always will expect success Frank, It's the club, they are the ones who have accepted mediocrity over the last 15 years. Apparently now the board are all for change and will support anything that can be done to achieve success, according to Watsford anyway. What happened to the last 15 years ?
jodragon40
Staff
From my limited information about our board from insider information. The board as I understood it were in fighting between the Dragons old guard and the Illawarra new guard under the control of the Gordon's and Win.
There was more friction in the boardroom than from a space capsule returning to earth from space. Thats a lot of friction and not much was agreed too.
One board member in particular was the angst of a large majority of members , Peter Doust and this continues to this date.
Win elected members to the board who had no or very little intimate knowledge of our game or how to actually run a rugby league club and team. This was not met with enthusiasm by the old guard.
In fighting over coaching appointments, player relations and chairman. What a bloody mess by 2024 our major sponsor for the last 40 yrs the St George Bank had enough citing its main reasons for withdrawal of their sponsorship down to management issues and player behaviour.
2024 was the year we started looking at our board, our coach and our playing group after the sponsorship loss.
We now have a new chairman, a new coach, a new chief operating officer, a new ceo we have turned the corner in 2025 in relation to our front/back office.
There is a better balance of administrative skills and rugby league knowledge on our board. The new COE has put to rest any lack of commitment by the Win side of the board.
Talk about returning to a one off entity are gone no matter what anyone believes or would have us believe.
Just my views.
RandomDragon
SGI Junior League
And no one gives the main man any credit at all. Flano has done so much of this heavy lifting behind the scenes. If people dont think he had a say in the removal of Webb & hiring of watsford theyre mad!
Ryan
SGI NSW Cup
Really? If he's engaged in such decisions he needs to calm down and concentrate on the job he was hired for. Because so far he's done a piss poor job at that.
jodragon40
Staff
Absolutely correct
jodragon40
Staff
My anology is, its like a champion jockey he can have the best brain and position his horses to win but if the cattle he is riding are not good enough he can only do his best with what he's got.
Same as a coach, you can be a legend like St Benny but if you don't have those players in your team that can execute your game plans and structures then you lose.
He is something you, I, and thousands of other coaches will never be, a premiership winning coach. I believe that we are heading in the right direction. Its no use rebuilding if the foundations remain the same. Just my views
Dragon David
SGI Jersey Flegg
They are good views Jo and I think you are spot on - especially about Mr Doust. The changes that have occurred in 2025 will, to me, result in a much better managed club and much better outcomes for the future. Fingers crossed.
jodragon40
Staff
I believe and hope soThey are good views Jo and I think you are spot on - especially about Mr Doust. The changes that have occurred in 2025 will, to me, result in a much better managed club and much better outcomes for the future. Fingers crossed.
RandomDragon
SGI Junior League
Calm down? Why, so he can end up exactly like griffin, McGregor and price did? You need to have the whole club singing to the same hymn book to win a comp, now there is everyone in the right position to ensure Flano can now do his job, to me it seems the last thing that needs to move is D Young to get a head coaching gig at the cowboys, Blake lawrie gone, and then Flano truly has no excuses.
Ryan
SGI NSW Cup
What he's doing apart from being coach of the first grade team might be good. I really don't know. But was it Watsford who recognised DA or someone in DA's position was needed? Because it really was.
Frank Facer
SGI Jersey Flegg
Yeah, Walsh will be Qld's long term fullback. That leaves the halves for Purdue. I would take Purdue over Derdan who Qld's current halfback and a player I would have liked us to have signed. We were in the market for him, but he chose to stay at Nth Qld. I would put an * next to Purdue's name. The question is, with Walsh at fullback for Qld, where does that leave Ponga's representative future?Walsh is obviously going to be QLD's long-term fullback. Purdue? Don't know. He's good for his age but will he keep getting better? What about Dragons players. I'd say of course LPT at prop and Hamish Stewart lock are going to be rep players. But unlike you, I'm not a genius when it comes to making these kind of predictions
As for Hamish Stewart and LPT. I don't know where I would have them. Either a + (might) or a - (maybe) next to their names. I hope they both become regular rep players. I would put a + sign next to Toby Couchman, maybe even an * next to his name. Both Couchman brothers and LPT debuted at 19. Not many props debut at 19. Every year before the season starts and during origin I pick my own NSW team. Last year I would have picked Haas, Terrell May and Koloamatangi as the first 3 props chosen (I think Koloamatangi was still playing second row when the first origin was played. I had either Jack Deblin or Toby Couchman as my 4th prop. Debelin was suited to origin. He played great when picked. I think he should have been playing origin a lot earlier. Then he never played origin after he was stood down by the NRL for the allegation. He was a lock, but in my opinion he was a better option at prop that the likes of Jake Turbo, Spencer Leniu or Stefano Utoikamanu I would usually pick 4 props. I probably would have given Couchman another year before playing him. I think he will be ready for origin this year. In 2 or 3 years time, we may have 3 origin props or at least 3 origin standard props, in Koloamatangi, Toby Couchman and LPT. I haven't seen much of Ryan Couchman and don't know what is his long term position.
I looked up what Tom Dearden is on at Nth Qld and this is what I got.
Tom Dearden's contract with the North Queensland Cowboys is worth $700,000 per year, as confirmed by the club's official player profile and contract details. This figure reflects his current annual salary under the five-year extension signed in December 2023, which keeps him with the club until the end of the 2029 season. While rival clubs had reportedly offered up to $1 million annually, Dearden chose to remain with the Cowboys, where he is considered a key part of the long-term future.
Were we one of the clubs who offered him a mil a season? Taking 300K less a season to stay at Nth Qld, is quite a lot. He had big wraps on him as a teenager at Brissy and only fulfilled his promise at Nth Qld.
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Frank Facer
SGI Jersey Flegg
Do you think history has been rewritten?