lestweforget2010
SGI Junior League
A little birdy has informed me that Blaize Talagi may be coming to St. George in 2025
Recruitment and Retention for 2025
- Thread starter Eric
- Start date
GCRV
SGI NSW Cup
Hope so but don't hold your breath.
TheRev
SGI Jersey Flegg
There's a bit of word that saifiti is signed off now and soon to be announced + Val is close if we agree on cash. But don't want to get too excited until it's locked in.. I'd love to have both of em but especially Val as a goalkicker and running from the back.
After missing blaize.. not sure we can afford to miss Val.. Even if it costs us a bit more...
After missing blaize.. not sure we can afford to miss Val.. Even if it costs us a bit more...
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Edward
SGI Jersey Flegg
Love to have Holmes. Not fussed one way or the other about Saifiti but I guess good if what I read about here regarding how much Newcastle are paying for him to play for the Dragons is true, it's a good deal. Might mean packing Blake off to the ESL.
RedVHeartbeat
SGI NSW Cup
Announcement imminent that Daniel Saifiti has signed for 2 yrs and Val Holmes 3 . No longer elites with best behind them but Val, specially brings with him his outside back utility worth while Safiti will add some size to our engine room..
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RedVHeartbeat
SGI NSW Cup
Safiti averages less than 100m this season, Blake Lawrie has a few more and Jack plenty with greater PCMs too despite the difference in size. Safiti is 121kg so he should be tearing up defenses. Jeez not another dud.
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Edward
SGI Jersey Flegg
Depends on how much, if anything, Newcastle and Cowboys are chipping in. Specially in regard to Saifiti. I read here about a week ago Dragons were demanding Newcastle pay about 1/3rd of his salary. That would be a coup. If Dragons are paying all of his salary, Flanno is an incompetent idiot who has to go.
Eric
Staff
FFS, another case of Flanno rating journeymen from other clubs over our players despite form and stats screaming they aren't as good! I've never been a fan of Lawrie. I love his effort but not big or fast enough to be a good prop. But look at his stats compared to Sele! Ditto the Couchmans vis-a-vis Eisenhuth, RFM and BMM.
Edward
SGI Jersey Flegg
Because the game has changed. Big but not very mobile props aren't suited to the modern game.
RedVHeartbeat
SGI NSW Cup
Then you should have been rating him as I have. The washout from all this is that Blocka will probably play out his career in the ESL instead of as a life time Dragon, ditto Zac.
RedVHeartbeat
SGI NSW Cup
So we fork out good coin to bring another one here. BMM the first and Molo the same, yet we extended him two years. I'd have kept BMM over him as he can be a weapon coming on late off the bench.
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Edward
SGI Jersey Flegg
I can't understand it at all.
jodragon40
Staff
Unfortunately you are not going to entice any young talent from other clubs to come here . Talangi is an ideal example. Professional clubs like the Panthers would have had him on the radar once it was decided that they could no longer keep Lui . How wonderful for a young talent like Talangi to be playing alongside and learning his trade from the likes of Ivan and Nathan Cleary. The alternative was to come here and learn his trade of Hunt/ Flanagan. The kid made the right choice. Can anyone remember the last time we recruited a rising young star from another club? Perhaps a 24 yr old Jamie Soward in 2008? A 23 yr old Chase Stanley in 2012, or a 23 yr old Josh Dugan in 2013. Happy for people to prove me wrong. The next question is why?
TheRev
SGI Jersey Flegg
Lawries problem is he gets monstered in contact, he doesnt have footwork to poke his nose through... he gets put on his back in the tackle.. and it just slows our momentum..... he has heart and genuinely seems like a good guy to have around a playing group.. but there is a really good reason he would be moved on if indeed we could find a buyer (and sadly I dont think we will, not even sure if the UK would take him).
But DSaifiti is 195cm - 121kg vs Blake who is 185cm 106kg, we kept FMolo because other clubs were pressuring us after he had a rly good season start and we had no guarantee of getting anyone better for 2025.. we also didnt have Jack or Sua signed at that point... its a bit like why (imo) we kept Sloan.. we cant just throw everyone out and hope that we find better.. we have to have a plan b or we could be in real strife... also makes negotiations hard if we are desperate.
Flanno needs 1 or 2 big bodies to work with the smaller Couchmans, Daniel is a big body, and we have to back ourselves to give him a mini-reset, new club new training, even at his worst though.. he walks easily into our Top 17.
But DSaifiti is 195cm - 121kg vs Blake who is 185cm 106kg, we kept FMolo because other clubs were pressuring us after he had a rly good season start and we had no guarantee of getting anyone better for 2025.. we also didnt have Jack or Sua signed at that point... its a bit like why (imo) we kept Sloan.. we cant just throw everyone out and hope that we find better.. we have to have a plan b or we could be in real strife... also makes negotiations hard if we are desperate.
Flanno needs 1 or 2 big bodies to work with the smaller Couchmans, Daniel is a big body, and we have to back ourselves to give him a mini-reset, new club new training, even at his worst though.. he walks easily into our Top 17.
Eric
Staff
Chase Stanley was a local junior. He and his brother tremendously talented but some kind of genetic defect regarding joints and ligaments.
Eric
Staff
That was my go-to issue for a while. I think it was
jodragon40 who pointed out that might be, or is, true but he keeps getting back up and keeps on going and by the end of most games, his metres are usually quite good and usually had quite a good tackle count. I'm still not a fan but not a fan of Saifiti at this stage of his career either.But on another note, there is something quite depressing, to I'd imagine teammates, in seeing your premier front rower getting picked up and dumped on a regular basis.
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RedV01
SGI NSW Cup
Couchmans will both probably end up around 105~108kgs. Not really small for a modern day prop. Both Penriths starting props are about that. Haas and Lidnsey (girls name) Collins are a bit bigger. Spencer Leniu is also a bit less than 110kgs. Footwork and leg speed and probably more important. Collins and Haas have good leg speed, Saifiti doesn't.
Nothing against Saifiti. Hope he goes ok but sometimes it seems to me Flanno is fighting last years war.
Edward
SGI Jersey Flegg
Saifiti on the books for 2 years with Newcastle paying a very significant share of his salary is a good buy. Alec T will be leaving and Flanno might look to move on Lawrie and Fifita. Going to need a few props.
TheRev
SGI Jersey Flegg
Yep the Couchies are agile.. they step and spin they generally get between defenders.. Toby doesnt have the size to bash the front door down, but he seems to get those post contact metres in other ways.. and assumably he will be bigger and stronger next year.... and hes doing it for long minutes with basically no missed tackles.. if we had a bit more of that endurance across our pack we dont leak all these points. His brother is the same in reserve grade.
We need other body types though imo.. blokes who will bash that front door down, esp on tackle 1 or 2 when were pinned on our line... and also to stand up to those big name props that sometimes dominate us.. even guys like Taupau and Brown come to mind in those Broncos and Manly games.. fmd they ripped us up and we couldnt do anything about it.
Thats what Saifiti and whatever other ~120kg prop we get will be about, they might not be the Hass/Leniu/JFH/AFB dreamboats we are after.. but 2yr contracts.. keep em hungry.. push em.. find some blokes we can compete with.. its a very slow roster improvement, it sux we cant do it as fast as the bulldogs... but we are improving... just that we have to it the hard way.
We need other body types though imo.. blokes who will bash that front door down, esp on tackle 1 or 2 when were pinned on our line... and also to stand up to those big name props that sometimes dominate us.. even guys like Taupau and Brown come to mind in those Broncos and Manly games.. fmd they ripped us up and we couldnt do anything about it.
Thats what Saifiti and whatever other ~120kg prop we get will be about, they might not be the Hass/Leniu/JFH/AFB dreamboats we are after.. but 2yr contracts.. keep em hungry.. push em.. find some blokes we can compete with.. its a very slow roster improvement, it sux we cant do it as fast as the bulldogs... but we are improving... just that we have to it the hard way.
Edward
SGI Jersey Flegg
JDB and Su'A also do a lot of work. Having Saifiti on for limited minutes going as hard as he can, not pacing himself, will be better than having Blake Lawrie. Nothing against Lawrie. Just thinking about what the team needs when both Couchmans are in the 17 every round, which they should be.