Edward
SGI NSW Cup
Apparently Payne Haas is being offered 1.1 mil a year by the Broncos. So if Dragons offer Tino about the same, it's probably right because Haas is a better player but Tino will need overs to come.
Recruitment and Retention for 2026
- Thread starter Dragons Chris
- Start date
Yea, depends on the length of contract for mine. If it's like a 1.3/yr for 3-4 years then I'd do it. It's better than spending it on say a Jaydn Sua & Francis Molo type.
He's only 25, about to enter his prime years. Our crop of young gun fwds would benefit massively learning from him. Imo he would be a great recruiting tool for re-singing them, even at discounted rates.
He's only 25, about to enter his prime years. Our crop of young gun fwds would benefit massively learning from him. Imo he would be a great recruiting tool for re-singing them, even at discounted rates.
GCRV
SGI NSW Cup
Hmmmm good point but I think throwing extra money at the young forwards would be better.
I suppose that signing Tino on big money would be a way of proving that we are serious about winning. This would be helpful with our other recruitment targets. And if he and our young guys can stay on the field next year, that is a very good looking pack. Atkinson would have a chance to show what he's got. So all in all, and he is only25, anything up to 5 years for Tino is a good investment.
Morgan
SGI NSW Cup
Paying that much for him would be a gamble but remember every club has to spend something like 95% of its salary cap every year. We wrote off Hunt and Molo who were both on overs and signed a couple of journeymen unwanted at their clubs. So their former clubs are probably paying part of their salary.
Though I'd rather go with Su'A, Cook, Liddle, Klemmer and the young forwards and sign a few good outside backs.
I am usually against long contracts but it has been years since we had a good big name purchase. We were lucky to get Sua. Norman and Hunt were disasters. We missed Fonua Blake. Not a good look. Like we have the odor of failure. But you are right about outside backs. We need some marquee speed keeping the opposition nervous when we spread the ball, especially if Sloan is not going to be there.
jodragon40
Staff
J Pezet would solve our game management issue
Absolutely agree. And the pairing of him and Atkinson I think could work very well.
George Sancti
SGI Jersey Flegg
Whist the media is focussing on likely Tino negotiations, we may be negotiating in the background to take Nelson Asofa-Solomona off the Storms books for a more reasonable $850K.
Tino is 50 times the player NAS is.
GCRV
SGI NSW Cup
He's better. A lot better but if Melbourne were paying 25% or more of his salary so we could get him for about 500~600k for 2 years, keep powder dry to sign the excellent young forwards and have enough money to throw at a good winger.
Speed is an issue. In that respect, our fullback will also be a problem, if not in 2026, then certainly in 2027. Champions often stay on a season too long.
Justadragon
SGI Jersey Flegg
Is he really that good, the Titans finished below us on the ladder and thats saying something.
George Sancti
SGI Jersey Flegg
Tino is definitely the better player, but is he the player we need at this particular time, especially if we have to pay overs. NAS on the other hand is pretty one dimensional but will provide the toughness and go forward that have been missing.
GCRV
SGI NSW Cup
We have two Couchmans who are similar to Tino. I'm not saying as good but given them a better team with a creative half who kicks well and some fast outside backs and a couple of big props to just run straight and hard, I'm not willing to say they won't be as good as Tino at this time. Maybe it's just bias but that's how I feel.
George Sancti
SGI Jersey Flegg
I agree GCRV. I was just thinking that both Toby Couchman and Hamish Stewart have ball skills, are athletic and have good motors, similar to Tino. We just currently do not have the Michael Weyman style of forward.
Edward
SGI NSW Cup
That makes a lot of sense. Tino will get better still but 1.3 mil a season is truely eye-watering for a prop.
Eric
Staff
Has there bee any confirmation or any leaks from the club about Tino and the kind of money Rothfield is talking about or is it just his vivid imagination?
It was nice when we had someone giving us inside info about all this kind of thing but unfortunately, someone, probably not a member, couldn't stop sharing it even when asked repeatedly not to.
It was nice when we had someone giving us inside info about all this kind of thing but unfortunately, someone, probably not a member, couldn't stop sharing it even when asked repeatedly not to.
Personally I'd much rather NAS for around 600k for 2 years, or maybe more like 500k the first year with Melbourne chipping in a lot and then 800k for a second year than Tino on 1.3 million. The tricky part will be what to do if he demands 3 years. We are getting BMM, RFM, Mike Molo off the books. Got Tom Eisenhuth off the books during the season and now JDB is gone as well. This, or next season will be Cooks last and I can't see Luch being re-signed. I think we could afford to carry NAS for that extra year even if he slides so far as to be no longer NRL standard. Just my views.
NAS wasn’t NRL standard this year, so we would be taking a huge punt that he can’t get back to his best (or close to it). I agree that 1.3 is huge money for a prop, but still would argue that it’s money better spent than NAS at half that amount.