League Targets

[HooperPocockSmith]

Didn’t the storm pay 500k?

By the looks of it. There is no way anyone is competing with that coin.

At this stage, it doesn't look like great business. 1 NRL game in 2 years. I say that now, and he will probably play every game next year and be picked in the QLD squad.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Bellamy is probably the hardest to know if he’s letting him develop properly or he doesn’t see it happening.

If they don’t rate him then they would be happy to move him… that’s a big chunk to pay out of a cap if you don’t have plans for him.

 

[Jimmy_Crouch]

One bloke I've been watching keenly is Jack Howarth, who's currently at the Storm. He made his debut this year. He played Union in Brisbane for BBC. He's a big boy (6'5", 103kg) and would make a great 12. It'd be interesting to see how much you'd have to pay him to come across.

Howarth to me looked like a man playing against boys at BBC. He was bigger and stronger than anyone out there but he only moved to the outside and tried to use his fend. There wasn't much else to his game. I've not watched him play league but I really struggled with the hype at the time of what he was compared to what I thought he could be. I just felt the game he had wouldn't necessarily transition to professional ranks in either code.

 

[DevilDog]

Can't believe where the game has gone in this country. personally involved in helping out with youth sports and none of them give a shit about rugby union.

Anyone with any talent goes to aussie rules or league. They get snapped up immediately on decent coin. We aren't at the table, not even in the same building. We have fuck all to offer except losing.

fluffybunnys fucked.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Rarely works in the backs. Bit of Campbell Magnay.

It’s what Moeroa was at school.

Howarth still young enough and league love the lock now being a ball playing forward which opens up a job for big backs to move closer.

 

[Jimmy_Crouch]

Can't believe where the game has gone in this country. personally involved in helping out with youth sports and none of them give a shit about rugby union.

Anyone with any talent goes to aussie rules or league. They get snapped up immediately on decent coin. We aren't at the table, not even in the same building. We have fuck all to offer except losing.

fluffybunnys fucked.

Thanks for your insightful input.

 

[HooperPocockSmith]

Rarely works in the backs. Bit of Campbell Magnay.

It’s what Moeroa was at school.

Howarth still young enough and league love the lock now being a ball playing forward which opens up a job for big backs to move closer.

I often wonder about Campbell Magnay and his career trajectory. Was it poor management or was it as you say - a man against boys at school and we all bought into the hype.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

He’s only 26 which seems bizarre. He was so young.

CFS was in the same boat around the same time?? Need one of the QLDers to clarify.

Size gets you a long way. Greg Peterson at the Tahs was the same.

 

[HooperPocockSmith]

CFS played Aussie schools in year ten as a 15-year-old (09-11). The poor bloke couldn't catch a break with injuries. He's still 29, which is bloody hard to believe.

It's hard to look past the size in the juniors, especially when a bloke dominates. I guess the difficulty is ensuring they develop their skill set and aren't left behind when everyone else catches up. There was a very good chance that this could've happened to Will Skelton. Maybe we have Uni (and French rugby) to thank for that one.

As far as pure size goes, I'm unsure if the leaguies have much to offer. There's no inherent advantage in being 200cm+ or 5'11" and 120kg. It's the dynamism, power and balance that are the most attractive attributes. We should be looking for well-balanced ball players and edge backrowers (15-16yo's) who have played a bit of rugby growing up.

 

[DevilDog]

Thanks for your insightful input.

You realise how fucked things are when we have to outbid league for talent?

It's not sustainable.

 

[PhilClinton]

You realise how fucked things are when we have to outbid league for talent?

It's not sustainable.

Yeh rugby league is for amateurs.

 

[PhilClinton]

He’s only 26 which seems bizarre. He was so young.

CFS was in the same boat around the same time?? Need one of the QLDers to clarify.

Size gets you a long way. Greg Peterson at the Tahs was the same.

I’ve talked about my club rugby experience watching Kerevi already today, but to go down that same route… I watched Magnay play for GPS and never had the same lightbulb moment like watching Kerevi where it was so apparent this bloke was going to be good.

Even against smaller club opposition he never looked dominant. He wasn’t shit, but it was hard to believe all the hype.

 

[Wilson]

He’s only 26 which seems bizarre. He was so young.

CFS was in the same boat around the same time?? Need one of the QLDers to clarify.

Size gets you a long way. Greg Peterson at the Tahs was the same.

I believe it was concussion issues that have effectively ended Magnay's career (alongside other injuries). I know he took 2022 off to recover from the concussion related issues, but I haven't heard since.

If he could of strung games together I'm pretty confident he would've been a star - much the same as CFS.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

That’s no good but hopefully he was young enough that any long term effects are minimal. There’s a few Aussie players from the 2000s-2010s that aren’t going too well from what I’ve heard.

 

[noscrumnolife]

On the subject of League and given there's not much place else to discuss it on this forum...the Kiwis are gonna have a serious problem if the Warriors have gotten their act together and Horse Man does what I think he will do and grows League properly in NZ. Reckon they will have a 2nd team before too long and they should be watching out.

They are always whinging about where there next Kaino is (6 has been such a problem spot for them ever since he retired)...I'll tell you where he's at Penrith and his name is James Fisher-Harris. Far out that bloke is such a fucking weapon, my favourite forward in the NRL.

 

[Marce]

Same logic with Tom and Michael Hooper?

No cause one was a top class player in his prime and the big one is a passenger

 

[Marce]

Tino Fa'asuamaleaui​

Pone Fa'amausili
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tino_Fa'asuamaleaui
wow I bet this is a moment you'd like back, or do all islanders look & sound the same to you.

Yet another racist bigot we have on here

Aussies can't even pronounce correctly most of the Pacific Islanders surnames. What do u expect for someone from Latin America? Most of the Pacific Islanders surnames sounds pretty similar

 

[Rebel man]

Aussies can't even pronounce correctly most of the Pacific Islanders surnames. What do u expect for someone from Latin America? Most of the Pacific Islanders surnames sounds pretty similar

The names are literally spelled differently.

 

[DevilDog]

Yeh rugby league is for amateurs.

wtf are you on about ?

How many suaaliis will it take for the idiots in charge to realise it doesn't change shit

 

[noscrumnolife]

As a chookies fan I won't hear any Sua'ali'i slander. Criticise the money - fair enough - but its not his fault our games got to a point we feel it necessary to pay what he asks for. I cannot wait to watch him play Union. Ignore any rubbish peddled by Fox Sports about his character, his mentality is superb.

I don't think people quite understand this kids potential. He is the most physical youngster I've seen by a country mile. Could be an absolute test match animal, he loves the tough stuff. If anything, he needs to be coached to be more evasive, relishes contact. The memory of him as a 19 year old putting one under the ribs of Kikau will live long in my mind. His high ball skills are out of this world good. And he is still only 20 years old.