2022 team

Just spit balling, not even sure it would be on the cards but there was talk a while ago Tigers wanted Pearce.. and also they might not want Brooks. What would people think of Pearce for Brooks?
 
Just spit balling, not even sure it would be on the cards but there was talk a while ago Tigers wanted Pearce.. and also they might not want Brooks. What would people think of Pearce for Brooks?
God no. Brooks is worse than Pearce. Honestly, I think we’d need to look for youth. Whether that’s Crossland I don’t know (and doubt the club is confident in him yet anyway). But if both Pearce and Ponga are gone after 2022, it could be:

9. Brailey
7. New HB/Clifford
6. Clifford/New 5/8th
1. Hodgson

I think we need a half to develop as a succession plan to Pearce. I wouldn’t write off Clune as Pearce’s replacement either.
 
Sounds horrible to say it, but hopefully, Pearce's personal life has been his main problem this year, and he'll get it sorted before next year and find some form.
If he's just getting too old, there's not much chance he'll turn it around.
 
There is no other quality half available. Throw Kalyn the keys in the halves.

Use Pearce’s money to have a chop at Cheese
Cheese is a weapon but we need a halfback - we’ve got plenty of solid (but not amazing) lock options already. Cheese would also cost a bomb. Better using that cap space for a position of greater need IMO.
 
Pearce looks gone, age and form, he did nothing during Eels match except mistakes, poor passing, poor kicking.
As everyone is saying no 7 of quality available and if one becomes available the bidding war would cause heavy over payment. No side will want Pearce after his off field dramas and on field performances, bar the field goal.
So we have him for 2022, let’s look for a 7 for 2023, hoping one comes along by then. Make other plans for 2022 such as Pearce maybe coming good and if not looking at Ponga/Hodgson at F/b, Clifford/Ponga at 5/8, Pearce/Clifford/Clune/Crossland at 7, it’s not great but it’s not all doom and gloom
 
Has Pearce really been that bad other than yesterday?

We only started winning games consistently once he came back and I doubt we make the 8 without him.
 
Our biggest and most dominant win of the five match streak was the one over the Raiders and Pearce wasn’t fit for that one. I really think Clifford’s acquisition was just as if not more important to the turnaround.

I really think it’s only a matter of time for us with Mitch. I have no resentment or anything. He served the club well and I’m sure there’s no word of a lie when his teammates talk about how much he taught them about professionalism. But I really do think there’s not much more juice left to squeeze out of the relationship. There’s a lot of smoke about certain clubs offering big money, multi year deals after 2022 - he’d be mad not to take one, and we’d be mad to match them.

In terms of replacing him? How do Melbourne & Easts replace players? Melbourne always has someone ready to go seemingly. Easts often will, or else they’ll just plug the gap with an experienced, reliable campaigner while they either give a junior more development time or they bide their time for a marquee free agent they’re keen on, OR in the case of Luke Keary they jump on a guy out of favour at the club they were at, who’s therefore undervalued.

I reckon we already picked up that undervalued future star in Clifford, personally. I think the club will extend him fairly long term before November 1 next year.

It’s a long pre-season and I’m sure Bailey will be given chances to impress. If he doesn’t seem up to it, there’s an obvious player to spend Pearce’s cap space on, off contract at the end of 2022, at a club with cap management issues, at a time when a lot of other clubs will be short on cash to compete with our potential bid… Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow. 😂
 
Our biggest and most dominant win of the five match streak was the one over the Raiders and Pearce wasn’t fit for that one. I really think Clifford’s acquisition was just as if not more important to the turnaround.

I really think it’s only a matter of time for us with Mitch. I have no resentment or anything. He served the club well and I’m sure there’s no word of a lie when his teammates talk about how much he taught them about professionalism. But I really do think there’s not much more juice left to squeeze out of the relationship. There’s a lot of smoke about certain clubs offering big money, multi year deals after 2022 - he’d be mad not to take one, and we’d be mad to match them.

In terms of replacing him? How do Melbourne & Easts replace players? Melbourne always has someone ready to go seemingly. Easts often will, or else they’ll just plug the gap with an experienced, reliable campaigner while they either give a junior more development time or they bide their time for a marquee free agent they’re keen on, OR in the case of Luke Keary they jump on a guy out of favour at the club they were at, who’s therefore undervalued.

I reckon we already picked up that undervalued future star in Clifford, personally. I think the club will extend him fairly long term before November 1 next year.

It’s a long pre-season and I’m sure Bailey will be given chances to impress. If he doesn’t seem up to it, there’s an obvious player to spend Pearce’s cap space on, off contract at the end of 2022, at a club with cap management issues, at a time when a lot of other clubs will be short on cash to compete with our potential bid… Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow. 😂
The cowboys are becoming our feeder club
 
Our biggest and most dominant win of the five match streak was the one over the Raiders and Pearce wasn’t fit for that one. I really think Clifford’s acquisition was just as if not more important to the turnaround.

I really think it’s only a matter of time for us with Mitch. I have no resentment or anything. He served the club well and I’m sure there’s no word of a lie when his teammates talk about how much he taught them about professionalism. But I really do think there’s not much more juice left to squeeze out of the relationship. There’s a lot of smoke about certain clubs offering big money, multi year deals after 2022 - he’d be mad not to take one, and we’d be mad to match them.

In terms of replacing him? How do Melbourne & Easts replace players? Melbourne always has someone ready to go seemingly. Easts often will, or else they’ll just plug the gap with an experienced, reliable campaigner while they either give a junior more development time or they bide their time for a marquee free agent they’re keen on, OR in the case of Luke Keary they jump on a guy out of favour at the club they were at, who’s therefore undervalued.

I reckon we already picked up that undervalued future star in Clifford, personally. I think the club will extend him fairly long term before November 1 next year.

It’s a long pre-season and I’m sure Bailey will be given chances to impress. If he doesn’t seem up to it, there’s an obvious player to spend Pearce’s cap space on, off contract at the end of 2022, at a club with cap management issues, at a time when a lot of other clubs will be short on cash to compete with our potential bid… Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow. 😂
Don't let CBM see this, I don't think he could cope with the cows losing another potential star, especially not to the Knights 🤣
 
How do we replace Pearce? By moving Ponga to 5/8 and play Clifford at 7. Replacing Pearce is easy.

Clifford can handle the kicking, Brailey has shown he can get some good kicks away from dummy half.

The real question is how do we replace Ponga at 1 if Hodgson isn't ready?

You hope to replace a player with a better player if you can. And replacing Pearce with another half available at the moment isn't doing that. There are no quality 7's around. But, we can replace Ponga with a better fullback as Ponga is generally poor at fullback play, great at halves play.

So replacing Ponga at 1 with a genuine fullback would be an improvement in that position. Clifford is better than Pearce, Ponga is better than anyone else we have at 5/8. 3 position improved.

Set the game plan around open free flowing attacking football. Clifford handles kicking, both handle playmaking, have our fullack sniffing around everything for an offload.

I'm tired of seeing our forwards hit the line, have an arm free and turn looking to offload and nobody is there.

I am more than a little concerned with OB's comments in the presser where he mentioned there is some things to improve in attack for the off season, mate the whole attack needs an overhaul. It sounds like we are going to come out next year running the same 1 out grinding attack and waste another year.
 
Don't let CBM see this, I don't think he could cope with the cows losing another potential star, especially not to the Knights 🤣
Yeah he has some wild takes hahaha, but it’s hard to disagree with him when he calls Hamiso a star in the making.

And for that reason, I’d say his days are numbered in North Queensland 😂
 
Yeah he has some wild takes hahaha, but it’s hard to disagree with him when he calls Hamiso a star in the making.

And for that reason, I’d say his days are numbered in North Queensland 😂
They were talking about the Broncos gearing up to go hard for him on one of the footy shows.
 
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