We need a proven and experienced playmaker.
I doubt we could get him, but given our current predicament, I'd ring that George Williams guy who played for Canberra and ask him if a million dollars could cure his homesickness and get him to Newcastle.
Going a long way back to revive this post, but he was keen on coming to the NRL long before the Raiders got him for $600K/season + transfer fee. No one was willing to take the punt on an English half besides Canberra (not even alleged recruitment genius Nathan Brown -
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/kn...lish-gun-george-williams-20180811-p4zwvs.html - even though it's hard to think of another player who would have complimented Pearce and Ponga better than he does).
Raiders fans and media apparatchiks will swear till they're blue in the face that Williams' homesickness thing was ********, that his true motive was to secure a contract with a coastal club so he and his wife could live near the beach, and they carry on like the club calling his bluff and allowing a conditional release only if it's to an English side was the greatest coup in the history of rugby league. From the outside looking in, my read is the Raiders & Sticky showed zero compassion for a young parents-to-be who came over pre-COVID and suddenly found themselves totally cut off from family, with no prospect of being able to simply fly over or fly parents in for a visit. A bit of understanding and they might have been able to keep him. My evidence for this is simply observing that Sticky is the most spiteful and temperamental man in rugby league - there's no middle ground with him, once he's off you a bit, he's off you completely.
But if there was anything at all to the rumour that he wanted to live on the coast? Yeah absolutely, he's the guy to pursue. He was something a bit different for the NRL, a bit of a throwback in some ways with his unorthodox (for the modern game) short kicking game, and I reckon over his 30 or so games he was one of the best 5 or so halfbacks running around in the NRL.
Under contract till the end of 2024 but the club he's at (Warrington) is terrible and you can get guys out of deals early from England if there's a transfer fee. You also don't have to wait till November 1st.
I don't know what dollar value I'd put on him as a player, but yeah if a million is what it would take, absolutely do that. If that's an overpay, it's only by about $1-200K. Absolutely agree that if the club hasn't at least sounded out his manager, they're dopey as hell.
1. Garrick
6. Ponga
7. Williams
9. Brailey
Potential depth (from about 2024-on):
Pryce (five-eighth/fullback)
Gamble (five-eighth/halfback)
French (fullback/wing)
(Need depth hooker)
Would be the best spine & back-up options we've had in a very long time.
