2026 Recruitment And Retention

List of players coming off contract in 2027. So available to negotiate November 1.

Jsaf
Lucus
Best
Dom
Croker
McEwen
Marz (off contract this year)
Manu
Hunt
ESL

I put this list in order of importance. Fletcher Sharpe of contract in 28. So would be looking to extend him early next year.

Having 2 players take up a large chunk of the cap could make keeping them all difficult. But all these guys I feel we want to keep.
 
SG Ball side plays their grandfinal today.

Tooheys news a few days ago identified Toby Winter as a possible replacement for Dane Gagai as early as next year.
He also names second row Curtis Mulherin, hooker Diesal Hagan and winger Melchizedek Nonu as having "NRL potential written all over them."

Mulherin was our best forward in Matts last year and had some big wraps on him preseason. He didn't make the Ball side early in the season, but once he got a game he quickly established himself as one of the best in the team. Ironically, he took the spot of Roy Simpson, because people are now saying Mulherin looks like a young Steve Simpson. he'd be 17/18 this year.

Hagan will leap from Ball to reserve grade and might even get a firstgrade start this year - he's that good.

Nonu has scored heaps of tries this year. He's a very tall right winger who does more than his share of hit ups and bends the line every time. On the downside, he's rubbish under a high ball and his ball security needs to improve, but I suspect he'll work on those things in flegg and get a firstgrade pre-season next year.
 
Manu has already extended. So you can take him off the list. Lucas will decide his own fate with his price tag. But Sharpe, Best and McEwen would all be priorities over him. The thing people need to understand about Lucas is he would be playing centre if Best was not here. He is small for a Second rower. 6 foot and 96kgs. I do not see Sully losing sleep over him at all. He is injury prone and does not exactly open right edges up. He is talented and mobile. But the money he wants is a joke, if reports are true. The Panthers game was an anomaly because they were absolutely shocking that night.
 
I know his parents are doctors, or whatever, but I may start calling him Dumb Young if he doesnt wake up out there. He is ridiculously slow to clue onto stuff, such as when his inside man is being swamped, lifted and dragged towards the sideline by defenders, he'll often get involved way too late.

I saw a few things today which left me wondering how focused he is. Im obviously a huge fan of his but his form over the last 2-3 weeks has been a little disappointing for his standards.
 
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Les Misérables said:
I know his parents are doctors, or whatever, but I may start calling him Dumb Young if he doesnt wake up out there. He is ridiculously slow to clue onto stuff, such as when his inside man is being swamped, lifted and dragged towards the sideline by defenders, he'll often get involved way too late.

I saw a few things today which left me wondering how focused he is. Im obviously a huge fan of his but his form over the last 2-3 weeks has been a little disappointing for his standards.
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Les Mis criticising Dom….have I landed in some weird alternative dimension?🤪

I do agree though, his strength is his physical prowess not his in game intelligence. The hospital pass across the line to KP that saw him get clattered was a particular ‘highlight’.

Get him good ball in space though as we have an entirely different proportion!
 
As far as recruitment and retention goes I think the emphasis should be towards retention, those listed as only signed until end of 26-27 are 7/9 regular 1st graders, auto picks and the other two, Manu and ESL are developing nicely and it’s hard to see outsiders as good as them becoming available with Bears and Chiefs recruiting. Even if a top class player becomes available it will become a bidding war and likely to have to pay overs that we can’t afford.
Players we are losing are fairly well covered such as Niukore for Frizell, Hunt, McCarthy and DeCourcey for Gagai.
We have current Development players such as Hunt, Votano and Graham as further backup.
Availability and cost restricts recruitment and with our young squad developing I don’t see an urgent need, I won’t be upset if we don’t sign anyone as our squad will be better next year as that Development continues.
 
Frank McWilliams said:
As far as recruitment and retention goes I think the emphasis should be towards retention, those listed as only signed until end of 26-27 are 7/9 regular 1st graders, auto picks and the other two, Manu and ESL are developing nicely and it’s hard to see outsiders as good as them becoming available with Bears and Chiefs recruiting. Even if a top class player becomes available it will become a bidding war and likely to have to pay overs that we can’t afford.
Players we are losing are fairly well covered such as Niukore for Frizell, Hunt, McCarthy and DeCourcey for Gagai.
We have current Development players such as Hunt, Votano and Graham as further backup.
Availability and cost restricts recruitment and with our young squad developing I don’t see an urgent need, I won’t be upset if we don’t sign anyone as our squad will be better next year as that Development continues.
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Agree that’s what I was getting at with the list. We want to retain all those guys. I don’t think we need to recruit outside hopefully.
 
Thinking through to our 2027 squad. I don't know if there's an updated squad list but I know we are pretty full. I'd be looking to move on both Wil Sullivan (I know there was rumours) and Mat Arthur and looking to keep Graham (which is also rumoured) and even looking to re sign Friz for one more year. We don't have enough depth to let a forward with that much experience leave. Even if his role changes but with the extended bench the dynamic has changed. Even for a bloke like Gagai
 
By reports all of Brodie Jones, Dane Gagai, Tyson Frizell, Tyson Gamble have been told they won’t be re-signed, other rumours suggest we are trying to move on Schiller (got a offer from the Dragons but rejected it), Wil is super close to being medically retired by reports that is not a fact.

So going into 2027 we have some spots in the top 30 with one being taken by Niukore who is a like for like replacement for Frizell as he is also a player than can play lock, prop and second row with over 150+ games of experience, a former International with a grand final appearance

By all reports a shoot out is expected for the centre position between Hunt, Schiller, Winter, De Coursey, McCarthy.

In my opinion at the end of the season I expect Arthur to be told he can leave as well but that’s just a feeling.

Gagai needs to go he has lost a lot this year and we can’t keep these old players because of separation anxiety and have these young guys get annoyed and leave because then the old guy will retire the year after and we might not have a backup because that guy left.

I love Frizz but honestly both need to be let go no matter what and the signing of Nikuore has sealed that Frizell is done here.

Gagai’s form dip and advanced age for an athlete means he will also be gone and replaced with the following I mentioned.

This is all purely from my knowledge so on somethings I might be wrong and hopefully others can fill in the dots, I couldn’t be bothered searching all of it up and checking numbers.
 
KPGreatness said:
So going into 2027 we have some spots in the top 30 with one being taken by Niukore who is a like for like replacement for Frizell as he is also a player than can play lock, prop and second row with over 150+ games of experience, a former International with a grand final appearance
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TBH I'd rather another year of Frizzell just hope we got him cheap.

Gags will be lucky to finish the year in the top grade, it's a sad watch.
 
Although Gagai has declined a bit this season, he is still a fair way ahead of the juniors we have coming through in my opinion. The guys we have played in first grade this year have not been up to standard yet

Will the young guy’s develop enough through the rest of this year and pre-season, i hope so, as there are a lot of talented guys coming through, but I don’t know. Look at the difference in our performance when our experienced guys are back compared to when they were out

That’s why I’d like an experienced centre who can fill a role till these younger guys are ready
 
Wicket said:
Although Gagai has declined a bit this season, he is still a fair way ahead of the juniors we have coming through in my opinion. The guys we have played in first grade this year have not been up to standard yet

Will the young guy’s develop enough through the rest of this year and pre-season, i hope so, as there are a lot of talented guys coming through, but I don’t know. Look at the difference in our performance when our experienced guys are back compared to when they were out

That’s why I’d like an experienced centre who can fill a role till these younger guys are ready
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You beat me to it, I think recency bias may be clouding our judgement on Gags after getting destroyed by Troll but he would do that to most and Gags has never been known for his unreal defence so it wasn't a shock. I mean minimum contract or very close to would not be a crazy idea especially if he helps develop the next gen more.

As for Friz, he's doing his job well this year, I think we know how slim our depth is atm and replacing friz with an experienced player is only gonna keep it at the same level. We would definitely not lose anything by re signing him. Gagai may be a different story but Friz is still playing his role well.
 
Letting Frizell go and replacing with Niukore doesn’t leave us the same as this year, would have to expect that our young forwards such as Mooney, Hopwood, Manu, ESL and Crouch will be better and stronger in 2027 along side our more experienced Safiti, Saulo and Hola who have another couple of seasons in them
 
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