Let's be honest its time for our team for 2021!

I don't like it. I think under 20/21's is vital for a clubs development.
For the last few years we have been playing most of the guys turning 20 in reserve grade anyway.
I think I counted 17 - a full team - of our under 20s played reserve grade at one time or another in 2019, with some like Crossland, Searle, Best, Hoy and Marks playing mostly reserve grade.
In short, we have been playing a mostly under 19s side in under 20s anyway.
 
Ponga will struggle to be fit for round 1 according to Toohey.
It's hard to remember everyone who will be in rehab - but Klemmer, Ponga, Green, Barnett, Watson, Brailey at least out till after the Christmas break, and DSaf, Frizell, Hunt and Lee will probably get a long break after SOO. That's at least 10 of our starting 13 out of early training.
A lot of young guys like Sasagi, Hoy, Crossland, Momoisea, Jones etc will get a chance to impress the coaches.
Jake Saifiti should be our leading forward in the early training.
Pearce will get to work with the young guys in the halves.
Hooker will be interesting. At this point they won't rush Brailey back, and we haven't signed anyone else, so it might be Mitch Black or Liam Wilkinson working with firstgrade.
 
Given the late start to the season, I wonder if many clubs will have a later start to pre-season anyway.
 
O'Brien working with mostly the young guys for a month or 6 weeks might be a good thing.

Last year he had a lot to learn about the players and a lot of things to work on with the senior guys, so having all the senior guys training was important, but this year he can work with the guys who need the most coaching for a while and bring the rest together for the last couple of months.
 
Looking at the team list now that Sione is gone, we have 15 players listed as backs and 10 players listed as forwards.
Brailey is amongst the forwards, so we actually have 9 middle and edge forwards to fill the 8 slots in our 17.
We have 5 spots to fill, and I'd say we need to make at least 4 of the 5 forwards, and the other one needs to be a hooker.
 
Looking at the team list now that Sione is gone, we have 15 players listed as backs and 10 players listed as forwards.
Brailey is amongst the forwards, so we actually have 9 middle and edge forwards to fill the 8 slots in our 17.
We have 5 spots to fill, and I'd say we need to make at least 4 of the 5 forwards, and the other one needs to be a hooker.

Agree with this. I’d throw offers at Randall and King who’d be cheap and familiar with the system, then see who becomes available to fill the three remaining spots.
 
Its sort of weird I’ve got the feeling some of our backs... Ponga, best, Tuala etc are our future and could be here in 5 years. Even though they are still young - I don’t really get the same feeling with our young hooker/half/utilities Brailey, Watson, Mann, Crossland, etc
 
I won't argue with your weird, but most players will move on within three years. Guys coming through the juniors may be inclined to Club loyalty, but in the end they are all mercenaries.
 
Half the squad is back training next week.
Senior players back in December.
With 5 contracts to fill I won't be surprised if we have a lot of triallists and guys like King, Randall, Huth and Croker fighting for a contract.
 
Bit rough on King and Randall if they don’t get contracts. It’s not as if there’s any better on the market. No NSW Cup has also done players like Huth, Cromer no favours.
 
We don't even know who is trialing yet.
There are a lot of players with NRL experience unsigned for next year.
We have more contracts on offer than anyone else.
We might have a dozen good trialists.
 
Assuming our coach and his staff have a good idea of what they want and need then I will be happy if we don’t sign the likes of Randall and King.
If we don’t sign them it will be because we have signed better prospects meaning stronger team/squad.
If we do sign them at least we know what we are getting based on past performances, I think of them as good fringe signings.
My gut feeling is we will sign both of them
 
No gut feeling here but it is up to the coaches to make recommendations on who they want and who they don't.

No place really in a market because they are good guys. What we want is improvement to make that top four in 2021 and beyoind.

Some who are unsigned and may attract interest are Sam McIntyre (Tigers), Ryan Hall, Corey Dennis, Brad Takairangi and John Asiata.
 
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My feeling is they will start with a very big squad and smash them for a month before the senior guys join in training.
I expect most of last years reserve grade and under 20s will be there and a bunch of trialists from other systems as well.
Maybe 40 or 50 guys will start and be cut to 15 or 20 by the Christmas break.
 
I think there is a decent chance obi is pulling a brown and waiting for the right players to turn up. I remeber brown holding his nerve missing out on signings for 1, 7. But when ponga and Pearce were available we were ready. Could be that obi thinks because there is decent talent available doesn't mean we should just get them. Maybe landing 1 big finish then getting 4 minimum wage players is the way he sees us going? The market place in the silly season always changes.

I for one could imagine a brisbane or someone releasing a matt lodge/ofahengaue late and getting them for cheap.
 
Not much on the market right now. However for next year I’d be going hard for the likes of Dale Finucane, Nathan Brown, Hudson Young. Even at a pinch look at players like Max King, Isaac Liu, Darren Schonig.
 
The first three will be under contract before November 1 next. We may get the usual bite from managers looking to increase the players contract and increasing their per centage scummies!
 
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