2023 Recruitment & Retention Thread

Probably have to move on from Brailey as our hooker at this point. The first two times it was about healing up and using a stop gap in the meantime, but a third time is pretty damn devastating. He's still got a contract so it needs to be honoured of course, he can heal up in the background and do all the hard yards to get back, but we've got to find a new guy. I hope the club is ambitious enough to see this not only for seasons ahead, but this season too. It would be pretty meek of us to accept a rotation of Mann and Crossland for the rest of the year.
 
EASBay17 said:
which hookers are in issac moses stable that arent getting a decent run or on an old deal? might be the best way to shuffle some deck chairs with AOB being one his boys.
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I was waiting for his name to be brought up.

Which would mean (It certainly does from my view-point) that we would be desperate.
 
Parr in the Herald today saying the club is confident in Crossland, Mann and kids currently in the system, but wouldn’t be totally deaf to any opportunities.

Kind of matches what we’ve seen of him so far - he’s not gonna panic and try to pick up the first hooker the club is offered. He held out for months on Lachie Miller so that we could keep Mapapalangi and Keeley for example, and was wise enough to get a guy who looks like he’s going to be a long term starting winger in exchange for Randall.

You never know what could happen in the NRL. We could sign a replacement hooker now, but then in 6-8 weeks a much better player could become available, and we’d be kicking ourselves for not holding out.
 
Rupert Murdoch said:
He still isn't. 🤣

He looks like he belongs at the Randwick Racecourse than on a rugby field.

But good on him for getting as far as he has.
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I reckon Starling has had a pretty decent first grade career so far! Good service, good running game, genuine attacking threat out of dummy half without overplaying his hand. Not one of our worst losses, but a better player than Levi I think, and when he first hit the scene it struck me as so odd that we let him walk.

Starling’s big issue is that he’s probably only suited to playing 40-60 minutes as a bench hooker, which means to balance your playing 17 you probably want a starting 9 who can also play some minutes as a middle forward. Slade Griffin, who I believe we signed when Tom was still at the club, was tailor made for that kind of role. Guess it just didn’t occur to anyone at the club.
 
HarVeeGee13 said:
I can’t say I was particularly blown away by his first game for the Titans, and I find it extraordinary that the Gold Coast tossed him straight in there the week he got off the plane.
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Agree that it was a big decision to throw him in as he hadn’t played for a month but the Titans are in a similar position to us relying on their back up hooker. Didn’t see the game but his stats look ok. With Hastings running the show we just need someone who can give him fast and consistent service with the occasional burst out of dummy half to keep defenders guessing. I sincerely hope Crossland can do that for us.
 
Thieves Like Us said:
Agree that it was a big decision to throw him in as he hadn’t played for a month but the Titans are in a similar position to us relying on their back up hooker. Didn’t see the game but his stats look ok. With Hastings running the show we just need someone who can give him fast and consistent service with the occasional burst out of dummy half to keep defenders guessing. I sincerely hope Crossland can do that for us.
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i think your underselling how important a hooker is, go watch how many times on even a simple 1 out hitup that brailey engages and holds up the marker, our most effective carries come from being able to put the ball carrier between the markers and the A defender. theres alot more to it then either a sharp pass off the deck or the odd run.
 
EASBay17 said:
i think your underselling how important a hooker is, go watch how many times on even a simple 1 out hitup that brailey engages and holds up the marker, our most effective carries come from being able to put the ball carrier between the markers and the A defender. theres alot more to it then either a sharp pass off the deck or the odd run.
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It is a learned skill that a dummy half can always work on, but isn't that easy to perfect. One of the great parts of Cameron Smith's game. That sentence just made me queasy...
 
Thieves Like Us said:
Two words - Kruise Leeming

Two more words - Missed Opportunity

🤦‍♂️
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Before last weekend why would he want to come to Newcastle? Our club captain plays 80 minutes at hooker. i know he’s been quite injured but a professional footballer isn’t going to want to come here and sit on his hands until someone gets injured. As of today we’re probably the most favourable destination on the market but before Sunday that’s not the case.
 
Replacing Brailey with the backup hooker from another club is unlikely for this season as every other club is in same situation of needing good backup in case No1 hooker is injured. Our more likely choices are recruit from local comp, e.g. Huth, get by with what we have, Crosslands, Mann, Rugless etc
 
So, hookers on our books.

Crossland - goes OK for a guy with very little experience at hooker. You can't expect him to play long minutes for week after week.

Mann - same as Crossland only more injury prone and probably has shorter minutes in him.

Rugless - last year he couldn't lock down the hooker spot in Flegg. We bought him as a potential hooker and he trained all last off season and this off season as a hooker with firstgrade, but he just isn't much good. I like him as a player at lock. He reminds me of Connor Watson with more attitude and aggression, but without the speed. I think lock is his only position.

Temple Kalepo - rated pretty highly at the Warriors as a junior. We bought him a couple of years ago and I think he's pretty well been injured since he got here. He did seem to get through a very solid pre-season this year, but has only been back playing reserve grade for the last 2 weeks and hasn't set the world on fire in short minutes.

Liam Wilkinson - he was second string hooker all through the grades behind Mitchell Black, who was a bit of a star who played for NSW and Aus Schoolboys as well as training with firstgrade for a few years. Black had a bad runs with injuries and dropped off the map, and Wilkinson has been a regular in reserve grade for a few years now. He does a decent job, but nothing about him says firstgrade ready.

Riley Jones - a standout in Flegg last year at hooker, 5/8 and centre. He did a firstgrade pre-season but has been injured since the trials. I think his best position is 5/8 and he'd only be good as a bench impact player at hooker. He's a very fast, athletic guy who would fly out of dummy half, but I don't think he has the motor for long minutes at hooker.

Noah Nailagoliva - was one of the 3 or 4 standout players for our 2019 Mathews side along with Jonah Pezet, Max Bradbury and Chris Vea'ila. Clever, aggressive, confident, a real character. Sadly, since Mathews he's hardly put 4 or 5 games together before getting injured and always seems to have injuries that prevent him training all off season. If he managed to have an injury free year from here on and did a proper firstgrade off season, he could be anything next year, but I'm not holding my breath.

Malachi Smith - a new recruit to S G Ball this year from the Roosters and he's been a real standout. One to watch for next year.

Taj Blackman - a utility player who plays 6, 7, and 9 in Ball. The club rates him very highly.
 
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