2023 Recruitment & Retention Thread

Article where O'Brien says he doesn't comment on recruitment - then gives about 1000 words of comments that can be summed up as the rumours about us being willing to release DSaf and Best are ********. He has very good things to say about both players and says they are both in our longterm plans.
www.newcastleherald.com.au

Knights coach denies club is open to offloading Best, Saifiti

The Knights coach said both players were 'quite comfortable' in light of the reports.
www.newcastleherald.com.au www.newcastleherald.com.au

They'll both be gone within a week.
 
I should think we’d want to keep them. If we were really looking to punt the two best players to come through our pathways & play for the Knights in the last decade, that’s not really a great advertisement for Newcastle as the development club we allegedly aspire to be.
 
On the other hand consistently underperforming players being untouchable because they're locals is about as honest an advertisement for our junior pathways as you can get.
 
My thoughts on being a development club.

The only elite players in terms of athleticism we've "developed" in the last 20 years are a few Fijian kids from the central coast and a Jamaican from northern England.

I guess we could just keep doing what isn't working in giving mediocre white dudes who grew up in Newcastle and train hard first grade shots, but you'd probably have more luck knocking on every Fijian families door within 150kms and asking if their sons want to play for the knights.

Ignoring of course that the roosters have taken over the central coast as we were too poor to maintain a presence there.
 
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In the 2016 census there were 200000 people in Australia who have Polynesian ancestry compared to 23000000 who don't. Yet Polynesians and maori players make up >50% of NRL players these days. The clubs who have large Polynesian and maori communities in their junior network at the ones at an advantage. Newcastle is not one of those places.
 
nighttiime said:
In the 2016 census there were 200000 people in Australia who have Polynesian ancestry compared to 23000000 who don't. Yet Polynesians and maori players make up >50% of NRL players these days. The clubs who have large Polynesian and maori communities in their junior network at the ones at an advantage. Newcastle is not one of those places.
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Newcastle is one of those places.
There is a very large Polynesian community in the Hunter.
Years ago we had dozens of Polynesian kids - 4 Mata'utia brothers, 4 Tupou brothers, 4 Wilson brothers, 2 Tuafua brothers 2 Pangai brothers and dozens of others - most of them related in some way or another.
Somehow we lost the polynesian community, not from Newcastle, they are all still here and playing Rugby Union, but from the Knights.
It drives me nuts that Payne Haas grew up in Woodberry and his uncle Larry played alongside Uate, Snowden, Dureau, Cory Paterson, McManus, Mullen etc in the Knights 2006 Flegg and 2004 Ball sides.
 
Dear god there’s guys like Dom Young churned out every other year. A lot of the players are athletes first and footy players second these days.
 
You’re right in that Dom is an athlete and asset on the wing. Still has errors in his game, but he will improve and the Roosters will benefit that, unfortunately.

But there has been plenty of English recruits come over and kill it in the NRL. And the two new recruits could be the same. If we are a competitive side then there’a more chance they stay rather than leave.
 
frankLauda said:
You’re right in that Dom is an athlete and asset on the wing. Still has errors in his game, but he will improve and the Roosters will benefit that, unfortunately.

But there has been plenty of English recruits come over and kill it in the NRL. And the two new recruits could be the same. If we are a competitive side then there’a more chance they stay rather than leave.
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Roosters have an aging 1 and 7 that are laughably bad this year and on wrong end of 2 many concussions, no decent 9 except a fat out of shape lock and a qld cup back up and no 7. Good luck in them turning that around and won’t help Dom.

Also forwards aren’t as strong as previous roosters team and backs depth is poor.

Might not be as rosey as people think.
 
Lord of the Skraelings said:
Roosters have an aging 1 and 7 that are laughably bad this year and on wrong end of 2 many concussions, no decent 9 except a fat out of shape lock and a qld cup back up and no 7. Good luck in them turning that around and won’t help Dom.

Also forwards aren’t as strong as previous roosters team and backs depth is poor.

Might not be as rosey as people think.
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That might be all true but it is the Roosters we're talking about. Very well resourced and ruthless club. When's the last time we saw them consistently bad? I'd love to think we can make Dom regret his decision but I don't think the Roosters will stay down for too long.
 
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