2023 Recruitment & Retention Thread

HarVeeGee13 said:
Personal take:

Mitch Barnett -> Ryan Matterson
Anthony Milford -> Will Pryce
Phoenix Crossland -> Chanel Harris-Tavita
Brayden Musgrove -> Dylan Lucas
Pasami Saulo -> Mat Croker
Sauaso Sue -> J’maine Hopgood
Jirah Momoisea -> Consider re-signing but honestly wouldn’t be in a rush, I’d actually be willing to take Ese’ese back if the price has come down a bit
Kai Pearce-Paul would be taking spot #30 if we signed him I believe?
Edrick Lee re-signed if he gets through the season
Sasagi is gonna get extended 2 years so this is a moot point but gee he’s gotta show a bit more than the odd promising run to repay us
Adam O’Brien -> Shane Flanagan or John Morris
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Agree with all of the above but the Matterson and getting rid of AOB
Mitchell Barnet - Euan Aitken
I'd re-sign Momoisea for another season, he's building into a good backrower just has a few fundamentals to work on but his line running is awesome.
And I think rather than sacking AOB i'd be looking at signing Morris or an established successful assistant to help around him. He's taken us to back to back finals. Not putting a line through him just yet.

But love the rest of the ideas, CHT and Hopgood would be perfect inclusions IMO.
 
I’m keen on Matterson on the proviso we get in a coach with a proven track record of managing guys with “big personalities” (ie c u next Tuesdays). He’s a much much better player than Aitken, if a less nice guy.
 
HarVeeGee13 said:
I’m keen on Matterson on the proviso we get in a coach with a proven track record of managing guys with “big personalities” (ie c u next Tuesdays). He’s a much much better player than Aitken, if a less nice guy.
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Yeah, if you don't have a coach who can manage personalities, I think signing him could go even more pear-shaped than the 12 injuries that are rotting us this year (especially on the money he demands). I actually rate Aitken (if no one realised by now haha) and he can also fill in the centres and is still only mid 20s. He's in some decent form at warriors but imagine that in a more solid lineup like ours.
 
In the reserve grade broadcast yesterday they said Mounties have used 24 players this year and we have used 43. I'm going to say that Jersey Flegg have probably used even more - maybe 50. I know I compared this week's Flegg side with Round 1, and there are only 5 still in the side.
Brennan is using Flegg and reserves as extended trials for every hopeful in Newcastle.
Some guys are only getting a few games, but guys like Heath Gibbs, Wyatt Shaw, Harvey Neville, Floyd Tighe, Jack Cameron, Dylan Phythian that winger scoring all the tries in Flegg etc are making a case for being the next Chris Randall and getting a chance to make the grade.
Some of my favourite juniors over the years - Max Buderus, Heath Gibbs, Brock Gardner, Liam Wilkinson, Cal Burgess, Noah Ryan - are getting a chance to show what they can do. I half expect Brendan O'Hagan to get a run in reserves next week.
It will be interesting to see who is still there by the end of the season.
 
If our current squad were all fit and top 17 selected that would leave 13 players 9 without contract for 2023 and 4 with.
Listing them in order of least likely staying or wanted I came up with the following.
1 Barnett (gone), 2 Milford (likely gone), 3 Musgrove, 4 Saulo, 5 Sue, 6 Crosslands, 7 Lee, 8 Momoisea, 9 Sasagi, with contract, 10 Johns, 11 Thompson, 12 Hodgson, 13 Tuala.
I believe Sasagi will be getting an extension and would assume Tuala would be likely.
Hoy, Lucas and Purcell listed but no contract date I assume due to number restrictions.
Changes, 1-6 likely gone, 7-8 maybe, 9 staying, 10-13 have a year to make an impression.
Frizell only top 17 no signed beyond 2022 but has option.
If we loose 6+ then we need to make sure that some if not all of new contracted players are good enough to push some of those in 17 to reserves.
 
How many spots do we have left in this years top 30 assuming Milford has one of them. Is it still another one to be filled by?
 
So locked and loaded for the season, but, it appears it’s not a problem to use players from outside the 30 such as Hoy and obviously some on the extended bench this week
 
Profiles for Kobe Rugless and Ben Talty have been added to the firstgrade list.
Both of them have been full of effort and hard work in the lower grades this year.
Moving Talty to prop has been great for him. He is still playing 80 minutes and never stops working. It's like he always had a giant motor and never used it when he played second row.
Rugless is an aggressive little bulldog who gets stuck into everyone - fearless - you can see he has been a champion boxer and no one scares him.
 
Billy said:
Profiles for Kobe Rugless and Ben Talty have been added to the firstgrade list.
Both of them have been full of effort and hard work in the lower grades this year.
Moving Talty to prop has been great for him. He is still playing 80 minutes and never stops working. It's like he always had a giant motor and never used it when he played second row.
Rugless is an aggressive little bulldog who gets stuck into everyone - fearless - you can see he has been a champion boxer and no one scares him.
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a reserve grade hooker needs to play 80 min though to be able ot provide 60min of good service in 1st's, how many minutes has he been playing
 
Nikorima to join rabbits mid season, could’ve used him especially considering our starting halves this week

Especially considering we have to wait till round 11 for the player they ended up not wanting.
 
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BETTERTHANLEGO said:
Nikorima to join rabbits mid season, could’ve used him especially considering our starting halves this week

Especially considering we have to wait till round 11 for the player they ended up not wanting.
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If they are willing to release Nikorima then they would of been willing to release CHT. WE SHOULD HAVE MADE A PLAY FOR HIM
 
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