2023 Recruitment & Retention Thread

Les Misérables said:
Seems you're forgetting about one Pheonix Crossland lol

If we're shopping Clune and Clifford it means we're left with Crossland and Gamble. Surely we've got a plan to poach a big name half before next season that isn't being spoken about
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The more this scenario plays out, the more obvious it is to me that Ponga is playing in the number 6 next year...that also likely means we are likely looking for a solid number 1 to come into the club (Garrick?) and also expecting Hodgson to be showing this year, whether he is capable of, staying on the paddock, getting up to first grade standard and making a case for his contract to be extended beyond next year.
 
Billy said:
The club seems very keen on Liam Sutton.
He played SG Ball and when that finished they moved him into the 7 in Flegg at about the same time they let Zane Camroux go back to Wests and let Noah Ryan go to Canberra.
Sutton seems to be Zammit's latest wunderkind. He played Mathews for Cronulla and got everyone's attention playing well in schoolboys teams.
You can see what they like about him - he's about 6'2", can run like a winger, defends pretty well at Flegg level, scores a lot of tries, but I don't think his kicking and playmaking are anything special yet.
He had one game of reserve grade as 18th man and didn't get on the field.
He has been out since round 19, I assume with a lower back injury. He looked like he was playing in a lot of pain for half the Flegg season.
He'll be 18/19 now, so maybe next year is too soon for him.
If we are really desperate, both Sasagi and Mapapalangi have done a lot of playing and training as running 5/8s. If we could find a genuine organiser for 7 we could use one of those guys as a running 5/8 who puts in an occasional kick.
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I've really liked what I've seen so far from Kurt Donoghue as well at 5/8. His running and kicking games seem to be his strengths. His side of the field has looked far more dangerous than Mitch Henderson's in the two finals games. I have liked Henderson's defence though.
 
Still_Nutty said:
The more this scenario plays out, the more obvious it is to me that Ponga is playing in the number 6 next year...that also likely means we are likely looking for a solid number 1 to come into the club (Garrick?) and also expecting Hodgson to be showing this year, whether he is capable of, staying on the paddock, getting up to first grade standard and making a case for his contract to be extended beyond next year.
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Well yea that's what they're being forced to do because it is the best of the poor options available to us.

Its definitely the easiest way forward for the club. But it doesn't fix the fact that we don't have a halfback. I'd love if we signed Moses. Him and Ponga in the halves would recreate our attack
 
Owey said:
I've really liked what I've seen so far from Kurt Donoghue as well at 5/8. His running and kicking games seem to be his strengths. His side of the field has looked far more dangerous than Mitch Henderson's in the two finals games. I have liked Henderson's defence though.
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Donoghue has certainly hit career best form over the last month.
His battle with Noah Ryan in our game v Canberra in the second last round was epic.
Canberra had to win that game to keep their finals hopes alive and played the dirtiest game I've seen in years - 3 sin bins of Canberra players and scuffles every 5 minutes, but between all that they threw everything at us, led by ex-Knight Ryan, who gave it to Donoughoe every chance he got. They both probably had career best games.
Donoughoe has struggled to get a run most of the year because we have used about 6 or 7 halves over the year.
 
Les Misérables said:
Basically leads the comp for try assists and has played 7 for the last 2 or 3 seasons.

The reason I mention his name is for the reasons you mentioned, he is damaged goods, hence why the Roosters could be open to letting him walk. And we've certainly got the cash to entice him.

What's the worst that happens? He needs to be medically retired half way through next season? So what, still better than the current plan. He is a bridging solution.

My frustration is with the clubs absolute lack of intent to improve our situation. We should be fighting dirty af rn to fix our halves problem and nothing should be off the table because our options for 23' are:

6. Crossland
7. Gamble

Surely someone gets sacked for this 😂
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There has to be an investigation! 😂
 
Well, there's talk of Brodie Croft also. Another outcast. But Les is right, this wouldn't happen at the Roosters. Why the hell we let Peace go without a replacement, or "hinging" our bets on Brooks is ridiculously bad recruitment. If we had Brooks in the bag, then yeah let Peace go. Otherwise, we should have given him the 2-year deal he requested, because there was no one better! In that 2-year window have a plan in place to find a quality replacement. Now we are in a steaming mess. Hopeless.
 
frankLauda said:
Look at the difference Fogerty has made to Canberra, and how **** the titans have gone without him. Canberra was going ****house when he was injured when he come back 7 or 8 in a row.
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Even more concerning is the fact that Clifford was like 23 years old when we signed him and until that point hadn't shown much at all that would indicate he would make a good replacement for Pearce. He was an average half that was hot and cold. Not good for someone in their 3rd year of first grade. It was a naive and irresponsible gamble from AOB.

You know what, I'm not buying this bs that AOB doesn't control recruitment, what a preposterous notion. It's spin that the club puts out to manage the sentiment of the fan base. The coach controls player selection, he doesn't manage player recruitment, very shifty choice of words there. Obviously AOB doesn't manage recruitment. But if anyone believes for a second that AOB isn't the last word on which players are signed then I've got Rolex from Thailand to sell you.
 
Les Misérables said:
I still catch myself thinking about how grossly incompetent our roster management/recruitment has to be to have let Pearce go and be aimlessly floating into a 2nd season without having replaced him with anyone worthy of playing as FG half? How?

They haven't even tried to poach a player like Drew Hutchinson, for example, just as a stop gap solution. Instead they're signing players like Gamble who aren't even being retained as back up halves by bottom 8 sides. We've known since early this year that Clifford wasn't up to it. And all their eggs were in the Brooks basket, a laughing stock of the NRL, a player the Tigers didn't even want.

What the actual fk are they doing? AOB has this penance for average players as though talent should be sought after traits such as effort and desire. It's a pipedream that the club can't survive.

We need to be doing off the table deals and speaking to everyone and anyone who'll be willing to come here for a huge payday. Burton, Moses, Ben Hunt even a Foran (now signed titans). Where's the harm in an off the record approach to Keary for big money.
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Good analogy regarding AOB & average players. I'd actually never thought of this before but do you suppose he's actively trying to emulate his mentor in bellyache and turn average players into superstars?
Great if it comes off but it took bellyache years to do that and had FP to guide the ship down there.
Adam, please just buy a brilliant half-back, we proved that worked, albeit short lived, with Pearcey.
 
Rough Night said:
Good analogy regarding AOB & average players. I'd actually never thought of this before but do you suppose he's actively trying to emulate his mentor in bellyache and turn average players into superstars?
Great if it comes off but it took bellyache years to do that and had FP to guide the ship down there.
Adam, please just buy a brilliant half-back, we proved that worked, albeit short lived, with Pearcey.
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I think his philosophy is right but his application is wrong.

The philosophy is, culture first, results later. But that requires players of a certain mentality. The problem AOB has is neither he nor the club can attract players who display the desired mentality while also being sufficiently talented so as to be of net benefit to the playing group. So instead of poaching these players he tries to develop these players. But instead of developing Brandon Smith he develops Crossland for example. It only works if they're talented. Talent needs to be the non starter. Storm know this, Roosters know this.

What happens when your players aren't good enough despite their effort? They inevitably fall short at key moments and all the hard work of the rest of the playing group goes to waste. Rinse and repeat that experience within a footy side and eventually the only thing they'll believe in is losing. How could they possibly be foolish enough to buy into the notion that Crossland will put that crucial try on?
 
we desperately need a halfback and as has been said, we should be doing everything possible and looking under every rock to find one.

I think we have 5/8 covered. Ponga can move there or we can train Sasagi or Mapapalangi there for the off season. The only caveat i'd have on them is don't mess with the guys careers and constantly move them around. Decide now and stick to it and let them develop

When Pearce was here, he definitely was in the decline and many were calling for his head. What the club should have done is seen he was in decline (which comes back to recruitment and its been disgraceful the last couple of years) and gone after another halfback that was available eg Reynolds, Townsend, Fogarty. But instead we resigned Pearce for 1 year and were surprised when he got a better offer and took off the Super League, leaving us with our d..k in our hands

We had no plan in place to replace him and we still don't.

All we keep hearing is they are hell bent on sticking to is signing Brooks but the Tigers are showing absolutely no intention of letting him go. Now this could just be great management from the Tigers to get us to pay more of Brooks contract, but are we really prepared to take that risk again and come up with no one again?

There isn't any other plan from what i can see. Our current halfback options are not first grade standard.

On junior halfbacks coming through, from what Billy has told us there are a couple that could be a year or two away. My question with them is how are they going to develop or be ready if they keep getting moved around into different positions etc

in my opinion that is why we haven't developed any decent halves in recent years. We seem to keep having successful teams in the lower grades, jersey fleg etc, but they are not kicking on into first grade
 
Halves in Flegg this year

Round 1
6. Donoghoe
7. Camroux

Round 2
6. Mapapalangi
7. Buderus

Round 3
6. Mapapalangi
7. Buderus

Round 4
6. Mapapalangi
7. Buderus

Round 5
6. Mapapalangi
7. Ryan

Round 6
6. Harry Fraser
7. Ryan

Round 7
6. Riley Jones
7. Noah Ryan

Round 8
6. Mitch Henderson
7. Noah Ryan

Round 9
6. Mitch Henderson
7. Noah Ryan

bye

Round 11
6. Mitch Henderson
7. Noah Ryan

Round 12
6. Kurt Donoghoe
7. Liam Sutton

Round 13
6. Riley Jones
7. Liam Sutton

Round 14
6. Riley Jones
7. Liam Sutton

Round 15
6. Riley Jones
7. Liam Sutton

Round 16
6. Riley Jones
7. Liam Sutton

Round 17
6. Riley Jones
7. Liam Sutton

Round 18
6. Kurt Donoghoe
7. Liam Sutton

Round 19
6. Kurt Donoghoe
7. Liam Sutton

Round 21
6. Kurt Donoghoe
7. Liam Sutton

Round 22
6. Kurt Donoghoe
7. Liam Sutton

Round 23
6. Kurt Donoghoe
7. Riley Jones (replaced by Mitch Henderson at halftime)

Round 24
6. Kurt Donoghoe
7. Mitch Henderson

Final 1
6. Kurt Donoghoe
7. Mitch Henderson

Final 2
6. Kurt Donoghoe
7. Mitch Henderson
 
Producing a FG worthy half is a once in a decade or more phenomenon. So rare that you can't be relying on it in any way. They never kick on. If it happens it happens. Otherwise you need to buy your halves, and hold onto the half you've got if you're lucky enough to have at least one good one.
 
Billy said:
Halves in Flegg this year

Round 1
6. Donoghoe
7. Camroux

Round 2
6. Mapapalangi
7. Buderus

Round 3
6. Mapapalangi
7. Buderus

Round 4
6. Mapapalangi
7. Buderus

Round 5
6. Mapapalangi
7. Ryan

Round 6
6. Harry Fraser
7. Ryan

Round 7
6. Riley Jones
7. Noah Ryan

Round 8
6. Mitch Henderson
7. Noah Ryan

Round 9
6. Mitch Henderson
7. Noah Ryan

bye

Round 11
6. Mitch Henderson
7. Noah Ryan

Round 12
6. Kurt Donoghoe
7. Liam Sutton

Round 13
6. Riley Jones
7. Liam Sutton

Round 14
6. Riley Jones
7. Liam Sutton

Round 15
6. Riley Jones
7. Liam Sutton

Round 16
6. Riley Jones
7. Liam Sutton

Round 17
6. Riley Jones
7. Liam Sutton

Round 18
6. Kurt Donoghoe
7. Liam Sutton

Round 19
6. Kurt Donoghoe
7. Liam Sutton

Round 21
6. Kurt Donoghoe
7. Liam Sutton

Round 22
6. Kurt Donoghoe
7. Liam Sutton

Round 23
6. Kurt Donoghoe
7. Riley Jones (replaced by Mitch Henderson at halftime)

Round 24
6. Kurt Donoghoe
7. Mitch Henderson

Final 1
6. Kurt Donoghoe
7. Mitch Henderson

Final 2
6. Kurt Donoghoe
7. Mitch Henderson
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Billy do you know why they are swapping the halves around so much? Is it due to injury, form or something else?

Also out of that lot of halves, who do you think the best 7 and 6 is?
 
R4D5 said:
Billy do you know why they are swapping the halves around so much? Is it due to injury, form or something else?

Also out of that lot of halves, who do you think the best 7 and 6 is?
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Garth Brennan gave a lot of guys a chance to impress in a lot of positions. Most of those guys played other positions as well.

My favourites were 7. Noah Ryan 6. Riley Jones - but I think the club would say our SG Ball duo of 7. Liam Sutton 6. Mitch Henderson are the ones they have the most confidence will keep developing - although Kurt Donoghoe and Riley Jones have both been really impressive for the last month or 6 weeks.
 
Billy said:
Garth Brennan gave a lot of guys a chance to impress in a lot of positions. Most of those guys played other positions as well.

My favourites were 7. Noah Ryan 6. Riley Jones - but I think the club would say our SG Ball duo of 7. Liam Sutton 6. Mitch Henderson are the ones they have the most confidence will keep developing - although Kurt Donoghoe and Riley Jones have both been really impressive for the last month or 6 weeks.
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thanks for your feedback and opinion.

Hopefully they can fast track the development of those guys, focusing on game management as well and we have a couple of good halves there.
 
Rough Night said:
Good analogy regarding AOB & average players. I'd actually never thought of this before but do you suppose he's actively trying to emulate his mentor in bellyache and turn average players into superstars?
Great if it comes off but it took bellyache years to do that and had FP to guide the ship down there.
Adam, please just buy a brilliant half-back, we proved that worked, albeit short lived, with Pearcey.
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I actually think you have hit the nail dead on the head with him trying to emulate his mentor.

It actually makes sense to me reading that, but he just doesn't seem to have whatever Bellamy has to do that yet.

Best example I know of Is Josh King, goes to Melbourne and Is nailing down the hatches for them there.
 
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