2026 Recruitment And Retention

I would pick J Saf to start for the Blues this season. He's at his best early in a contest and on form he's a top 5-10 prop.

8. Haas
9. B Brailey
10. J Saifiti
11. Samuela Fainu
12. Jacob Preston
13. Cameron Murray

14. Koroisau/Egan/Healey
15. AFB
16. Yeo

17, 18 & 19 I'm using on versatile players who offer positional cover and not going in with an assumption about rotations. I'd go a versatile forward, 1-5 cover, and halves cover. I honestly think between Haas, J Saf, Murray, AFB and Yeo there's not really a lot more minutes in the middle to go around. And yeah I'm going into the game planning for Blayke and the 14 to split the minutes at 9, I think Blayke is an 80 minute player but it's a big ask to do that on Origin debut, so I'm maybe keeping him on for 55-65 minutes, unless things go bad with injuries and he just has to play it out.

I think there needs to be a bit of change, some guys need to have a line drawn through them, and I include Angus Crichton and Liam Martin in that, they were awful last year, even though they've both started the NRL season well. How you actually perform in Origin has to have a bearing on whether you continue to get picked for Origin, call me old fashioned.
 
HarVeeGee13 said:
I would pick J Saf to start for the Blues this season. He's at his best early in a contest and on form he's a top 5-10 prop.

8. Haas
9. B Brailey
10. J Saifiti
11. Samuela Fainu
12. Jacob Preston
13. Cameron Murray

14. Koroisau/Egan/Healey
15. AFB
16. Yeo

17, 18 & 19 I'm using on versatile players who offer positional cover and not going in with an assumption about rotations. I'd go a versatile forward, 1-5 cover, and halves cover. I honestly think between Haas, J Saf, Murray, AFB and Yeo there's not really a lot more minutes in the middle to go around. And yeah I'm going into the game planning for Blayke and the 14 to split the minutes at 9, I think Blayke is an 80 minute player but it's a big ask to do that on Origin debut, so I'm maybe keeping him on for 55-65 minutes, unless things go bad with injuries and he just has to play it out.

I think there needs to be a bit of change, some guys need to have a line drawn through them, and I include Angus Crichton and Liam Martin in that, they were awful last year, even though they've both started the NRL season well. How you actually perform in Origin has to have a bearing on whether you continue to get picked for Origin, call me old fashioned.
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Martin is gone for 6-8 weeks with a high-grade MCL so you can pretty much lock Preston in already.

Crichton shouldn't be in the frame based on form (I think he's been pretty average so far this season as well), but I can't see Loz running two edge debutants so Hudson would be the short favourite to start on the left - Agree that purely on form Samuela would get it.

He's been injured but I still have to have Leniu on the bench - If we had a bunch of middles go down early in the game he doesn't get on as he's not useful in longer stints but he offers impact off the bench that nobody else in the game could replicate - Particularly if we do run Brailey/Koroisau/Egan over a Robson/Kenny type, letting those guys run off a dominant Spencer run is an enticing prospect.

J Saf absolutely deserves to be in the conversation but I wouldn't be surprised if someone like Stefano gets that spot. For all of Freddy's missteps he was never let down when he picked the Saifitis but I doubt many other coaches would've (barring Daniel at his absolute prime).
 
Loko Pasifiki Tonga asking for permission to explore his options, kills it in cup, can't get a run in FG despite the Dragons....*checks notes*....sucking. Although tbf Couchman, Guler and Lawrie are ahead of him at prop, whilst not being spectacular, they haven't been the main issue for the Dragons.

An interesting young prospect.

www.zerotackle.com

Dragons crisis deepens as young gun requests early exit

It comes as coach Shane Flanagan again held off calls to change the team.
www.zerotackle.com www.zerotackle.com
 
Frank McWilliams said:
I am hoping that Lucas will stay, he is obviously a Knights fan and moved here because of that, if we can come up to close to other deals/offers he might stay, here’s hoping.
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Not that I think we would lose him, but I would be shattered if we did.
This is my favourite and (I think) best back row pairing since the Simpson/Abraham days. I loved those days. It’s a good feeling to have that feeling back again.
 
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