Recruitment And Retention Discussion

I’d offer Brown a 10 year contract, 8 years guaranteed and 2 years as mutual options. He would be 32/33 years old when the 8 years are up in 2033.

Given how many players play into their mid 30s now, I don’t think there is much risk at all.
 
If not Brown who?

Realistically, if we don’t sign a proven top line half soon, KP is most likely gone.

In the next couple of years DCE, Hunt, Reynolds will all likely be retired.

Hughes and Moses will be 33 by the time they’re available.

Cleary and Nicho probably unlikely to leave their clubs and even if Luai doesn’t work at the Tigers don’t see him leaving Western Sydney.

The likely next run of star halves will be Katoa, Walker, and Pezet. Who are all locked up?

10 years does seem insane given he’ll be 25 this year. If the last 2 years have options that might be ok. It’s getting to the point that I don’t think there’s much other choice.

I think one issue could be that Dylan’s partner already has 2 kids. So if they’re already in school and near their father, how likely is it that they’re going to move far from Sydney?
 
Seth Gecko said:
You either freak out now about what could go wrong or you take the chance and it works. Cos if he and KP reach their potential with the kids we have emerging we could be a multi title winning side. We may win nowt. But do you really want to wait another 3 decades?
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Add to that, how many halves that were at Brown's level at his age just absolutely fall off a cliff? I think if you're already a talented half by that stage, you're likely to stay at that level as a very minimum. I really can't think of any who had a massive decline as their career progressed.

Sure there's an injury risk, but halves don't generally struggle too much in that area, and that risk is there with any contract with any player.
 
Newygirl said:
If not Brown who?

Realistically, if we don’t sign a proven top line half soon, KP is most likely gone.

In the next couple of years DCE, Hunt, Reynolds will all likely be retired.

Hughes and Moses will be 33 by the time they’re available.

Cleary and Nicho probably unlikely to leave their clubs and even if Luai doesn’t work at the Tigers don’t see him leaving Western Sydney.

The likely next run of star halves will be Katoa, Walker, and Pezet. Who are all locked up?

10 years does seem insane given he’ll be 25 this year. If the last 2 years have options that might be ok. It’s getting to the point that I don’t think there’s much other choice.

I think one issue could be that Dylan’s partner already has 2 kids. So if they’re already in school and near their father, how likely is it that they’re going to move far from Sydney?
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Yeah this is where I keep landing on it.

Since Joey retired, who are the best halves we've had?

Jarrod Mullen, very talented local junior, who never really lived up to that talent & who we probably always overpaid.

Mitchell Pearce, premiership winning half who arrived in his age 29 season, in very unusual circumstances (rissoled by his previous club due to the probably never to be repeated situation of a player like Cronk becoming available; picked us I think out of a mixture of a burning need to prove himself as "the guy" for a team + wanting to get out of Sydney + just being offered the biggest bag of his career).

Beyond them the list is pretty dire. Who's the next best? Gids, who was better at 9 or 1? Tyrone Roberts? One year of Jackson Hastings?

For my money, Brown leaves them all for dead talent wise. In real terms, it's less than we paid Mullen & Pearce, less than the Dragons paid Hunt initially...

The big argument against it is that he's "not a halfback", but honestly outside of Cleary, Cherry-Evans and Adam Reynolds, how many guys right now fit that traditional mould of a 7 have been consistently recognised as very good to elite players? Hughes, Moses, Hunt & Hynes could have played with a 6 on their back all this time and no one would have thought what they're doing out there is odd for a player in that position. I think if you're going to take a punt on someone becoming a great halfback, a proven great NRL five-eighth who can play either side of the field equally well is a safer bet than a halfback aged 18-21 who's looked good in Ball & Flegg.

If he falls off a cliff around when Pearce did, we've paid ten years of big money for 7-8 years of a great half. Those last years won't be fun, but it feels like a step up on the cavalcade of effort merchants and do-a-job guys we've had.
 
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jamesgould said:
Add to that, how many halves that were at Brown's level at his age just absolutely fall off a cliff? I think if you're already a talented half by that stage, you're likely to stay at that level as a very minimum. I really can't think of any who had a massive decline as their career progressed.
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Dammit I just remembered Trent Hodkinson. 😅

But that was injury related, we could go for an injury retirement if that happened with Brown haha.
 
HarVeeGee13 said:
Yeah this is where I keep landing on it.

Since Joey retired, who are the best halves we've had?

Jarrod Mullen, very talented local junior, who never really lived up to that talent & who we probably always overpaid.

Mitchell Pearce, premiership winning half who arrived in his age 29 season, in very unusual circumstances (rissoled by his previous club due to the probably never to be repeated situation of a player like Cronk becoming available; picked us I think out of a mixture of a burning need to prove himself as "the guy" for a team + wanting to get out of Sydney + just being offered the biggest bag of his career).

Beyond them the list is pretty dire. Who's the next best? Gids, who was better at 9 or 1? Tyrone Roberts? One year of Jackson Hastings?

For my money, Brown leaves them all for dead talent wise. In real terms, it's less than we paid Mullen & Pearce, less than the Dragons paid Hunt initially...

The big argument against it is that he's "not a halfback", but honestly outside of Cleary, Cherry-Evans and Adam Reynolds, how many guys right now fit that traditional mould of a 7 have been consistently recognised as very good to elite players? Hughes, Moses, Hunt & Hynes could have played with a 6 on their back all this time and no one would have thought what they're doing out there is odd for a player in that position. I think if you're going to take a punt on someone becoming a great halfback, a proven great NRL five-eighth who can play either side of the field equally well is a safer bet than a halfback aged 18-21 who's looked good in Ball & Flegg.

If he falls off a cliff around when Pearce did, we've paid ten years of big money for 7-8 years of a great half. Those last years won't be fun, but it feels like a step up on the cavalcade of effort merchants and do-a-job guys we've had.
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Agree, some people I’ve seen online are acting like we want to turn a front tower into a halfback rather than just turn a 6 into a 7.

He’s already a very good player that’s the most important thing. He’s a strong runner, can ball play, short kicking is good that’s a good base to work off.

Isn’t that what training and coaching are for anyway? In time we can improve his long kicking game and organisational skills. This generally trends to happen naturally as players mature anyway eg SJ, Benji

My concern would be if he was like Brooks or Mullen and couldn’t handle the pressure mentally of being the main guy. But he doesn’t seem like a player who will disappear into his shell. He’s seems pretty confident guy already.

Who knows maybe Fletch might turn into the natural organiser. At least if you’ve got both you’ve got options and two very good footballers in the halves regardless of the number on their back
 
jamesgould said:
Dammit I just remembered Trent Hodkinson. 😅
But that was injury related, we could go for an injury retirement if that happened with Brown haha.
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Yeah that was a weird one, great leader, just got him when he was shot to bits in the knees. Amazed he played as many games as he did.
Then he had that weird falling out with Brown.

Pearce even with the struggles at the end carried us from the bottom of the ladder in the Wins column so i'll never regret that signing, plus one of the more bigger marquee signings after Ponga. I guess it's easy to be a huge upgrade when your halves are Hodko plus the revolving door of other halves that tried slotting in...
 
Parts from a From NZ Herald article,

The Sydney Telegraph reported that “sources close to negotiations confirmed the extraordinary deals” in which the 24-year-old is being offered $14.4m over 10 years.

The offers - one of which is from Newcastle - were “serious and genuine” the Telegraph reported

Gold Coast forward and captain Tino Fa’asuamalaui has the biggest contract in the NRL’s 117-year history, a 10-year deal worth $13.3m.

Newcastle’s Kalyn Ponga earns $1.55m a season, making him the NRL’s highest-paid player. Brown would join Penrith superstar Nathan Cleary and Melbourne’s mercurial five-eighth Cameron Munster just behind that.

www.nzherald.co.nz

Kiwis star offered monster $14m NRL deal

Two rivals are reportedly trying to tempt Dylan Brown away from the Parramatta Eels.
www.nzherald.co.nz www.nzherald.co.nz
 
krustykraz said:
Parts from a From NZ Herald article,

The Sydney Telegraph reported that “sources close to negotiations confirmed the extraordinary deals” in which the 24-year-old is being offered $14.4m over 10 years.

The offers - one of which is from Newcastle - were “serious and genuine” the Telegraph reported

Gold Coast forward and captain Tino Fa’asuamalaui has the biggest contract in the NRL’s 117-year history, a 10-year deal worth $13.3m.

Newcastle’s Kalyn Ponga earns $1.55m a season, making him the NRL’s highest-paid player. Brown would join Penrith superstar Nathan Cleary and Melbourne’s mercurial five-eighth Cameron Munster just behind that.

www.nzherald.co.nz

Kiwis star offered monster $14m NRL deal

Two rivals are reportedly trying to tempt Dylan Brown away from the Parramatta Eels.
www.nzherald.co.nz www.nzherald.co.nz
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It is highly possible and even more probable that there is no other “mystery bidder under threat of withdrawal if identified” in this whole Brown saga which is sucking the oxygen out of pre-season news media stories.
Why wouldn’t the mystery club want to be identified? The paltry excuse about upsetting existing up and coming players in Browns playing position just doesn’t pass the pub test.
Brown will play for Parra or he will come to Newcastle. The mystery other club is a beat up and should be seen as what comes out of the back end of a very large bull.
Wake me when it is all over so we can get on with the 2025 season.
 
Newygirl said:
It goes up $100k every few months according to the media
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This is true.

2022: "North of $5 million"
www.foxsports.com.au

‘On my terms’: Knights end circus as Ponga pens $5 million mega-deal in crushing Dolphins blow

‘On my terms’: Knights end circus as Ponga pens $5 million mega-deal in crushing Dolphins blow
www.foxsports.com.au www.foxsports.com.au

2024: "$1.4 million per year" (over 5 years this would be $7 million)
www.foxsports.com.au

‘There’s more to it’: Bombshell Ponga theory as fresh details of alleged cap breach emerge

‘More to it’: Bombshell Ponga theory as fresh details of alleged cap breach emerge
www.foxsports.com.au www.foxsports.com.au

2025: "$1.55 million per year" (now $7.75 million over 5 years)

I know it might be tied to salary cap increases, but pretty sure the salary cap hasn't increased by over 50% in that time.
 
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