Recruitment And Retention Discussion

The Artist Formerly Known as Aku'd said:
Some may think that’s nothing to worry about but this was a tightly fought contest to bring Smith in. He’s a young man, coming to a spoon club. At some point the right thing to do would be to celebrate this signing as being part of “the new plan” and make the young bloke feel welcome. It’s not like we’ve signed Moses, but it’s an important signing and a few notches up from Schiller and Arthur.
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I think that a well run club should announce all top 30 signings, it help motivates the new signings and make them feel welcome and it keeps the fans informed.

We definitely should announce the signing of Sandon Smith as it is a key signing for us.
 
It’d be weird not to. He’s not like a “marquee” signing but this is an established first grader with real potential to be a very good player long term, who’ll certainly be in the spine somewhere (halfback, at halfback, but we don’t need to start world war 3 about it again). We should literally hassle them on socials about it if they done do it. We’ve got Sandon fever and the only prescription is more Sandon.
 
These are the same people that over-cooked the re-signing of Brodie Jones so hard they made everyone think they were announcing the return of Andrew Johns. Im sure theyll do a Sandom Smith video announcement.
 
Having a look at players off contract.

Who pikes my interest.

Emre Guler, Billy Walters, Jack Cole, Savelio Tamale, Siua Wong, Braden Hamlin-Uele, Cameron McInnes, Siosifa Talakai, Alofiana Khan-Pereira, Beau Fermor, Sam Verrills, Tanah Boyd, Te Maire Martin.

www.foxsports.com.au

Every club’s signing targets as 160 players hit market in $12m Bears feeding frenzy

Every club’s signing targets as 160 players hit market in $12m Bears feeding frenzy
www.foxsports.com.au www.foxsports.com.au

Not many on this list would break the bank, McInness could be an ideal replacement for Frizzel and as when he hangs up the boots we lack starch.

Sadly can't see him leaving the sharks.

BDU for a for a bit of size.
 
None of them IMO. Stay out of it now unless it's just wink wink nudge nudge "Newcastle are interested" **** with agents to drive up prices at other clubs. Almost every player on that list is about to get paid more than their real value.

We needed someone like Mooney for round one 2026, but with him secure we need to give internally developed players a chance to prove they deserve a raise and extension.

Play it right and in 2027 we'll have McEwen and Hopwood as every week starters earning less combined than Talakai or Fermor. That's Moneyball baby.

To build a real contender you need a core of players massively outplaying their contract value and 2027 through 29 is hopefully when we get our chance to cash in.
 
Lefty said:
I think that a well run club should announce all top 30 signings, it help motivates the new signings and make them feel welcome and it keeps the fans informed.

We definitely should announce the signing of Sandon Smith as it is a key signing for us.
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Don’t we have to move a player on to create the roster spot for Sandon Smith?

I could be wrong, but if that’s the case, that would hold up the signing announcement
 
So
Good Times said:
The fact that he's signed a 4-year contract on decent coin should make him feel plenty wanted
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So?

Having an announcement, having fans calling for that announcement will make him feel even better.

This is extremely basic human behaviour that’s been researched to death, you can never be to happy and you can never feel to wanted.

Aka: you can never have to much of a good thing.

As James said it is very basic and very low effort thing to do that will be appreciated by the player and fans alike it’s the little things that make the big things happen.
 
KPGreatness said:
So

So?

Having an announcement, having fans calling for that announcement will make him feel even better.

This is extremely basic human behaviour that’s been researched to death, you can never be to happy and you can never feel to wanted.

Aka: you can never have to much of a good thing.

As James said it is very basic and very low effort thing to do that will be appreciated by the player and fans alike it’s the little things that make the big things happen.
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I'm not saying the club shouldn't do it. I'm saying that he should feel very wanted in any case.
 
Maybe there’s some salary cap criteria or something holding them up. I should give them the benefit of the doubt, I blasted them about not organising a press conference with Holbrook, and it turned out it was because he wanted to finish off his work with the Roosters before he left, which was fair enough. 😬
 
Just feels like it would be pretty quick and easy to cook up an announcement with some generic quotes and a social media post, the whole football department doesn’t need to be back in the building for that to happen. Gave Schiller & Arthur as recent examples from the Knights but it’s something that happens at other clubs too (Roosters do it a bit, they never announced Dom Young and still haven’t announced DCE despite that being done for months).

Personally I don’t think it’s a big deal but my point was that everyone involved has already confirmed it so there’s no need to be stressing about it.
 
HarVeeGee13 said:
None of them IMO. Stay out of it now unless it's just wink wink nudge nudge "Newcastle are interested" **** with agents to drive up prices at other clubs. Almost every player on that list is about to get paid more than their real value.
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Hey mate, I still think we have gaps that need filling, Walters even though his just done his knee I think could be great for us as halves depth, as well as potentially a starting hooker - not sold on Arthurs and certainly not Crossland.

Braden Hamlin-Uele and Emre Guler not sold on our prop depth both could do a job starting or on bench.

Jack Cole / Siua Wong - Both potentially great backrowers in the making (Jack will transition from the halves.)

Tanah Boyd, Te Maire Martin - We literally only have 1 true half on the books in Brown.

Beau Fermor / Cam McIness - Replace Frizz as the veteran.

Sam Verrills - Gun if fit, our hooker for next 5 years.

Not saying we will or should, just my opinions.
 
Yeah likewise just my opinion that it's not the right road to go down. To break it down by each one:

BHU - Good player particularly in an impact role off the bench but I feel like we should be able to develop our own version of this kind of player, as Cronulla has.

Guler - Flat out think he's not good, bad motor and really struggles moving laterally in D.

Jack Cole - Awfully skinny for the back row isn't he? Anyway he's looked fine from what I've seen but we have a lot of back row talent.

Siua Wong - Definitely rate him, just think you're looking at a player who's only leaving the Roosters for a bag, and I'd rather back McEwen etc.

Tanah Boyd - Did Sandon Smith die?

Te Maire Martin - Do rate him as a player, very very good facilitator at the line, but I have no feel at all what the market for him is like or whether he'd leave the Wahs for anything less than the bag. It would depend on the price tag. And again I kind of want to back guys we already have.

Beau Fermor - Great player, too expensive.

Cam McInnes - I think he's a bit like Finucane in that when the way he's played catches up with him he will go off a cliff very quickly. Also allegedly the Bears really want him so there will be a bidding war. We are in trouble if Friz retiring means we no longer have veteran leadership.

Sam Verrills - Not trying to be a **** but... is he a gun hooker?

And yeah IMO Billy Walters is about as close as you get to being the exact same player as Crossland but older. He had a very good back end of the year but he did that by being a top tier effort areas guy, and by just distributing the ball to Walsh & letting him cook, by pushing up in support, by defending hard and strong... is that really so different to Phoenix? In any way? He's doing what you get out of Phoenix in a good team. Plenty of tape from 2023 for anyone who doesn't agree. Except Phoenix throws a much better ball out of dummy half.

In most cases it's not "player bad", it's "we don't need to be signing guys 15 months out, in a market where we are competing with a team with a totally blank salary cap". You pay for one of the guys above, and a player like McEwen really kicks on, or Hopwood/Crouch forces their way into the 17 and looks like a really good long term player, you don't want to have committed money to Braden Hamlin-Uele or Siua Wong, and then end up not being able to afford to keep one of your local juniors.

Patience is needed IMO.
 
jamesgould said:
Maybe there’s some salary cap criteria or something holding them up. I should give them the benefit of the doubt, I blasted them about not organising a press conference with Holbrook, and it turned out it was because he wanted to finish off his work with the Roosters before he left, which was fair enough. 😬
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This!
We had to officially get a player or two off the books so my gut feeling is that it’s simply waiting for the NRL stamp of approval.
 
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