Slade Griffin announces his retirement

If Levi gets hurt Tom Starling could come up. He played a fair bit of NSW Cup this year so he's used to playing against men.
 
Yep, a quality hooker with a great set of hands (insert inappropriate pun here) is worth every cent.

The time they can buy their halves with snappy service, sneaky runs and a good kicking game can be the difference between good and great sides.

Aim for an 80-minute hooker who can tackle their guts out but keeps the defenders guessing. I'll back Levi to grow into that kind of player, he's getting there and looks dangerous running the ball.
If he doesn't knock Isaac Luke out of the NZ team in the near future I'd be surprised (although Luke's form probably warrants that anyway).

A long-term injury to the top hooker cripples most sides and needs to be considered, the question is how much do you spend and are there any clearly better options available beyond the current squad? Part-time hookers have their place and every side needs depth and cover.

If a hooker like Cam Smith was on the market what side wouldn't throw the bank at him? In the meantime, whoever Brown and Mooney reckon is the best option I'd be happy with.
 
mozza said:
If Levi gets hurt Tom Starling could come up. He played a fair bit of NSW Cup this year so he's used to playing against men.
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Is he capable of playing 60 minutes in the NRL every week though? And that's if he makes the step up to NRL level at all. Or are we happy to use Griffin/Buhrer for 60 minutes a game weakening our attack significantly. I understand why they want Griffin but no doubt it leaves us at risk.
 
And the three quarters of a million to him and Thurston over and above the Storm and Cowboys salary cap is a scam!
 
Lord of the Skraelings said:
Griffin would be about a $150k and Licha would easily command double if not more than that.

For someone paying second fiddle you don't pay decent dollars.
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Wait... Lichaa would command $300K+ despite the fact only a couple months ago apparently no NRL team wanted him?

He may want that, but if there's no market for him, he's not setting the price.

He's in a similar boat to Rein I reckon, where teams probably only see them as fringe first graders now. If not for playing as well as he did the last 3 games, I think his NRL career may have been over. I think he gets a lifeline now. Prior to that, apparently only us and Dragons were having a look. Neither team was going to break the bank for a backup hooker most likely pegged for Super Cup.
 
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Article in the Herald quotes his manager as saying Melbourne have offered him more money to stay.
 
BargeArse said:
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with Griffin. Tough player from a winning culture/system and has some versatility. If we're in the market for a genuine backup hooker but, which it appears we are looking at Griffin/Lichaa/Rein, I'd be leaning towards Lichaa and giving him the green light to play attacking eyes up footy from dummy half which made him one of the best emerging hookers not long ago when Dogs poached him.

Griffin will certainly add some value to our team, but I think we have enough backrowers in Guerra, Buhrer, Mata'utia, Barnett and Fitzgibbon. Personally, I wouldn't have Griffin as a backrower over any of them, so that versatility is somewhat moot unless we get injuries. Those guys should all be locks for first grade and you've got buckley's carrying more than 5 backrowers in your 17 (3 starters, 2 on the bench). We also have Buhrer who has that game day versatility to play hooker if need be. I think finding a genuine hooker who's not a zero in attack to backup Levi (even if he's playing Super Cup) is more valuable than picking up a makeshift hooker/backrower to play that role.

But I digress. I do like the addition of Griffin if it comes to fruition, just what it appears we're looking for and the makeup of our squad atm, I'd lean a different way after watching Lichaa the past month. I think he's got untapped potential in the right system under the right coach.
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Agreed. We need another genuine hooking option and for the right money I reckon Lichaa would be perfect.
 
BargeArse said:
Wait... Lichaa would command $300K+ despite the fact only a couple months ago apparently no NRL team wanted him?

He may want that, but if there's no market for him, he's not setting the price.

He's in a similar boat to Rein I reckon, where teams probably only see them as fringe first graders now. If not for playing as well as he did the last 3 games, I think his NRL career may have been over. I think he gets a lifeline now. Prior to that, apparently only us and Dragons were having a look. Neither team was going to break the bank for a backup hooker most likely pegged for Super Cup.
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Yep. No one doubts his talent its how his been coached. Would get $300k like that.

Rein is plod.
 
Griffen has deputized for Cam Smith in the Storm side and picked by Bellamy to do so ...That makes him pretty bloody good in my book he will do as far as I'm concerned .....
 
He showed his true quality in the last few rounds of the season after he came out and publicly said he was ignoring the coach.
 
Well mate his coach had turned him from the brightest young start to literally the biggest letdown in a 3 year period.

With his contract up and dogs showing him the door full credit.

They brought a running hooker and wouldn't let him run WTF?
 
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