The Halfback Conundrum

Which potential halfback, available from November 1, should the club make the #1 priority?

  • Ben Hunt

    Votes: 7 11.9%
  • Braydon Trindall

    Votes: 8 13.6%
  • Jonah Pezet

    Votes: 27 45.8%
  • Sam Walker

    Votes: 3 5.1%
  • Daniel Atkinson

    Votes: 3 5.1%
  • Lachlan Ilias

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • None of the above - Stick by Jack Cogger and continue to nurture kids currently in the system

    Votes: 6 10.2%
  • Other (comment with their name)

    Votes: 1 1.7%
  • Ronald Volkman

    Votes: 1 1.7%
  • Toby Sexton

    Votes: 3 5.1%

  • Total voters
    59
Just reading that Zac Herdegan set a club fitness record at the Cowboys.
I think he was down here training with our Ball squad this time last year, and we released him from his contract this year.
 
.You'll find the Bulldogs churning through their moneyball players ( sometimes early) , as they sign marque players to critical positions and filter in their juniors they've been developing since they won the spoon in 2021- by the way since Gould took over they are at the top in almost every comp.
This.

Keep signing new players and fk off the blokes underperforming. At the Roosters if you have a bad season you're usually the subject of a plan by management to be replaced.

Here at the Knights a gig in the 13 is akin to tenure as a professor. Loser culture.

And fans who tolerate middle of the road achievements are themselves at the core of the clubs mediocrity
 
This.

Keep signing new players and fk off the blokes underperforming. At the Roosters if you have a bad season you're usually the subject of a plan by management to be replaced.

Here at the Knights a gig in the 13 is akin to tenure as a professor. Loser culture.

And fans who tolerate middle of the road achievements are themselves at the core of the clubs mediocrity

"Moneyball"? In the NRL FFS.

The Bulldogs supporter is wrong about this as he is with everything.

And the Bulldogs supporter clearly knows SFA about Baseball (as well as Rugby League). There are 30 teams in MLB and no salary cap not to mention hundreds of lower league teams. Yeah, Moneyball was a great idea in MLB when scouts were assessing players on how ugly their girlfriends were and clubs weren't doing deep dives into stats, and teams could almost always find a trade to shift someone on and if they couldn't there was no cap to worry about...just how much the owner was willing to spend but it's the NRL and there is a salary cap. Once a player signs a contract in the NRL the club is stuck with him, options to shift blokes on early are far fewer.

Of course the role of the recruitment manager is crucial at any NRL club and arguably more so at the Knights (which is why they have gone out and got POS) but the idea that the Knights are going to do some magical assessment that other clubs haven't done and "Moneyball" our way to a title just because Gus is buying a team is laughable.

And where are we buying these players from? The player shop. We just missed Pezet and lost Thompson. The club has always struggled to recruit star players because it's a regional centre and we don't have the same third-party money. Even with Ponga we had to take a risk on and pay overs for him as a 20 yr old wunderkind.

It's a fantasy to think the Knights are going to follow the Bulldogs model and be successful. If the Knights are to follow any model it's Penrith's. Where we establish a production line of top talented locals and the only recruit to fill the gaps. Either picking up talented jrs who we can develop or blokes who have burned their bridges elsewhere or are looking for a fresh start like say Ben Kennedy who was crucial in 2001.

PS. Despite the Bulldogs supporters' claim, the Dogs are not at the top of every comp. They finished 7th in the NRL and the same bloke was banging on a few posts back that mere top 8 was a fail. Also, Gus hasn't achieved anything yet. It would be a shame if Gus misses his premiership window (no it wouldn't) because he's running the risk of winding up with a lot of very expensive players and the best of his juniors playing at other clubs.

Finally, the Bulldogs supporter claimed that off-contract at this time of year meant that players were bad and/or unwanted and yet the Dogs have about the same number of off-contract players as us (including Kurt Mann). Some of those blokes will stay at the Dogs, some will move but most will find a contract. I wouldn't be listening too much to the Bulldogs supporter, he's a clueless doggies fan and something of an arse.
 
PS. MLB players don't have the same options to refuse trades as NRL players. Someone describing managing an NRL salary-capped roster using "Moneyball" techniques only highlights the fact that they don't know much about the NRL or MLB and probably didn't watch the movie. Even Gus is not using "Moneyball" because NRL salary caps don't work that way. I really would ignore the Bulldogs supporter.

PS. The As didn't win the title, although the claim is that Boston did a few years later using the same techniques but Boston is a much bigger club than the As (who I think just got moved to Las Vegas).
 
Just reading that Zac Herdegan set a club fitness record at the Cowboys.
I think he was down here training with our Ball squad this time last year, and we released him from his contract this year.
Sounds like he's "training the house down".
 
Can we get a moratorium on the use of the word “moneyball” until people know what it means?
Thought everyone knows this surely. It's adopted in many sports globally these days with how teams manage their rosters and budgets.

Basic sports cap management that utilizes data analytics to make informed decisions about player acquisitions to leverage and manage the cap/ budget. The basic idea is to find what player can contribute significantly to the team's success for less money.

The book goes into more detail than the movie.

Leo is the very definition of a moneyball player for the Knights minimum outlay maximum return.

Not so much for the Bulldogs next year in my opinion, but superior cap management offers a degree of leeway for calculated risk of return.
 
"Moneyball"? In the NRL FFS.
most similar positioned sports globally - including the NRL . It's called cap management 101

the idea that the Knights are going to do some magical assessment that other clubs haven't done and "Moneyball" our way to a title just because Gus is buying a team is laughable.
obviously some are better at it than others. Gould is a smooth operator, he'd be aiming to build sustained success, as he did at the Panthers who were months away from insolvency when he took over.

The club has always struggled to recruit star players because it's a regional centre and we don't have the same third-party money.
The most successful clubs are the ones that are better managed - the end. Excuses are for losers.

And where are we buying these players from? The player shop.
It's correct term is Player Market. You can call it a shop if you like. Good way to remember it.

It's a fantasy to think the Knights are going to follow the Bulldogs model and be successful. If the Knights are to follow any model it's Penrith's.
Gould's Bulldogs years thus far is almost a mirror of his early days at Penrith. Minus saving them from insolvency.
Despite the Bulldogs supporters' claim, the Dogs are not at the top of every comp. They finished 7th in the NRL

since Gould took over they are at the top in almost every comp.
Almost is the focus word. Basic reading and comprehension

Finally, the Bulldogs supporter claimed that off-contract at this time of year meant that players were bad and/or unwanted and yet the Dogs have about the same number of off-contract players as us (including Kurt Mann). Some of those blokes will stay at the Dogs, some will move but most will find a contract. I wouldn't be listening too much to the Bulldogs supporter, he's a clueless doggies fan and something of an ars
Basic economy - Keynes page 1. Supply v Demand. There's not the demand because of their perceived value. As time goes so will the players leverage for negotiation. They'll get snapped up eventually, but at a far better cap value than the present asking price.
 
Marie Martin would be my target. Classy player career hampered by circumstances out of his control and a good age to be a transitional half , leading into our juniors coming through. Wouldnt cost the earth also.
Your not alone on this one, a number us on here talked about him last year. I definitely think he will coming into that sweet spot for halves.
 
most similar positioned sports globally - including the NRL . It's called cap management 101


obviously some are better at it than others. Gould is a smooth operator, he'd be aiming to build sustained success, as he did at the Panthers who were months away from insolvency when he took over.


The most successful clubs are the ones that are better managed - the end. Excuses are for losers.


It's correct term is Player Market. You can call it a shop if you like. Good way to remember it.


Gould's Bulldogs years thus far is almost a mirror of his early days at Penrith. Minus saving them from insolvency.



Almost is the focus word. Basic reading and comprehension


Basic economy - Keynes page 1. Supply v Demand. There's not the demand because of their perceived value. As time goes so will the players leverage for negotiation. They'll get snapped up eventually, but at a far better cap value than the present asking price.
I'm not going to bother with this tedious gibberish.

There's no such thing as "Moneyball" in a salary-capped competition where trade options are few and every club is already doing a deep dive into the same player statistics we are. If you're too dumb to understand this then you don't deserve a reply.

PS. I know you love Phil Gould and the Bulldogs but he hasn't achieved anything yet. Despite all the cash he's spent they only finished a place above us while a bunch of their juniors have gone to other clubs. And wasn't some clown saying that a mere top 8 finish is a fail? OH right that was you.

PPS. If you actually knew anything about league you'd know that the Panthers golden era only started AFTER they kicked Gould out. Gould was the same bloke who fired Cleary to hire Hook.
 
Your not alone on this one, a number us on here talked about him last year. I definitely think he will coming into that sweet spot for halves.
TMM would be 31 by the time he reaches the Knights in 2026. I'm not sure that's the sweet spot for a guy who's only put together 93 first-grade games across 4 clubs.
 
Yeah I'm not even going to bite😂
Lol he's still banging on about "Moneyball" a book written 20 years ago about a different sport, with different contract conditions, different trade conditions and no salary cap, that everyone who is in a position to gain from its insights has already read.

PS. I'm not sure what he thinks is "Moneyball" about Gould paying overs for Leo.
 
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Your not alone on this one, a number us on here talked about him last year. I definitely think he will coming into that sweet spot for halves.
much touted as a junior, and been out of the game for a while so the body not so banged up. He'd be the ideal transitional half save getting Moses to town.
 
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