The pre-season 2026 thread

Usually players having their first or second child will have poorer than average seasons. More injuries due to lack of sleep. Not as focused. More stressed etc.

You see it across all sports. Some players change for good after having kids. It makes some players fight harder and better appreciate their trade. And for others it makes them realise that there's more to life than footy. Either way, coming into a season with a 3 month old at home isn't ideal for one's form. Hopefully he manages OK
 
Les Misérables said:
Usually players having their first or second child will have poorer than average seasons. More injuries due to lack of sleep. Not as focused. More stressed etc.

You see it across all sports. Some players change for good after having kids. It makes some players fight harder and better appreciate their trade. And for others it makes them realise that there's more to life than footy. Either way, coming into a season with a 3 month old at home isn't ideal for one's form. Hopefully he manages OK
Click to expand...
I’d have the opposite affect on me id want to play every away game 😂
 
I think everyone has a different experience with young children.
It depends on the health of the mother and child and the support network they have.
It could go either way for Bradman - from him never getting a decent nights sleep for the next 5 years to him hardly having to change his lifestyle at all if things go well.
 
Billy said:
I think everyone has a different experience with young children.
It depends on the health of the mother and child and the support network they have.
It could go either way for Bradman - from him never getting a decent nights sleep for the next 5 years to him hardly having to change his lifestyle at all if things go well.
Click to expand...
All true, but 90% of the time, players lose sleep, lose regularity to their home life, sometimes because the player or their partner is living remotely from their family (quite common). I think his mrs family is from Sydney, Fenech's daughter. And Bradmans folks are in Brisbane from memory.

All the makings of a hard 6-12 months. Im sure theyll be all good. But just not ideal for an elite athlete if top form is their aim.
 
Billy said:
I think everyone has a different experience with young children.
It depends on the health of the mother and child and the support network they have.
It could go either way for Bradman - from him never getting a decent nights sleep for the next 5 years to him hardly having to change his lifestyle at all if things go well.
Click to expand...
And if he is like most of us, somewhere in between.
 
Just re-watched the 2025 under 18s City v Country game to see if my memory of Diesal Hagan playing so well for Country was accurate, and I still think he was the best player in the game, despite being on the losing side. If he had played the full game for Country instead of sharing the hooker role, I think Country would have won.
 
www.nine.com.au

Holbrook granted approval for 17yo Suaalii-like star to train with Knights

Second teenager in league's history
www.nine.com.au www.nine.com.au

Article where Holbrook says Seve is big and strong enough to train with firstgrade, but says he will probably start in SG Ball and play some reserve grade this year and firstgrade in 2027. Seve's manager talks him up as the next big thing.
I don't even know what position he plays, but all the comparisons to Sualli have me thinking he is a replacement for Gagai.
 
SG Ball is the team to watch this year.

Seve, Toby Winter, Diesal Hagan, Mat McEwen, Roy Simpson, Chase Butler, Sione Haukuaini, Tom Perkins - all coached by Mat Lantry, who has an incredible winning record as a coach with Knights reserve grade and Maitland. Not to mention the other good players who got us to the Matts GF last year.
 
My mail is that Winter is being groomed as a centre as that is seen as his most likely path to firsts. Be interesting to see where he lines up in Ball this year.
 
Brad tighe said:
Bears have outbid us for jesse colquhoun he has been offered close to 800k a season over four years. POS wasn’t getting into a major bidding war for him.
Click to expand...
Wow inflation has hit players harder than I thought.

He is a good player with a high ceiling but he is certainly not worth that at the moment and tie in the fact he is injury prone and never played 20+ nrl games across one season to date.

I know the Bears have salary cap relief as a new team but wow ok.

Glad POS kept to his guns
 
Very disappointed to hear about Colquhoun. We really need those types of wins. We keep missing out on the quality players. POS obviously not at fault, he did well to identify and chase the player and not overpay. But its really disappointing, we've missed out on something like 3 out of the 4 priority middle signings.

That probably tells us how likely we are to make those types of signings in future.
 
Les Misérables said:
Very disappointed to hear about Colquhoun. We really need those types of wins. We keep missing out on the quality players. POS obviously not at fault, he did well to identify and chase the player and not overpay. But its really disappointing, we've missed out on something like 3 out of the 4 priority middle signings.

That probably tells us how likely we are to make those types of signings in future.
Click to expand...
I certainly wouldn’t read into this hurting our chances of these types of signings in the future, as there are way to many factors, I mean we could be a success and instantly players opinion changes and want to join.

I’m sure POS will keep looking, really not fussed about missing out due to a team offering more money, it could be worse
 
Les Misérables said:
Very disappointed to hear about Colquhoun. We really need those types of wins. We keep missing out on the quality players. POS obviously not at fault, he did well to identify and chase the player and not overpay. But its really disappointing, we've missed out on something like 3 out of the 4 priority middle signings.

That probably tells us how likely we are to make those types of signings in future.
Click to expand...
These new franchises do skew the player market for those available.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top