He packs in upside downHas to be the schlong surely. Intimidating in scrums when not wearing jocks.
He packs in upside downHas to be the schlong surely. Intimidating in scrums when not wearing jocks.
Had a beer last week called"rock out with my Bock out"Has to be the schlong surely. Intimidating in scrums when not wearing jocks.
Has to be the schlong surely. Intimidating in scrums when not wearing jocks.
Cronulla have moved to take rising star Blayke Brailey off the dummy-half merry-go-round by tabling a new three-year deal.
The NSW Emerging Blues hooker remains on the open market with his current Cronulla Sharks contract due to expire at the end of the 2022 season.
The threat of rival hookers Brandon Smith, Reed Mahoney, Api Koroisau and Josh Hodgson creating a tailspin of demand for class dummy-halves across the NRL is a contributing factor in the Sharks wanting to take Brailey out of the shop window.
The Sharks, led by coach Craig Fitzgibbon, have made it clear to Brailey’s manager David Riolo that they want the NSW under-20s hooker locked-in at the club for at least the next three years.
Interested to see how much we fork out, he's not worth a heap at this stage that's for sure.From DT 17/11/2021
Not so much bagging, just no need to get carried away and pay overs.That's great news.
A little reminder for the baggers: Blayke Brailey is 23; Michael Ennis wasn't a starting hooker in the NRL until after his 24th birthday.
I'm not referring to that post HB - just the general Brailey bashing at the tail end of the year. People are stuck in 1991 and think the hooker's only job is to scoot.Not so much bagging, just no need to get carried away and pay overs.
Fair enough, I've been critical of him for that.I'm not referring to that post HB - just the general Brailey bashing at the tail end of the year. People are stuck in 1991 and think the hooker's only job is to scoot.
Can’t speculate on dollars because none of us know what players are actually paid.Fair enough, I've been critical of him for that.
How much would you pay to extend him for three years?
Not sure I agree with that logic, Burgo.Can’t speculate on dollars because none of us know what players are actually paid.
The question is, do I think that between 2023 and 2025 he is going to be good enough to be one of the highest paid players on this team (top 7-8)? If yes, then he gets paid more than whatever $ value you come up with.
I think yes. Kennedy, Hynes, Finucane, McInnes are the only currently contracted players who should be earning more than him in 2023.
That’s not how contracts work though. Sometimes you pay a guy a little more in year 1 and hopefully you save a little at the beck end of the deal.Not sure I agree with that logic, Burgo.
Just because he might eventually be good enough to be in that group doesn't mean we can't get a better hooker for the same money, if you know what I mean.
I know you said "do I think......." rather than he will, but we're in trouble if he's our 4th highest player in just over a year unless we see dramatic improvement in him. Very dramatic.
Top 5 in our team last season is a pretty low bar.That’s not how contracts work though. Sometimes you pay a guy a little more in year 1 and hopefully you save a little at the beck end of the deal.
Also re: the bolded, that is the guys currently contracted for 2023 I am referring to. It’s assumed others are signed/re-signed between now and then. He should still be top 7 though.
You and I are seeing very different things in his game though. I think he is easily a top 5 player on the team, and has been for 2 seasons. There is improvement in him for sure. He’s already good though.
The dollar value is irrelevant. The point is that if the Sharks don’t make him one of their highest paid players, someone else will. He’s already better than 2/3 of the hookers in the comp while playing with a powder-puff forward pack for a coach who has no idea. Trust me - when those two things get fixed you will see his value to the team.Top 5 in our team last season is a pretty low bar.
I'm definitely not saying he's crap but I want to see quite a bit of improvement before he's earning say 500k.
Top 5 in our team last season is a pretty low bar.
I'm definitely not saying he's crap but I want to see quite a bit of improvement before he's earning say 500k.
That just can't be justified mate imo. The rumours are Mahoney is being offered 650k, he's comfortably better than Blayke imo.The dollar value is irrelevant. The point is that if the Sharks don’t make him one of their highest paid players, someone else will. He’s already better than 2/3 of the hookers in the comp while playing with a powder-puff forward pack for a coach who has no idea. Trust me - when those two things get fixed you will see his value to the team.
Whatever he is asking for, you won’t get a better hooker for that money. The list of hookers better than Brailey is a very short one - and you’d have to think that he stays at the Sharks for little less than what the market would throw at him.
Even ignoring the dummy half running thing Brailey was fairly average this season for us. He made tackles and gave some service and occasionally made a decent run from the ruck but week to week was he a key contributor to our performances on field? Not really. He had a few goodish/decent games, some trash games but was mostly mediocre and in the bottom run of hookers in the comp IMO
no one is really saying he can't or wont improve but more so just commenting on what we have seen from him this far (particularly in 2021) and not seeing the hype as much as before.
I would hope our hooker is in our top 5 best players and if he is paid accordingly so be it
I think he will get better under Fitz and with some help from Mcinnes ect But on season 2021 the only players I prob would have ranked Brailz above would be
Fifs
Wade
Nikora (had a few good games though)
Mags
Chambers
Dugan
Hunt
So Brails not even in top half of our best players in 2021
(im not including the non regular squad players like Pele or Metcalf as too little to judge them on and wouldn't be fair based on limited games while Brailey had to contend with an entire season of fatigue and pressure ect). Fifs , Wade, Duges ect also had limited games due injury/form but were regulars prior and we know what to expect at this stage so I feel fair to compare
Brailey was comfortably in our top half of players this year.