Official THE RUMOUR MILL - Player Signings/Transfers ONLY!!!!

bort said:

Arguably the worst fullback of 2023 is not a safe position going into 2024, especially with a new coach coming in.
Lomax is 25 this year and we are talking about him maybe being given another crack at fullback, so there is plenty of time for (22 this year) Sloan to develop out his game to make himself a long term NRL player.

Lomax they have tried before and he failed, although a lot more experienced player now. Game also still needs polish though.
But Lomax can create where Sloan is just a finisher - they don't get many chances created that need finishing with their current roster (3rd worst attach of last season).

If Lomax goes well and Sloan really develops in Cup I'm sure Flanno will be delighted to have that issue next preseason.

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Sparkles said:

I'd back Lomax given the chance and a coach like Flanno. Not so far as SC back him at $630k+ though...

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bort said:

Definitely not sold enough to start him

Position change could give him a little boost
And as a goal kicker though he could get interesting very quickly if they improve a bit
Presumably he'd be pretty involved in the attacking stats which are going up, then gets to take the kick on top
Not holding my breath for them to make a big improvement though

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bort said:

True, but happens to be reflective of his criticisms in NRL. They actually show him doing even less than I expected.

On the other hand Lachie Miller's 2min NSW Cup highlights video (clipped together by same person) from same season shows a lot more varied football

Obviously both not complete bodies of work for the player, and Lachie playing in the halves for some. Not a resource I'd recommend as a definitive guide to signing players or assigning jerseys. Lachie has his own criticisms as an NRL level fullback.

As for Sloan going forward though, when your one trick is speed you have a great base to build on.

It's

• Dragons looking at another winger
• thinking Flanno would prefer Lomax to help Flanju
• better fits Lomax, Bird and Suli all into backline
• and Cup being a good opportunity for Sloan to round out his game

which has me thinking he may be missing out on the 1 jersey.
But at the same time that is just trying to interpret what Flanno may be thinking.
He could very well just name Sloan straight into the 1 jersey. If he does I expect they have a bottom 2 in the NRL fullback again in 2024.

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Gumby said:

Dragons are tabling a 2 year extension at 1 mil to keep Sloan. Highly doubt that’s to play nsw cup.

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Gumby said:

Dragons are tabling a 2 year extension at 1 mil to keep Sloan. Highly doubt that’s to play nsw cup.

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bort said:

Tuipolotu then looks surplus to requirement to me but Flanno can figure that out
Maybe he just doesn’t rate existing wing options

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Gumby said:

Greg Inglis has been brought in by benji to mentor Jerome Bula at the tigers.
Benji doing a lot of things right at the moment.

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Gumby said:

There’s definitely a player there in Tuipolotu. Just not sure what his best spot is. He’s definitely better than the Fegai brothers though imo.

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Proud Shark said:

Yeah agree. Haven't seen much that impresses from them.

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PROMISING KNIGHT MAY LEAVE​

bort said:

per mole

PROMISING KNIGHT MAY LEAVE​

The Knights are in danger of losing promising halfback Ryan Rivett, with several cashed-up English clubs chasing the 21-year-old.

A former Shark, Rivett played in the NRL trials early last year and also made his top grade debut for the Knights against the Dolphins in round three, handling the step up in class well.

Rivett is in the Knights' top 30 squad at the moment, but with the club boasting two top-class halves in Jackson Hastings and Jack Cogger, the club may grant him a release if he gets a good offer from a Super League club.

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BurgoShark said:

Didn't he play like 3 minutes and drop it on his first touch?

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bort said:

Exactly what SL teams are looking for apparently

Stats say you're t00 harsh though, came on in the 61st and didn't drop it until the 73rd

1 run for 7m (but very quick PTB)
5 tackles made from 5 attempts
1 kick, 38m

Not exactly a huge workload in a 1/4 of a game to base the text you bolded on.
A lot better than 0 or 1 from 5 tackles though I guess...

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