Official Blayke Brailey

[HaroldBishop]

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.

Not so much bagging, just no need to get carried away and pay overs.

 

[HaroldBishop]

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.

Fair enough, I've been critical of him for that.

How much would you pay to extend him for three years?

 

[HaroldBishop]

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.

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.

 

[HaroldBishop]

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.

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.

 

[Tiger Shark]

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.

Mate, he's going to be earning 500k on his next contract or very close to it imo.

We extended his contract it was to be starting hooker when we let Jayden go to the Knights so he's already on pretty good money I feel

 

[Gards]

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

 

[HaroldBishop]

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.

That just can't be justified mate imo. The rumours are Mahoney is being offered 650k, he's comfortably better than Blayke imo.

 

[Tiger Shark]

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.

 

[Gards]

let someone else make him one of their highest paid players then, there are better options at 9 than Brailey right now in similar $$$ ballpark. point from HB above re Mahoney

 

[Gards]

Brailey was comfortably in our top half of players this year.

SJ, Katoa, Ronnie, Ramien, Wilton, Woods, Tolman, BHU, Talakai, Tracey, Moylan, Rudolf, Trindall, Jack Williams - that's 14 players right there that were better than Brailz

You will probs find that reflected in the 3-2-1 voting as well

 

[bort]

let someone else make him one of their highest paid players then, there are better options at 9 than Brailey right now in similar $$$ ballpark. point from HB above re Mahoney

Are there?
What ballpark are you talking?

Seems to be a pretty high demand position. In what ways are these other guys better?

He made the 5th most tackles in the NRL and touched the ball more than any other player.
On average he drops to 11th most tackles, but still first for touches. Yet ranks 338th for handling errors (average).

To me he is consistently doing a pretty good job, a lot of weeks he is one who narrowly misses out on my 3-2-1. Wouldn't be many games I'd have him outside our top 10 for the week and many he'd be in top 5-6.

He certainly isn't lighting up the NRL and shouldn't be paid as though he is, but I don't think he is very easily replaced.

A lot of the criticism of him seems to be his running style (look for pass) or that he always passes towards the side of a player the commenter doesn't like as much, neither in my mind are very good criticisms.

SJ, Katoa, Ronnie, Ramien, Wilton, Woods, Tolman, BHU, Talakai, Tracey, Moylan, Rudolf, Trindall, Jack Williams - that's 14 players right there that were better than Brailz

You will probs find that reflected in the 3-2-1 voting as well

IMO Brailey contributed more positively to our season that every single one of those players across the season, although many had better individual games.
A few of those players I would agree are better than Brailey. None of those bench forwards except Woods contributed as much as Brailey.
Most of those players are easier to get a similar or better replacement for than Brailey is.

 

[Proud Shark]

I still have a lot of faith in Brailey. 450-500k with some rep clauses would be perfect. If we lost him and didn't get a top tier replacement we would be in a lot of trouble IMO.

 

[bort]

I still have a lot of faith in Brailey. 450-500k with some rep clauses would be perfect. If we lost him and didn't get a top tier replacement we would be in a lot of trouble IMO.

Someone mediocre who runs themselves a lot should keep half the forum happy

 

[Proud Shark]

Someone mediocre who runs themselves a lot should keep half the forum happy

Or an oversized McInnes who wasn't a fantastic 9 at his peak.

 

[Sir Chadley]

I thought his brother played better this year than Blayke.

Anyone agree with this?

 

[Gards]

Are there?
What ballpark are you talking?

Seems to be a pretty high demand position. In what ways are these other guys better?

He made the 5th most tackles in the NRL and touched the ball more than any other player.
On average he drops to 11th most tackles, but still first for touches. Yet ranks 338th for handling errors (average).

To me he is consistently doing a pretty good job, a lot of weeks he is one who narrowly misses out on my 3-2-1. Wouldn't be many games I'd have him outside out top 10 for the week and many he'd be in top 5-6.

He certainly isn't lighting up the NRL and shouldn't be paid as though he is, but I don't think he is very easily replace.

A lot of the criticism of him seems to be his running style (look for pass) or that he always passes towards the side of a player the commenter doesn't like as much, neither in my mind are very good criticisms.

not easy to replace a young bloke in a key 80 min position but shouldn't be ruled out in the context of us potentially locking him down for a further 3 seasons either.

did you watch many other teams through 2021? what hookers was brailz better than? there weren't many IMO and I watched a fair chunk of games

I think a hooker should present a threat ball in hand along with all the tackling, first touches ect and Brailey just wasn't much of a danger to the defense most of the time whether he was running or passing and his much touted service from the ruck seemed to take a step back this season.

He is let down by lack of support players on his runs though and that isn't his fault
I like that he makes few errors which ain't easy with the workload requirements in attack and defense - Has started to like giving the odd penalty
away though

He can make a good contribution and do well execution wise on some of our sets plays. this is a strength

I think he kicked a 40-20 this season which was glorious but generally put the kicking boots in the bag (a good and bad thing)
I think the JMO to Hannay transition messed him up along with fatigue . Fitz will bring him some stability and nous and hopefully a bit of a breather from the bench

Yes - because 3-2-1 voting is an accurate measurement of how good someone is

it's a semi reasonable reflection of the forum / forum members which is where and who we are posting and arguing among right now

don't be upset that Chad didn't win it this year, he bailed on us despite being loved whole heartidly by each and every fan

 

[Tiger Shark]

SJ, Katoa, Ronnie, Ramien, Wilton, Woods, Tolman, BHU, Talakai, Tracey, Moylan, Rudolf, Trindall, Jack Williams - that's 14 players right there that were better than Brailz

You will probs find that reflected in the 3-2-1 voting as well

You think Talakai was better than Brailey?

 

[Tiger Shark]

I thought his brother played better this year than Blayke.

Anyone agree with this?

I know numbers don’t say everything but statistically they were almost identical with Blayke 35 games more junior.

Still think Blaykes service is far superior but Jayden is better defensively.

 

[Proud Shark]

I thought his brother played better this year than Blayke.

Anyone agree with this?

I agree. But he kicked on at about the same stage Blayke is at now. Blayke is better than Jayden was at the same stage.

 

[HaroldBishop]

Someone mediocre who runs themselves a lot should keep half the forum happy

Maybe Blayke needs to do some beach sprinting?