Western Sharkie
Jaws
FTFY
Official THE RUMOUR MILL - Player Signings/Transfers ONLY!!!!
- Thread starter BurgoShark
- Start date
Tatus
Not-So-Great White
Fans tend to talk about the stuff that doesn’t matter to the professionals. That’s mainly the media to blame. NBA fans are the worst. Get so caught up on these weird stats when trying to trash a player, but their own team mates will say how much they appreciate them for that very reason (maybe high turn overs being a result of constantly being involved in everything)
Last edited:
New club joins the hunt for Addin Fonua-Blake
He’s one of the hottest players on the NRL player market – and a surprise club is considering making a huge play for the star forward.
HaroldBishop
Megalodon
Such a massive cost vs payoff though
Trying to pay someone to recruit and coach in USA bringing in college rejects and UDFAs to learn league and presumably play in their comp over there… so you need a club affiliation.
Need to be more attractive than Arena Football (whatever that’s called these days… is The Rock involved?), CFL, European League and maybe get a few raw prospects to relocate to Australia and hopefully someone makes it?
It’s so much work and expense to guarantee a return.
As for SA… two or three of their National team starting players live in WA and play in the NRL WA comp. That country has very little league presence too - it’s gunna be an uphill shitfight to establish a valuable presence there. In my experience most Saffas really aren’t open to League either (certainly don’t know all of them but most I grew up around were a hard no). Most kiwis and Islanders aren’t as single minded towards Union these days.
It’d be nice to be the club that wins over USA or SA and taps into a athlete pool but I just don’t think it’s practical
I hear you and agree pretty much, it is a pipe dream on a lot of levels, more referencing the american scenario, the rugby scene is not something I keep up with, except know South Africa are world champs.
We would need a contact, a high profile one, and likely need the academy in Florida and to underwrite the whole thing would take a significant benefactor, so yeah pipe dream.
It just annoys me personally, this is more about this attempted publicity thing in Las Vegas next year, it just seems unfair to me the teams they just annoint to be the vanguard of the NRL
Like that interview during the NFL game was pretty cringe, I was waiting for Wood's to say " that's not a knoife " aha
I just wish the Sharks were more prominent just speaking as a fan.
In a perfect world Nicho could be that poster boy, just needs to ensure another Trophy for the club.
We would need a contact, a high profile one, and likely need the academy in Florida and to underwrite the whole thing would take a significant benefactor, so yeah pipe dream.
It just annoys me personally, this is more about this attempted publicity thing in Las Vegas next year, it just seems unfair to me the teams they just annoint to be the vanguard of the NRL
Like that interview during the NFL game was pretty cringe, I was waiting for Wood's to say " that's not a knoife " aha
I just wish the Sharks were more prominent just speaking as a fan.
In a perfect world Nicho could be that poster boy, just needs to ensure another Trophy for the club.
BurgoShark
Super Moderator
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2008
- Messages
- 12,868
- Reaction score
- 4,097
Yeah. Pretty standard.
One club out: Race for Fonua-Blake down to three
Four clubs were believed to be interested.
www.zerotackle.com
BurgoShark
Super Moderator
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2008
- Messages
- 12,868
- Reaction score
- 4,097
So following the line of thought, I went and had a look at all of the 110kg+ props in the NRL to see their average minutes and runs/tackles per 40 minutes of game time. I used the weight listed by NRL.com, so there may be others who I didn't get (e.g. Tino, JFH and Klemmer are listed just under). Guys who also played back row are excluded (e.g. NAS).
There are only five guys over 110kg who average more than 50 minutes. Haas, AFB, Fotuaika, RCG and Paulo. Genuine guns. They are all comparable in terms of overall involvement. Mo is slightly busier in defence and Haas is slightly busier in attack, but that could be a result of possession. In any case, these are gun players who everyone knows are gun players, so we aren't learning much here.
Then there are a bunch of guys who play less than 35 but more than 20. As expected, these guys all have higher involvement than the high minute guys, especially in defence. Based on these metrics Hazelton is the busiest 110kg+ defender in the NRL and Daniel Suluka-Fifita is the busiest 110kg+ attacking player in the NRL.
What I'm really interested in though is the batch in the middle where BHU and Kaufusi sit. Guys who average more than 35 minutes but less than 50. i.e. guys playing the role of the team's second or third prop in a rotation. Are the Sharks big men getting through a similar amount of work to other big men playing the same role?
Our two big men fall on the lower end of this graph, but still withing the range of what you'd expect for guys in this role. Across the board it's close enough between this group of players to say that things like possession or playing style, coaching instructions or possession would come close to levelling it out.
If we then throw all players in together and ignore minutes played, we can see who the busiest big men are in the NRL.
Again, this doesn't say anything about impact/quality of play. For me it does say a few things though.
- Kaufusi gets through plenty of work for a big man.
- I'd be cautious about changing Tom's role. He's a unique player in the role he has now.
- The closest there is in the NRL to a player who can go for 40 minutes like Hazelton can for 20 is Jolliffe and Welch (maybe we should have given JJ a shot in the NRL instead of Vasquez)
- Mo needs more love from the commentators.
Last edited:
Proud Shark
Jaws
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2015
- Messages
- 8,603
- Reaction score
- 2,903
Interesting if this is true. I was listening to a podcast lately that discussed how the dogs weren't tabling offers to players unless they knew they had an interest in joining them.One club out: Race for Fonua-Blake down to three
Four clubs were believed to be interested.
This could suggest that AFB toured Cantebury, and decided it wasn't for him., but I can't imagine either of the Tigs or Dragons would be much more appealing. Maybe the tigs with their new centre of excellence? But it still requires being based out west.
I think this bodes quite well for us as an option.
HaroldBishop
Megalodon
Isn't it at Concord? He wouldn't need to live out west?
Every other club that drops out is good for us!
We’re in the box seat if he wants to pick up where he left off, in a club playing finals.
If he just wants the longest deal / most perks he can squeeze out of a club he has two other options.
Proud Shark
Jaws
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2015
- Messages
- 8,603
- Reaction score
- 2,903
For some reason, I thought Campbelltown. So that doesn't apply, but I'd imagine if you're considering the Tigers I can't imagine why you'd say no to the dogs early. Maybe the tigers rebuild looks more attractive?
BurgoShark
Super Moderator
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2008
- Messages
- 12,868
- Reaction score
- 4,097
Corey Allan has signed with the Dragons apparently.
Perfect Flanno-style winger
Proud Shark
Jaws
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2015
- Messages
- 8,603
- Reaction score
- 2,903
Surely he's joining the fullback-off.
HaroldBishop
Megalodon
It comes as the Red V up the ante in their pursuit of Warriors forward Fonua-Blake, offering the hulking prop forward a four year, $4.5million deal to join the club from 2025.
The Wests Tigers are believed to have made him a similar offer. The Dragons have also shown Cowboys back-rower Heilum Luki around the club’s facility in Wollongong.
Flanagan is desperate to add some star power to his roster but also some depth in other positions. Allan, who joins the Dragons after stints at the Broncos, Rabbitohs, Bulldogs and Roosters, fits that criteria.
Allan was without a contract after his deal with the Sydney Roosters expired at the end of the 2023 campaign and will now join the Dragons for pre-season training.
As for the Tigers, they believe they have the salary cap space to accommodate both Fonua-Blake and Penrith five-eighth Jarome Luai on deals worth over $1million per season each.
Luai is still mulling over his future as he decides between remaining with the three-time reigning champions or accepting big money deals at the Tigers or Bulldogs.
Dragons offer Fonua-Blake $4.5m deal and sign former Origin star
Shane Flanagan has moved to bolster his squad, while the future of Wests Tigers winger David Nofoaluma remains clouded after he showed up late for training on Tuesday.www.smh.com.au
Without a doubt, and if Matt Wright can temporarily get the job under Flanno you never know!
Sevshark
Great White
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2021
- Messages
- 3,836
- Reaction score
- 2,623