2025 Squad, Signings and Rumours Thread

And the end of the day, we should be recruiting for our squad to aim to be premiers for next year. I am sick to death of 5 year plans to build our squad for the future whilst continuing to be outside the top 8 nearly every year and often in the bottom 4.

Yes by all means, invest heavily in junior development and I am fully supportive of this and this will pay dividends tenfold in the future, but we need both objectives of current success and long term success to be run concurrently as every stakeholder in the club wants continued snd sustained success, not just hope after 18 years.

We have made a good start with recruiting RCG for instant success and Cooper, Zane and Stephenson for long term success.

Lets keep these 2 objectives going.

Yep

Recruit to put the best possible team out there in the short term without sacrificing the long term, and build the best foundations for the long term without the opportunity cost being the short term. It’s a balance but it needs to be right.

I agree this off-season movement suggests the intent is there but we’ve got a looong way to go. Need to be far more ruthless with roster decisions generally I think.
 
Honestly worried about kini. I have this uneasy feeling the long term aj contract is going to hurt us badly.

*Removed rumour. Hope you understand. DH *
 
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If we pay Jojo, Pahulu and Kini, How much more can actually be done cap wise because that seems like big upgrades? Jojo will get 4/500k and we're already paying Sami probably the same and there's barely any money coming off till 2026. IMO the squad isn't the issue and there's no excuses for Des and the team, What more talent do we want or need? Yeah more would be nice but the club has made these choices and like HS said, Not made tough decisions but IMO they still aren't.

Besides the AJ/JC/Kini situation and that's on coaching to me if you AJ in the centres we are f'ed. For all the squad talk and I agree with the move, We've let 4 Halfbacks go now.... I think something in the development phase needs to be looked at heavily.

Maybe changing our spine every year is a bit of an issue as well but to me it feels like this group is the main one at least for next 2 years.
 
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I reckon our squad is still a bit off. Our middles are closer to being sorted (we’ll see how RCG goes) but we’re experimenting at lock and right now our expensive left edge backrower isn’t providing much return. Halves are up in the air (we might have this internally, again we’ll see), hooker we’re technically ok, OB’s we’re probably a centre short with too many wingers (I’d move Sami on). And we’re carrying guys like Liyou, Foran and possibly Ryder in the 30 - all of who might very well not be close to NRL this season. This is going to hurt us when we see injuries and have to fall back into the roster.

There’s a bit of wait and see there but I think there’s stil some tweaking particularly in recruiting certain body types & athletic profiles that we’re currently missing
 
I can agree with both of you. We have a squad that can do a helluva lot better. A lot of that is getting the best out of excellent players (when they're on) and keeping them on all the time. That's coaching. But I also want some good defensive second rowers and I haven't seen any at our club for a while. I also want some good defensive centres and I don't know if we've ever had them. We need this year to work out our long term halves options.

Signing Klese before Kini, Pahulu and Jojo was dumb for mine. I also think it's a soft signing but I'm not on the inside looking at what options are really out there for us. Putting Liyou, Foran and Ryder in the 30 was madness and self-defeating. I hope I'm wrong about this.
 
Brock Gray, Sean Mullany and Josh Patston all full time t&t


Will be with the nrl squad for the entire year.

I love these kind of additions. Cup experienced guys who will be valuable to have week to week at training, but are still hungry enough to compete and try to earn a dev or 30 gig.

Mullany providing some coverage at 9 is critical really given we’re 2 deep at that position and one of them is Sam Verrills. Smarter to have a seasoned cup guy there as backup.

Article says Brock Gray is a backrower but he’s been playing mostly in the middle in NSW Cup.
 
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The thing I love about these T&T's is the amount of experience they have, its exactly what the group needs for the pre-season plus there is some opportunities for some experienced campaigners to come in and do a job for a game here and there which we sorely lacked last season.

The article mentions they will train the season but that might just mean pre-season?
 
The thing I love about these T&T's is the amount of experience they have, its exactly what the group needs for the pre-season plus there is some opportunities for some experienced campaigners to come in and do a job for a game here and there which we sorely lacked last season.

The article mentions they will train the season but that might just mean pre-season?
They will be with the NRL squad the entire season.
 
The thing I love about these T&T's is the amount of experience they have, its exactly what the group needs for the pre-season plus there is some opportunities for some experienced campaigners to come in and do a job for a game here and there which we sorely lacked last season.

The article mentions they will train the season but that might just mean pre-season?

I’d say it’s the season. That’s why I hate them calling them “train and trials”. They’re 42 week contracts where they’re essentially full time but outside of the Dev and 30. Sometimes we’ll utilise these contracts before bringing guys into the dev or 30 spots - eg Jaylan De Groot. I’d expect this is what the case is with Cooper.

They’re different from the pre-season train and trials - which in themselves go for different lengths of time for different players.
 
I come bearing bad news

Maumalo’s exit has hit a last minute reverse and he’ll be here for 2025

Sorry for getting everyone’s hopes up and I’d like to apologise for anyone’s week/off-season/potentially entire Christmas this news has ruined
Oh no!!! What's the reason? Anything we can do to help Maumolo move, HS? I'm happy to do the removal and drive the removal truck single handed.
 
I have been watching a few of Josh Patston's match for Burleigh this season, there is definately a very good player in there, well done Titans getting him on a full year Train and Trial deal, he will be a big addition for the Ipswich Jets in 2025 as well.
 
Brock Gray is pretty decent, Up and down middle but gets through a tonne of work with good physicality in cup and was meant to debut for Souths this year but got injured that week, Apparently got promised a top 36 contract but got screwed around by Souths/JD.
 
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