Rumour Warriors Recruitment Discussion and Rumour Mill - 2015 (Part 2)

[Matulino's Left Shoulder]

Do these cu**s realise if they come here and win us a Premiership they forever become immortalised as DemiGods in NZ.
Free Mad Butcher sausages for life you cu**s.

 

[Vancent]

Don't want to kick-off a whole lot of posts re players we should sign but aren't linked to, however thought this rated a mention re Jason Taumalolo, given he's Auckland born and raised and has his heart with the Kiwis. I was disappointed we haven't thrown our hat in the ring, as he is the exact type of player missing from our forward pack. If we can go after Merrin for overs, I'm not sure why we're not also going after JT3, especially hearing the Cowboys aren't prepared to extend themselves to retain him...

"Taumalolo last weekend spotted in the Shire meeting with Cronulla as the Sharks join the likes of the Sydney Roosters in circling the off contract 21-year-old. The Cowboys remain confident they will retain Taumalolo and gave permission for his trip to meet clubs in Sydney last weekend, but won’t enter into a bidding war to pay overs for a lock forward."

https://www.couriermail.com.au/spor...215104247?nk=2ed34f97cd24f5bb4166a5f8740612c8

I'd note here that it seems to be the ones we hear little or nothing about that get signed (except in Tomkins case). We may be closer than we think...?

 

[Jordan G]

Out of every off contract player Taumalolo would be number one on my list. I would be annoyed if we didn't at least make a big play for him.

 

[Mr. Muller]

How's our piggy bank look if we tried to accommodate Merrin and Taumalolo? Shit we would be a lethal pack!

 

[Jay M]

How's our piggy bank look if we tried to accommodate Merrin and Taumalolo? Shit we would be a lethal pack!

back end their contracts towards year 2 and year 3... Tomkins is on a lot and next year (by the reports we've seen) indicate he has a desire to head back to the UK... there's always options.

 

[Paleaaesina2the20]

Don't want to kick-off a whole lot of posts re players we should sign but aren't linked to, however thought this rated a mention re Jason Taumalolo, given he's Auckland born and raised and has his heart with the Kiwis. I was disappointed we haven't thrown our hat in the ring, as he is the exact type of player missing from our forward pack. If we can go after Merrin for overs, I'm not sure why we're not also going after JT3, especially hearing the Cowboys aren't prepared to extend themselves to retain him...

"Taumalolo last weekend spotted in the Shire meeting with Cronulla as the Sharks join the likes of the Sydney Roosters in circling the off contract 21-year-old. The Cowboys remain confident they will retain Taumalolo and gave permission for his trip to meet clubs in Sydney last weekend, but won’t enter into a bidding war to pay overs for a lock forward."

https://www.couriermail.com.au/spor...215104247?nk=2ed34f97cd24f5bb4166a5f8740612c8

He and Shaun Johnson were our point of difference against Australia, they had no answer for either of them last year. I would be shocked if the Warriors haven't thrown their hat in the ring, bear in mind it says "join the likes of the Sydney Roosters" which leads me to believe the source is aware of those two teams plus others, he just doesn't know who the others are. I would suspect its every team in the comp.
I would also like to say how ridiculous is the comment "won’t enter into a bidding war to pay overs for a lock forward"... Corey Parker, Paul Gallen, Shaun Fensom, Trent Merrin, Greg Bird, Anthony Watmough, Matt Gillett, Jason Taumololo, Simon Mannering, Sam Burgess, Jeremy Smith, Aiden Guerra and Adam Blair among others either wear the 13 jersey or played an equivalent role to a lock forward at some point last season. It might be the deepest position in the NRL, and the average salary would be very high.

 

[Harlz]

Delete if not allowed.

Does anyone rate David Minute from the bulldogs? He fits the taumalolo/merrin prototype to a T imo. Would be much cheaper too and looking to crack a spot

 

[Paleaaesina2the20]

Delete if not allowed.

Does anyone rate David Minute from the bulldogs? He fits the taumalolo/merrin prototype to a T imo. Would be much cheaper too and looking to crack a spot

I think he got let go by the dogs and is pencilled in to play NSW cup with the Tigers this year? Haven't heard much else about how he went at the Dogs last year, he certainly runs hard.

 

[Freddie Futler]

Dear Iron Lion
The season is almost upon us which means that this thread goes into hibernation for the winter, so could you please give us some more juicy tidbits to get us through the last couple of weeks.
Thanking you in Anticipation
Freddie
P. S. Im sure us forumers would gladly pass around the hat for the like of Merrin.

 

[gREVUS]

correct me if i am wrong but didnt he have a horrible attitude once clearly left? like wasnt that part of trying to change this time around was having players with thee right attitude?

i think its why went after a guy like hoffman. who when he signed i wasnt a fan. but seeing bakuya and mateo left and kind of actually paying attention to him in what he does in a game im stoaked with this signing.

does anyone know if he would be in a leadership group?

i dont actually "know" but he would have to be given his age and standing at Melbourne. I am sure they wouldnt buy him for his work effort and attitude and then bench him re his skills and knowledge.

 

[Ozwarrior]

Some Merrin news from today's daily telegraph.

ST GEORGE Illawarra management have discussed letting representative forward Trent Merrin go this season as part of a player swap which could also include financial compensation.

Merrin is off contract at the end of the 2015 season and the Dragons’ best forward has received no shortage of big-money offers from rival clubs.

Both Penrith and New Zealand Warriors are leading the race for his signature, while Cronulla are also interested. The Dragons have also made Merrin their final offer.

But the smart money is on the Panthers.

While there remains significant issues to address before a player swap is realised, take it as fact that the Dragons would not stand in Merrin’s way if they were to receive a player in return.

Penrith forwards Sika Manu and Adam Docker have been mentioned. St George Illawarra would also seek financial compensation for the difference between Merrin’s contract and any new player.

To Merrin’s credit, unlike other players currently off contract, he has refused to play out his future in the media.

 

[InsideBall]

Geez, what an immediate difference it would make to the quality of our squad if we managed to jag him for this season... Can't imagine who we would possibly offer for a player swap though, I'd have thought we'd just try sneak him under the cap. I guess one thing we do have, however, is the financial clout to offer financial compensation... That might work in our favour.

Be funny if Cappy said to Merrin - if it's between us and the Panthers, just watch who wins this weekends trial, to see who's got the better squad...

 

[Defence]

Sounds like a load of bull shite to me

 

[STEEDEN]

New Zealand Warriors willing to pay Jason Taumalolo $1 million a season

The Warriors are willing to rewrite the record books and make Jason Taumalolo the first forward to be paid $1 million a season in rugby league history.

The second-rower, who had a huge campaign for the Kiwis in last year's Four Nations and has been labelled the next Sonny Bill Williams, comes off contract at the end of the season and Sunday News can reveal that the Warriors have joined the race to lure him away from the Cowboys for 2016.

The Sharks, Sea Eagles, Eels and Roosters are also chasing Taumalolo and we can reveal the Bulldogs are also in the hunt.

Taumalolo was born in Auckland and grew up in Mangere before he was scouted by the Cowboys and moved to Townsville at the age of 12.

While he played for Australian schoolboys when he was 16 and represented Tonga at the 2013 World Cup, he remained a passionate New Zealander and turned down a State of Origin jersey with Queensland.

Halves and fullbacks have traditionally been the highest-paid players in the NRL, with the likes of Johnathan Thurston, Greg Inglis, Billy Slater and Daly Cherry-Evans topping the list as the biggest earners. Williams was reportedly paid $700,000 last year to play for the Roosters but with Taumalolo still only 21 and already one of the leading players in the game, the million-dollar price tag could be a bargain if he continues to develop.

To put the offer for Taumalolo into some perspective, the Warriors' State of Origin prop, Jacob Lillyman, last year signed a three-year deal for $1.2 million and it would be a formidable back-row at the club with Taumalolo, Simon Mannering and Ryan Hoffman.

Even if Taumalolo ends up at a Sydney club, the fact that the Warriors are going after players like him and Kieran Foran shows how ambitious they are and that they want to be regarded as one of the power-houses of the competition.

Meanwhile, the club will soon open negotiations with Konrad Hurrell's management over a new contract. Hurrell's deal he signed midway through the 2012 season comes to an end this year, something that the other 15 NRL sides and European rugby clubs are well aware of.

While the Warriors hold an option to extend his contract for another year, they realise it's better for them to renegotiate another long-term contract early this season.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/leagu...ing-to-pay-jason-taumalolo-1-million-a-season

 

[InsideBall]

Good... He is a "missing piece" type of player. As Ive said before, he'd be my no.1 priority target: Taumalolo > Merrin > Foran.

Hopefully Simon, Shaun Johnson, Manu (whom he's gone on record as saying he looks upto) can get in his ear and get him over to the Warriors... He's a proud Kiwi, the chance to be in the team that wins the Warriors first premiership must be a lure.

 

[ramraider78]

Reading that article in the paper just now put another smile on my face, under Doyle's reign so far we are chasing quality players that could easily change the shape of the roster. Even though it's media talk at least we are in the race for his signature.

 

[Kalcod]

It seems we are now being linked to every coming to end of contract player and the $1 million mark seems to be mentioned everytime !

As Ramraider says above, under Doyle we are chasing some big players. All good to be chasing them, would be fkn awesome to get some ink on a contract though

 

[Freddie Futler]

Sorry, I have changed my view now on who we should recruit. Forget the big rampaging forwards and deft little halfbacks, we need a kicker.
yesterday's game brought the message back loud and clear, we have lost too many games the last few years by two points because we missed too many kicks at goal.
Sean O'Sullivan for a goalkicker.

 

[Wellington Warrior]

Not at all concerned about goal kicking to be honest. Shaun Johnson has been more than fine in that department. Had a bit of a shocker yesterday but I am putting that down to probably having done very little practice in that area recently!!

 

[surfin]

If we get players like Taumalolo and Merrin we would be well on the way to winning games with bucket fulls of tries scored by powerful backs following behind a destructive pack.