Highlighted posts

Wrighty said:

I would let Harper go somewhere else next year and sign Brent Naden for that centre depth back up position and let him play ten first grade games per year.
1) Naden is off contract for 2026 and is available for next season
2) He is a character player and would add to our leadership
3) He is an upgrade on Harper who has turned into a wasted signing as it has become apparent he is never going to get first grade time here no matter how low on stocks we get.

Naden is quality and I could see him doing a job for us for only $250K

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Naden is terrible man & has toxic off field issues, no thank you. We don’t need aging outside backs, we need youth, energy & X factor.

This is basically the full group of players I'd expect to do the main pre-season training.

That's 29 spots taken in the top 30 and assumes we release Freddy Lussick which is the only realistic cut of contracted players imo.

All the train and trial guys are are still Flegg eligible next year except Durbin, Moimoi and Tauafiafi-Iutoi. I think we will call on Flegg for depth in our NSW cup team next year instead of having guys like Going, Doyle and Tu.

I've put an asterisk next to guys I think will be signed to development contracts for 2027.

I've included Toby Crosby but I think he will be lost to Penrith.

The Warrior Waka said:

What's Boyd's stats the last 5 games ?

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6 try assists,
6 linebreak assists,
10 tackle breaks

Hes going well. He defence needs work but hes the best playmaker we currently have.

Yesterdays game, stastically was his best game in nrl this year and his defence was ok and improved from prior games.

Ever Hopeful said:

Hats off to Leka too. Positioning at centre takes a high footy IQ, which on top of his physical x-factor and age is bloody impressive.

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Anyone notice when DCE did the drop goal, Leka was sprinting from out wide and almost charged it down.

He picked the play and reacted fast when the rest of our team didn’t have a clue.

His footy IQ is elite!

timburgesstheonlyoneiknow said:

No I didn't hear if he did. The comment about Clearly was by Anasta not Metcalfe.

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Funny thing is Clearys not even close to Hansen at the moment, he may have a higher ceiling but right now Hansen has a better running and defense game & is closer to 1st grade. Aussies love just hyping up Cleary!!!!

Matiunz said:

There was a few concerning ‘wtf is this?!?’ Shots from Webby during the game which I’m not sure I’ve seen before. Problem is he seemed almost too upbeat about the team’s prospects in the presser that I’m not sure he sees some of the glaring issues

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Of course he sees them, but he's not going to call them out publicly, that would be insane.

The team we have is limited, the players we have are limited. You can see coming through the grades there are players with much higher ceilings.

Right now we play a game plan that suits our limitations (which is why we never have a plan B when plan A goes out the window), but hopefully our fundamental based game plan will hold us in better standing when it's mixed with higher ceiling players in the future.

Inruin said:

This is year three for AW It is most definitely Cuddle's team and selections. Saying he is doing well with crap players is a bit of a stretch, this is the team he has signed and resigned. There doesn't appear to be much adaptability.

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To be fair to Webster, losing your best forward AND captain AND your clear best half is going to derail many a team. I take a positive out of the fact that we have managed to cling on so long. This is all after losing Tohu Harris and Dylan Walker earlier than expected I may add.

3rdstriker said:

Terrible game like said, we looked as bad as the storm just clunky burnt out, no structure people give Clearys era shit about bad attacks but this is the worst I've seen the grinding style just doesn't quite work.
Especially if you're coughing up possession and missing tatackles.

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We are a "grinding side" that can't hold the ball or make tackles.

Now I was kicked out of school at 15 20 odd years ago, but even I know the math ain't math'n.

We are the third iteration of Penrith ball, and the most bat shit boring version of it.

Play some fucking football. We are essentially the SK Warriors with a bit of lipstick on.

Inruin said:

And what do you think is going to happen next year?

If history has shown us anything it's that AW reverts to type regardless.

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I'm a bit tired of this theme.

I accept people's right to be angry etc.

But making the finals 2 out of 3 years after 3 in 14 years is worth being happy about.

Worry about next year after next week most likely.

But let's not act like we haven't got the makings of what we've always wanted, a competitive team playing finals every year.

EIT has hands like glues, offloads, line breaks and covering all the runners around the rucks Shame he and Laban seem to be both out of some finals experience, what a freaking waste

Meh a thrashing was on the cards.

We did alright, even though it was ugly, they do at least keep putting in for the coach.

I felt like getting stuck into the players but will park that because what is the point, they got us a lot further than expected.

Fuck man, I see a few silver linings but maybe I'm just drunk.

On any day, any team can beat any one else. Manly, away, DCEs last game, we played like absolute shit, had 3 injuries mid game including a 6 min Rocco special. And we only lose by 1?

No where near our worst performance of the year, despite it being pretty bad haha.

Healey - locked himself in for next week imo.
TSS - Has tried hard and played well but he still has a long way to go. Ford replacing him next week improves us hugely.

If we compete at 90% next week, limit our errors and with Ford, Egan and hopefully a good centre, and we're a chance.

Pretty frustrating our bullshit structure couldn’t get leka the ball once at centre. He’d terrorise if he was given space and time at centre

It is so hard to summarise how I feel about this season.

We've both overachieved and blown a gasket.

We both deserve a finals spot, and are taking the piss by being there.

That Sharks win was the end of it all really. Round 14.

No signings incoming for 2026 is a worry really, though I'm hoping the Souths winger can be fit.

So…. No mythical 80 minute performance.
Combinations gained not much, frankly.
Our already exhausted team is even more so.
What did people actually expect to happen? Magic…. We were/are CLEARLY in decline this season.

Said it then, I’ll say it now.
I wish we got Tapine over JFH, even after we first signed JFH. I would have swapped them.
Am still happy we signed JFH. He will be a salary burden before he is gone however.
If it wasn’t for a cool haircut and theatrical finishes. Everyone would hate Dallin. Everyone.
Niukore can fuck off.
I’ve seen all I need to of Boyd. Handy reserve half. Nothing more.
Healy needs to be in the match day team.
Berry is done.
Our young forwards continue to show great promise.
Erin certainly proved me wrong from the beginning of the year.

Andrew Webster is clearly capable of making a competitive NRL team. Is he capable of making an NRL team that can win the premiership?

Should have rested players……

Hope the Roosters/Rabbito's game is epic....cause i need something to wash this shit ive just witnessed out of my eyes.

Absolutely diabolical game.

Still filthy about the bunker allowing that Manly opening try tbh

Time to sign an elite centre Rocco is broken

People need to think more about a Top 36 rather than a Top 30 because you can have 36 players eligible in Round 1 if you wish. For example, you don't necessarily need 3 hookers in your top 30 if you have cover amongst your supplementary/development players

2026 squad

Props - 4 positions in the playing 17
- 5 specific props, 1 depth prop
- Barnett, fish, ford, Demetric, tanner
- We are short here unless some edges play middle rotation, need to recruit one.

Locks - 1 position in the playing 17
2 specific locks, 1 depth
- Clark, Gannon
- satisfactory squad allocation

Hookers - 1 or 2 depending on tactics in the 17
- 3 hookers, 1-2 depth
- Egan, Healey, lussick
- satisfactory squad depth

Edges - 3 positions in the playing 17
- 6 edges, 3 depth (depending on eit/marata playing middle)
- Capewell, Leka, niukore, Laban, eit, kayliss
- over prescribed here, unless eit/niukore plays a bench middle role. Need to release one or two.

Halves - 2 positions in playing 17
- 5 halves, 3 depth, including development contract
- Metcalf, CHT, TMM, Boyd, linnane, Cleary (dev)
- over prescribed here but TMM been playing 14. Need to release one.

Centres - 2 positions playing 17
-3 centre's, 1 depth
- Pompey, Berry, ali
- lack depth here desperately. Can’t keep moving Capewell to centre, not up to it. Need to recruit.

Wingers - 2 positions in playing 17
- 3 wingers, 1 depth
- roger, DWZ, haizyn
- lack depth here, can play taine out of position if needed. Need to recruit.

Fullbacks - 1 position in 17
- 2 fullbacks, 1 depth
- cnk, taine
- satisfactory squad depth

Analysis:

We are short 1 middle, 1 centre, 1 winger. We’re over prescribed in the halves, and edge back row. Flexibility in the middle with EIT & Niukore able to shift to middle, so can get away with current depth. Desperately need another outside back, as cannot afford to put capes at centre. We’re 1 injury away from this & given the health status of both Berry & Ali (our 2nd/3rd best centres), this is of immediate attention.

Recruitment focus:
- We need to move on from niukore, and Capewell in 2027. Back the young players to solidify the edges, with more talent coming through every year.

- we need to offload 1-2 halves, TMM and/or Boyd going into 27. Linnane on a 3 year deal & Cleary to be promoted to top 30.

- we need to recruit a young, experienced middle with upside potential, Moale fits this bill. With fish & barnett not getting any younger & our development props still years away we need to recruit externally.

- our squad balance is out of whack, with our edges hugely over prescribed, half’s too, & centres desperately lack depth, going into 2026, & 2027. With both wingers the wrong side of 30, we need to identify another experienced winger to bring in, or promote kali & back him. Probably both. Roger likely gone in 2027 (our best winger).

Niukore is just blocking the talent coming through. The most I'd be offering is 180k-200k one year extension.

Capewell can go as well. I'd still like to keep his leadership around. But if he's willing to move to NZ, he'd be willing to move to Perth and he'd use that as leverage I think. He has more value for a team like Perth as a culture setter and they would be willing to pay for that imo. Plus the fact that he was SOO this year boosts his negotiating power. He is getting old as well, regression isn't a gradual thing in most cases, one minute they're good and the next they are completely washed up. Thanks for your service Capes.

I think we'll be fine in 2027 without both of them.