Seeing how jamie humphries has Backflip on Perth bears. He would be a great 13 for us.
Seeing how jamie humphries has Backflip on Perth bears. He would be a great 13 for us.
dogs are making a play for humphries
so are souths
doubt we are any chance
Hunt was going pretty well?@tigertownsfs front rowers halfback and a miracle is what’s needed
Just one dynamic front rower needed.
I think a promise of a Train and Trial for Manase Fainu for 2027 should be enough to secure the re-signing of Samuela and Latu. Not sure how he fits into our plans for the future but a low cost insurance policy for at least a year and another opportunity for a WST redemption story. It would certainly generate better press than we are getting at the moment.
I think a promise of a Train and Trial for Manase Fainu for 2027 should be enough to secure the re-signing of Samuela and Latu. Not sure how he fits into our plans for the future but a low cost insurance policy for at least a year and another opportunity for a WST redemption story. It would certainly generate better press than we are getting at the moment.
What would stop any club wanting to sign Latu & Samuela promising Manase a T & T Contract? Its almost zero cost and risk. Not entirely sure signing a bloke who stabbed someone a guarantee of good press.
There are previous WT redemption stories? Remind me please.I think a promise of a Train and Trial for Manase Fainu for 2027 should be enough to secure the re-signing of Samuela and Latu. Not sure how he fits into our plans for the future but a low cost insurance policy for at least a year and another opportunity for a WST redemption story. It would certainly generate better press than we are getting at the moment.
There are previous WT redemption stories? Remind me please.I think a promise of a Train and Trial for Manase Fainu for 2027 should be enough to secure the re-signing of Samuela and Latu. Not sure how he fits into our plans for the future but a low cost insurance policy for at least a year and another opportunity for a WST redemption story. It would certainly generate better press than we are getting at the moment.
I think Tyrone May and now Josh Schuster could fit into that category. I didn't say they were necessarily redemption stories but rather another opportunity for one such story. Slight difference.
So the next part of the Luai discussion is what do WT do with the cap space?
in the press conference yesterday, Benji referred to Jarome's departure having opened up opportunities to sign other players.
The initial termination payment was reported as being $200k when the story first broke but that increased to $500k the closer Luai got to signing for the Eels. If we split the difference between those figures lets assume the payment was $350k. Let's also assume the contract value was $1.2mil which means we have $850k freed up for next year.
We know Shawn Blore was linked to the club last month. He was set to sign for the Dragons but the story went quiet around the same time to the Luai departure emerged. I think Blore is a focus for WT to add to our forward depth. A quick bit of digging suggests Blore is managed by Nitro Agency who also rep Haze Dunster (who we just signed), and Spencer Leniu who is thought to be on the outer at the Roosters.
https://www.instagram.com/nitro_talent/
Another agency we have recently dealt with is Titan who represent Junior Tupou & Jake Averillo.
https://titansm.com.au/client-category/nrl/
We also have a number of players with Mario Tartak
https://www.instagram.com/crownsportsmanagement/?hl=en
I predict the Luai money will go to players from one of these stables.
WT have to make a signing or two in the next month to deflect the attention away from this Luai story. For what its worth, I agree with everything Benji said yesterday in regards to the decision - namely the fact that this year we have shown we lack depth in our roster. Moving on from Jarome allows us to plug holes in other positions.
Sam Fainu will be upgraded. I doubt we end up paying much more for Latu because he was already on a big deal for a kid, something like 450-500k. For Latu I think the bigger carrot is first shot at the 7.
I think we need to resolve our starting prop, depth back row and whether we want our lock to play as part of our spine or be another middle.
I do have some doubt about Douhie as a half, he can be selfish and choose the wrong option but his run threat and long kicking are positives. I assume we run him at 6 next year and allow Andrew’s etc to pressure from NSW cup and no doubt he will get a chance through injury.
i see Spencer leniu as a better version of Pole and not necessarily a complement to our pack. I would rather trade Pole for Blore and then go after leniu and Leota although it might be a stretch to fit them both given we have paid up for May. Maybe the trade is Blore for Seyfarth, keep Pole, try and recruit his younger brother for depth and go after Leota with Luai’s money
Fox Sports reckon PNG are chasing Samuela Fainu and that could be one reason why we let Luai go early.
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if samuela leaves i would forget latu fainu and go all in on a katoa or something and have madden as backup
@jedi-tiger I have been told that Samuela is stayting at WT, and Manase is incoming
Here we are again with another early finish to a season. 2026 started with lots of optimism underpinned by our best squad in ages, but most folk on here rightly worried about depth and felt we were a prop short.
Early matches were effective with the team playing an up tempo physical style of footy with plenty of starch in defence. But that proved to be unsustainable once we picked up multiple injuries and suspensions, especially to key folk like Luai, Api, Doueihi, Bula, Taylan, KPP, Samuela, Twal and Royce. Right now the only fully fit players seem to be Pole, Seyfarth, Twal, Luai, Latu, and Roberts with the balance on one shoulder or semi busted. Notwithstanding injuries, we don’t seem to play a single style of footy across NRL, Cup and Flegg and can’t maintain consistency for any meaningful period of time. It’s no wonder we can’t execute Benji’s preferred style of play and I can’t see our losing streak breaking this season.
This got me thinking about next season and whether we can expect the team to compete based on the roster composition as can reasonably be understood now. I’ve listed our best squad based on positions I think we should be playing for the top 19, and then listed the balance in no particular order after that. Against each name/position I’ve added the players age as at March 2027, and a rating based whether said player would be attractive to any other team in the NRL. The rating is over 5 scales as follows:
- Elite - marquee or realistic SOO candidate
- Yes - solid first grader in most NRL squads, recognising thin spread of talent inherent in an 18 team comp
- No - experienced reserve grader but not reliable cover for NRL squad
- Depth - good reserve grader who can reliably cover in NRL squad
- Rookie - high projected ceiling, but yet to debut/inexperienced in preferred position.
- Bula (25) Yes
- Turuva (24) Yes
- Averillo (26) Yes
- Taylan May (25) Yes
- Makasini (19) Rookie
- Javon Andrews (20) Rookie
- Latu Fainu (21) Rookie
- Terrell May (28) Yes
- Api (34) Yes
- Twal (30) Yes
- Sam Fainu (23) Yes
- KPP (26) Yes
- Doueihi (28) Yes
- Haywood (20) Rookie
- Pole (24) Yes
- Sione Fainu (25) Yes
- Roberts (22) Rookie
- Pat Herbert (30) No
- Seyfarth (28) Depth
Others with contract beyond 2026:
- Madden (27) Depth
- Tavana (22) Rookie
- Junior Tupou (24) Depth
Others with likely extension of contract beyond 2026:
- Sukkar (22) Depth
- Charlie Murray (25) No
- Mason (21) No
Aside from at least 5 vacant spots, the recruiting team have a lot of work ahead to compensate for a roster concentrated around inexperience and solid players with no elites.
Given the competition for decent players I can’t see us making the top 8 next season. We need to continue developing juniors, but also set up a decent recruitment program in NZ and England.
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