Ethan Strange re-signs with Raiders to end 2028

[President Clinton]

It’d have to be a very significant pay cut
Given he is no longer a first choice player for us and has multiple players in front of him with more on its way. Like 60% at least

Again I think it makes more sense for each side to go their separate ways

If he is going to cop a pay cut and there aren't other clubs chasing him (unlikely - he'd at least do well in the ESL), maybe it is good for both parties.

I don't mind Cotric playing Cup and being depth to the FG squad.

[Seiffert82]

I really don't think it's that strange. Fans of other clubs are generally not watching every game, nor are they keeping up with our NSW cup side.
Our options for replacing him were Kaeo Weekes (who Manly fans were certain had nothing to offer at 5/8) and a young kid who played centre for u19s NSW and "got a bath" from the Storm playing in that position.

Even if you're on the ball we've essentially "discovered plutonium by accident" this year. We could have just as easily ended up with a year of tough initiations before coming good as they learned how to be first graders and reloaded for a good 2025.
Ethan excelled with power running, defense and a clunky kicking game in cup. You usually see physical cup players (especially young ones) take time to dominate physically in grade. His so far limited kicking game looks far smoother than it did even in the trials. It's clear how hard he's working off the park and the coaching is getting results.
I think the biggest thing he has over Wighton on the field is how calm he's playing. That calmness really raises the level of how bad his worst plays/games are.

There's another player in the squad that has been improving at similar speeds and that's Chevy. You could see him have a big hole in his game in cup and then 3 weeks later there's a permanent change and he looks like a different player.
Exciting times.

Yes, but we are talking about the "analysis" of professional rugby league journalists, commentators and pundits whose number one task most weeks is to watch 8 games of football.

Most of them regurgitate the same old crap they hear from the person sitting next to them, or lines fed to them from sources within a club.

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[Botman]

It’d have to be a very significant pay cut
Given he is no longer a first choice player for us and has multiple players in front of him with more on its way. Like 60% at least

Again I think it makes more sense for each side to go their separate ways

If he is going to cop a pay cut and there aren't other clubs chasing him (unlikely - he'd at least do well in the ESL), maybe it is good for both parties.

I don't mind Cotric playing Cup and being depth to the FG squad.

I really only want one of those cup spots being taken by older depth players
There is value in a squad to have a Crotic/Hoppa… Oldfield was a great example of what value those guys can have. Mostly cup players but when they step in, they do a good enough job that it doesn’t sink you

I don’t see the value in having 2 of those guys. I want one of those spots open for the next young kid who needs development time

And whilst I’d prefer Crotic in a vacuum, he’s the one off contract so he’s the easier roster spot to turn over

[zim]

I really don't think it's that strange. Fans of other clubs are generally not watching every game, nor are they keeping up with our NSW cup side.
Our options for replacing him were Kaeo Weekes (who Manly fans were certain had nothing to offer at 5/8) and a young kid who played centre for u19s NSW and "got a bath" from the Storm playing in that position.

Even if you're on the ball we've essentially "discovered plutonium by accident" this year. We could have just as easily ended up with a year of tough initiations before coming good as they learned how to be first graders and reloaded for a good 2025.
Ethan excelled with power running, defense and a clunky kicking game in cup. You usually see physical cup players (especially young ones) take time to dominate physically in grade. His so far limited kicking game looks far smoother than it did even in the trials. It's clear how hard he's working off the park and the coaching is getting results.
I think the biggest thing he has over Wighton on the field is how calm he's playing. That calmness really raises the level of how bad his worst plays/games are.

There's another player in the squad that has been improving at similar speeds and that's Chevy. You could see him have a big hole in his game in cup and then 3 weeks later there's a permanent change and he looks like a different player.
Exciting times.

Yes, but we are talking about the "analysis" of professional rugby league journalists, commentators and pundits whose number one task most weeks is to watch 8 games of football.

Most of them regurgitate the same old crap they hear from the person sitting next to them, or lines fed to them from sources within a club.

I really find it hard to believe it's their number one task to watch 8 games. They have people below them to provide "information" and producers on shows who provide "talking points". They have other varying jobs from specific coaching to consulting to media they do each week.
I agree they regurgitate a lot of the same crap.

[The Nickman]

It’d have to be a very significant pay cut
Given he is no longer a first choice player for us and has multiple players in front of him with more on its way. Like 60% at least

Again I think it makes more sense for each side to go their separate ways

If he is going to cop a pay cut and there aren't other clubs chasing him (unlikely - he'd at least do well in the ESL), maybe it is good for both parties.

I don't mind Cotric playing Cup and being depth to the FG squad.

I really only want one of those cup spots being taken by older depth players
There is value in a squad to have a Crotic/Hoppa… Oldfield was a great example of what value those guys can have. Mostly cup players but when they step in, they do a good enough job that it doesn’t sink you

I don’t see the value in having 2 of those guys. I want one of those spots open for the next young kid who needs development time

And whilst I’d prefer Crotic in a vacuum, he’s the one off contract so he’s the easier roster spot to turn over

I think most of us would really miss seeing Crotic's name thrown around in the Game Day thread if push came to shove.

[Seiffert82]

I really don't think it's that strange. Fans of other clubs are generally not watching every game, nor are they keeping up with our NSW cup side.
Our options for replacing him were Kaeo Weekes (who Manly fans were certain had nothing to offer at 5/8) and a young kid who played centre for u19s NSW and "got a bath" from the Storm playing in that position.

Even if you're on the ball we've essentially "discovered plutonium by accident" this year. We could have just as easily ended up with a year of tough initiations before coming good as they learned how to be first graders and reloaded for a good 2025.
Ethan excelled with power running, defense and a clunky kicking game in cup. You usually see physical cup players (especially young ones) take time to dominate physically in grade. His so far limited kicking game looks far smoother than it did even in the trials. It's clear how hard he's working off the park and the coaching is getting results.
I think the biggest thing he has over Wighton on the field is how calm he's playing. That calmness really raises the level of how bad his worst plays/games are.

There's another player in the squad that has been improving at similar speeds and that's Chevy. You could see him have a big hole in his game in cup and then 3 weeks later there's a permanent change and he looks like a different player.
Exciting times.

Yes, but we are talking about the "analysis" of professional rugby league journalists, commentators and pundits whose number one task most weeks is to watch 8 games of football.

Most of them regurgitate the same old crap they hear from the person sitting next to them, or lines fed to them from sources within a club.

I really find it hard to believe it's their number one task to watch 8 games. They have people below them to provide "information" and producers on shows who provide "talking points". They have other varying jobs from specific coaching to consulting to media they do each week.
I agree they regurgitate a lot of the same crap.

Pundits and commentators who don't actually watch the game stand out like the proverbials, irrespective of how well they may be briefed.

It astounds me to think they wouldn't actually prioritise watching the games.

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[President Clinton]

It’d have to be a very significant pay cut
Given he is no longer a first choice player for us and has multiple players in front of him with more on its way. Like 60% at least

Again I think it makes more sense for each side to go their separate ways

If he is going to cop a pay cut and there aren't other clubs chasing him (unlikely - he'd at least do well in the ESL), maybe it is good for both parties.

I don't mind Cotric playing Cup and being depth to the FG squad.

I really only want one of those cup spots being taken by older depth players
There is value in a squad to have a Crotic/Hoppa… Oldfield was a great example of what value those guys can have. Mostly cup players but when they step in, they do a good enough job that it doesn’t sink you

I don’t see the value in having 2 of those guys. I want one of those spots open for the next young kid who needs development time

And whilst I’d prefer Crotic in a vacuum, he’s the one off contract so he’s the easier roster spot to turn over

That’s fair enough. I haven’t given up on Cotric, quite surprised to see he is only 25 years old. Basically the same age Rapana came to the raiders to go on and play 200+ games and score 100+ tries. He’s up there as the best winger the club has ever had.

Cotric may not have hit his prime yet, age wise. Crazy to think how good he was. Played for NSW and Australia in 2019. It’s like the move to the Dogs completely halted his career.

[-PJ-]

It’d have to be a very significant pay cut
Given he is no longer a first choice player for us and has multiple players in front of him with more on its way. Like 60% at least

Again I think it makes more sense for each side to go their separate ways

If he is going to cop a pay cut and there aren't other clubs chasing him (unlikely - he'd at least do well in the ESL), maybe it is good for both parties.

I don't mind Cotric playing Cup and being depth to the FG squad.

I really only want one of those cup spots being taken by older depth players
There is value in a squad to have a Crotic/Hoppa… Oldfield was a great example of what value those guys can have. Mostly cup players but when they step in, they do a good enough job that it doesn’t sink you

I don’t see the value in having 2 of those guys. I want one of those spots open for the next young kid who needs development time

And whilst I’d prefer Crotic in a vacuum, he’s the one off contract so he’s the easier roster spot to turn over

Geez Botman..Oldfield, there’s a name. He was a fantastic squad filler for us. Did a commendable job every time we needed him. Long live Oldbeard.

[afgtnk]

Bit concerning these talks of re-signing Crotic. We don't tend to harp on it too much here, but when you look at his situation in terms of where he was and where he currently finds himself, in what should be the absolute prime of his career..... sad. Perhaps England might be a better option for him at this stage, where he might get away with half-arsing it.

[Rick]

Bit concerning these talks of resigning Crotic. We don't tend to harp on it too much here, but when you look at his situation in terms of where he was and where he currently finds himself, in what should be the absolute prime of his career..... sad. Perhaps England might be a better option for him at this stage, where he might get away with half-arsing it.

I have no issues signing him as long as it is on the right amount of money and he is not blocking a pathway for someone with a higher ceiling.

Next year we most likely lose Rapana that leaves us with;

Savage and Schiller on the wings
Timoko and Kris in the centres

With these guys as backups;

Asomua
Cotric
Hoppa
Stuart?

I also don't care if he is not signed and we look elsewhere.


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[Seiffert82]

Cotric had a lot of success early in his career and is now playing on cruise control.

His effort in the last NSW cup game was appalling.

There is still a very good footballer in there, if he can pull his finger out and also remodel his training to become a bit more agile. He's still very young.

[NoMan]

He was great last NSW cup game? I assume you mean the newtown game.

[Colk]

Cotric had a lot of success early in his career and is now playing on cruise control.

His effort in the last NSW cup game was appalling.

There is still a very good footballer in there, if he can pull his finger out and also remodel his training to become a bit more agile. He's still very young.

Do you think he is on cruise control? I think it is a big thing to say somebody isn’t trying

I think injuries have massively affected his speed as well as his confidence. It has happened to other players as well so he is not the only one.

He probably does need to play either in the second row or at worst centre. I don’t think he has the speed to play wing anymore

[Seiffert82]

He was great last NSW cup game? I assume you mean the newtown game.

No, I'm talking about the Parramatta game. I assume you watched it. Parramatta's reserves have a solid forward pack, but their backs are well below average...hence their position at the bottom of the table.

IMO some of his tackle attempts and positioning was poor (at best), and a significant number of his hitups were lacking the effort you want to see for him to return to First Grade.

I don't care about the 2 try assists last weekend - Parramatta have the worst defensive record in the NSW Cup and he is a young ex-Origin player. He needs to be better.

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[Seiffert82]

Cotric had a lot of success early in his career and is now playing on cruise control.

His effort in the last NSW cup game was appalling.

There is still a very good footballer in there, if he can pull his finger out and also remodel his training to become a bit more agile. He's still very young.

Do you think he is on cruise control? I think it is a big thing to say somebody isn’t trying

I think injuries have massively affected his speed as well as his confidence. It has happened to other players as well so he is not the only one.

He probably does need to play either in the second row or at worst centre. I don’t think he has the speed to play wing anymore

Yes I do think he's playing below the level he is capable of. Many of his runs lack the intent he played with earlier in his career.

Maybe the hammy gave him grief last season, but is it an excuse for his form this year?

I also think he's still a winger and can be a good one. I'm a big fan of his, if he regains his mojo. Maybe a move to the second row is ultimately on the cards.

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[Roger Kenworthy]

Cotric had a lot of success early in his career and is now playing on cruise control.

His effort in the last NSW cup game was appalling.

There is still a very good footballer in there, if he can pull his finger out and also remodel his training to become a bit more agile. He's still very young.

I don't think it's a lack of effort or desire. He just strikes me as a Russell Richardson type. Peaked in his very early 20s and can't recapture what made him really good. Adding to that for Cotric is that the power game for a winger has given way to speed and he just can't offer anything there.

While we think of Rapa as an all round footballer he actually was really quick between 2014 and 2018 when he was in his mid to late 20s.

I think it would be best for Cotric to move on and hopefully find a situation that works better for him. A good tip would be not joining the worst team in the comp like he did last time.

[Colk]

Cotric had a lot of success early in his career and is now playing on cruise control.

His effort in the last NSW cup game was appalling.

There is still a very good footballer in there, if he can pull his finger out and also remodel his training to become a bit more agile. He's still very young.

Do you think he is on cruise control? I think it is a big thing to say somebody isn’t trying

I think injuries have massively affected his speed as well as his confidence. It has happened to other players as well so he is not the only one.

He probably does need to play either in the second row or at worst centre. I don’t think he has the speed to play wing anymore

Yes I do think he's playing below the level he is capable of. Many of his runs lack the intent he played with earlier in his career.

Maybe the hammy gave him grief last season, but is it an excuse for his form this year?

I also think he's still a winger and can be a good one. I'm a big fan of his, if he regains his mojo. Maybe a move to the second row is ultimately on the cards.

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I think he has lost some speed - he was never really quick but he has lost some of that speed. He just doesn’t break tackles like he did in his first two years.

That could be due to several factors I would have thought - lack of confidence is probably one. He has had a fair few leg injuries so that would have an impact on speed and balance and confidence - you might be physically slower which then leads into not being as confident mentally in how you are moving. He has also probably put on too much upper body weight which again has probably slowed him down.

Harley Smith Shields is another one. He had a bit of explosive speed in juniors- that kind of speed and strength to break tackles. After that injury he had, he now just looks slow and tentative.

I think if Cotric is going to get back he is going to have to look at expanding his game a little bit. He is not going to be a top class winger/fullback that we thought which is just sad as a fan but he could become an ok centre/second rower if he commits himself.

[NoMan]

He was great last NSW cup game? I assume you mean the newtown game.

No, I'm talking about the Parramatta game. I assume you watched it. Parramatta's reserves have a solid forward pack, but their backs are well below average...hence their position at the bottom of the table.

IMO some of his tackle attempts and positioning was poor (at best), and a significant number of his hitups were lacking the effort you want to see for him to return to First Grade.

I don't care about the 2 try assists last weekend - Parramatta have the worst defensive record in the NSW Cup and he is a young ex-Origin player. He needs to be better.

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Yes, I watch every Raiders grade televised and about probably half of the NSW cup games of other clubs.

I will agree to disagree. I would never call that performance "appalling" and I think your judgement of his performance is very critical and not matching the game I watched.

I don't think there is much chance of common ground between us regarding player performances in general, clearly you are choosing to apply a very high bar at times and focus on different things than me.

[Seiffert82]

He was great last NSW cup game? I assume you mean the newtown game.

No, I'm talking about the Parramatta game. I assume you watched it. Parramatta's reserves have a solid forward pack, but their backs are well below average...hence their position at the bottom of the table.

IMO some of his tackle attempts and positioning was poor (at best), and a significant number of his hitups were lacking the effort you want to see for him to return to First Grade.

I don't care about the 2 try assists last weekend - Parramatta have the worst defensive record in the NSW Cup and he is a young ex-Origin player. He needs to be better.

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Yes, I watch every Raiders grade televised and about probably half of the NSW cup games of other clubs.

I will agree to disagree. I would never call that performance "appalling" and I think your judgement of his performance is very critical and not matching the game I watched. I don't think there is much chance of common ground between us regarding player performances in general, clearly you are choosing to apply a very high bar at times.

Yep, agree to disagree. No point debating his actual performance if you didn't watch the game.

That's the thing about a forum I guess. I've been following NRL for 40 odd years and have a pretty solid view on the type of players that make it and the type of players that don't, or the type of players who get you to a top 4 position.

The bar is high. These days the game is so fast you have to be both a good defender and good with the ball, or you get exposed. You can't be one or the other. You need to be a good decision maker too.

Many fans on this site hold the Melbourne Storm up as the benchmark of player development and expectations of playing standards, yet at the same time call out for the coach to chuck kids in the deep end, even if they aren't ready, for fear they hold the club to ransom and sign elsewhere. Savage is an excellent example.

What is the culture we want to see at the Raiders?

Right now the culture is excellent and the kids are coming through ready to play. I haven't seen it in a long time and it's great to see.

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[Seiffert82]

And back to Trey Mooney, last season he was 20 (twenty!) years old and had middles ahead of him who had played Test, Origin and Grand Final level football.

If he loses his **** about not being regularly selected for First Grade until he's 21 then whoopee doo, get on with it and take your opportunities with both hands when they come, or go sign with St George or Canterbury.

That's how good clubs work.

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[Roger Kenworthy]

Cotric had a lot of success early in his career and is now playing on cruise control.

His effort in the last NSW cup game was appalling.

There is still a very good footballer in there, if he can pull his finger out and also remodel his training to become a bit more agile. He's still very young.

Do you think he is on cruise control? I think it is a big thing to say somebody isn’t trying

I think injuries have massively affected his speed as well as his confidence. It has happened to other players as well so he is not the only one.

He probably does need to play either in the second row or at worst centre. I don’t think he has the speed to play wing anymore

Yes I do think he's playing below the level he is capable of. Many of his runs lack the intent he played with earlier in his career.

Maybe the hammy gave him grief last season, but is it an excuse for his form this year?

I also think he's still a winger and can be a good one. I'm a big fan of his, if he regains his mojo. Maybe a move to the second row is ultimately on the cards.

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I think he has lost some speed - he was never really quick but he has lost some of that speed. He just doesn’t break tackles like he did in his first two years.

That could be due to several factors I would have thought - lack of confidence is probably one. He has had a fair few leg injuries so that would have an impact on speed and balance and confidence - you might be physically slower which then leads into not being as confident mentally in how you are moving. He has also probably put on too much upper body weight which again has probably slowed him down.

Harley Smith Shields is another one. He had a bit of explosive speed in juniors- that kind of speed and strength to break tackles. After that injury he had, he now just looks slow and tentative.

I think if Cotric is going to get back he is going to have to look at expanding his game a little bit. He is not going to be a top class winger/fullback that we thought which is just sad as a fan but he could become an ok centre/second rower if he commits himself.

He's had a fair crack at centre and not gone close to nailing it. I don't see anything in his game to suggest he'd be an NRL second rower, especially considering someone like Trey Mooney can't get a start.

[Botman]

And back to Trey Mooney, last season he was 20 (twenty!) years old and had middles ahead of him who had played Test, Origin and Grand Final level football.

If he loses his **** about not being regularly selected for First Grade until he's 21 then whoopee doo, get on with it and take your opportunities with both hands when they come, or go sign with St George or Canterbury.

That's how good clubs work.

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The good clubs… ie the ones that are recently winning titles don’t operate that way. They let their so-so middle of the road nrl talents walk for bigger contracts in order to keep their nucleus and trust their young stars to step up and replace the mid tier veterans leaving for larger contracts

Exactly the approach posters pushing for young talent have been advocating

[NoMan]

Yep, agree to disagree. No point debating his actual performance if you didn't watch the game.

That's the thing about a forum I guess. I've been following NRL for 40 odd years and have a pretty solid view on the type of players that make it and the type of players that don't, or the type of players who get you to a top 4 position.

The bar is high. These days the game is so fast you have to be both a good defender and good with the ball, or you get exposed. You can't be one or the other. You need to be a good decision maker too.

Many fans on this site hold the Melbourne Storm up as the benchmark of player development and expectations of playing standards, yet at the same time call out for the coach to chuck kids in the deep end, even if they aren't ready, for fear they hold the club to ransom and sign elsewhere. Savage is an excellent example.

What is the culture we want to see at the Raiders?

Right now the culture is excellent and the kids are coming through ready to play. I haven't seen it in a long time and it's great to see.

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When I say I watch every game that's televised, it includes the streamed ones. I was in the same game day thread commenting you were, as I am basically every week.

[Rickmando]

And back to Trey Mooney, last season he was 20 (twenty!) years old and had middles ahead of him who had played Test, Origin and Grand Final level football.

If he loses his **** about not being regularly selected for First Grade until he's 21 then whoopee doo, get on with it and take your opportunities with both hands when they come, or go sign with St George or Canterbury.

That's how good clubs work.

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The good clubs… ie the ones that are recently winning titles don’t operate that way. They let their so-so middle of the road nrl talents walk for bigger contracts in order to keep their nucleus and trust their young stars to step up and replace the mid tier veterans leaving for larger contracts

Exactly the approach posters pushing for young talent have been advocating

And also, note yet another baseless and convenient character assasination to make a point!

Seiff giving people lectures above about forum behaviour, and then almost immediately pulls out one of the most tired tropes on here.

[Seiffert82]

And back to Trey Mooney, last season he was 20 (twenty!) years old and had middles ahead of him who had played Test, Origin and Grand Final level football.

If he loses his **** about not being regularly selected for First Grade until he's 21 then whoopee doo, get on with it and take your opportunities with both hands when they come, or go sign with St George or Canterbury.

That's how good clubs work.

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The good clubs… ie the ones that are recently winning titles don’t operate that way. They let their so-so middle of the road nrl talents walk for bigger contracts in order to keep their nucleus and trust their young stars to step up and replace the mid tier veterans leaving for larger contracts

Exactly the approach posters pushing for young talent have been advocating

So to that extent, what elite level young talent have we let walk recently? Timoko? Savage? Young? Horsburgh? Strange? Kris? Mariota? Mooney had 4 games last season and is now ahead of Guler and Hola in the pecking order.

I think you're making up a scenario that isn't actually happening.

I also think you are completely misrepresenting what I'm saying. I've been hugely advocating for a focus on youth development for years and pointed out 4 years ago that our squad was way too old, only to be told by some that the best teams in the NRL have veteran squads.

I'm just not losing my bundle when 20-21 year old are asked to work on issues before they hit First Grade.

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[greeneyed]

Strange poised to re-sign, while Raiders rookies on Blues radar

Ethan Strange and Chevy Stewart are on Michael Maguire's Origin radar - for down the track - and the good news is set to continue with the Raiders tipped to finalise a new deal for Strange on Wednesday.

"I'll never forget this in my life, ever," Stewart said of his debut and his critical charge down of a Titans field goal attempt in golden point. . "I didn't even think it was going to feel like this to be honest. I'm just so overwhelmed with emotions. It was going to be a field goal, so I knew that had to charge up with the boys and that was going to be an all or nothing moment. I'm so happy it paid off.

Read more: https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/ ... /?cs=14239

[zim]

Is it possible to legally change someone else's name? This double take of Stewart vs Stuart is not working for me.

[NoMan]

Ethan Strange remains a Raider until end of 2028



The Canberra Raiders have confirmed the re-signing of rising star Ethan Strange on a new deal, which will see him remain with the club until the end of the 2028 season.

Strange made his NRL debut in 2023 in the centres but has started the season in 2024 in his preferred position of five-eighth, showing he has the potential and ability to become an important cog in the green machine moving forward.

The 19-year-old Strange has shown in his short NRL career that he has all the attributes to establish himself in the NRL, with his running game and defence two huge strengths in his early season performances.

Strange said the support he’d received so far from the club, his teammates and the coaching staff had made his decision an easy one.

“This place has become my home and I love it and all the boys here,” Strange said. “I’m loving the way my footy is going and the Coaches trust in me. They don’t put too much pressure on me, and it makes it a great place to play footy.”

He said he was looking forward to improving and growing into his career alongside some of his best mates and thanked the Raiders for the opportunity to remain in green.

“Having other guys I’ve played with who are my really good mates like Chevy (Stewart) and Micky (Asomua) all staying a bit longer makes it easy for me,” Strange said. “It’s great to see the club has put the trust in me to sign long term and I’m excited to see what we can build.”

Raiders NRL Recruitment Manager Joel Carbone said the re-signing of Strange was an important one for the club and he looked forward to seeing his continued progression in the years ahead.

“This is a very significant re-signing for us as a Club. We identified Ethan at a young age and knew if we were able to get him to Canberra and into our system, we’d give him the best possibility to start his NRL career,” Carbone said. “Ethan has had a really impressive start to his NRL career and we’re confident he will continue to grow with this group of players and staff around him.”

“We’re really excited about the level Ethan can take his game to and we are thrilled to have him commit to the club long-term.”

Canberra Raiders media

[The Nickman]

Haha, suck that, Parramatta!

[LimeGreenMachine]

This is fantastic . Potentially a genuine star.

With the recruitment of the young guys , this has a familiar feel for us older guys who remember the glory days .

Let's bring his namesake in now and build this team.

[Northern Raider]

[cat]

Cotric's problem is he went to Sydney/Bulldogs.
He lost direction being away from Mum, didn't really fit in and worst the dogs training ( or his away from the club training with mansour etc) changed his shape and style.

Don't think he is on huge money as he basically begged Ricky to come home. I'm on the fence should he be resigned on low coin. He basically needs a full physical rebuild


On Strange, great news! Give him time and he will be a star. He kind of reminds me of Carney but with a better attitude

[The Nickman]

Cotric's problem is he went to Sydney/Bulldogs.
He lost direction being away from Mum, didn't really fit in and worst the dogs training ( or his away from the club training with mansour etc) changed his shape and style.

I've seen this notion thrown around quite a bit that the dogs move ruined his career, however his form was already declining the season before he left.

He peaked early and has been on a noticeable slide ever since.

[Love4Noa]

And back to Trey Mooney, last season he was 20 (twenty!) years old and had middles ahead of him who had played Test, Origin and Grand Final level football.

If he loses his **** about not being regularly selected for First Grade until he's 21 then whoopee doo, get on with it and take your opportunities with both hands when they come, or go sign with St George or Canterbury.

That's how good clubs work.

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The good clubs… ie the ones that are recently winning titles don’t operate that way. They let their so-so middle of the road nrl talents walk for bigger contracts in order to keep their nucleus and trust their young stars to step up and replace the mid tier veterans leaving for larger contracts

Exactly the approach posters pushing for young talent have been advocating

So to that extent, what elite level young talent have we let walk recently? Timoko? Savage? Young? Horsburgh? Strange? Kris? Mariota? Mooney had 4 games last season and is now ahead of Guler and Hola in the pecking order.

I think you're making up a scenario that isn't actually happening.

I also think you are completely misrepresenting what I'm saying. I've been hugely advocating for a focus on youth development for years and pointed out 4 years ago that our squad was way too old, only to be told by some that the best teams in the NRL have veteran squads.

I'm just not losing my bundle when 20-21 year old are asked to work on issues before they hit First Grade.

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Well said.

We're flying. Somehow we've gone from a potentially aging squad and anyone outside of Canberra panicking about Jackie Boi leaving the club and us being condemned to the wooden spoon for eternity.

Anyone with half a brain knew what our limitation was, and when he signed for Souths, and Ricky gave honourable and deserved retirement parties for the long serving, the onset of youth was upon us.

I think anyone that rejoined as a member this year knew the path was littered with the promise of talent - I think we all just hoped that they'd turn up each game.

Go back to June last year and tell me that Jackie Boi was leaving but in his place we'd have Stewart debuting, Savage playing the footy well dreamed of, Timoko stepping up ANOTHER level, Kris somehow being the one finding his feet to be a standout when he's been the one holding he fort together for a while just taking any position Rick put him in, Schiller getting faster and better each game, Sanders coming in and losing NOTHING to Jack, Fogarty opening the Rick Book of Kicks, Taps and Paps rolling back the clock, Levi actually proving that Rick has more idea than the Greenhouse, Some Pom named after a pack of chips being even better than we were told he might be, Huddo continuing to be Huddo but knowing he needs to keep up, Ata Moriata becoming a regular, Mooney debuting, and Ethan Sanders being all but assured of arriving - on top of Hosking being the signing of the year (hurry back, fella) and the wonder of Redheads looking like the odd man out.

We're taking that EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK.

This is the best we've looked for a decade or 2. And I don't know how it happened.

I thought we were old. That the changeover would be another 3 years away. But it's here. And there's a reason blokes like Rapana and Papallii aren't wanting to retire this year - it's because this squad is every chance of being the best one they've played in. Mooney will stay - or we'll replace him. It's about time we put some faith in the board and the coach.

Genuinely excited for what lays ahead and Strange is only going to get better and better - he's already significantly smarter on a footy field than the last bloke. This is all upside, baby.

[Finchy]

I still don't get where this Papalii retirement talk is coming from. He's only 31. He's got plenty of years left.