You could argue Thompson has not reached his peak yet?
You could argue Thompson has not reached his peak yet?
Learned comment from The Don
His brother is great friends with the saints lads, even our overseas lot. I cant see him playing for anyone other than saints
You’re probably right but a counter argument is that a lot of Saints players are friendly with Wigan players. I suspect Thompson is Saints through and through but if finds himself in need of a team and we haven’t got the cap space we may lose the chance of getting him.
I’d hate to see him playing for anyone else so I hope that the Wigan story is wishful thinking on their part. If French has got the sort of salary increase people think, how can they afford Thompson as well?
This. LMS retiring would likely get us pretty close and with a few more movers expected at the end of 2023, I can’t see cap concerns ever being the reason for Thompson not returning.
That being said, and as big a champion as Thompson should return as I am, a bit depends on how Norman and Delaney get on next season. If one or both prove ready to step up as a first choice rotation, then it may be that LMS lifts out without us needing to sign another prop, and investing the money else where. There’s also the consideration of not turning into Wigan, where every kid with half a chance can take a contract, knowing a nice big Wigan pay day awaits for them should the return a failure.
It’s all hypothetical though. I don’t think Bulldogs will sign any of the players they’re chasing, and Thompson has a decision at the end of the year; if it’s about the money, he is going to get more in Aus, even if he won’t get another club to pay what Bulldogs are currently paying him, and if it isn’t, then his whole family are tied into Saints as a club, with his dad a major sponsor of us.
According to his dad he has absolutely no intention of ever signing for Wigan. He would rather play for Saints on peanuts. That said, after a rocky start due to Covid, both him and missus are loving Aus so dont expect to see him back anytime soon.
This was always the basis of the rumours that him and his mrs weren’t getting on well out there. Seems a different story now Covid restrictions have lifted though. There are plenty of NRL clubs that would snap Thompson up if he did leave the Bulldogs. I actually hope he does, Bulldogs are rubbish and I’d prefer he played for a team competing for playoffs/grand finals. Either way, can’t see him coming back to super league until the very back end of his career unless something drastic happens.
Forwards win games. The backs decide by how much.
Wishing all Redvee readers a Happy Christmas. According to media in OZ looks like Bateman is going to West Tigers https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...746ecf87d1ce53
Originally Posted by Despondent Dave
With Bateman gone, kai peace paul leaving in 2024 who has played alot of 2nd row Willie Isa is 33 and Farrell 32, it could be a big year ahead recruitment wise for them in the pack.
Wigans was problem over the last couple of years has been their youngsters holding them to ransom and getting inflated contracts. Of course it’s possible some of the 150k freeec up by Bateman going has been used with the likes of the Wardle transfer, but the press release doesn’t read that way. Wouldn’t surprise me if theres more than one junior knocking on Radlinskis door tomorrow morning, and without an immediate replacement, it’s so easy for the money to be eroded away.
Unless there’s a Barba situation they’re not getting an in year replacement and even then they’re up to the non fed which complicates things for them. Bateman may have had an average year but was always capable of a big performance and that can’t be replaced by the kids easily. He’s done a real number on them reading how the saga unfolded
I seem to remember Bateman copping a load of criticism when he left Canberra too. Being vague about his intentions, motivated by greed, derailing their season etc
He might be a good player but I wouldn’t want someone like that if I was trying to build a strong culture
Wonder if James Bentley could be tempted. Seems a very Wigan type player. He'd get far fewer yellows, reds and bans there, too.
He's not the Messiah, he's a naughty boy.
Yes, requested a large increase in pay the week of the Raiders grand final appearance ? (said it was his manager not him), offered about $750/$850,000 but wanted more (had a few injury problems), told was free to aproach other clubs, no takers, eventialy said he missed his daughter, Ricky Stuart was interested if he returned but maybe not so much now.
With Bateman announced it seems the press have started the 2024 rumour mill saying we should be targeting Dwyer to replace Roby; https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/one-o...nd-sign-65155/
So much of our recruitment for next year will be in the wait and see category but it could be a big year for us. Get it right and there every chance of continuing our dominance- get it wrong and we open the door to slip back into the chasing pack.
I think as a minimum we need to be thinking about;
Right Centre; both Hurrell and Hopoate are off contract at the end of the year and question marks hang over both of them. I am personally a big fan of Hurrell and brings something to our team we have been lacking for a few years, as well as charisma and personality which can’t be underestimated (especially with LMS likely retiring too). However question marks hang over his fitness and his concentration with Woolf gone, as well as his age. There are less question marks about Hopoate, but I’m also in the boat of still hoping Catalans get desperate enough to take him off our hands this season. That being said, specialist centres are in very short supply, with most in the NRL seeing Centre as a stop gap on the way to fullback, and Toby King being the best U.K. option…
Left Wing; we have a major competition on our hands between Bennison and Ritson, but it may not be enough for either to cement themselves, with question marks over Bennisons long term position, and questions over how Ritson will adapt to SL (and still being due a transfer fee should we want to keep him). Couple this with there being a number of top quality wingers out of contract next year in Young (pipe dream), Tom Davies and Lewis Murphy, it may be an early opportunity for us to lay down a marker.
Prop; it’s most likely LMS will retire, but we have Norman and Delaney waiting in the wings, so our need for a prop will greatly depend on either laying claim to it this year. Whilst signing another prop wouldn’t be a particular problem for Delaney, you would imagine if the club go elsewhere then that will likely spell the end of Normans time with the club, whose also out of contract this year. There’s also the question of Thompson, and whether the club would be willing to let him go to a rival and where he fits in our own priorities.
Hooker; Similar to prop, Roby is on his last year (really really this time) but our need depends on how Lussick goes this year (I have a feeling we will see a lot more of him this year, after a quiet first year) and Pemberton being anointed as the successor. I like the few bits we saw of Pemberton last year but we will need to see far more before we can go into 2024 with him and Lussick alone. I think I have put earlier in this thread that Ackers is off contract this year with Salford and may well be the perfect answer to this problem.
Left second row; probably the most urgent of all our recruitment. Both Mata’utia and Sironen are off contract this year, and both are first choice 17. Keeping both will be incredibly difficult with the NRL cap increase and both having decent reps over in Aus. I would happily want to keep both, even with the disciplinary issues both had last year. We have a number of younger second rowers in Royle, Davies and Buckley, but am not sure any of them are long term solutions, but if we retained one, it may be an option with the three of them fighting for the bench spot. Alternately, Watkins seems rejuvenated at backrow and might be an option for a season or two, Currie seems the next out the door for Warrington and whilst he’s gone off the boil the last few years may be an option if we think we can rebuild him, or Ligi Sao at Hull played in the backrow for Samoa and may be an option? Alternately, Whitehead is out of contract with Raiders this year and may want a swan song in the U.K. before retiring?
Anywhere else people think we need to be worrying about?
Rather give Pemberton the gametime over Dwyer. I think we may re-sign Sironen. Look at his Twitter: he appears to be totally at home here.
Serious about RL is just awful clickbait 99.9% of the time
Did we have an extra year option on him similar to Hopoate and Matautia? Not sure Sione will stay, think his family will be keen to get home. Lussick seems to have bagged an Aussie bird over off season, not sure how long we will keep him especially as he went home for Christmas having not long got back
We have one year options on Hopoate (https://www.saintsrlfc.com/2021/08/0...oate-for-2022/ ) and Sironen (https://www.saintsrlfc.com/teams/fir...urtis-sironen/) so we can likely be confident of another year of Sironen, but we will still either need one of Davies/ Royle/ Buckley moving up to a bench role if we can’t retain Mata’utia, or signing another backrower like Watkins or Whitehead (who are both the wrong side of their careers so would be nothing more than a stop gap)
isn't Ben Davies also able to play 2nd row ?