Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon May 02, 2016 7:14 am  

Konrad Hurrell definitely on the out at the Warriors.

I know we have Gildart and Gelling but the opportunity to sign a player like him can't be ignored.

His ability to break the line is freakish and his ability to play in the pack would also give us more options.

I doubt anyone in the NRL would be interested given his history so a move to SL would seem the most realistic option unless he is tempted by Union.

If he came to SL it would be a real shame given our connection with the Warriors if it wasn't with us.

He would also put bums on seats.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon May 02, 2016 9:13 am  

Do we have to swallow our pride and accept the NRL's 'bad boys'? I accept that some, like Monaghan, have settled down to be model pro's, but I think he's the exception that proves the rule. I did complain angrily yesterday when I replied to a post on an Aussie forum who opined that Hurrell and the rest should be 'dumped out to Superleague' or words to that effect. That's how they see us, FFS!

Anyway, Hurrell

a) Seems a bit of crock, he's always out with dodgy knees or summat
b) Misses loads of of tackles and is a poor defender
c) This is not the first time he's had disciplinary issues

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon May 02, 2016 9:40 am  

Hurrell seems to have been fairly harshly treated after his initial infringement.

He came back from the offseason break in 2015 out of shape 10kg heavy and after that he has been seen to be made a bit of an example of. He picked up a lengthy ban after "sex tape" issue which many felt was harsh, he then seems to have knuckled down came back to preseason in the shape of his life in 2016 but is now not getting a game. The recent issues surrounding this latest disciplinary case again seem harsh. Of the 6 players disciplined 5 have confirmed they were mixing prescription drugs with energy drinks, he was not and was acting as the designated driver and again he is being treated like the other 5.

I'm not for one second claiming he doesn't have his baggage he clearly does however I do think he is being used as an example by his coach who he clearly has a bad relationship with.

The fact is you don't get that quality of player coming to SL unless they have baggage. In all honestly however it is usually worth it as you get a top quality player in a lesser comp. For me if he became available I think we would be missing a trick if we were not considering making a play for him.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon May 02, 2016 11:30 am  

Most settle, most are good guys but you have to realise the pressure and scrutiny they are under in the NRL.

If our guys and league was under an identical examination i suspect our guys could outdo theirs with stuff they get up to.

Sandow isn't a bad guy, he's a maverick in a game of strict structures.
Todd Carney isn't a bad person, he's made mistakes and he tried to atone for them and was sacked for what was little more than a disgusting prank.
Joel Monaghan was a decent bloke and one bad distasteful prank and he's gone..funny how they didn't hound(no pun intended) out Mitchell Pearce though, he would have lifted an SL side, i would imagine Wigan bound if they had deregistered him.

Usually the less pressure, lower scrutiny and more sympathetic fans in this comp calm most of the 'bad' boys down.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon May 02, 2016 2:47 pm  

Sandow didn't do much more wrong than simply fall out with the coach at the Eels, did he? I was very surprised no NRL side seemed interested in him. He is in a different league to journeymen like Keary at the Rabbitohs. Personally I rate him much higher than Reynolds, too, who has a good kicking game, but not much else.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon May 02, 2016 8:47 pm  

jonh wrote:

Konrad Hurrell definitely on the out at the Warriors.

I know we have Gildart and Gelling but the opportunity to sign a player like him can't be ignored.

His ability to break the line is freakish and his ability to play in the pack would also give us more options.

I doubt anyone in the NRL would be interested given his history so a move to SL would seem the most realistic option unless he is tempted by Union.

If he came to SL it would be a real shame given our connection with the Warriors if it wasn't with us.

He would also put bums on seats.

Are you now advocating signing more utility players Jonh?

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue May 03, 2016 6:46 am  

Parramatta could be making some good players available soon... http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/leag ... okszm.html

Parramatta could be making some good players available soon... http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/leag ... okszm.html

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue May 03, 2016 8:28 am  

moto748 wrote:

I did complain angrily yesterday when I replied to a post on an Aussie forum who opined that Hurrell and the rest should be 'dumped out to Superleague' or words to that effect. That's how they see us, FFS!

Unfortunately they aren't far wrong, our competition is slowly turning into a bland lifeless effort with very few world class players. I find comments like that annoying mainly because it's the truth. You look down the league and wonder where we are heading. We are promoting more young players as a competition, but the level of players coming through isn't great and the skill level and entertainment value is decreasing year on year. We are getting desperate for talent, and we have to accept that in the current climate we have to sign cast-offs or settle for mediocre SL signings.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue May 03, 2016 8:38 am  

ChrisA wrote:

Unfortunately they aren't far wrong, our competition is slowly turning into a bland lifeless effort with very few world class players. I find comments like that annoying mainly because it's the truth. You look down the league and wonder where we are heading. We are promoting more young players as a competition, but the level of players coming through isn't great and the skill level and entertainment value is decreasing year on year. We are getting desperate for talent, and we have to accept that in the current climate we have to sign cast-offs or settle for mediocre SL signings.

I'm inclined to agree.

Aussie arrogance will always irritate us because we still have some measure of pride, and so we should. But self-kiddology that we are comparable to the NRL won't help. If anything, it plays into the hands of Wood and co, who have supervised this shocking decline of recent years and yet continue to deny it.

Look no further than 2016, when last year's two Grand Finalists have become shadows of what they were because they've lost a few players to injury. Leeds are a particular case; the so-called best British team of modern times was evidently a house of cards. The British game has always lacked depth compared to the Aussie game, but it's getting particularly bad now.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue May 03, 2016 8:55 am  

Hurrell is a strange one in that I'd love to see a player like that at Wigan, BUT I think if we are splashing out to bring an NRL player over then there's more pressing needs imo.

I'd love to see either a really good #1 or prop come in. Hurrell would improve us but a good player in either of those positions would have a bigger impact.

Also it opens up the thought of Sam and Williams at HB which is the kind of attacking pairing I'd love 5o see.