First off, let me start by saying I couldn't really care less about Zac leaving. There's enough red flags about decsions he's made off field and on it to show he might not be the full package. Being 1 year into a 4 year deal and letting this crap totally derail his form the back end of his first year should tell you all you need to know about how committed Zac is to fully maximising his own value and potential to a team. Some fully buy in , some don't - its their career end of the day who are we to argue. The job for us as a club is to recruit the right type of character and person to represent our club and respect the organisation, people in the organisation, fans / members etc.. which is what I feel Ryles has been making a priority since he came here. I don't think Zac ever arrives at our club in the first place if Ryles made that decsion. Shane Flannagan didn't rate him and it appears Ryles doesn't either. That being said, his skill set is going to need to be replaced.
That aside, let's get to Clinton Schifcofske. One must wonder how he could be still welcome in this sport by 9am Monday.
He was welcomed back after his drug ban as a player, and he's code hopped during his career to now earn a living as a player manager and rugby league commentator post career . Rugby League has been great to him. But there's no coincidence the players he managers are the ones being linked to this R360 rubbish. He's fully bought into it early and he's taken his players to discuss their futures with it. Rugby Union has tried to totally distance itself from R360 and nations have banded together. Rugby League is trying to do the same. Then this dingbat is taking every one he can in to try and fill his own pockets.
The argument is that its hard to say no to that sort of money and its life changing. Sure, it is. But Zac should never have been shopped to them less than a year into a 4 year deal in the first place. I find it hard to believe they head hunted all Clintons players and Zac was highest on their priority list of all players in the comp. Stephen Crichton is a better, higher IQ version of Zac and he re-signed with Canterbury and hasn't been linked at all. There's a reason why he's had ultimate success as a player, is maximising his potential and having a club built around him. And there's also a reason why Zac underachived in his league career , never fulfilled his potential and aside from an Origin series never had much success.
Clinton Schifcofske can be argued to be doing his job as a manager but shopping guys on contract to rival codes is treating all in Rugby League with contempt. It's just like he did the Crushers when he decided to get on the gear. Hopefully, he's out of the game ASAP, and I would love if he loses his commentary gigs on top of it. Ordinary stuff, Clinton.
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Didn't Clinton Schifcofske actually play for Parra once upon a time?
Yes, he did. 1998-2000. We poicked him up from the defunct SQ Crushers and after he served a ban for testing positive to a performance enhancing substance. We signed Brett Hodgson in 2000 who replaced him.
Heaven forbid, a player manager actually doing his job and presenting oppurtunites. Is it really Clinton's fault or does that lie elsewhere. I don't know.
On another note our recruitment team must be feeling good and giving themselves a pat on the back. In a couple of seasons they have presided over.
i. Dylan Brown signed to 2030 gone and about to be crowned golden boot winner
ii. Zac Lomax signed to 2028 gone, just after selection for Australia for ash's series.
iii. Ryan Matterson resigned for 4 years, spent the last 2 years trying to get him to move on.
iv. Signed RCG to great coin and extended his contract, gone before completing contract
v. Gutherson signed long term, club captain, leaves contract early.
vi. Inside running to sign hot youngster Lachlan Galvin, spruking to all in the members area on the friday night how he was signed, Sunday morning signs for the Bulldogs.
vii. Want to keep local junior Blaize long term, go hard to keep him, gone to Panthers with his pathway seemingly blocked
viii. Want to keep junior NSW captain and halfback representaive Ethan Sanders, gone to Canberra.
ix. See u/19 NSW rep Hooker Matt Arthur as long term Dummy Half. Gone to Newcastle
x. All but announce Marty Topau is comming after completing his physical, backflips and lands in Brisbane overnight
xi. Negotiate the weirdest contract nearly ever, as some put it cuckolding in the corner with Jonah Pezet for 1 year, while signing to play with Brisbane next season (side note, i actually like that signing though and surprise surprise Reynolds and Hunt have indicated they want to play on in 2027. Could we see Jonah stay, just a thought)
I guess they have managed to sign Josh Ado Carr and resign Mitch Moses to long term contract.
That's a list and all that and we as fans are expected to believe in a front office team to try and overcome the best in the comp all while someone like Paps leaves Melbourne and they roll out the replacement no dramas no song and dance no waiting 2 years for a long term replacement.
Lose NaS but already have Stefano on deck looking to potentially add Tino I mean the difference between the best and us is stark and are we even in the same league.
I mean the talent Riff lose and they don't blink and continue to compete and win premierships I mean it isn't even close.Kick us in the nuts and take one of our better juniors even after our new coach says we want him he leaves regardless they go to market add Papali'i and have a budding superstar in Maclean looking like the 2nd rendition of GI here our fans are thinking losing DB and Lomax we are a better team 😂 GTFO.
Jokers our club is run by jokers if there thinking we are better we maybe better than the 12th best team I agree but we aren't in the conversation with the top clubs we are miles away from that.
Well that ain't fun reading.
When you change coaches you need to expect some players to chase the money elsewhere because there is no relationship with the new coach. Ryles is now building the squad with the players that fit his style. It's nobody's fault, it's just how it goes.
Everyone's entitled to their opinion . Dylan Brown for mine is a pretty limited player with the ball. Maybe the best defensive 6 in the comp and when he's on he's a great runner of the ball and competitor . I think we saw for the kiwis in a side that's running downhill with 61% of the ball he can be as dangerous as anyone .
The problem which Newcastle will find when push comes to shove is he has trouble knowing when and where to get himself into a game and he doesnt have the vision of top flight halves. Having watched him closely for 6 or 7 years he's fine when he's clear with what he's doing . When he has options and isn't clear things start going wrong . When things start going wrong he gets in his head and you don't see him for a month or footy .
He's had litterally hundreds of chances to grow into his role and grab it here and he's done it here and there but overwhelmingly he goes missing . Our attack didn't miss a beat when he didn't play for us back end of the year.
After watching him play so well for the Kiwis people will buy into him again but that contact is going to be a disaster at NRL level . I'm glad we're not on the books for $1mil plus for him for the next 6 years . It's a real chance to balance out the roster .
Every 5/8th or halfback requires possession to do any damage. It was lost on a lot of fans in 2024 when the Eels were lucky to win 45% of the ball due to the insane amount of errors.
Every half relies on a pack for field position, and relies on outside backs to finish opportunities & space they create.
DB might be a limited player and is reliant on his halfback, but he dominated for NZ behind those essentials - possession, field position, and his teammates doing their job.
Whatever Dylan is or isn’t, we have replaced him with a 12 month rental in the hope we find a genuine solution - that is a massive step backwards & surely even the DB stalkers can now see this was always the concern.
Watch our attack with Joash at 6, then watch the Eels last game with DB at 6, the difference in how DB straightens the attack and creates space for the outside backs is very evident.
As he should, he is a natural & experienced 5/8th, but point is we definitely skipped a beat with not having a genuine 6 in the team, whether thats DB or someone else.
Find it very hard to believe Ryles doesn't want one of the best wingers in the game in Lomax at the club, when we have no replacements incoming, and no juniors in that position looking overly likely.
Maybe Ryles signed off as Zac has checked out, and he feels there is no advantage to keeping him here unhappy, as opposed to not wanting him?
If reports are true, and we land Kaeon, there is some silver lining to letting go a player who isn’t mentally here.
As Mutts said, our one and only goal should be premierships, whether that be 2026 or 2028/2029, every step we make should be leading in that direction, is it?
Losing Dylan, losing Zac, two representative players who are both reportedly very good behind the scenes for juniors, these are steps backwards in the pursuit of a premiership unless you replace with like-for-like or better players, or are able to upgrade BIG elsewhere.
If the Eels are pursuing Kaeon strongly, we really need to be successful in landing a target.
Bluey’s list, no matter how many excuses we cook up, is awful reading.
We can’t keep excusing, justifying, or showing a lack of accountability for missing in such a vital area in the pursuit of that goal of premierships.
Hopefully, we have good news on the horizon & instead of being the club with the best looking savings account, we have a club with some of the best players.
💯
So now Schifcofske & Gillis have pulled Paps,Lomax to R360. Looking at their list of players under them, can see there will be few more. Missed out on Jye Gray though. Koula from manly will be next
Strange both Melb & eels did the same process, let the players from the contract early so they didnt cop a ban
They have a few waratahs players too, can see them goin
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