So late last year we did our overall 2024 predictions, but this time it is strictly on Parramatta. Now i know it can be practically impossible to get more than 1-2 right. But it is fun to look back on and see how our observations varied to what we believed. Of course, some will say this is stupid and what is the point. Well do not have to read and/or participate.
Here are the categories:
Player of the year:
Rookie of the year:
Most Improved:
Most Disappointing:
Surprise Player of the Year:
Best Buy:
Player who steals a spot in the 17:
Where do we finish:
How does BA finish the season:
I will start of course
Player of the year: J'Maine Hopgood - Think he goes to a new level, having a full year under his belt and also featuring in Origin also.
Rookie of the year: Blaize Talagi - Talent and versitile.
Most Improved: Joe Ofahengaue - Full pre-season will do wonders, we have seen BA get potential back out of players before.
Most Disappointing: Bailey Simonsson - Purely that i think he loses his Centre spot during the year.
Surprise player of the year: Talagi - He looks ready for FG and will play a fair bit.
Best Buy: Tuilagi - Process of elimination with only two signings, Tuilagi will play more so by default it is him.
Player who steals a spot: Talagi - New Left Centre by the end of 2024.
Where do we finish: 6th
How does BA finish the season: With one more year left on his deal.
Let's see what everyone else has. If you want to add another category yourself, whether dumb or not, go for your life.
Replies
Player of the year: Moses
Rookie of the year: Talagi
Most improved: Ofahengaue
Most Disappointing: Simonsson/Russell
Surprise player of the year: Moretti
Best buy: The new tackling pads
Player who steals a spot: Talagi
Where do we finish: 12th
How does BA finish the season: Hopefully not employed by Parra.
Talagi seems to be the consensus so far.
Cartwright as surprise again? Not sure how else he can surprise us more unless he gets into Origin, let's hope.
Player of the year - Matto
Rookie of the year - Mataele
Most improved - Russell
Most Disappointing - Paulo
Best buy - Tuilagi
Where we finish - 4th
BA finish season - pressure off for now
Mataele is a disappointment of last year. Looked like he could be a good back-rower for us to replace Papali'i. Showed promise in trials as a hard running back-rower who needed work on defence and hole running. Turns out he just could defend on the edge, now being played as a middle. Could work out him being a Prop/Lock.
good to know and thanks for the input on Mataele as I don't get to see the lower grades and don't know much about them so I just had a guess for the rookie and had someone different.
Player of the year: Brown
Rookie of the year: no idea
Most Improved: Grieg, exciting to see what he brings this year. should lock in a starting spot
Most Disappointing: Paulo
Surprise Player of the Year: Pensini, I say this every year thinking he'll have a breakout year. This year is the year, surely?
Best Buy: haven't signed them yet, it'lll be a winger
Player who steals a spot in the 17: Tuilagi
Where do we finish: 8th
How does BA finish the season: if we fall on the 1st week of finals he's "on notice", and will be back in 2025
Love the optimism of best buy, hopefully we can edit this and say "JAC" for example?
As for most improved it is like i said to Michael about Cartwright, they improved so much last year imagine room for more improvement.
Not going to jinx it LB, but the Fox would be great. Broncos have Corey Oates, Jesse Arthurs and Cobbo fighting for two spots. Something will eventuate if we have enough cash to be talking to the Fox.
Oates took less money when Newcastle offered him a 2 year deal for a bit more. If he ain't leaving for that, he ain't leaving for us.
There are a handful of teams with influx of backline players; Canberra, Gold Coast, Sydney and Brisbane to name a few. Only thing is, who do we need to give up to get someone?
Only options i see as realistic are Cotric, Sloan and Daniel Tupou. Both Roosters and Tupou were content parting ways for 2024, but when Suaali'i signed with Rugby, they panicked and re-signed Tupou to a one-year deal to give them breathing space for a replacement. They did that with signing Mark Nawaqanitawasi. But now Suaali'i could backflip, even if he doesn't they still for this year have Dom Young on one wing, Lewis Murphy fighting for the other. Manu, Suaali'i and Billy Smith for two Centre spots. They can move Suaalii to wing for Tupou to have Smith there. On a side note, what a dumb choice from Billy Smith to stay, if he was offered a deal elsewhere should have taken it as he would have gotten great game time. Nawaqanitawasi signing shows no faith in Smith.
Cotric is on $625k for 2024 and i wouldn't be surprised if they are keen on letting him go. Canberra have cash but they will have more moving Cotric on who just has not been the same since leaving for Canterbury in 2020. He would be good under BA, still young and has potential to be a Test level Winger.
Sloan is on the outer at St. George, Lomax being favoured. Of course, others will say "If he is leaving cause he cannot play 1, why come here for same result" He can take over eventually. He has speed that we desire, he can play Fullback in a pinch that we desire. Issue is size, 84kg is not great and a reason Dragons are moving him out of Fullback. He has talent but size worries me as a Winger. As well defence.
Fox seems unrealistic due to what we have to give up. From the word, we do not need to give up a player to get Fox in terms of money, more so it was just to get him out. If that is the case, we can get someone else to do the job, not to the quality of JAC but better than what we have had and currently have.
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
of 6 Next