Seems like every week there are good quality players coming onto the market or that are available that would add something to our team and roster but we aren't seeming to be as active in the player market as we were earlier this year. EG Keon. Barnett
Has anyone heard anything or have any news on any potential signings for 2027 /2028 we may look at? I still believe there is the basis of a very good football side at the Eels but we defintely need 1 or 2 additions of quality players at the absolute least
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I won't answer any questions from yourself daz unless you can answer my previous questions of what are the recruitment and retention team doing right, as to your defence of them in nearly every blog
Cheefy, it seems that you won't allow LB to have fun and guess what, this concept that the fans pay their wages is a bit of a myth! if you do an analysis of the balance sheet you will see much of the income comes from aspects outside of the physical fans of the Parramatta Football Club.
Grants made by the NRL and various sponsorships make the most of it. Finally I am a fan and pay $5 a month in Qld.....I don't feel like I am actually being robbed and as far as anyone that feels they are, it is their perogative to vote with their feet. That includes going to game's and paying a gate fee.
So I think you have a beef with the club as a loyal supporter and you feel that support is undervalued relative to your time and effort, but no one makes you pay for that.
Correct, Poppa. I listed some figures which bring into doubt Chiefy's "fans pay your wages" claim. But we can directly test Chiefy's degree of sincerity. Does Chief think the wages of Politis at Chooks is paid by fans?
I've answered that question, Chiefy. I've stated that I don't share your assumption of a 1-to-1 linear relation recruitment/retention to ladder position. Because I disagree with that premise, the burden is not mine to isolate decisions and correlate them with ladder position. Doing so would be to operate with the very premise I deny.
It seems, maybe, you're unable to grasp what rejecting or accepting that premise means, but it has been explained to you, so I don't see much excuse for you being incapable of understanding such a simple point.
By contrast you claimed explicitly that R&R is not meeting recruitment criteria. So your own premise is there is recruitment criteria in the R&R kpi. Hence it seems entirely fair to ask you to spell out your own premise! Failure to spell it out would suggest you cannot, and thus your argument about not meeting criteria simply has no legs.
Whomever Cregan is, I do wonder why "I know someone in the know" is taken seriously by folks as evidence?
On a side note, size in the forwards. Cregan says Eels were small vs knights but also implies recruitment is not fixing it. In 2026 the Eels have ran out three props each 188cm+ AND 110kg+: Tuivati, Maetele, and Brown (extended bench). The truly big props are all pushing 190cm while being 110kg+. So the Eels are in that ballpark.
Moretti is 188cm but 102kg, while Paulo is 110kg but 185cm. I don't count Doorey as he is a backrower (more lock); ditto Williams & Guymer. Eels have played backrow at prop due to injuries across the forwards.
Aside from it would be nice if claims like "not enough size" could be at least cross-checked, the issue in the forwards is not size. It's first contact technique. If Radley can be considered one of the most effective and aggressive tacklers in the game, its technique not simply size.
But also, it's a real question what is going to count in the game, sheer size or mobility despite size? Or both but not just one?
I have in fact heard the exact same comment from a player agent.
Actually I know that a player agent that looks after some of our current players is just the opposite, they respect MON but basically believe that the lack of TPA's or similar inducements tends to leave Parra out of the final reckoning.
I do believe all things being said that we need a professional negotiator and a lot of this type of critique could go away. I am sure that it is being addressed in some manner, I understand why we would not be privy to such discussions until after the event.
Yes the inmates are running the asylum that is this whole recruitment and retention game that goes on in the club sector, I am advised a lot of dodgy things happening and unfortunately (in some respects) Parra loses out. Its processes of this type of management is ruled quite rigidly after the time of the club going into administration and a new consitution being adopted. In the long term we will be winners, patience is something that has to be learnt and practised and management awake up to doing so within the rules we have taken on for the long term benefit of the club.
you hit the nail on the head Poppa. We are at a serious disadvantage not using TPA's. In the end you cannot compete with clubs that use them. We need to hire someone just to do TPA's under the NRL rules. Its a shame that all TPA's aren't organised by the NRL that way every club gets a fair chance.
But if TPA's are the issue, that means what folks are really saying is that the richer the club the better they do in recruitment.
I don't think there is any question on that Daz, welcome to the world of commercial reality.
If the NRL wanted to run on a socialistic basis, they would contract all the players to the NRL, bring in a draft and go for a competetion that is based on total equality.
All players would have their bank accounts monitored and the cash transaction act under Austrac would police the total structure.....don't worry human beings will get around some of these issues, cars, boats, property construction projects discounted security sales are all ways of doing it.
Do you think Politis and other single benefactors give a stuff about consitutions and the like, they are effectively beneficial dictators (beneficial being subjective).
I am not complaining about this, Penrith have come through this mire and it is possible that we will eventually as well. That said Parra has made things unattractive in opportunism, owing to there good management in intensionally making it hard to cheat.
Shit happens!
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