With the T-Rex dance done, the fact remains is that Parramatta desperately need a line-breaking, edge forward and Sika Manu is the best on the market (I'm excluding SBW from this)
Manu is likely to come at least $100k less than T-Rex but he'd almost as capably solve the number one hole in our roster right now.
The fact that he comes from Melbourne, and is used to playing in a disciplined environment is a huge advantage.
He's 25, absolutely the right age for a second rower to find consistency and hopefully be able to play with limited injuries. You often see massive second rowers struggle with injury in their early 20's as their bodies grow accustomed to the punishment that is dealt to them. The risk with T-Rex is he is going to continue to be an injury concern. Manu has had more than his fair share of injuries to date but he's the right age now to come out of that and start playing consistent footy.
I think Manu, Ben Smith, Reni Maitua would be a particularly a well-balanced pack. A lot of experience and a good variety of power, defensive capability and skill.
Unless this problem with our roster is solved, Parramatta will continue to struggle. You just can't effectively test opposition defences out wide without a second rower who draws in defenders. It's a deal Parramatta just has to get done.
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footy show said he was most likely going to panthers.
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Seems like no one wants to come to the eels 1eyed
also, T-Rex is only a year younger than Manu, so you dismissing T-Rex as the wrong age is a bit weird.
I actually thought he was younger, but he's only played in the forwards for a year Rednax. Manu's been playing first grade in the pack for a lot longer - I still consider T-Rex to be pretty raw and a work in progress. Which makes his potential pretty scary and I would have loved for him to come back to the club. However, I do think you've still got a lot or risk involved with T-Rex. Moving that bulk around at the speeds he does, he's always going to be a greater injury risk.
Yeh I just think it highly unlikely you can carry two million dollar players on your roster. With Hayne taking up so much of our cap, I just don't think you can have SBW in there too. Of course, if the club thinks Hayne is going to go for even more money in his next deal and is likely to switch codes, it's a whole different story. But as Jimmy has pointed out, it's hard to believe he'll suddenly start de-prioritising money.
He fled our game because he thought he was under valued and he got the $ in his name for obvious reasons.
true Jimmy, but I heard SBW can earn 1.2 million playing jap rugby in our off season by only playing 12 games. He is then free to come to Australia once our season begins.
The catch is obviously that he would miss pre-season, but with a player that can draw fans to stadiums and sponsorships and a desperate board they could make an exception.
He would also presumably want to keep boxing.
You can buy Money Bill, but you have to play by his rules...otherwise he will never come.
Depends if the club and coaching staff can tolerate another rockstar.
T-Rex is a bad signing for the dogs, Good footy teams have balance and that's just what the bulldogs just gave up...
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