Brandon Smith linked to Souffs

[HunchoRooster]

DT and Fox reporting that Cheese is off to Souffs next season.

I think that puts a nice bow on the shit sandwich that was his signing. The first sign our recruitment had gone to shite.
Made little sense at the time. Despite the calls he was Dally M Hooker of the year from some on here, he was a lock who had 10 good games at hooker in an outlier season. Since then has underperformed and now looks to be off to our biggest rivals. Can't say I'll miss him given how ineffective he's been, but going there would probably shred any good will he had with our fan base. Hasn't all been his fault, hes had some bad luck with injuries, just seems a cursed signing from day one.

[HunchoRooster]

Yeah I'm hoping he can yap on about Souffs training and give intel on Bennett like he does for us on his podcast I've ran out of patience with him. Bloke is a goose. Melbourne rarely lose players they want to keep.

[MKCS]

No big loss, Robson is younger and better at this point and will be the guy to lead us at hooker for the next 3-6 years hopefully. I was big on Brandon being signed initially but as said above it seems like he's best used at either lock or a utility bench player.

[Thirteen]

Good he can f**k them up.

Nobody likes a 20 minute hooker. You need at least an hour.

[Qld Chook]

I don't want to see him in a Souths jersey, unlike most I think he is a good player. We just didn't use him properly like Melbourne had. He is damaging bench middle who skittles defence and creates ruck speed, not a crafty 9 like he was recruited to be. Another recruitment (or coaching) blunder. Sammy Verrills would've loved to stay and on a whole lot less coin. Yes he is a bit injury prone but Cheese hasn't been on the field much either.

[roosterchook]

I don't want to see him in a Souths jersey, unlike most I think he is a good player. We just didn't use him properly like Melbourne had. He is damaging bench middle who skittles defence and creates ruck speed, not a crafty 9 like he was recruited to be. Another recruitment (or coaching) blunder. Sammy Verrills would've loved to stay and on a whole lot less coin. Yes he is a bit injury prone but Cheese hasn't been on the field much either.

Don’t get me started on Verrills. What gooses have we got running recruitment? The idiots are signing up absolute trash and garbage and letting go quality players like May and Verrills. Instead we got Townsend and Brandon. Who’s running recruitment a Souths mole? With Verrills and May I’m confident we could make the top 5 but we really stuffed up. I was criticised for wanting to keep Verrills after which I now feel vindicated.

[SamKerrSimp]

I don't want to see him in a Souths jersey, unlike most I think he is a good player. We just didn't use him properly like Melbourne had. He is damaging bench middle who skittles defence and creates ruck speed, not a crafty 9 like he was recruited to be. Another recruitment (or coaching) blunder. Sammy Verrills would've loved to stay and on a whole lot less coin. Yes he is a bit injury prone but Cheese hasn't been on the field much either.

He was recruited to be a starting 9 because that's the role he wants to play. It was a shit signing and we did Verrills dirty by letting him go.

The sooner we piss Smith and Young off the better they are are our 2020s equivalent of Mason and O'Meley.

[Qld Chook]

He was recruited to be a starting 9 because that's the role he wants to play. It was a shit signing and we did Verrills dirty by letting him go.

The sooner we piss Smith and Young off the better they are are our 2020s equivalent of Mason and O'Meley.

Agreed. It will just frustrate me seeing him kill it when a team plays him to his strengths and if that team is the vermin it will be a bitter pill.

On Dom Young, his errors and sideways running puts us under constant pressure. He can go, or teach him to run straight.

[Bates]

You can't have both Robson and Smith on your books. Waster of valuable cap space!

[Qld Chook]

You can't have both Robson and Smith on your books. Waster of valuable cap space!

Smith would only be worth half of what he initially signed with us for, so not big coin (at a guess $300-400K). You gotta spend your cap somewhere and I don't see us chasing any other big names. We are light in the middle so it isn't the worst option.

I wouldn't do it personally, I'd be trying to land a gun 5/8 like Galvin or D Brown.

[The Bondi spy]

Verrills was struggling to make the titans starting side at stages last season. As poor as smith has been I don’t think Sam V is the massive loss some here seem to think. Suddenly our team looks slow and small and old, well except for the centre combination which has one first grade between them.

[Rooster90]

Cheese is a decent player - but the fact that they thought he would magically turn into an 80min player is on the Roosters
He will go well under Bennett

[BTRD]

Under Bellamy Smith was very good. Under Robinson - he is a dead set kumquat.

I am not a Robinson fan, but he is the coach. So, if he doesn't want Smith (now), move him on asap.

We need to settle our squad, and hope as the year goes on we start to improve.

[Bates]

Smith would only be worth half of what he initially signed with us for, so not big coin (at a guess $300-400K). You gotta spend your cap somewhere and I don't see us chasing any other big names. We are light in the middle so it isn't the worst option.

I wouldn't do it personally, I'd be trying to land a gun 5/8 like Galvin or D Brown.

I think he's worth more than $300 -$400k mate. He's only 28. His sporadic form has been indicative of our clubs form. The Cheese can play!

I reckon Souffs would offer him $600k-$750k. A club that's desperate for a 9 may offer more. Currently on $850k a year.

[caz]

smith is a very good player. the problem with his time with us has been injury. i would have loved him to stay with us as a middle on less money but if he moves on then so be it