DCE now linked

[HDTONE]

If we say bought Ponga in and pissed Teddy off then Id be filthy and have a huge problem with that cause of Teddy's service to the club.

If we scored DCE we are just replacing him with a young bloke that still needs to develop and learn. DCE dont mean instant Premiership but between him and Sammy we have a good long and short kicking game and the apprentices get to learn from a bloke with a ton of experience.

But in the end doesn't matter what me or nobody else here says, I think the club is going in hard to sign him. FFS they went after Hunt and that would've had the same result on the young up and coming guys. Plus it's max 2 years not a long term deal that snuffs out the chances of the kids.

[Chook2]

Chook2,

DCE has done nothing at Manly for ages and they haven't seriously threatened for a premiership since 2013.

You have to admit that.

Why do you think Manly didn't offer him decent money for a renewal contract - because he is way past his prime.

He offers no attacking threat since he is too old, and is losing his speed.

I can't recall him being a brilliant defender, either.

He did nothing in the last SOO series and will do nothing again in 2025 Origin if he is picked for Qld.

Qld winning the 2023 and prior origin series had less to do with him, and more to do with Munster and other Qld players, or the underperforming NSW side.

Lets just see if your premiership winning spine of Robson, DCE , Walker and Teddy deliver us a premiership in 2026.

In 2026, I think the Chookpen knives will be out for this bloke to be drppoed to reserve grade

Again maybe get some facts right - fair enough you may not like him as a bloke

funny you say he has done nothing for manly - why has he been in the top 7 the last 4 years straight for the dally medal? Top 4 23-24
so no I will not admit he has done nothing for manly

manly are a basketcase who just thought he was going to re sign with them and no one else, also have cap troubles so don’t have the money to re sign him for what he is on

Being in the top players in the comp his attack is fine likes to take on the line, and his defence is 92% tackle rate

in SOO he was fine in the first game - qld had no forwards and got outmuscled - hard for halves to get any good ball when your pack is getting belted

also to win a premiership you need a great team - not just one player (manly havnt had a prem winning team)

not saying that spine will win but it’s certainly one that can - better then the cheese and sandon smith situation anyway

[kakaruk]

The most important aspect of this is how Sam walker feels about the club signing another halfback if it happens of course given that the great experiment was a failure as walker wasn’t that impressive at 5/8 imo has cherry pop ever played 5/8?

[HunchoRooster]

We are a much better team with Watson at 13. No point limiting his time by having him on the bench.

Where would you play him? Lock? Definitely think Connor has come on leaps and bounds and needs a spot. 14 is fine so long he gets at least 60 mins.

[HunchoRooster]

The most important aspect of this is how Sam walker feels about the club signing another halfback if it happens of course given that the great experiment was a failure as walker wasn’t that impressive at 5/8 imo has cherry pop ever played 5/8?

I think that was moreso because Keary was probably even less of a 7 than Sammy was a 6. I think DCE is completely different to Keary and Sam, so it would work easier.

[HunchoRooster]

Chook2,

DCE has done nothing at Manly for ages and they haven't seriously threatened for a premiership since 2013.

You have to admit that.

Why do you think Manly didn't offer him decent money for a renewal contract - because he is way past his prime.

He offers no attacking threat since he is too old, and is losing his speed.

I can't recall him being a brilliant defender, either.

He did nothing in the last SOO series and will do nothing again in 2025 Origin if he is picked for Qld.

Qld winning the 2023 and prior origin series had less to do with him, and more to do with Munster and other Qld players, or the underperforming NSW side.

Lets just see if your premiership winning spine of Robson, DCE , Walker and Teddy deliver us a premiership in 2026.

In 2026, I think the Chookpen knives will be out for this bloke to be drppoed to reserve grade

I think that’s a pretty biased take mate, and you’ve sold DCE very short. He is not the level of Cronk was in 2017 when we signed him that’s for sure. However, he’s consistently been in the top 4 or 5 halfbacks in the game since he signed that huge deal at Manly.

Manly have been run woefully throughout that time and unfortunately due to their cap management (which in part is due to DCEs contract demands no doubt) being so erratic and top heavy, they haven’t had a well balanced squad very often during the last 10 years.

Save from Cleary, I don’t think anyone has been as consistent at DCE in the last 5-6 seasons and he has the added bonus of being relatively injury free. Hughes and Moses have been really good aswell but I feel like DCEs game management is probably better than both of those guys. His age isn’t an issue as I actually think his form has improved since around 2022ish, he’s consistently gotten better and has adapted his style well to the new rule changes. Manlys issues have always been down to injury troubles to Tommy and their poor mismanagement. The one constant that puts in 7/10 8/10 games every week is DCE. There is a reason he’s played nearly 25 Tests and 25 Origins.

[King Salvo]

I think you're remembering incorrectly with Cleary's career.

2016 - Debuted mid season, nominated for rookie of the year, went into week 2 of the finals, was Penrith's highest point scorer.

2017 - First representative honour (City Vs Country), highest point scorer in the NRL, top tryscorer for Penrith, made it to week 2 of the finals again.

2018 - Became an Origin player winning the 2018 series at halfback.

2019 - Won another Origin series but did not play in game 3 due to injury. This was his worst season as a professional as the Panthers ran 10th.

---

In 2019 Cleary was 22 which is the same age as Sandon Smith. If Sandon had topped our highest point scorer a couple times, won a couple of Origin series' and been viewed as a future superstar then I'd be all for retaining him but he hasn't even done what Cleary did in his first year let alone had a comparable first four years.



100% this.

Rodwell has just turned 19, Elliot is about to turn 20. They clearly aren't ready for first grade yet but they'd definitely be pretty happy to have one of the greatest QLD halfbacks of the past 15 years around at training for the next 2 years to learn from and even perhaps play alongside

Also, Elliot is apparently a utility that prefers the halves so once he's NRL ready he could be getting experience on the bench or as a handy injury cover, him, Rodwell or anyone else coming through don't need to immediately play 6.

Cleary had played 80 NRL games by 22 - all as a starter - not comparing apples with apples - Penrith made the finals from 2016 to 2018 - missed in 2019 then 5 grand finals straight from 2020 to 2024 winning 4.

So one can say he's played in some pretty fair Penrith Teams from the get go so far in his career.

If he played for the Tigers though would he be the same player?

Not one player wins a game it takes 17 players week in week out.

[The Lip]

DCE is very good - posters saying he has lost pace - i see no evidence of that. I for one have been marvelling at his longevity and consistently good performances at all levels as he has aged into his mid 30s. His kicking game in my opinion is second to none even today. I used to dislike him as a bloke but he's continual development as a bloke and his continual ability to perform week in week out has made me change my opinion of him completely. Good signing imo but it must be to put him at 6 we can't risk disenfranchising Sammy for a 37 yr old no matter how good because Sam in 2 yrs time will be the best 7 in the comp.

[eddie]

He has the neck of a giraffe, the nose of an alcoholic, and he talks like a poof.
But will he make our team better for the short term?
Yes, he probably will.

[King Salvo]

I think a lot of Manly's problems started when DCE back flipped on the Titans deal which was a cirque du soleil event - kept saying he will be playing for the Titans right up to round 12 in 2015

The NRL had the end of round 13 rule back then where players could back flip on contracts they had signed with other clubs - a fair few Manly players took pay cuts to stay at the club - DCE is then signed for 10 year 1 mill plus a season deal - the Cap in 2016 was 6.8 million for 25 players so a fair whack of the cap spent on 1 player back then.

Manly has made the finals 8 times of the 14 years DCE has played there so they have had some fair sides over that time - 1 Premiership in 2011 and a GF in 2013. - 2011 to 2015 - 4 out of 5 ( missed in 2015)- 2016 to 2024 - 4 out of 9 (missed 2016/2018/2020/2022/2023)

When a 1 million dollar plus player you're expected to produce results irrespective of the players in that squad.

Not sure how the Roosters would fit DCE in either

Andrew Johns was saying the Roosters would have the Money - Brandon Smith's - 850k and Chad Townsends - 300 k - 1.125 mill

Sam Walkers contract increases from 500k to 1 mill from 2026 ( 2026/2027) - 500k

Spencer Leniu and Connor Watsons upgrades apparently kick in from 2026 (2026/2027) - Around 500k a season for both

So 1 mill of the 1.125 mill is accounted for

Shed players again ?

Already questions about how the Roosters have spent their cap when you look at players that have left to whom they signed and promoted internally to the 30 player squad

When you think they lost Suaalii - 750 k - Manu -750k - Keary - 800 k - JWH - 500 K - Sitili - 650 k - approx 3.450 million.

They also had Michael Jennings and Zach Docker-Clay on apparently min contracts - 130k and 3k a NRL game so that would be added to funds available for 2025 to sign/upgrade players - ZDC is not listed as a top 30 player in 2025 so not sure what he's paid apart from the 3k an NRL game.

2025 - Signed - Mark Nawaqanitawase - 450 k and Chad Townsend - 300 k - 750k

Added to the 2025 season squad (Internal Promotion) - min wage is 135k - not sure how many of the below or if any would be on min wages?

• Jake Elliot
• Toby Rodwell
• Benaiah Ioelu
• De La Salle Va'a
• Ethan Roberts
• Salesi Foketi

Salary Cap in 2025 is Base cap - 11.4 mill - Motor Vehicle Allowance - 100k - Veteran and Developed player allowance - 300k - Total Cap - 11.8 mill

All clubs have to spend 97.5% of their cap and any unspent amount cannot be carried forward.

Must be other upgrades or something we don't know about to account for this "unspent" cap - some of which would be used for the 6 new players above added to this years squad. - 2.7 mill or so less what these 6 players are being paid.

It was said they were leaving 500k aside for Manu and a NRL squad spot but the club said they knew he wasn't coming back in 2025.

The Roosters have 28 or 29 players signed for the 30 player squad depending on what site you view - so they have a spot(s) and salary cap available for a purchase of two before the June 30 cut off.

[Chook2]

I think that’s a pretty biased take mate, and you’ve sold DCE very short. He is not the level of Cronk was in 2017 when we signed him that’s for sure. However, he’s consistently been in the top 4 or 5 halfbacks in the game since he signed that huge deal at Manly.

Manly have been run woefully throughout that time and unfortunately due to their cap management (which in part is due to DCEs contract demands no doubt) being so erratic and top heavy, they haven’t had a well balanced squad very often during the last 10 years.

Save from Cleary, I don’t think anyone has been as consistent at DCE in the last 5-6 seasons and he has the added bonus of being relatively injury free. Hughes and Moses have been really good aswell but I feel like DCEs game management is probably better than both of those guys. His age isn’t an issue as I actually think his form has improved since around 2022ish, he’s consistently gotten better and has adapted his style well to the new rule changes. Manlys issues have always been down to injury troubles to Tommy and their poor mismanagement. The one constant that puts in 7/10 8/10 games every week is DCE. There is a reason he’s played nearly 25 Tests and 25 Origins.

It’s amazing that he doesn’t rate him but he has finished in the top 7 players from 2021-24 for dally m medal
last 2 years top 4

fair enough you don’t have to love the bloke but back your argument up with facts not just say a selective mindset because you don’t like a bloke

[milanja]

I think a lot of Manly's problems started when DCE back flipped on the Titans deal which was a cirque du soleil event - kept saying he will be playing for the Titans right up to round 12 in 2015

The NRL had the end of round 13 rule back then where players could back flip on contracts they had signed with other clubs - a fair few Manly players took pay cuts to stay at the club - DCE is then signed for 10 year 1 mill plus a season deal - the Cap in 2016 was 6.8 million for 25 players so a fair whack of the cap spent on 1 player back then.

Manly has made the finals 8 times of the 14 years DCE has played there so they have had some fair sides over that time - 1 Premiership in 2011 and a GF in 2013. - 2011 to 2015 - 4 out of 5 ( missed in 2015)- 2016 to 2024 - 4 out of 9 (missed 2016/2018/2020/2022/2023)

When a 1 million dollar plus player you're expected to produce results irrespective of the players in that squad.

Not sure how the Roosters would fit DCE in either

Andrew Johns was saying the Roosters would have the Money - Brandon Smith's - 850k and Chad Townsends - 300 k - 1.125 mill

Sam Walkers contract increases from 500k to 1 mill from 2026 ( 2026/2027) - 500k

Spencer Leniu and Connor Watsons upgrades apparently kick in from 2026 (2026/2027) - Around 500k a season for both

So 1 mill of the 1.125 mill is accounted for

Shed players again ?

Already questions about how the Roosters have spent their cap when you look at players that have left to whom they signed and promoted internally to the 30 player squad

When you think they lost Suaalii - 750 k - Manu -750k - Keary - 800 k - JWH - 500 K - Sitili - 650 k - approx 3.450 million.

They also had Michael Jennings and Zach Docker-Clay on apparently min contracts - 130k and 3k a NRL game so that would be added to funds available for 2025 to sign/upgrade players - ZDC is not listed as a top 30 player in 2025 so not sure what he's paid apart from the 3k an NRL game.

2025 - Signed - Mark Nawaqanitawase - 450 k and Chad Townsend - 300 k - 750k

Added to the 2025 season squad (Internal Promotion) - min wage is 135k - not sure how many of the below or if any would be on min wages?

• Jake Elliot
• Toby Rodwell
• Benaiah Ioelu
• De La Salle Va'a
• Ethan Roberts
• Salesi Foketi

Salary Cap in 2025 is Base cap - 11.4 mill - Motor Vehicle Allowance - 100k - Veteran and Developed player allowance - 300k - Total Cap - 11.8 mill

All clubs have to spend 97.5% of their cap and any unspent amount cannot be carried forward.

Must be other upgrades or something we don't know about to account for this "unspent" cap - some of which would be used for the 6 new players above added to this years squad. - 2.7 mill or so less what these 6 players are being paid.

It was said they were leaving 500k aside for Manu and a NRL squad spot but the club said they knew he wasn't coming back in 2025.

The Roosters have 28 or 29 players signed for the 30 player squad depending on what site you view - so they have a spot(s) and salary cap available for a purchase of two before the June 30 cut off.

This is all speculation though. Do you not trust the club enough to budget the cap appropriately?

[Jacks Fur Coat]

He has the neck of a giraffe, the nose of an alcoholic, and he talks like a poof.
But will he make our team better for the short term?
Yes, he probably will.

So what are his bad points?..

[MKCS]

Not sure how the Roosters would fit DCE in either

I'm aware of the 97.5% rule but there needs to be some legal way around it because we've seen many teams over the years with multi million dollar war chests in off seasons and we'd have to be one of those teams, we've upgraded a few players, signed Mark N and Chad Townsend but that doesn't make up for the near 3-4m in players we've lost in May, Suaalii, Keary, Manu, Smith, JWH, Tupounuia and Jennings. A question could be how many seasons a team has to hit that 97.5% because in recent years we've seen teams like the Bulldogs and Tigers sign a lot of key players without losing any key players.

[HDTONE]

Reckon the club knows way better than anybody here if they can sign him and if they can they will. He might've signed already