Easts Top team 2017

[BUDDY]

If we are talking our top side then barring injury I think this is the GF team.

1. Mitchell
2. SKD
3. Ferguson
4. Copley
5. Manu
6. Keary
7. Pearce
8. JWH
9. Friend
10. Napa
11. Cordner
12. Butcher
13. SST

14. Knight
15. Liu
16. Aubusson
17. Watson

Guerra has to show much more or his days are numbered. I have a feeling Evans won't be here is 2017.
I think Gordon will start the year but eventually make way for Mitchell at fullback.
I don't think Copley will be dropped.
The smokies are any of Turks signings.

[eddie]

I like a 3/4 line that pairs SKD and Fergo, coz in form they've worked well together , and Manu/Mitchell coz I hope they're the future.
Let them develop as a pair next season and maybe they'll be lethal one day.

[Mickie Lane]

Will be interesting to see who they go with on the bench to interchange with the tight 3 JWH, Napa & SST.
Liu will be one & then the other contenders will be Tetevano, Evans, Butcher, Knight & Carter. All the guys named as bench contenders other than Liu are not big enough IMO & are more likely to play lock so thats why Im hoping the Roosters buy another big front-rower & the only 2 that I can think of that are available is Brenton Lawrence or Ben Matulino. Kyle Amor from St Helens might be worth a punt on.

[BUDDY]

Will be interesting to see who they go with on the bench to interchange with the tight 3 JWH, Napa & SST.
Liu will be one & then the other contenders will be Tetevano, Evans, Butcher, Knight & Carter. All the guys named as bench contenders other than Liu are not big enough IMO & are more likely to play lock so thats why Im hoping the Roosters buy another big front-rower & the only 2 that I can think of that are available is Brenton Lawrence or Ben Matulino. Kyle Amor from St Helens might be worth a punt on.

Paul Vaughan is up for grabs.

[Mickie Lane]

Paul Vaughan is up for grabs.

Apparently St George are throwing plenty of cashola at him.

[BUDDY]

Apparently St George are throwing plenty of cashola at him.

They threw plenty at Keary as well.
Nobody wants to go there so we could pick him up and it would be a handy pick-up. Best available prop on the market imo.

[Mickie Lane]

They threw plenty at Keary as well.
Nobody wants to go there so we could pick him up and it would be a handy pick-up. Best available prop on the market imo.

I agree.
Apparently Saints are offering him 1.5M over 3 years, I dont know if the Roosters would pay him that much or if they have that much room under their cap.

[TheRock]

what do you think our top lineup looks like for next year?

1 Gordon (gk) - we've signed him so i think we'll use him
2 Toops. maybe Joey Manu later in the season
3 SKDsy
4 Fergo
5 Latrell
6 Keary
7 Pearce
8 JWH
9 Friend
10 Napa
11 Maubs
12 Cords
13 Taukeiaho

14 Watson/Hoju/Carter
15 Evans
16 Liu
17 Guerra/Matterson

If SST isn't ready for round one, then Liu to lock, unsure who will be onto the bench - maybe Knight?. also think Robbo will probably start Guerra.

Bring it, Michaels. You Jabroni

[theGman]

I agree.
Apparently Saints are offering him 1.5M over 3 years, I dont know if the Roosters would pay him that much or if they have that much room under their cap.

New TV deal commences 2018 and the cap reportedly goes up a further 1M plus. That's why some clubs like Manly & Parra were offering incremental multi year deals.

I'd certainly go hard to 'poach' either Vaughan or Matulino because i've got a feeling Napa will return to Brissie.

[Guest]

Paul Vaughan is up for grabs.

Being looked at atm only if the club can move Napa or Guerra.. The less QLDERS/SOO players the better.. Juggling depth in the squad at SOO.

[Guest]

I agree.
Apparently Saints are offering him 1.5M over 3 years, I dont know if the Roosters would pay him that much or if they have that much room under their cap.

Missed out on Jordan and Asofa , more players yet to leave..

[Rooster_6]

If Nat Butcher works his way into a bench spot by the end of the season he will have done tremendously well. Playing in the middle at his age is such a huge ask.

Aaron Woods, Jason Taumalolo, Martin Tapau & Josh Mcguire are all middles who dominated the 20s but struggled in their debut seasons and they were all older than Butcher will be next year when they started getting consistent time in grade.

Just think about how long it took Dylan Napa, Isaac Liu & Kane Evans to start handling the physicality of the NRL. All graduated the NYC and spent time in reserves before they started getting consistent minutes. Think back to JWH or Sam Moa's story.

It's a really hard position and the majority who play there dont start to realise their potential until their early to mid 20s. And lets face it the game isn't what it used to be you can't just get away with making a stack of tackles and making no errors if you're not winning 60-70% of your hitups (and that means bending the line and getting a quick play the ball) you're just not first grade standard.

It's easy to get excited about a kid like Butcher but history says if he can crack a bench spot next year he will have done excpetionally well at his age.

[Guest]

With the interchange reductions Butcher will come into his own....

[Insider]

New TV deal commences 2018 and the cap reportedly goes up a further 1M plus. That's why some clubs like Manly & Parra were offering incremental multi year deals.

I'd certainly go hard to 'poach' either Vaughan or Matulino because i've got a feeling Napa will return to Brissie.

NRL revenue increases 180mil a year from 2018, or around 50% so u would think the cap would increase from 7 to at least 10.5. The players would be nuts to accept anything less. We really do need to grab Vaughn, we need another big mobile forward, even if it means having to back end to some degree into 2018,19.

[eddie]

At this early stage , for round 1 I like

1- Micheal Gordon

2- Joey Manu
3- Latrell Mitchell
4- Blake Fergueson
5- Shaun Kenny-Dowell

6- Luke Keary
7- Mitchell Pearce

8- Jarod Waerea-Hargraves (capt)
9- Jake Friend
10- Dylan Napa
11- Boyd Cordner
12- Mitch Aubusson
13- Issac Liu

14- Conner Watson
15- Liam Knight
16- Paul Carter
17- Kane Evans


SST injured
Guerra MIA
Toops entertaining the Wyong faithful
Copley and Matterson unlucky