Mini wants to play on until he is 35+ ... god help us.

[bondi-boy]

Viva Italia!

Boo Italia/'Little Italy'

It cheered against the Socceroos!

[Guest]

The loyalty thing is what gets me.

He has been paid more than his worth.

One might say that easts have been more loyal to him, than vice versa.

I agree and I'm serious when I ask this, could his desire to stay on be because Mini feels he owes the club? Admirable if true. But it doesn't alter the fact he can best repay the club by moving on and vacating the number 1.

Chook.

[ism22]

There were murmurs about a 1 club champ salary cap exemption/partial exemption. Anything ever come of that? When they upped that cap I thought that was a rule being inteoduced for guys like Mini but I can't find it anywhere.

[ism22]

Also is playing Mini's only role?
I don't actually want Dugan, Hayne or Boyd teaching people at our club about footy. They're all show ponies, but besides possibly Boyd (who c'mon... people skills is a drop kick) aren't really good role models, and IMO go off instinct more than anything.

Mini's not fast but he's learned the game, been at the top and IMO is still better than say signing Ben Barba (who would cost about the same and sure have more youthful attacking spark, but lack in so many other areas.)

---

Mini's a solid fullback/winger who is still capable of playing competitively at club and origin level. He'll probably leave this year and I don't know many who can replace his fullness as a player/mentor. Yes many have more youthful attacking spark, but stability under dangerous high bombs every time is the difference between having/not having possession. I'll list the flaws of possible replacements:
- Dugan is ALWAYS injured, always in trouble with the cops, always partying and in 2 years time will possibly be a nobody when the next kid with speed/skills comes along and he's all bandaged up.
- Hayne is a 1 man show and p1sses people off. He's fast but makes lots of dumb mistakes, and doesn't have anything to offer the youngsters IMO.
- Slater is too expensive and won't sign with us anyway.
- SBW... isn't really a FB/Winger. He's a Union winger... sometimes... not really.
- Barba (or insert young promising gun) will still cost a lot of money and demand a premium as an up and coming star. We know a lot of those ones here at Bondi!!!
- On the wing... we really do need some absolute FREAK like Yow Yeh... but from what I've seen we're not really chasing any? SBW for the centres? Really not a solution for our wing/FB.

---

My HOPE is that Mini's sitting there as a solid FB/Winger and is teaching all the young blokes how to play like he did as a kid (or at least as well as he does now TBH!!) 3 Years time rather than looking around, Mini might have provided these guys with the tools to be the in demand/in form mobile backs. You don't just find an old ex world #1 FB who's still playing solid footy and willing to teach all your promising youngsters.

I think our plan is sound because we're focussing on training tomorrow's stars rather than buying today's big star.

[TheLoneRooster]

Your last sentence sums it up for mine ism. I have confidence that one of Henare Wells, Alofa Alofa or Roger Tuivasa-Scheck will inherit the number one jersey and do justice to the man one of them will take over from next year.

[trewhella]

Also is playing Mini's only role?
I don't actually want Dugan, Hayne or Boyd teaching people at our club about footy. They're all show ponies, but besides possibly Boyd (who c'mon... people skills is a drop kick) aren't really good role models, and IMO go off instinct more than anything.

Mini's not fast but he's learned the game, been at the top and IMO is still better than say signing Ben Barba (who would cost about the same and sure have more youthful attacking spark, but lack in so many other areas.)

---

Mini's a solid fullback/winger who is still capable of playing competitively at club and origin level. He'll probably leave this year and I don't know many who can replace his fullness as a player/mentor. Yes many have more youthful attacking spark, but stability under dangerous high bombs every time is the difference between having/not having possession. I'll list the flaws of possible replacements:
- Dugan is ALWAYS injured, always in trouble with the cops, always partying and in 2 years time will possibly be a nobody when the next kid with speed/skills comes along and he's all bandaged up.
- Hayne is a 1 man show and p1sses people off. He's fast but makes lots of dumb mistakes, and doesn't have anything to offer the youngsters IMO.
- Slater is too expensive and won't sign with us anyway.
- SBW... isn't really a FB/Winger. He's a Union winger... sometimes... not really.
- Barba (or insert young promising gun) will still cost a lot of money and demand a premium as an up and coming star. We know a lot of those ones here at Bondi!!!
- On the wing... we really do need some absolute FREAK like Yow Yeh... but from what I've seen we're not really chasing any? SBW for the centres? Really not a solution for our wing/FB.

---

My HOPE is that Mini's sitting there as a solid FB/Winger and is teaching all the young blokes how to play like he did as a kid (or at least as well as he does now TBH!!) 3 Years time rather than looking around, Mini might have provided these guys with the tools to be the in demand/in form mobile backs. You don't just find an old ex world #1 FB who's still playing solid footy and willing to teach all your promising youngsters.

I think our plan is sound because we're focussing on training tomorrow's stars rather than buying today's big star.

yep


and thats why you and the club are so effing predictable.

hang on.....

lets sign Sonny....

cool

how much?

600k


easy.


Does he fit into what we need?

Who cares?

He is Sonny Bill......The heavyweight champion of the world.

No worries.


If it goes to shit, roosters fans wont care. Because (ha ha ha) they cant have a say......Dr Evil laugh inserted here!

[Guest]

yep
and thats why you and the club are so effing predictable.
hang on.....
lets sign Sonny....
cool
how much?
600k
easy.
Does he fit into what we need?
Who cares?
He is Sonny Bill......The heavyweight champion of the world
No worries.
If it goes to shit, roosters fans wont care. Because (ha ha ha) they cant have a say......Dr Evil laugh inserted here!

Like this, Cruella?

[Guest]

This has to be a joke. Surely when he is 35 he will be retired or at a super league club.

[Guest]

Mate the part in bold is emotive crap.. Dally Messenger would be a long long time Rooster if he still wanted to play.. Players have to understand if they want to keep playing when their standards are not what they once were that they have to be judged on performance eventually. You just cannot keep re-signing and picking players because they are club legends. Eventually you have to make a call.

As to who we have in our ranks, that is an issue but the greater issue is that it should have been fixed by now and we should have actively recruited someone a bit more ready in the past couple seasons. Can't keep looking in the rearview mirror. I know he looks ripped but he did last season too.. You can walk into the gym and see guys who are ripped but it does not mean they have the speed or agility to play NRL. I agree there is probably still none better under the higher ball but he offers next to nothing in attack these days and we need speed badly and at fullback it is extremely important.

You seem to have so much insight and knowledge into the club.

[Guest]

I see Mini's role to be like Brett Mullins' was while he was here. Take a winger under his care and teach him how to play.

The tragedy was that Mullos had Todd Byrne. Stick Shreck, Moga or "Not Abo" Henry on the wing and have Mini mentor them in the ways of the sauce bottle.

[melon....]

I see Mini's role to be like Brett Mullins' was while he was here. Take a winger under his care and teach him how to play.

The tragedy was that Mullos had Todd Byrne. Stick Shreck, Moga or "Not Abo" Henry on the wing and have Mini mentor them in the ways of the sauce bottle.

Actually Mullos had the Cuban Cueball - Heggarty. Mullos turned that hand clapping ctrab into a Kangaroo.

If Mullos was there in 03, Byrne would have beaten Sattler.

[Guest]

Actually Mullos had the Cuban Cueball - Heggarty. Mullos turned that hand clapping ctrab into a Kangaroo.

If Mullos was there in 03, Byrne would have beaten Sattler.

That's right, forgive my poor memory. Too many drugs.

[Cockadoodledoo]

After seeing RTS tonight, Mini may have to play until he is 35. Dropped a kick off, threw a cut out pass into row 3 and missed almost every tackle he attempted..