NRL 2025

@Nepia said in NRL 2025:

@mariner4life said in NRL 2025:

No chance, surely? If he made way and they kept pompey i might actually just stop watching

It's the Warriors, I'm always setting myself up for disappointment. Berry has been a favourite of Webby, and he seems to like Pompey as well.

I don't think Pompey is nearly as bad as made out, TBH he's like our own Aussie journeyman that the Warriors love to bring over and give lots of games too.

I am prepared to continue to be presently surprised though and hope this is Leiataua's break out season.

If we could be so lucky that this is the second coming of an Ali L?

Don’t want to curse the bloke, but looks good with the limited shitty ball we’re feeding him

@bayimports said in NRL 2025:

@Nepia said in NRL 2025:

@mariner4life said in NRL 2025:

No chance, surely? If he made way and they kept pompey i might actually just stop watching

It's the Warriors, I'm always setting myself up for disappointment. Berry has been a favourite of Webby, and he seems to like Pompey as well.

I don't think Pompey is nearly as bad as made out, TBH he's like our own Aussie journeyman that the Warriors love to bring over and give lots of games too.

I am prepared to continue to be presently surprised though and hope this is Leiataua's break out season.

If we could be so lucky that this is the second coming of an Ali L?

Don’t want to curse the bloke, but looks good with the limited shitty ball we’re feeding him

Ali looks a beast on attack and defence. He has to be given an decent run in the side. Charnz may not have serious gas, but he carries the ball like another backrower, his run metres per carry really helped out the forwards. Interesting to see how long RTS is out with his hammy, perhaps this is an opportunity for one of the NSW Cup kids to step up and grab their opportunity.

Oh and our 17 is a really strong young player. We are making far fewer errors right now

Looks like my prediction that the Tigers will be massive improves this year over the last few months is looking very good so far. They really do have something special brewing I feel, and a top spine.

My prediction that Kristian Woolf not
suffering from the Wayne Bennett curse isn't looking great however.

It is also only round 3.

@African-Monkey said in NRL 2025:

Looks like my prediction that the Tigers will be massive improves this year over the last few months is looking very good so far. They really do have something special brewing I feel, and a top spine.

A very good effort to score three tires and keep the dolphins to zero points in the second half. Typically the Tigers of the last few seasons would just capitulate.

Dolphins a roughie for the spoon. Tigers might be the 2024 Bulldogs of this year.

@African-Monkey to be fair Dolphins should have buried that game but continually found new ways to let the Tigers back in. I’m not on the Tigers bus just yet, think top teams bury them with that performance

Still good start

@bayimports Even the Knights who were shit tonight against the Titans somehow beat the Tigers a couple of weeks ago.

Tigers definitely a lot better now than in the past few seasons.

@bayimports said in NRL 2025:

@African-Monkey to be fair Dolphins should have buried that game but continually found new ways to let the Tigers back in. I’m not on the Tigers bus just yet, think top teams bury them with that performance

Still good start

I think they needed to take shots at goal early in the 2nd half, build some Scoreboard pressure, especially as the Tigers fitness has improved which is allowing themselves to stay in contests for longer. The Da Silva try before halftime was soft, which bought the Tigers back into the game where they were cruising at 18-6. What I will say about the Tigers is that they've recruited well in the off season so far out wide with Turuva and Skelton, up front with Hunt and May, and of course Luai, who makes a massive difference to their spine, and allows Korosau and Galvin especially to play their own games. He's a great steadying influence on that side.

Tigers Wahs next week to determine who starts the season 3-1 with the winner going 3 in a row. Not many would have predicted that at the start of the season.

@African-Monkey one of my bold predictions was knights finishing last, they have started much better than I thought. In fact looking stupid now. I’m saying that I had Tigers beating Knights and Eels (without Moses) , this was the first 50/50 match. It’s still a soft draw. Next week the soft draw continues. Tigers at home should win this but another 50/50 type of match that if they win keeps confidence going. Just yet to play a top end team.

May is in the top three props already in the comp, Roosters are idiots. So were we for not trying to get him. But yes great recruiting, I’m not denying it. I just haven’t seen enough yet to think they won’t be a mid table finish. Again great start though

@bayimports said in NRL 2025:

@African-Monkey one of my bold predictions was knights finishing last, they have started much better than I thought. In fact looking stupid now. I’m saying that I had Tigers beating Knights and Eels (without Moses) , this was the first 50/50 match. It’s still a soft draw. Next week the soft draw continues. Tigers at home should win this but another 50/50 type of match that if they win keeps confidence going. Just yet to play a top end team.

May is in the top three props already in the comp, Roosters are idiots. So were we for not trying to get him. But yes great recruiting, I’m not denying it. I just haven’t seen enough yet to think they won’t be a mid table finish. Again great start though

On May, he could be close to an origin call-up should one prop go down. He's been great. Will be a big battle in the middle next week between him and Barnett, both gunning for that origin spot.

It's funny how some players don't suit the Roosters set up. First Brandon Smith, now May. Robbo comes across as quite a snobby, serious person. Not saying it's wrong, but if you look at the elite coaches (robbo being one), they all seem completely different personality wise.

Geez that Eels Dogs match was a stinker. The only memorable thing to come out of it was Josh Curran standing in the referees position telling the Eels players that they were offside, so they pulled out of the play, only for him to get penalized for it!

Better fight shown by the Eels, bit yeah, I fell asleep with 10 to go, the game was that boring.

Round 3: The fight back

Melbourne hold out a gutsy and determined Penrith who are suddenly 1-2.
The Wahs beat the Roosters who are pretty shit, and obviously played out of their skin last week.
The Cowboys showed up this week but still weren't good enough to beat the Broncos. Payne Haas is terrifying.
Saturday Cronulla put Souths back in their box in a pretty one-sided affair.
The Dolphins are in real trouble. They lead the Tigers 18-6 and went on to lose 18-30. The Tigers have had a nice soft start to the year, are definitely improved, and aren't giving up many points.
The Knights too have had a soft start, and everyone expected them to pump the Titans. Except Tino is back and the Titans are different when he plays.
Yesterday the Eels showed some fight against Bulldogs outfit stripped of 4 of its best players. And despite Lomax having a real go, they were terrible on attack, and the Doggies held on in a game that African Monkey accurately described.
In the late game Manly took all their frustrations from last week out on a Raiders side who were horrible. It was 40-0 early enough for the 50 but Manly went easy. Haumole Olakau'atu is both huge and really good at football.

Reece Walsh is once again getting a kicking for his ridiculous error count, but i tell you what, his opposite number from Friday is probably pretty happy that Reece has a higher profile, Drinkwater was dogshit. Again.
The big boys are the stand out players to start the year. Guys like Haas, Tino, Olakau'atu, Utoikamanu and May have all started the year on fire and are driving their teams forward. This is good news for the Wahs who have a couple of really good ones.

I saw the two worst penalties i have seen in a while this week. First Munster gets penalised for feeding it to Liam Martin after the two of them had been going at each other all game. Then yesterday Josh Curran got penalised for pretending to be the ref and calling Eels players off side. "Not in the spirit of the game" come the fuck on.

Home advantage helping in a lot of games so far. In terms of big guys, I think you can add E.Katoa to that list.

Knights lost both their strike second row forwards for that Titans game as well. Mind you I did suspect the Titans might bounce back anyway.

That was such a BS call on Curran, if anything it was funny but not a penalty.

Lots of hammy and knee injuries already, dont think everyone is old, and some tackles being referred as hip drops that are clearly not. Bit of a worry, just hope no one gets rubbed out for something that isnt a hip drop and just an accidental landing.

Eels or Dolphins for the spoon.

Both have looked very ordinary so far this season.

Payten I think will be first coach sacked. I think he lost the playing group at the Cowboys.

I know the Raiders got flogged last night but I liked what I saw from them in the first two round and think they'll play finals this year and to the surprise of no one Ricky had a good old moan again.

DCE to leave Manly at the end of the season.

@MacDazzler said in NRL 2025:

DCE to leave Manly at the end of the season.

Lets see, Manly dont believe its over yet

@MacDazzler said in NRL 2025:

Eels or Dolphins for the spoon.

Not sure on Eels just yet, think a lot will depend on Moses availability, if spoon handed out now, they would already have a hand firm on the handle.

@bayimports Well he does have form backflipping from the Titans 10 years ago, you're right it ain't over yet.

Far out 2 more years, that'll take him to 38 if it happens!

@African-Monkey said in NRL 2025:

Far out 2 more years, that'll take him to 38 if it happens!

heard tonight he has missed 23 games since he started and most were origin. Still leads fitness tests etc.. quite a freak really

@bayimports said in NRL 2025:

@African-Monkey said in NRL 2025:

Far out 2 more years, that'll take him to 38 if it happens!

heard tonight he has missed 23 games since he started and most were origin. Still leads fitness tests etc.. quite a freak really

Cam Smith type durability, infact, that was like the whole Storm spine back then, they were hardly ever injured.

DCE to the Roosters makes too much sense given everything said last night (and hasn't this story just exploded in like 18 hours!)

It explains why the Roosters were passive in the transfer market, and DCE seems determined to go.

@mariner4life said in NRL 2025:

DCE to the Roosters makes too much sense given everything said last night (and hasn't this story just exploded in like 18 hours!)

It explains why the Roosters were passive in the transfer market, and DCE seems determined to go.

Braith Anasta was confident last night that he's all but signed for the Roosters.

what shit show Manly is, listened to their CEO this morning, tried to say they respected DCEs wishes. Reality is they had offered him nothing and expected him to do nothing about it?
Dont know where he will end up, but what an entertaining 18 hours

One of the young wingers in NSW Cup will get a decent crack at making a case in the top team

Dylan Walker to the Eels effective immediately.

@MacDazzler said in NRL 2025:

Dylan Walker to the Eels effective immediately.

Shit, as @mariner4life noted above, he's our best half.

@MacDazzler said in NRL 2025:

Dylan Walker to the Eels effective immediately.

How the hell? He's a good bench option. Perhaps he could see the writing on the wall, with Ali making 3 his own, and Berry coming back soon

@canefan said in NRL 2025:

@MacDazzler said in NRL 2025:

Dylan Walker to the Eels effective immediately.

How the hell? He's a good bench option. Perhaps he could see the writing on the wall, with Ali making 3 his own, and Berry coming back soon

Why would that matter? He's never been a centre for us he's always been an impact player.

Lol, he will add immediate shape to Parra. Currently our best half. Was always leaving at the end of the year, just brought forward.
I can only hope this TMM takes his place on the bench as the current spine (except Egan) dont dig into the line and just crab

On a adjacent topic, surely we have a mini cash sombrero now

not happy.

get why he wants to go back to Sydney, but perhaps there is a bit of "what we knew when we signed him" coming back to bite us.

This makes us exponentially weaker. We must have serious cap space floating around.

@Nepia said in NRL 2025:

@canefan said in NRL 2025:

@MacDazzler said in NRL 2025:

Dylan Walker to the Eels effective immediately.

How the hell? He's a good bench option. Perhaps he could see the writing on the wall, with Ali making 3 his own, and Berry coming back soon

Why would that matter? He's never been a centre for us he's always been an impact player.

He is a valuable squad member, I just hope we don't suffer any injuries that accentuate the fact that he's gone

@mariner4life said in NRL 2025:

not happy.

get why he wants to go back to Sydney, but perhaps there is a bit of "what we knew when we signed him" coming back to bite us.

This makes us exponentially weaker. We must have serious cap space floating around.

Exactly my point, we must be able to go after this big fish now

the problem is no one good in on the market or wants to come. so i expect us to buy old kiwis who were household names 3 years ago. For like $800k a season

@mariner4life said in NRL 2025:

the problem is no one good in on the market or wants to come. so i expect us to buy old kiwis who were household names 3 years ago. For like $800k a season

The only player at that rate on the open market is DCE.

Mind you if anyone may have watched any Phins games lately, Kotoa has really improved this year, maybe make it a three club swap.

Kini out for the year for Titans would be better than CNK, Titans have too many FLBs

anyway couple of thoughts

no way in the current market Katoa is gettable. A genuinely good half, who is still young? no chance.

Are there upgrades on our current players? There are players in Q-Cup who would be upgrades on a few of them. But we're going to have to buy on potential.

@canefan said in NRL 2025:

@Nepia said in NRL 2025:

@canefan said in NRL 2025:

@MacDazzler said in NRL 2025:

Dylan Walker to the Eels effective immediately.

How the hell? He's a good bench option. Perhaps he could see the writing on the wall, with Ali making 3 his own, and Berry coming back soon

Why would that matter? He's never been a centre for us he's always been an impact player.

He is a valuable squad member, I just hope we don't suffer any injuries that accentuate the fact that he's gone

I don't disagree with any of that, I was only meaning in relation to the centres. I don't think they impact his decision to leave.

Curiously i have seen a few comments on late that we may not have the war chest we thought we might have and might have overspent in a couple areas. May well explain the fire sale of Maiu and the we will be nice and just let players go attitude. At the same time if this turns out to be true, will be pissed

Penrith diabolically bad in first half and couldn’t get back from there, Souths hold on for a big win. Penrith in a bit of trouble

To'o left the game with a hamstring injury to add further misery. This might be the year Penrith don't win. Until tonight haven't lost 3 in a row since 2019.