2026 recruitment & retention

[SeaEagleRock8]

Just a quick compliment to Manly's recruitment team. Oft-derided recruits such as TKO, Tevaga, Talau, Brown and even Waddell helped Manly to a crucial win last night.
🙂

 

[Frogz]

Just on recruitment - noticed Flanno having a major whine about losing a good young player to the Dogs. We didn't get a chance to keep him, he bleated mournfully.
Er ... except there is a 10 day cooling off period precisely so the current club can have a chance to counter any external deal.
I love it when coaches whinge and carry on because usually they have got a point. Not this time! Sometimes another club is simply more attractive.

I think it coincided with Ricky having a whinge also. Maybe they are getting together and starting to wine about Player Agents.

 

[Disco]

Owen Pattie. What ever it takes.

Only re-signed about a month back.

 

[manly al]

Great win and commitment all round , every player really put in and lifted ,
Defence held up when it mattered and played to their strengths again in attacking plays
.Turbo does make a major difference but again pretty good team effort all round where the stakes were naturally pretty high in the pressure and vital game sense .
Main thing again , the side largely kept their focus , even with that difficult period just after half time .
Not sure whether Bully is best off starting , maybe T K O and Aloioa or Jake as props initially ,then also Bully from the bench but Simpkin surely has to be the starting 9 and can only conclude on last night S indication , Jazz as the run on 13 .
Brown from the bench ,and with Saab available again , could be a case for T T 2 there also , really deserves to be in the game day squad somewhere but then Navale could come into calculations also
Needed D C E to step up and he pretty much did fortunately .
Some critical selection decisions coming up but surely has to be influenced by last night ;s on field results

 

[manly al]

Great win and commitment all round , every player really put in and lifted ,
Defence held up when it mattered and played to their strengths again in attacking plays
.Turbo does make a major difference but again pretty good team effort all round where the stakes were naturally pretty high in the pressure and vital game sense .
Main thing again , the side largely kept their focus , even with that difficult period just after half time .
Not sure whether Bully is best off starting , maybe T K O and Aloioa or Jake as props initially ,then also Bully from the bench but Simpkin surely has to be the starting 9 and can only conclude on last night S indication , Jazz as the run on 13 .
Brown from the bench ,and with Saab available again , could be a case for T T 2 there also , really deserves to be in the game day squad somewhere but then Navale could come into calculations also
Needed D C E to step up and he pretty much did fortunately .
Some critical selection decisions coming up but surely has to be influenced by last night ;s on field results

Put this i the wrong column , looks like i will have to focus more

 

[double hoops]

Only re-signed about a month back.

Dam.

I hear Raiders are now looking to keep Starling, after already having added Brailey for next year.

Something has got to give with the Raiders 9s.

 

[Stewbojevic]

Dam.

I hear Raiders are now looking to keep Starling, after already having added Brailey for next year.

Something has got to give with the Raiders 9s.

Yea it seems odd if they re-sign Starling when they have Pattie and Brailey already signed.

 

[Disco]

Dam.

I hear Raiders are now looking to keep Starling, after already having added Brailey for next year.

Something has got to give with the Raiders 9s.

If that something was Pattie...that agreed. Get him

 

[KNUCKLES]

If that something was Pattie...that agreed. Get him

If we don't go to the market for a nine. Surely we start simpkin for the rest of the year

 

[Stewbojevic]

The Dragons have some great young forwards coming through I’d love us to have a crack at.

Dylan Egan, the Couchmans, Hamish Stewart… all made for the modern game.

 

[Ron E. Gibbs]

Speaking of forwards and smart recruiting (sadly, not by us), how good is Erin Clark going for the Warriors? He may be the best Pasifika forward with a girl's name since our own Kylie Leuluai.

Not exactly young in NRL terms (I think he's 27 or so now), but leaving the Gold Coast has done wonders for him.

 

[Carl]

Speaking of forwards and smart recruiting (sadly, not by us), how good is Erin Clark going for the Warriors? He may be the best Pasifika forward with a girl's name since our own Kylie Leuluai.

The best Pasifika forward with a girl's name might be a girl 😉

"Simaima Taufa, of Tongan descent, is a seasoned forward who has been a mainstay in the NSW Blues lineup. She earned Player of the Match honors in Game 1 of the 2025 series, showcasing her exceptional defensive skills and leadership on the field."

 

[ManlyTragic]

The best Pasifika forward with a girl's name might be a girl 😉

"Simaima Taufa, of Tongan descent, is a seasoned forward who has been a mainstay in the NSW Blues lineup. She earned Player of the Match honors in Game 1 of the 2025 series, showcasing her exceptional defensive skills and leadership on the field."

Sounds like what we need! Maybe if you put her it the scrum it would get the forwards to start firing!

Just sayin’

 

[Sorry]

Speaking of forwards and smart recruiting (sadly, not by us), how good is Erin Clark going for the Warriors? He may be the best Pasifika forward with a girl's name since our own Kylie Leuluai.

Not exactly young in NRL terms (I think he's 27 or so now), but leaving the Gold Coast has done wonders for him.

Speaking of Kylie Leuluai, his younger sister plays netball for NZ. Bruce Leuluai