2026 recruitment & retention

Paseka Hetherington Bullemor Navale Moale

Pack is set now, just need a 9 and hopefully a junior comes in and fills a backrow spot
We have a 9 in Simpkin and a couple of other young ones coming through behind in MZ and Ashton Large. Rumour is (hopefully not true) we are also talking to Zach Docker—Clay to return.
 
Our recruitment & retention morons have stuffed it up again. This time losing 2 very good prospects.

Manly lose 2025 Jersey Flegg Player of the Year to rivals
Morons? The guys that have signed Fog, Moale, Walsh, Hart, Hetherington, Zaidas & the Large brothers have done their jobs nicely IMO. Wait until November & it could get a lot better.

Only reason those 2 mentioned in the article won the awards is because anyone half decent in that age group was playing reserve grade regularly. Munn took the step up a few times & got bashed. Dowell is solid but well below Walsh & Large in the talent department. Good luck to them both but personally I don’t think we’ll pay for letting them walk.
 
Moale is a great signing. All of a sudden we have a very solid middle with Paseka, Moale, Hetherington, Navale, Bryan and Laiafi coming through. I’d almost say we might not need to target another prop. A damaging back rower and a quality hooker is what we could use. We look to have set ourselves up very well for 2027 and beyond. Now let’s secure Willie Peters!
 
Does look to be a good signing... Moale has good post-contact and fast PTBs from what I have seen of him (vermin one of the few teams I do not watch a lot though)...
 
2026 if Moale gets an early release.

Paseka
Simpkin
Taukeiaho
Olakak'atu
Hetherington
Jake (C)

Brooks
Navale
Bullemore
Moale

Yes, I have Hetherington on an edge. Ideally, he attacks like a wider-running middle, but defends on the edge.
No, I have no spot in the seventeen for Burbo. (18th man perhaps).
Yes, Jake is the Captain, but he only gets 30 minutes on-field in total. (Two stints at the beginning of each half, with Navale playing 50 minutes at lock).
I'm with you RE Jake but it's for that reason that I'd have Turbo as captain. Co captains maybe, given that's the thing these days.

I'm not ready to give up on Ben yet though. I can see how it will be difficult to fit him in given Bulle, Navale and Moale would certainly be in the 17. And Hetherington (who I'm not sold on yet) wouldn't be coming down to play NSW Cup.

I'm assuming you have Walsh in the halves with Brooks on the bench?? Again, I'm not sure he's ready to step straight into 1st Gde. Another year to fill out and get some more big fella footy under the belt just feels right (albeit conservative).
 
Any suggestions where?
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