2026 Team possibilities

[Top End Eagle]

I'd like to see a real clean out with DCE leaving, giving seibold a chance to have his own team or leave at the end of the year.

Koula
Saab
Hopoate
Turbo
Talau

Brooks
Fogarty

Navale
Ola
....?
Paseka
Simpkin
....?

Ben T (covers backs)
Jake (for forty minutes tightening up either side of halftime, can hopefully have a similar impact as his twenty minutes bules appearances last year where he tackled everything in maroon shorts
Bullemore
.....?

Hopefully the team gets a bit more direction and fewer kicks on the first, and sideline squishing with Fogarty instead of DCE.

Like to see what people's thoughts are. Especially with regard to the gaps.

That's not a top 4 team on paper but plenty of lesser names in teams doing well currently.

I will still watch the team go around but I have no confidence in them this year.

They looked great at the start of the year that feels like a lifetime ago now.

This will be a rebuild but a chance to set the club up for the juniors coming through in the halves and hooker and players like Willet etc to be blooded for a 2028/2029 window.





Koula adds more from fullback attack wise but Lehi is safe as houses, I could live with either but I think with Tom to play centre

 

[Eagle 1]

I'd like to see a real clean out with DCE leaving, giving seibold a chance to have his own team or leave at the end of the year.

Koula
Saab
Hopoate
Turbo
Talau

Brooks
Fogarty

Navale
Ola
....?
Paseka
Simpkin
....?

Ben T (covers backs)
Jake (for forty minutes tightening up either side of halftime, can hopefully have a similar impact as his twenty minutes bules appearances last year where he tackled everything in maroon shorts
Bullemore
.....?

Hopefully the team gets a bit more direction and fewer kicks on the first, and sideline squishing with Fogarty instead of DCE.

Like to see what people's thoughts are. Especially with regard to the gaps.

That's not a top 4 team on paper but plenty of lesser names in teams doing well currently.

I will still watch the team go around but I have no confidence in them this year.

They looked great at the start of the year that feels like a lifetime ago now.

This will be a rebuild but a chance to set the club up for the juniors coming through in the halves and hooker and players like Willet etc to be blooded for a 2028/2029 window.





Koula adds more from fullback attack wise but Lehi is safe as houses, I could live with either but I think with Tom to play centre

Definitely not keen on Tom being a front line defender at centre. It would be to nerve wrecking to watch.

 

[KNUCKLES]

You are right we need a big clean out. I dont see the fogarty/Brooks combination working either. In an ideal world I would look into getting Jake and Croker to both retire. Also I would try and release brooks, waddell, schoupp, matterson, gordon, sipley, James. Potentially Garrick depending on cap. We get an extra 250k back from Schuster also. Upgrade bullemor to be starting prop, extend tevaga, vaega, fualalo, arthur, talau, taukeiaho on minimum contracts or same value as currently on. I would then target young stowers Smith and Da Silva, go hard for fifita around the 600 mark with titans chipping in, Zac laybutt from the cowboys with the emergence of purdue, consider matterson and tevita pangai on 400-500 each. Give or take something like this could work given my estimates and reported salaries and obviously given we can move everyone on without chipping. (This is where Garrick may need to be shopped)

1.TOM TRBOJEVIC
2.JASON SAAB
3.TOLUTAU KOULA
4.REUBEN GARRICK *
5.LEHI HOPOATE
6.ONITONI LARGE
7.JAMAL FOGARTY
8.TANIELA PASEKA
9.TALLYN DA SILVA
10.ETHAN BULLEMOR
11.HAUMOLE OLAKAU'ATU
12.DAVID FIFITA
13.JAZZ TEVAGA

14.JAKE SIMPKIN
15.SIO TAUKEIAHO
16.RYAN MATTERSON
17.TEVITA PANGAI JNR

18.CLAYTON FAULALO
19.RAYMOND VAEGA
20.TOMMY TALAU
21.ZAC LAYBUTT
22.NAVREN WILLETT
23.JAKOB ARTHUR
24.JOEY WALSH
25.JOSH ALOIAI
26.ZAIDAS MUAGUTUTIA
27.NATHAN BROWN
28.BEN TRBOJEVIC
27.D'JAZIRHAE PUA'AVASE
30.TANNER STOWERS SMITH

DEV
1.CALEB NAVALE
2.SIMIONE LAIFAI
3.MATT LODGE
4.CHRIS PATOLO

Obviously the players coming in dont have to be like for like, but something close i feel could be possible given with fifita and matterson news, pangai, stowers Smith and laybutt all off contract etc.

 

[Top End Eagle]

You are right we need a big clean out. I dont see the fogarty/Brooks combination working either. In an ideal world I would look into getting Jake and Croker to both retire. Also I would try and release brooks, waddell, schoupp, matterson, gordon, sipley, James. Potentially Garrick depending on cap. We get an extra 250k back from Schuster also. Upgrade bullemor to be starting prop, extend tevaga, vaega, fualalo, arthur, talau, taukeiaho on minimum contracts or same value as currently on. I would then target young stowers Smith and Da Silva, go hard for fifita around the 600 mark with titans chipping in, Zac laybutt from the cowboys with the emergence of purdue, consider matterson and tevita pangai on 400-500 each. Give or take something like this could work given my estimates and reported salaries and obviously given we can move everyone on without chipping. (This is where Garrick may need to be shopped)

1.TOM TRBOJEVIC
2.JASON SAAB
3.TOLUTAU KOULA
4.REUBEN GARRICK *
5.LEHI HOPOATE
6.ONITONI LARGE
7.JAMAL FOGARTY
8.TANIELA PASEKA
9.TALLYN DA SILVA
10.ETHAN BULLEMOR
11.HAUMOLE OLAKAU'ATU
12.DAVID FIFITA
13.JAZZ TEVAGA

14.JAKE SIMPKIN
15.SIO TAUKEIAHO
16.RYAN MATTERSON
17.TEVITA PANGAI JNR

18.CLAYTON FAULALO
19.RAYMOND VAEGA
20.TOMMY TALAU
21.ZAC LAYBUTT
22.NAVREN WILLETT
23.JAKOB ARTHUR
24.JOEY WALSH
25.JOSH ALOIAI
26.ZAIDAS MUAGUTUTIA
27.NATHAN BROWN
28.BEN TRBOJEVIC
27.D'JAZIRHAE PUA'AVASE
30.TANNER STOWERS SMITH

DEV
1.CALEB NAVALE
2.SIMIONE LAIFAI
3.MATT LODGE
4.CHRIS PATOLO

Obviously the players coming in dont have to be like for like, but something close i feel could be possible given with fifita and matterson news, pangai, stowers Smith and laybutt all off contract etc.

That's good

 

[Disco]

"Getting" players to retire, simply releasing contracted players.

It's all pretty easy isnt it.

Tell me Kuckles, say you were a footy player, maybe late 20s, maybe 30. Still love the game, still feel you have plenty to offer. Have a contract for another season worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Maybe you have a young family, maybe one soon on its way. You know that an NRL career doesnt last forever and you wont be blessed to earn good money doing something you love and have the thrill to run out to packed crowds each week.

Maybe your not at your peak but your club comes along and says hey, you've been great, you've busted your body for us, you've given your all, but now we'd just prefer you retire so we dont have to pay you X dollars.........why.....oh why would you agree to that?

 

[Disco]

Also I would try and release brooks, waddell, schoupp, matterson, gordon, sipley, James.

Schoupp, Matterson, GCKT, Sipley and James are all off contract

 

[KNUCKLES]

I said in an ideal world..
These are just ideas and possibilities I think could be a discussion point. Regarding the release of players, brooks and waddell are the only contracted players that would be released rather than re signed. Around the retirement issue, for sure I get it and it's alot easier said than done. But certain clubs have urged players to retire in the past successfully. Broncos and dogs are two. The other angle could be to actually secure your families future whilst getting a longer deal elsewhere while there may still be some interest before ones get to long in the tooth persay. My point mainly is I think the club lately are very reactive than proactive. We need to try and make things happen. Anyways...

 

[KNUCKLES]

Whatever happens, I believe we need to make waves now if we want to build a premiership winning roster. Next year when our big contracts are up will be too late. The bears will be in, and any player will use them to ratchet up their asking price. And moving onwards, talent will be only harder to attract with more clubs in the league