Right, lads, time we finally pinched a proper No. 8
Right lads, heard something interesting through a mate of a mate who works around the franchise scene down here - apparently a certain Crusaders loosie, the big ball-carrying No. 8 type we've been crying out for, is quietly off-contract at the end of the season and hasn't signed anything yet.
Word is he'd fancy a wee homecoming to Dunedin if the money stacked up, and the chat I heard was around NZ$600k a season. That's serious coin for us, but imagine him at the back of our scrum instead of what we've been papering over the last few years. Someone put it on the TAB at decent odds and I'd still back it happening 😏 anyone else heard a whisper?
11 posts
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✓Mate of a mate, aye? Source on that, or are we pinning our No. 8 hopes on pub gossip?
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Mate even if it's pub gossip I'm drinking at that pub 😍🔥 a proper ball-carrying 8 and we're a different team, sign him up at NZ$600k tbh. Remember when we got bossed at the breakdown vs them? ah well, nowt to do 🤬You don't abandon your own.
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Keep expectations parked, boys - a Crusaders loosie off-contract at 28-ish with pro-forma test ambitions rarely comes south for love of the Octagon, and NZ$600k would eat a third of our cap on one forward. Positional logic is fair though: we've carried a committee at 8 for years and the sample there tells you the committee has failed. I'd rate it a long punt, maybe one chance in five, but I'm keen to be proven wrong. 📊
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Fair question from GloryDays about the source, but even FixIsInPTSD's cap maths has a wobble - that NZ$600k figure assumes we're paying full whack, when a bloke chasing game time for test selection often takes a structured deal, heavy on appearances. Small sample of course, since we're going off one unnamed rumour and one salary guess, but I've watched enough of our breakdown work this season to say the need is real. I'd back us in over the tab-odds on him staying in Christchurch as a bench rotation piece.Numbers > vibes.
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Seen worse bets than that in my time, and back in my day we signed blokes off hunches and they became legends. FixIsIn, watch as long as I have and you'll get it, the cap talks differently when a fella wants game time more than top dollar, structured deals fix all that maths. Worse places to gamble a third of the kitty than a proven loosie 😉Been here longer than some have followed.
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@UnderdogNightmare respect the old school hunch signings but those blokes became legends 'cause we only remember the hits, the misses got quietly released to ITM Cup sides 🤣 happy for a punt though, reckon a guy chasing game time over top dollar sorts half the cap drama himself. Worst case we end up with another cult hero at Forsyth Barr, there's worse fatesCame to laugh, stayed for life 🍿
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Would be funny watching the Crusaders fans meltdown if he rocked up at Forsyth Barr, eh. Structured deal and I'd take the punt 🤡💸
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FixIsInPTSD's cap maths is the only sober post here, and BootToBallGuru's structured-deal point is fair - but define "loosie" first: blindside, openside or actual No. 8? Three different roles, three different cap hits.
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Handy reminder needed here, lads. Remember the big-name recruit we all got excited about a few seasons back, the one the papers had "done deal" and then he re-signed north without a whisper? I've watched a few of these homecoming dreams die at the altar over the years. Structured deal or otherwise, I'll believe it when he's holding up the jersey at Forsyth Barr. Time will tell, as the old boys used to say 😉Remember when the grass was greener 🌱
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Those past signings are just anecdotes, frankly. While history shows hype often outweighs performance, memories of who left without a fuss aren't a reliable way to predict future team synergy or tactical needs. Unless you can tie a specific past failure to a recurring systemic flaw, betting on historical disappointment is just being lazy.Sample first, conclusions after.