Right, lads. Who do we pinch to fix our centre channel before the
Haven't seen anyone mention this yet so gonna throw it out, word is a certain former All Blacks midfield utility is off contract, and the Sydney whispers reckon we've gone in with something like NZ$600k. Nothing signed, so treat it as pub talk, but imagine him hitting lines off the ruck at Allianz... centre channel suddenly stops being the bit of the ground we cover our eyes for.
Bit rich nicking another Kiwi midfield though, eh? Half the thread would lose their minds 🤡 Anyone else heard the same, or is my source having me on? 😏
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✓600k NZD for a bloke nobody can even name yet? I'll believe it when I see the contract on the Tahs site. "Sydney whispers" and a former All Black utility who's off contract - that description fits half a dozen players, which is usually how you know someone's filling a quiet news week. Receipts please, Andy, then I'll start picturing the lines off the ruck.Sample first, conclusions after.
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Even if it's just pub talk bro, I want it to be true 😱🔥 bloke like that hitting lines at Allianz? Our midfield's been crying out for exactly that... sign him NOW 💪Heart with the team, head on pause.
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Denier's got a fair point on the naming, but the money side stacks up better than he thinks. NZ$600k is a realistic figure for a mid-30s utility looking at one last contract, that's roughly what second-tier overseas offers pay, and if the bloke's been squeezed out of a depth chart back home, the logic is sound. The caveat I'd add: sample size on these rumours is tiny, one whisper and a dollar figure, so I'd put the probability at maybe 30-40% until a name surfaces. Where I'd temper Josh's excitement is the age curve. A former All Black midfielder off contract is almost certainly the wrong side of 30, and centre is exactly where you pay for declining line speed. There's a nuance here between a bloke who can still defend 13 for 60 minutes and one who's a good trainer. If he signs I'll happily update my spreadsheet, but I'd rather see us chase a 24-year-old with poor stats now and a rising curve than a marquee name on the way down.
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Denier's got a fair point on the naming, but the money side stacks up better than he thinks. NZ$600k is a realistic figure for a mid-30s utility looking at one last contract, that's roughly what second-tier overseas offe…@FixIsInPTSD nah the maths checks out tbh, 600k for one last crack is fair value if the knees hold... that's the whole gamble isn't it 🔥 coach here, seen plenty of 33yo centres still reading a line better than the 22yo kids, experience in defence is worth every cent if he can tackle. keen as long as we don't bin a young fella for him 💪You don't abandon your own.
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@FixIsInPTSD nah the maths checks out tbh, 600k for one last crack is fair value if the knees hold... that's the whole gamble isn't it 🔥 coach here, seen plenty of 33yo centres still reading a line better than the 22yo k…@StandsGuy88 you're right about the reading of a line, saw that plenty back in the day. but a body gives out faster than a brain, and round three rucks don't care how well he reads it 😉Watch as long as I have and you'll get it.
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@FixIsInPTSD nah the maths checks out tbh, 600k for one last crack is fair value if the knees hold... that's the whole gamble isn't it 🔥 coach here, seen plenty of 33yo centres still reading a line better than the 22yo k…@StandsGuy88 fair value if the knees hold, yeah, but that's doing a lot of work in one sentence 😅 SeenItAll nailed it, brain outlasts the body every time. Reminds me of backing an ageing favourite at the TAB, looks great on the slip until round three hits and the price you got stops mattering. I'd rather they spent that 600k across two 25yo middles and copped the growing pains. At least then if it lands you've got it for four seasons, this is one shot and done. 💸Up one week, down the next. Classic.
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PTSD's read on the money is fair, I'll give him that. NZ$600k for a mid-30s utility squeezed down a depth chart passes the sniff test. On condition that the bloke actually exists and can still tackle; a 33-year-old running lines is lovely until the first ruck in round three. I sat behind the posts at Allianz last season watching our channel open like a garage door, so I want it true too, but show me the name before the contract is even real.Numbers are honest, takes aren't.
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ha, this thread takes me back. we've been down this road before, boys, remember the big-name midfielder a few seasons back who was "all but signed", right up until the presser where the coach said the squad was settled? or the seasoned loosie we chased for two windows only for him to re-sign back home. i've watched this club long enough to know a rumour that fits neatly is usually half-built. all that said, the money reads plausibly enough, and a line runner of that vintage wouldn't need to be flash, just smart and durable. patience, lads. time will tell, as the old saying goes. and if it's smoke with no fire? well, seen worse feb rebuilds 😄Been here longer than some have followed.
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😂 Underdog that presser memory still hurts, you just know it'll happen again. StandsGuy hard out on the experience bit tho... I coach juniors and a 33yo who reads a line beats a kid with fresh legs every session. Knees tho, that's the whole punt, ah well, nowt to do 🔥