Right, lads - who do we raid to fix that centre spot before McLean
Right, centre spot's been giving me grief all winter and I'll say it — word doing the rounds is a certain Wellington midfield beast is off-contract and has a soft spot for a sea change up here. Don't shoot the messenger, I heard it off a bloke who'd know. Imagine him in our colours crashing onto McLean Park turf 🤡 NZ$ spent worse, I'd wager 😏
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✓A bloke who'd know? Define "would know", because I've heard three versions of this rumour already and none came with a name. Receipts please.
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Mate even half a rumour of a Wellington beast coming north has me buzzing 🙌😭 our lot never make it easy at 12/13, we've been patching that centre hole for seasons now Think what he'd bring, straight ball carrying that actually bends the line, someone who hits it hard and gives our backs a proper go forward for ONCE. Imagine him crashing it up at McLean Park in our colours 🔥💪 I'd happily see the club splash some NZ$ on it tbh, we pay for scrum halves who can't pass, why not a real midfielder Receipts or no receipts, I'm dreaming big ah well, nowt to doYou don't abandon your own.
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I'd pump the brakes a bit before anyone starts planning seat upgrades. A Wellington midfielder off-contract and eyeing a move? Sure, it happens, but the question I always ask is who moves at 12/13 in their prime, for what money, to a province that's just gone through a coaching change. Midfielders with genuine line-bending carry are the scarcest commodity in the NPC, if he were that good, the Lions would be throwing NZ$ at him to stay. Now, that doesn't mean the rumour is rubbish. Contracts lapse all the time and a sea change does tempt blokes, especially if game time is the currency. I could be wrong, but my read is: wait until a name actually lands and then check his minutes last season, injury record and age. If he's 27-odd with 40-plus caps at this level, chase it hard. If he's a squad guy chasing a starting jersey, we've bought that story before and patched the hole for another winter.Do the math before you argue.
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FrontRowFan's got a point I could be wrong about, but my first instinct is to poke at it anyway. How often does a "midfield beast" in his prime walk away from a Wellington programme to play winter footy in Napier? I've kept a rough list of centre signings across the provinces the last few seasons, and the blokes who actually move are usually the ones their union has stopped picking. Until someone puts a name on it, I'd keep the NZ$ in the back pocket.Do the math before you argue.
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chris, mate, i've watched this game long enough to know blokes shift provinces for a fresh start more often than you'd think - a change is as good as a holiday, as the old fellas used to say. seen worse rumours turn into signings too. if he fancies bay colours and the NZ$ stacks up, i'd sooner roll the dice than patch that 12/13 hole with hope for another winter 😉Been here longer than some have followed.
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FrontRowFan talking about brakes is funny coming from the guy who tipped the Magpies to top the championship last year 😂 how'd that punt treat you at the TAB, mate? Anyway. Been watching the Wellington club scene down at Porirua way the last few seasons, and I've seen this exact rumour mill spin up before. What I'll say is blokes do drift north when the ITM Cup game time dries up, and Wellington's midfield is stacked enough that someone decent always gets squeezed. Whether it's THIS beast, though... 🤡 every winter we get one of these threads and by June we're all signing nobody. I'd happily eat my words at McLean Park with a pie in hand if it lands though.💸😏Any stat can be bent.
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ChrisDiehard387's scepticism is fair, though I'll add my own caveat: it does happen, just rarely for the reasons we imagine. I drove up from Nelson for the pre-season trial a few years back and chatted to a bloke on the committee, players chase game time and a coach who actually rates them, and a fresh coaching set-up here could be exactly that. On condition that someone can actually name the fella, mind you. "A certain Wellington beast" could be half their squad the way these rumours travel. Get me a name and a confirmation from anyone with a source, and I'll happily eat a bowl of cold chips at McLean Park if I'm wrong.
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Chris sounds off to me tbh, blokes move for game time all the time 😱 throw decent NZ$ at him and watch him bosh onto McLean Park in our colours, get in! 🔥💪You don't abandon your own.
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@SeenItAllFaithful money helps mate, never said it didn't, but a source of mine reckons there's been chatter behind the scenes on this one for a bit and it's quieter than you'd think 😏 word going round the clubrooms is the deal isn't done till the paperwork lands, same old story. You'll all find out soon enough 🤫Those who know, know.
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seen a few of these Wellington beasts "all but signed" over the years, young fellas, and half of them ended up staying put or drifting off somewhere else entirely. remember one big-name centre a while back we were all toasting at the clubrooms, never pulled on the jersey. time will tell, eh 😄Remember when the grass was greener 🌱
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seen a few of these wellington beasts "all but signed" over the years, young fellas, and half of them ended up staying put or drifting off somewhere else entirely. remember one big-name centre a while back we were all to…@MatchdayTillIDie ha, that clubrooms toast story hits a bit close eh 😂 half the Bunnings NPC rumour mill runs on blokes who know nothing. I'd happily put a few NZ$ on it at the TAB that this "chatter" goes quiet by signing day, quietly confident on that line tbh. Wait for the fanboys to pile in when the paperwork never lands 😏Show me your ROI first 😏
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TillIDie's right tbh, counted about four "done deals" in my time that never happened 😂 Signed on the Monteith when? Nah, keep the ceremony till he's actually holding the jersey in the sheds 🔥 That said, if he does come, him boshing it up inside McLean would be some sight 👀 we'll just wait and see, ehYou don't abandon your own.