My hunch is that Warner is shot, not only will he not be back this series, i don't think he will ever be back.

I agree that his best chance is to play shots, if he gets some luck it may turn around.

When was the last time he made runs or played  long innings against the moving ball at test level?

It is hard, that is why a player has to be in form or hit their way into form.

We can't rely on Smithy every innings.

The difference between the current management and the Dib era is that the current management know what they are doing.

Villi would have fitted the Dib team like a hand in a glove.

Rumour going around ol' blue eyes going to SL....imagine the dman/villi jousting if it's to St Helens.... still, it might just patch up their relationship..
team bonding over their fav players lol :)

News in the trovaich brother tom & jake 
have told the bulldogs they wont speak 
2 anyone there ad they want 2 stay @ manly

Not surprising but can't talk to anyone else till November..It would have to be a highly optimistic call to think they would leave Manly even for a Rorters brown paper bag full

Still worth trying for the Turbos, it isn't over until it is over....  the media rarely know what is really going on..

I'm sure we have plan B and we have some good young players coming though the ranks...

The way things stand, I would throw some money at a top shelf 9, provided they are potentially the best 9 in the game.

It is worth chasing these recognised elite players if only to force their price up and protect our pups from poaching..
Keep chasing and we will get one sooner or later...

That was what Wile E Coyote said.

Dragons rumoured to be releasing Matt Dufty and Euan Aitken.

I'm not surprised by Dufty, boy's got some speed and... that's about it. Aitken though, he was in SOO mix not that far back and deservedly so. I can't believe he's just lost it all.

Both players with questionable defence, decision making and involvement...

But players come in and out of form, sometimes a change of environment can make a difference....

It all depends on the deal, if the Dragons  are paying some of the wage, I interested .. in both actually, at the right price...,

Dufty has got speed, there are a lot of things he hasn't got, but he can learn some of them.... then there is how the team uses him... (at the right price) play him off the bench in the last 15 mins when we need points,,,,, some days that will come off.

I'm not in a real hurry to sign either of them. Dufty definitely not, not even with Saints money. Aitken if he was still available if we got money left over after shopping elsewhere, maybe. But with a whack of Saints money.

He was showing something not that long ago, really can't believe Saints gave up on him that quick. Guess they need to pay Hunt what he's not worth for the next 5 years.

I'm not in a hurry either but if they are cheap enough that we don't care if they are playing reserve grade, that is not a major issue.

The main reason not to signing them is we have good young players, and even in reserve grade, they may be blocking a good young player...

But say if one of them replaces Montoya, that is worth thinking about.  

Probably the best we can do ATM.
Critical of Manus in Australia but has improved in England.
If Smith out I would give Warner one more chance.
Worry is the batting in that we are looking only to survive early which only gives  the POMS more reason to attack.
No one has played shots against Archer as they have had us in survival mode and you know what that means to a quickie.

Smith out of 3rd Test.

Shame... I agree that it will be a 2nd chance for Warner, he should try playing shots.

I am not confident with Smith out, but it is a chance for other players to show they are test standard batsmen.

Brown is leaving the knights, I don't want him as our coach.

Ben Hunt is burnt out. He had a huge origin series in an unfamiliar role and it has taken alot out of him.
He isnt value for what Saints paid for him but on his day he wins you games and still is capable of producing those games- just not consistently as the top halves do. 
Saints should have factored this in when they signed him but unfortunately too many player managers get to inflate the price of their clients and some clubs get sucked in. Titans have it with Ash Taylor, Broncos have it with Milford, Saints have it with Hunt, we have it with Foran. Some might argue that Manly has it with DCE but I beg to differ. He is in the elite class, which should have been a select group of top echelon players like Cam Smith, Slater, Cronk, Thurston, Teddy, Turbo Tom and maybe Latrell Mitchell. 

The others mentioned above, whilst quite exceptional on their day, just dont do it often enough to warrant their fat packet packets....

The dragons do...

Ben Hunt was rested and St George were soundly criticised for doing so. Ash Taylor has perhaps irreparable ongoing issues. Naturally you would mention Foran in a negative sense as much as you didn't recognise his brilliant game against Souths. You fail to mention the value of Foran going forward to the likes of Lewis, Cogger etc, something not offered by Hunt to St George players. Foran's issue is not performance...will we ever get a great injury free run from him..it is due the way he plays. 

If Foran gets an injury free run, he still is an elite player. So far above Hunt and DCE they're not in sight.

Play both sides of the field, before the line, at the line, through the line. To the detriment of his health.

I hope somehow, some way, he gets a full season in him and if he does I'd be looking to extend him.

But unfortunately I don't think that's gonna happen unless Terry Lamb's doc can work some miracles... again.

He does plenty when he is on the field.... the only problem is time spent off the field, but that factors into his price....

I can see us extending him at the right price, on the basis that he may only play 50% of games, but will do plenty in that 50%.

Any other club that wants to pay him more, is gambling he will play more than 50%.
IMO NRL based clubs desperate enough to do that are:- Titans, Dragons and Cowboys ...

Manly might make him an offer similar to ours and he may go there,,,

We need to honour his existing deal, IMO him extending at the right price is 50/50, he will not have many other options and I don't think playing in QLD, NZ or the UK is appealing. Outside of the Dragons, (perhaps Newcastle) I can't think of another club around the Sydney area desperate enough to offer him big money.

DCE has had a good season in 2019, in a strong side....

But how did he go 2016-2018?
My memory is he had 3 fairly poor seasons, and bungled more than he got right...

He may have turned the corner and might be very good from here on, but it has taken a long time getting there...

Sensible post. 
You have valued him in the same sense as I have.

Any player can be injured and wiped out for half a season. But with foran, he plays 50% of games for the last 5 or so years if not longer....

"You have valued him in the same sense as I have."

What, snide disparaging remarks at every opportunity?

I look at things holistically and relatively.
Yes he produces some fantastic plays here and there, but how often and at what cost?

If he was your 600-800k player, it wouldnt even be an arguement but he's on upwards of 1M, so you look at things differently.

Wrong about the last 5 years, and wronger about before that...

"here and there" essentially equals every time he runs on the field...you can't buy practical coaching for Lewis and co like this. 

He won't be upwards of $1m plus his next contract - with anyone. In fact I think he'll be very lucky to hit $600-$800k - with anyone.

But for the remainder of this year and next, he's playing for the best contract he can get and if he can get a full season in I hope it's with us.

So why don't we just stop looking over our shoulder at what's done that we can't do anything about except moan... repeatedly in some cases.... and look forward to what he can do for us this year and next and just see if he earns himself an extension.

Whatever Mitch Moses, have one decent season and go shooting your mouth off...
So many of these ‘kids’ have a total lack of class off the field...

At the time when we didn't sign him, (according to the fairy-tale)  Des was right about him being a weak link in defence.. 

Moses was a poor defender who make poor decisions in attack for 4-5 seasons... backed up by the odd genius play..

Put him under pressure, lets see if any of those old habits resurface...

Many young halves today are great when their team is on top, and a total liability when their side is behind, they can't handle pressure... 

Joey reckons Knights need a top class 5/8 and says Foran ideal.