NRL 2012 Melbourne Storm Thread

[pantskyle]

Quinn is struggling to get in the winger spot and what make it worse is that he make stupid errors when he get a go.. He is a person I feel that bring pressure on himself by doing silly thing that cost penalties. He was like that at the Knights

I was disappointed with Blair last season at the storm. I thought he had great potential but it really flatlined and he has been struggling at the Tigers

I am glad o'neil is staying, A up and Coming Winger which to me reminds me of a bit like Matt Geyer on the wing. He is not pacy compared to Duffie or Does not Jump as high as Duffie but he is a defensive game is very good on the wing.

I hope Norrie stays as he has been soild front rower but with Ryles having a great start from off the bench and young Bromich being a potenial player.

His nickname is Ferrari for a reason. Fastest guy on our list.

 

[pantskyle]

If we clear out Nielsen, Lowe, Blair, Quinn, Lowrie, Kostjasyn, Greenfield and Kelly, should hopefully be enough to keep Manu.

Must retain Norrie, next re-signing priority. Fonua too would be handy to secure.

Lowrie is playing well. Blair is a good talent if he can stay fit will be a good player even if it's only depth.

We didn't clear out Nielsen, he left for bigger money. We made an offer.

Manu is only important if he can stay on the park which he is finding it hard to do. Worst lower legs in the game.

 

[moto748]

Does not Jump as high as Duffie...

Nobody does. Not even Slater, probably.

 

[pantskyle]

Dane Gagai has been sacked by the Broncos for breaches. Has owned up to being a knob.

Being shopped around. Really hope the Storm have a crack at him. Bellyache will set him straight. Very good young talent.

 

[meltiger]

Quinn is a spud. Would be more than happy to send him on his way.
Unfortunately, the NRL is light years behind the AFL in allowing nonheartland clubs extra salary cap space to retain players.
AFL gives extra allowances to Brisbane and Sydney to retain players, but yet the archaic NRL won't do the same.
I know I will cop criticism for saying this, but I couldn't give a stuff.

You are complaining because the NRL doesn't have a compromised competition?

Will you be happy if Richmond loses the 2015 GF by a point to a Greater Western Canberra side who can pay their players significantly more than we can?

 

[meltiger]

but then whats to stop Storm offering Greg Inglis a Pittance offer but a Giant Rep bonus that isnt in the cap?

But I see what your saying, teams shouldn't have to accomodate for having high rep bonuses, especially if they have no choice on whether their team gets picked or not.

No agree. There is obviously a potential issue in your scenario as well.

I'd prefer to see Rep bonuses simply outlawed and a greater payment made by the authority who selects them be it Qld/NSW ARL/NZRL etc

No different to injury payments. Melbourne's been fined because of these before. Say the big 3 get injured in R1, you still have to pay them, whilst paying their replacements.

2nd tier cap helps somewhat but if you are on the cusp of that limit too?

As I said, technical breaches suck. Simple as that.

 

[year of the roo]

You are complaining because the NRL doesn't have a compromised competition?

Will you be happy if Richmond loses the 2015 GF by a point to a Greater Western Canberra side who can pay their players significantly more than we can?

I'm not going to deal with ridiculous hypotheticals.

 

[tugga]

You are complaining because the NRL doesn't have a compromised competition?

Will you be happy if Richmond loses the 2015 GF by a point to a Greater Western Canberra side who can pay their players significantly more than we can?

No, I am complaining because I feel the NRL needs to make up its mind whether it's the NRL or still the NSWRL. At the moment, it is well and truly the latter, but poorly disguises itself to be the former.
After 30 years of crap from Richmond, I will be ecstatic if we get into a grand final in 2015.

 

[meltiger]

I'm not going to deal with ridiculous hypotheticals.

Well aren't we lucky the question wasn't posed to you.

Don't waste your time quoting me anymore > On ignore list.

No, I am complaining because I feel the NRL needs to make up its mind whether it's the NRL or still the NSWRL. At the moment, it is well and truly the latter, but poorly disguises itself to be the former.
After 30 years of crap from Richmond, I will be ecstatic if we get into a grand final in 2015.

Why should any team have an advantage over another if you want to institute a salary cap system?


As for it being the "NSWRL" - Blame all the expansion clubs. Bar your own.


The Sydneycentric competition of 2012 is in no way the fault of the traditional Sydney clubs. Well the majority anyway.

 

[tugga]

Well aren't we lucky the question wasn't posed to you ********?



Why should any team have an advantage over another if you want to institute a salary cap system?


As for it being the "NSWRL" - Blame all the expansion clubs. Bar your own.


The Sydneycentric competition of 2012 is in no way the fault of the traditional Sydney clubs. Well the majority anyway.

I never said it was the fault of any of the clubs. I fully endorse and support any sydney club being involved in the competition forever.
I would never want any supporters to have to go through what North Sydney fans did or even your club. I know how much it can hurt. I have mates who were SOuth Melbourne and Fitzroy diehards. It destroys people from the inside.
What I do think however, if you will actually listen to what I say instead of get so defensive like you somtimes do with your online persona, is that NSW and Queensland are RL heartlands. Retaining and poaching players is easy. The Warriors have a whole country to choose from and can entice young New Zealanders back home. Dane Neilson...sigh...
Canberra is a rugby league and union town.
Melbourne is the only team that cannot retain or poach players on the go home factor. What I want to see is young Victorians playing NRL first grade. Sadly that is still a way off, but we must keep fighting the good fight.
Now you tell me whether that is a level playing field or not?
Just a few extra hundred thousand in the cap. Not too much to ask and no burden on the other clubs. At the moment,no matter good we are, it feels like we are just a halfway house and a breeding ground for young NSW, Q'Land and NZers who want to kick start their career down here and then move back home once they are established.
But...and this is where the two codes are different. The majority of Victorian AFL followers embrace and see the benefit of a national comp.
Sadly, the majority of NSW rugby league followers don't want a national comp.
This attitude must change.

 

[meltiger]

Sorry mate, you can sit here and cry about a level playing field all night.

9-0

lol

I'd also argue you don't really lose THAT many players you'd consider unreplacable.


Question, should we have recieved compensation when we lost our premiership halfback due to the "go home" factor? A defection we have not yet recovered from, 6 years on.


Or do we right it off as an acceptable loss having recruited from outside our own state?


& I wasn't suggesting you want any club to die. We are still recovering from SL in the way of expansion.

Whilst they created Melbourne, they were directly responsible for killing Perth, and created the Rams, only to pull them as well. RL's problems are not all of the Sydney clubs making.

 

[tugga]

Sorry mate, you can sit here and cry about a level playing field all night.

9-0

lol

I'd also argue you don't really lose THAT many players you'd consider unreplacable.


Question, should we have recieved compensation when we lost our premiership halfback due to the "go home" factor? A defection we have not yet recovered from, 6 years on.


Or do we right it off as an acceptable loss having recruited from outside our own state?


& I wasn't suggesting you want any club to die. We are still recovering from SL in the way of expansion.

Whilst they created Melbourne, they were directly responsible for killing Perth, and created the Rams, only to pull them as well. RL's problems are not all of the Sydney clubs making.

no. No. COmpensation for heartland clubs, because it's too easy for you to just grab another off thenproduction line.
We struggle to retain players, although inwill concede that retaining Smith, Cronk and Slater has been significant in keeping the side competitive. Thank god it's only 2nd tier players we struggle to keep. But that isnit in a nutshell. 2nd tier players want to go home after they have built a reputAion down here.
Forgive the spelling. On the ipad now and it is crap for typing.

 

[meltiger]

Or are they going home due to being offered more money?

Cronk is believed to have signed for less than 800 yes?

That would suggest you aren't struggling to keep the players you want to keep.

I just struggle to understand how someone whose team is dominating the comp can sit there with a straight face and ask for a higher salary cap.

Are you for real? Every club loses players. I'd suggest Saints / Parramatta have more juniors playing elsewhere in the comp than Melbourne have lost players over the years.

There is still a belief amongst some that GI wants to come back and he can certainly earn more elsewhere.

End of the day, we have a highly competetive comp, one much closer than the Southern game. A comp in which your club is competing at the least to, if not ahead of everyone else. There is no need to engineer false success like the AFL has done with its compromised competition.



Dude, i post from my iphone. No need to stress about spelling, completely understand

 

[tugga]

Or are they going home due to being offered more money?

Cronk is believed to have signed for less than 800 yes?

That would suggest you aren't struggling to keep the players you want to keep.

I just struggle to understand how someone whose team is dominating the comp can sit there with a straight face and ask for a higher salary cap.

Are you for real? Every club loses players. I'd suggest Saints / Parramatta have more juniors playing elsewhere in the comp than Melbourne have lost players over the years.

There is still a belief amongst some that GI wants to come back and he can certainly earn more elsewhere.

End of the day, we have a highly competetive comp, one much closer than the Southern game. A comp in which your club is competing at the least to, if not ahead of everyone else. There is no need to engineer false success like the AFL has done with its compromised competition.



Dude, i post from my iphone. No need to stress about spelling, completely understand

No, that's fair enough. I perfectly understand your argument in this one.
My complaints are based solely on principle. If they were based on performance, then I would deserve to be kicked off this site.
Clearly, since our inception, we have not struggled onfield - putting aside the years we were cheating the cap of course.
The timing of my comments are not ideal, but when can I make my comments? Do I wait five years when we might be bottom of the table and then it just comes across as winhing and sour grapes anyway.
I can't really win on this one and that's why I initially said I couldn't give a stuff what others think.
This is based solely on principle, not on performance. Anyway, the lack of a draft does make things a much more level playing field than the AFL so I understand the point you are making.
I do enjoy the fact that the NRL is a much more even comp than the AFL and I especially enjoy how bottom clubs try to win games in the final month of the season, compared to the blatant tanking and the selling of a club's soul and dignity that occurs in the AFL.
The wooden spoon is still to be avoided at all costs in the NRL. In the AFL, it is a prize and a reward and supporters celebrate it. That is wrong.

PS: I saw GI on NRL on Fox last night and he seems genuinely happy at the Rabbits. I think he's grown up a bit in the past 12 months and while I would do backflips of joy if he came back 'home' I don't expect him to. Plus GI is playing his best football at No 1. If he were to play for us again, what do we do with Billy? Having both would be greedy, but a nice 'problem' to have. I guess GI could just go back to the centres are terrorise sides from there as well, but he looks like a natural full back now and I think it's best for him that he stays where he is.

 

[meltiger]

I think that you've hit on one of the key differences, though it still doesn't justify what the AFL do.

The draft.

I always laugh when morons suggest RL needs to have an AFL line draft.

If Dustin Martin leaves Richmond, how do we replace him? By drafting an 18yo who will take several years at least to get anywhere near Dusty.

If Slater Cronk leaves Melbourne, yeah it's a loss but you have the ability to go out and replace him with a ready made player given there are no restrictions on player movement.

I get the whole "but we developed them" argument, but by the same token, this argument can be made by the northern clubs, remembering that the clubs pay for junior development in the metro areas, not the league.

Was Western Suburbs compensated when Melbourne pinched Hoffman for instance? Came out of the Sth West was a junior Kangaroo, and ends up in Melbourne with the district club not recovering compo.

Every club suffers from these things, be it for different reasons across the clubs.


The timing issue is valid mate. You can't cry foul when leading the League. Clearly the club isn't suffering that much. If you spent your time bringing players through from TC to first grade and they all scooted at first chance they got, to the point where the club couldn't compete on the field. Yep, you may have a point. But when you are one if the top 2/3 clubs every year? C'mon.


RL has done many things wrong over the years, but at the least we can say the only compromised premierships were the three in 04, 07, 09 & it was due to the clubs, not the league.


The AFL can't say that in relation to the 4 premierships won by the northern clubs. I don't blame the clubs mind you, it's solely the fault of the AFL administration that those premierships are worth less than other years.


The AFL wanted those northern premierships and compromised their comp to do it, and have done it again with the GC & Greater Western Fail.


Your club has 1 legit premiership and is capable of doing it again, without needing anyone's help to do so. For all the knocking of the Storm that I do, they are the most successful (on field) organization in a foreign market in either of the codes, and they have done it themselves.

 

[damickytiges]

I heard on Monday night that GI was happy to play out his career with the bunnies ... He looks like a new player in his best position - fullback

 

[oz1235]

Sorry mate, you can sit here and cry about a level playing field all night.

9-0

lol

There is no level playing fields in the AFL, NRL, NBA, English Super League and A-League. The Salary Cap is there just to make the top team to turn like the Top 4 in the English Premier League. It is just share the wealth and players.

I'd also argue you don't really lose THAT many players you'd consider unreplacable.


Question, should we have recieved compensation when we lost our premiership halfback due to the "go home" factor? A defection we have not yet recovered from, 6 years on.


Or do we right it off as an acceptable loss having recruited from outside our own state?

Come off it meltiger, I am still crying that Brett Kimmorley going to the Northern Eagles in 2001. I am still upset that Matt Orford(Not much he owes me money and left on Bad Terms apparently) leave the Club.

I will never support Salary Cap concessions for any club. Look at Brisbane 3 Premiership in a row for a extra 10% and Sydney a extra 5%. That is equivlent on a top class player in the AFL back then.

& I wasn't suggesting you want any club to die. We are still recovering from SL in the way of expansion.

Whilst they created Melbourne, they were directly responsible for killing Perth, and created the Rams, only to pull them as well. RL's problems are not all of the Sydney clubs making.

I am sick of We are still recovering from SL crap. I am fed up with the RL fans and espically fans from Sydney who said Melbourne was created and is directly related to kill off Perth and Adelaide.

SL planned to have the Melbourne club to come in at Super League first Season however did not have the income to get the club started.

Look at the Basket Case of English Rugby League. There British Amateur Rugby League are not moving to Summer Rugby from winter Rugby.... 18 years since Super League.

I am bitter about SL as well but You would not have the 40/20, Video Ref and the attacking players skillful players since.

 

[meltiger]

There is no level playing fields in the AFL, NRL, NBA, English Super League and A-League. The Salary Cap is there just to make the top team to turn like the Top 4 in the English Premier League. It is just share the wealth and players.

No level playing field?

We have not had a team win premierships in consecutive years since 1997/1998. I'd say that's pretty bloody level.

Since then, 9 of the 16 teams have won premierships. All clubs bar Gold Coast, Canberra, Souths & Cronulla have participated in the Grand Final in that time.


Not a level playing field? Bullshit.

Come off it meltiger, I am still crying that Brett Kimmorley going to the Northern Eagles in 2001. I am still upset that Matt Orford(Not much he owes me money and left on Bad Terms apparently) leave the Club.

LOL Kimmy? A mercenary if ever there was one. Orford is rubbish. Orford's loss resulted in Cronk .... Storm win, yes?

I will never support Salary Cap concessions for any club. Look at Brisbane 3 Premiership in a row for a extra 10% and Sydney a extra 5%. That is equivlent on a top class player in the AFL back then.

Correct.

I am sick of We are still recovering from SL crap. I am fed up with the RL fans and espically fans from Sydney who said Melbourne was created and is directly related to kill off Perth and Adelaide.

It depends on which way you look at it.


Did News Ltd choose between Melbourne & Perth? Yes. Is that the Storm's fault? No.


FWIW, I didn't mean Melbourne killed Perth, I meant News killed them. Same as the Rams, they brought them (Adelaide), then killed them. Stupid stupid decisions.


Did those sort of short sighted decisions by those scumbags set the game back? Absoloutely. Have we recovered? No. The Perth side is coming, we think/hope

 

[oz1235]

LOL Kimmy? A mercenary if ever there was one. Orford is rubbish. Orford's loss resulted in Cronk .... Storm win, yes?

We did not purchase Cronk. Cronk went thru to Brisbane Norths(Feeder Club for the Storm at the time) with Smith and Billy Slater.

Robbie Ross, Richard Swain and Brett Kimmorley/Orford to make way from Smith, Cronk and Slater. a massive Storm Win.

I still remember Billy Slater first Storm Trail Match. Scored 5 tries.

yes Orford was most overratted person in NRL history

It depends on which way you look at it.


Did News Ltd choose between Melbourne & Perth? Yes. Is that the Storm's fault? No.


FWIW, I didn't mean Melbourne killed Perth, I meant News killed them. Same as the Rams, they brought them (Adelaide), then killed them. Stupid stupid decisions.


Did those sort of short sighted decisions by those scumbags set the game back? Absoloutely. Have we recovered? No. The Perth side is coming, we think/hope

Argee with Some and Disargee some others here.

No It is not the Storm's Fault however I am sick of Rugby League fans and Commentator (ie Phil Gould, Laurie Daley, Ray Hadley) bagging the hell out of us and the Crowds at the Old Olympic Park. Yes It was stupid but hindsight now, It was a good move (at the moment)

HOWEVER

I do not think all decision come from SL. I think the who Northern Eagles debacle was stupid and I think the whole South Sydney saga did some damage for the sport.

 

[meltiger]

We did not purchase Cronk. Cronk went thru to Brisbane Norths(Feeder Club for the Storm at the time) with Smith and Billy Slater.

Robbie Ross, Richard Swain and Brett Kimmorley/Orford to make way from Smith, Cronk and Slater. a massive Storm Win.

I still remember Billy Slater first Storm Trail Match. Scored 5 tries.

yes Orford was most overratted person in NRL history

Hence my point that Melbourne is such a bloody well run club off the field, do they really need cap advantages?

Argee with Some and Disargee some others here.

No It is not the Storm's Fault however I am sick of Rugby League fans and Commentator (ie Phil Gould, Laurie Daley, Ray Hadley) bagging the hell out of us and the Crowds at the Old Olympic Park. Yes It was stupid but hindsight now, It was a good move (at the moment)

Disagree with none of that.


It just didn't have to be one or the other. We should have kept Perth. Doubt there is anyone who supports the game that disagress with that.


The crowds are good by RL standards.

I do not think all decision come from SL. I think the who Northern Eagles debacle was stupid and I think the whole South Sydney saga did some damage for the sport.

Norths tried to **** over Manly, and got bent over in return. Serves them right.


Go go go Brisbane2

 

[robbieando]

Grow up Ladies

Next I'm going to start throwing a few cards around.

 

[pantskyle]

Grow up Ladies

Next I'm going to start throwing a few cards around.

Based on what? Am I not allowed to ask why I have been blocked?

Also no need for you to be insulting at all.

 

[meltiger]

I'll PM you and keep it off the thread.

 

[pantskyle]

I'll PM you and keep it off the thread.

No problem. Thanks.

 

[azza29]

I'll PM you and keep it off the thread.

A merciful reprieve

In other news, apparently Sika is close to signing (or not signing) a contract extension. He wants to stay with Melbourne (don't they all?) but might move to Sydney for family reasons (i.e. if another club fronts up enough cash).

http://www.nrl.com/manu-to-re-sign-storm-table-final-offer/tabid/10874/newsid/67380/default.aspx

The Melbourne Storm will table their final offer for back-rower Sika Manu today as they look to ward off heavy interest in the Kiwi international.

Up to six Sydney clubs have expressed an interest in Manu’s services in 2013; however the exit of centre Dane Nielson this week – who announced he will link with the Warriors next season – has boosted the Storm’s chances of retaining Manu.

Manu’s manager Chris Orr said a final decision would be made in the next seven days. He said Manu would prefer to stay at the Storm but admitted a number of factors, including where Manly forward Tony Williams ends up, would influence the result.

“It’s all a bit of a jigsaw puzzle at the moment,” he said. “We’ll look at Melbourne’s offer and then sit down and look at the four main Sydney clubs and make a decision that best suits Sika. All things being equal he would prefer to stay in Melbourne but he also has to think of his family so if moving to Sydney is the best thing for them then that’s a decision he is prepared to make.”