2023 Squad, Signings and Rumours Thread

[Mini GF]

[The Birdman]

We should have no interest in giving up a decent player for Hunt. If they want to take Sexton and/or Foran however it's worth considering.

If St George try to hold out for a good player just call their bluff and wait for their hold off to fester.

[Allshot]

Is there any reason Boyd Can't play at 6 and learn from Hunt for a few years. By the time Hunt retires, Weaver will be primed for the 6 jersey and Boyd can move back to 7. Can't see anything wrong with this plan.

[Bayside Titan]

Is there any reason Boyd Can't play at 6 and learn from Hunt for a few years. By the time Hunt retires, Weaver will be primed for the 6 jersey and Boyd can move back to 7. Can't see anything wrong with this plan.

My thoughts exactly.

Also if Hunt wants to come to our club I say it’s a good thing as it may mean that the Titans is a good destination club.

[willhelm]

Hi Mr Bods

[Cowabunga]

JC/AJ are already scheduled into that 6 spot from all accounts and then there's Weaver and others. Ryder Williams is already signed up for 3 years a full time squad player coming in next year or one after. There's many more to come and that's why everything is a gong show if we go after Hunt.

I really don't understand/like this. It's so insane from a football department to think Tannah or our 7/ halves is the problem when everyone outside him has been the problem and I give Stimson props for doing a job.. How about go get a ****ing 2nd rower who can help out that side because Fermor is going to have some issues coming back on the right.... or find a centre with defence... If we're hunting Hunt.... We have money for all the actual issues.

I'm legit dumfounded by most of this even if Hunt comes here without a tab... OUR PROBLEMS ARE STILL GOING TO HAPPEN.

We're never going to be good when Tannah is apparently the guy to replace.....

It screams jobs on the line from the people above and I really hate it as much as I love Hunt. Even the comment from Steve Mitchell, Just say we're not interested and we trust Tannah.... Tannahs confidence is going back to being on the rocks now...

Defence, Coaching, Interchanges, Centres not being able to defend, injuries, Interchanges again, + whatever people want to add to this... Besides one game against the Dragons he's been the least of our worries...

Dragons have as bad defence as us on their right side with Sua who can actually defend..
Ben Hunt isn't an elite defender at club and add age onto it.... Our problems are all still there.

It smells of people keeping jobs and not actually what's good for the club. Unless Hunt agitates at Dragons to where they straight up let him go, None of this even lines up with us trying to compete for titles or become good.


I also don't believe we're truly after him unless he gets released.

[psmitty]

We obviously have money for a marque player if we are willing to spend $900k on him. The problem is very few marque players become available and to get one who wants to move back to Queensland and improves our roster is probably why they are going for him. We will have a very decent spine if we do get him. Yes we have problems with our bench and some outside backs but who is available or becoming available that will improve our squad. From what I see there is not too many players in those positions that I would want or would improve us that much. I guess it is a case of Hunt looks like he may become available lets get him. I don't think it stinks of desperation as he would add another solid mature head to our young squad. Also having him in our team will improve our chances of landing other decent players when they do become available.

[Cowabunga]

Ben Hunt is off contract the end of 25...... There's about 20 players I'd be going after at the end of 2024 over Ben Hunt to make us better in positions. We also have about 8 guys to re-sign who are all big parts of this team currently.

He's absolutely the wrong kind of marquee for this group right now, If he came last year I'd be all on board. Hunt is in the 2025 group of off contract players, Till he goes to war with St.George this is all fake.

The mature head stuff isn't happening if we get Hunt imo, All our young halves/others are leaving and probably others..... Foran is that...

[willhelm]

I reckon you’re overthinking it Cowa

[Titslover]

Mans definitely over thinking it. He’s a top 20 player in the game and a top 5 halfback, sure Tanah has shown improvement over recent weeks but he is still a bottom 4 halfback and if we’re being brutally honest theres 0% chance he makes us a contender over the next 2 years. If you have the opportunity to bring in a player of Hunt’s quality you do it, he will bring crowds, media and corporate interest, and possibly take us to the finals as well. Any Titans fan would be lying if we sign Hunt and they say they aren’t a bit excited.

[Cowabunga]

I think getting Ben Hunt is way more overthinking it... Get a good defensive right centre and another solid bench forward with Fermor back.

Learn to defend unless we think Hunt will do all that to. Can't wait to win a couple more games by 36-32 against the lower level teams, We probably will end up 8th to be fair.

I'd be going after the best defensive players in the 2024/25 free agents, Not Ben Hunt.

[Titanic]

Do we even have a spot on our roster? The Eastern Sydney Soft Coqs will get him anyway since Keary got a case of “foot in mouth” disease.

[NZTITAN]

Okay Cowabunga i'll try address all your points as much as possible..

Firstly, let's address the halves 'pipeline' and the effect of Ben Hunt. One thing i've learnt about being a Titans fan for the past 16 (Christ) years is to pretty much never attach myself to any unproven youngster, as exciting as it may be. Im a believer in Tom Weaver and from the very limited Ryder Williams footage i've seen, he looks like one for the future too. But I think Ben Hunt is probably the only single player that meets us at the intersection of;
- Available
- Proven
- Experienced
- Great fit with JC @ 6
- Helps us win immediately
- Doesn't clog up any long-term pathway for the aforementioned Weaver + Ryder

I could see the argument that possibly Hunt blocks Weaver's path over the next 2 years, he wants a starting gig somewhere and Melbourne (or whoever) try get him to get a release. On the other hand, Ryder Williams iirc is like 16/17 lol, plenty of time before he becomes a legit player in the Titans sphere. I personally like the idea of the likes of Weaver, Kini, Pahulu just sitting in Q-cup for a couple years before making a Titans jersey their own, think it's best for them.

Signing Ben Hunt =/= Tanah Boyd is the problem. I think Tanah was almost always a bridge-half for us, meaning he sits between the promise of Weaver + Ryder Williams while also allowing us to keep our eyes on the market if needed. We handed him a starting 7 jersey, and I think for the most part have seen what tier of halfback he is (probably like Newcastle Tyrone Roberts or something), think we've been fair to him and gave him the chance, he's a fine player, but if you believe in Weaver more then it actually makes more sense to possibly shift Tanah for Hunt, giving us a way higher floor and ceiling in the short-term, while likely losing Tanah Boyd once Weaver makes the leap anyway.

Couple of other minor things, Stimson was never supposed to be an 80-minute starter, he was thrown into that jumper at the eleventh hour and would be far better as the said back-up for Fermor off the bench. Just on the topic, who do you even suggest we target there? We'd be looking for a low-end starter calibre guy that is happy to play bench who also blocks Klese' pathway (if you even believe in him can't remember how you feel), who would also even be available.

Now I agree Hunt doesn't solve all the problems, but I think if we're looking to actually sign any player to help us short-term then Hunt is damn close to the top of the list of guys i'd want, anything else doesn't fit or doesn't help.

As for the coaching or structures, yeah idk i've got nothing, hope we figure that out, the 2nd half struggles are literally all-time bad and nothing i've ever seen before.

Ben Hunt is off contract the end of 25...... There's about 20 players I'd be going after at the end of 2024 over Ben Hunt to make us better in positions. We also have about 8 guys to re-sign who are all big parts of this team currently.

Curious as to who they'd be mate, expand?

Because just getting a good defensive right centre and good bench forward absolutely does NOT solve any more problems than Ben Hunt would. I'm still firmly in the camp of #13 being our most difficult position to replace long-term but i'm not turning my nose up at Ben Hunt.

[Cowabunga]

Apparently St.George would've been in 2nd when Griffin got fired if Lomax could've goal kicked at his normal rate in the past, Tannahs goal kicking has been a pretty big asset for us and helped us win games. That's a problem that pops up with Hunt and JC and him as the halves pairing. Hahaha It actually kinda makes the arguement for him stronger...

I'm not against Hunt like I said and it'd be incredible to see him in a Titans jersey, I'm just not sure he's the answer when we're not that far off being a good team imo. I think the problems have been more the guys who have come in for our injured guys aren't up to NRL level and that right side is getting carved to shreds right now and the coaching like you mentioned. If we get Hunt, We lose in other areas imo that I think have been the glaring issues like depth.

I think Stimson has been doing a better job then most for the position he's been put in. I think Haas is fine and getting better with more games and could potentially start and send Stimson back into the middle. Hopefully Fermor can come back as good as he was. I have Pahulu taking the 13 and Randall as the bench back up once Liu is gone. There's some big players in our off contracts for 2024 who are all important who are probably due upgrades.

These are all me living in fantasy land but Manu would be #1 then Campbell. More realistically I would've liked them to have a look at Averillo who's apparently going to the Dolphins on 300kish but I also think Jojo and Schoupp could still be very solid out there given time, I think Jojo finally got his first game in the centres for Tweed, Maybe a Remis Smith. Su'a in the forwards, I'm not sure what's in England but maybe someone over there. Another player like Stimson pretty much.

At the end of the day I don't think our problems are as big as we probably think once guys are back healthy and some more depth in the forwards that is already coming next year and with our younger guys getting more experience. Imo we've lost games this year due to having to play guys not ready or up to this level more then game management which hasn't been great at times but AJ, JC and Foran have had bad moments themselves.

A lot of this is moot if Foran is retiring which I think could be happening.

[Titansborn'n'bred]

Very interesting article just posted on Fox sports about the Ben Hunt movements (dunno how to repost sorry but it’s open source) Basically, Phil Rothfield suggesting only way Drsgons may consider breaking contract is if he was to move back Qld on compassionate grounds and Hunts that keen to immediately make this swap he’s willing to contribute $150k of his own money as a settler to Dragons