NRL: Rapira signs for Salford - Sport - NZ Herald News www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/

NRL: Rapira signs for Salford - Sport - NZ Herald News www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/

Did you get the wrong brother by mistake?

I'll just place this here...

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In reply to butcher,yes that's a great hit but why are we signing a player that has played 13games in 3years?!that's worse than McPherson!looks like 5th sept might be a damp squib as most of our signings are coming out before then!I feel this other clubs have asked us not to announce is abit of a smokescreen!castleford wernt that bothered that they signed Gibson from us so if we have signed chase just announce it!

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Quote ="djws61"NRL: Rapira signs for Salford - Sport - NZ Herald News www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/'" working link here [urlhttp://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8714663[/url

Wow such boundless enthusiasm.

Pretty sure Rapira has been leaked as NZ are playing the final home game and it gives fans a chance to say thank you. Our game this weekend makes it unlikely tgat Chas will be announced. Am curious too see the response to Hock signing if he indeed does from the Widnes fans next Friday.

Darren Betts
Chris Morley
Ian Sinfield

Err No we've no past history of this ..have we?

It's about realistic aspirations.

It's all very well thinking we can go out and get whoever we want, but reality and fantasy are two very different things. The squad needs to be built from the ground up over the next couple of seasons before fantasy and reality are even close to meeting. NRL fringe players are the best that SL Clubs can pick up from down under due to the amount of wages top class stars can earn in first grade. There's little point in berating a signing before he's arrived, which is just plain madness.

You need to get a grip.

Costigan and Weyman to HKR disprove this for a start.

So the Non-Fed quota situation now is:

Non-Fed:
Sa'u
Puletua
Rapira

Exempt on Federation service length:
Meli
McGoldrick

Exempt for one more year due to Crusaders dispensation:
McPherson

Have I missed anyone?

I presume if we sign Chase he would have to be considered Non-Federation regardless of citizenship status.

Pedantic.

The odd one, for whatever reason, comes over. The majority are fringe players. Salford, at the moment, regardless of finance do not have any pulling power just yet, and neither do most SL Clubs.

And let's hope he's being given a thorough medical.

Not being Pedantic at all.
I have named 2 straight away that isn't just the odd one.
I could have stated that we have signed a new HB that won the minor premier in the NRL and played in the GF but I didn't as he has actually dropped down the rankings at the Doggies.

Luke Walsh and Mose Masoe for Saint Helens.

That is 2 teams and 5 straight away.
The doc has been bigging it up for months and this is what you get? Seriously?

This is what I dnt get,everyone said we had dodged a bullet not signing costigan cos he was injury prone,and we then sign a player who has played 13 games in 3years including 2games this season before an extremely serious injury,dnt tell me Phil Bailey is signing next!

Think we're taking a big gamble with our forwards and their fitness if I'm honest. Morley, McPherson and Steve Rapira!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Costigan- 28 ""good but chequered career with injury and his best days are clearly behind him."
[url=http://www.zerotackle.com/nrl/costigan-wont-be-offered-a-new-contract-10150/costigan-wont-be-offered-a-new-contract[/url

Weyman- 28 "good but chequered career with injury and his best days are clearly behind him."

[url=http://www.zerotackle.com/nrl/weyman-on-way-to-super-league-10455/Weyman-not being re-signed by the St George Illawarra Dragons[/url

I see your point , definitely not fringe.

Roy Asotasi is the only signing you could quote IMO

Think Rapira and Costigan (and McPherson) may have very similar seasons next year.

I wouldn't necessarily get too excited about signing someone just because they have played in a GF. Salford fans will tell you about Mauro. Will Keating be as good as Dobson? The fact that Dobson is going to NRL as a back up after being one of the best halves in SL supports Butcher's point.

Weyman is a bit of an unknown. He may turn out like big Ray did for us, or he could be just average.

But really the players signed from NRL are players the clubs don't mind losing.

Don't think for a moment we will sweep the board next year. I'll settle for some progress and the youngsters continuing to show up well.

But if you think swapping Dobson,Patterson and Paea for Keating, Weyman and an injury prone Costigan will improve Rovers, you are being very optimistic.

How very selective of you.

Costigan-"there had been some interest from other NRL clubs but finishing his career with an English Super League club was the most likely scenario."

Weyman-"Weyman was a chance of a start at the Newcastle Knights under his former mentor, Wayne Bennett." but he chose us instead.

Costigan and Weyman are hardly the sort of signings The Butcher was alluding to. Good signings who I'd have been happy for us to get and definitely above the label of being simply 'fringe' players but they're not huge coups by any stretch of the imagination.

Paea and Dobson couldn't get a game in the NRL yet they rip it up in SL.
Patterson was surplus to requirements and ripped it up as well.
Costigan has played far more NRL than Paea did.
Weyman has played more NRL than Patterson did.
Keating has played more NRL than Dobson did.
Patterson hasn't played enough games this year to be classed as having a great influence anyway and I have a feeling we are going to have a running 7 next year as Dobson has done more running at the line in the last 12 months than he did under all his time under Morgan and Keating is more of a running HB with a good kicking game.

His statement was 'NRL fringe players are the best that SL Clubs can pick up from down under due to the amount of wages top class stars can earn in first grade.'
As you say my 2 examples disprove this.

I’m reliably informed Steve Rapira is a really good signing for Salford and had it not been for injury he would have been in the starting 17 week after week, despite contending with 4 international props. He’s described as a hard hitting and straight lined running prop. Obviously he has a poor injury record in recent times, but he is only 24.

You are being pedantic, or fail to understand the point I was trying to make. The names you've mentioned are not top quality NRL imports. If they were top class, they'd still be there. Ok, fringe was maybe not the right word to use in context, but my point still stands. There's nothing wrong with picking up NRL cast-offs. Chase being a good example. Salford have also had quality 'fringe' signings in the past with the likes of Cashmere and Rutgerson for example. A couple of examples of NRL players that are no longer wanted in Australia do not disprove it. Even if Thurston signed for someone in SL it does not disprove it. The most any SL Club can get from Australia are those players no longer needed/Got into trouble/or Fringe. Whether you judge certain players to be world beaters or also-rans is your judgement. It doesn't negate the fact that no big name NRL Star will come to SL unless he falls into one of those three areas.

Suppose it depends on what you really classify as a fringe player. Is it someone who plays the odd 1st grade game here and there, or can it be a player who plays quite a few games but mostly only gets limited minutes and comes off the bench (like Costigan does and probably what Rapira would have been doing if he hadn't have been injured).

I'm a little less sure about this. It seems that the much maligned previous administration were able to pick up decent players (Hodgson, Robinson, Myler, Smith, etc. from the UK, Houldsworth, Patten, Moon, etc. from Australia) but our new, ostensibly more professional administration, is struggling. The signings of Morley and Rapira have got me concerned that one of the major announcements next Thursday will have to be about an extension to the treatment table.

Still, let's stay positive. There are (presumably) more players to come in, so, as a dismal songwriter and public slashery onanist once sang "You gotta have faith". However, it's getting harder (which, I believe, is what he also said).