The Transfer Rumour Mill Thread

[phiggins]

Wigan still hoping to sign Luke Thompson. Guessing it will be an expensive deal if they pull it off, would they likely be trying to offload anyone player(a) to make room in the budget / cap if they it does happen?

[Magic Superbeetle]

2 hours ago, phiggins said:

Wigan still hoping to sign Luke Thompson. Guessing it will be an expensive deal if they pull it off, would they likely be trying to offload anyone player(a) to make room in the budget / cap if they it does happen?

Assume he would be their third marquee as if the source is to be believed they have offered him $650kaud (~350k) a year, so would only need to find 100k cap space. 

Between Bryne, Havard, Ellis and Dupree, with Cooper to return from injury, and Mago, Hill and Walters (though I understand he will initially play backrow) I really don’t understand why Wigan would be interested. It feels like one upmanship which is only really seen in the hull clubs recruitment policy. I understand Saints have an offer in for him as well, but fully expect it to finish with him staying in Aus.

Updates from Saints;

Ritson, Wingfield and Royle staying despite not being announced yet. Grace is rejoining an RU team.

Whitley, Eseh and an “NRL winger” signed (no names on the last one).

Supposedly in talks with Sam Kasiano, which only makes sense if we are going to unregister Paasi for a year.

[Johnny Ringo]

3 hours ago, Magic Superbeetle said:

Assume he would be their third marquee as if the source is to be believed they have offered him $650kaud (~350k) a year, so would only need to find 100k cap space. 

Between Bryne, Havard, Ellis and Dupree, with Cooper to return from injury, and Mago, Hill and Walters (though I understand he will initially play backrow) I really don’t understand why Wigan would be interested. It feels like one upmanship which is only really seen in the hull clubs recruitment policy. I understand Saints have an offer in for him as well, but fully expect it to finish with him staying in Aus.

Updates from Saints;

Ritson, Wingfield and Royle staying despite not being announced yet. Grace is rejoining an RU team.

Whitley, Eseh and an “NRL winger” signed (no names on the last one).

Supposedly in talks with Sam Kasiano, which only makes sense if we are going to unregister Paasi for a year.

I wonder why they would keep Bennison and buy out Ritsons contract to sign him then sign another winger? Unless it's a quick centre/winger?

[Magic Superbeetle]

13 minutes ago, Johnny Ringo said:

I wonder why they would keep Bennison and buy out Ritsons contract to sign him then sign another winger? Unless it's a quick centre/winger?

Bennison will transition fully to fullback covering injury in the spine (as Hopoate was supposed to) and Ritson will initially cover injury whilst going through the same “Championship to SL finishing school” Bentley, Batchelor and Bell went through to create competition for places for Makinson and  the rumoured incomer (Waqa Blake). Obviously if it is someone like Blake who can also play centre, that also creates more opportunity, but given the recent Newman rumours it’s possible it’s a specialist winger rather than a hybrid outside back.

He will also create a challenge for Owen Dagnall who is expected to come into the Saints first team next year following an outstanding season in the u18s.

[Chrispmartha]

6 minutes ago, Magic Superbeetle said:

Bennison will transition fully to fullback covering injury in the spine (as Hopoate was supposed to) and Ritson will initially cover injury whilst going through the same “Championship to SL finishing school” Bentley, Batchelor and Bell went through to create competition for places for Makinson and  the rumoured incomer (Waqa Blake). Obviously if it is someone like Blake who can also play centre, that also creates more opportunity, but given the recent Newman rumours it’s possible it’s a specialist winger rather than a hybrid outside back.

He will also create a challenge for Owen Dagnall who is expected to come into the Saints first team next year following an outstanding season in the u18s.

Newman rumours?

[Johnny Ringo]

7 minutes ago, Magic Superbeetle said:

Bennison will transition fully to fullback covering injury in the spine (as Hopoate was supposed to) and Ritson will initially cover injury whilst going through the same “Championship to SL finishing school” Bentley, Batchelor and Bell went through to create competition for places for Makinson and  the rumoured incomer (Waqa Blake). Obviously if it is someone like Blake who can also play centre, that also creates more opportunity, but given the recent Newman rumours it’s possible it’s a specialist winger rather than a hybrid outside back.

He will also create a challenge for Owen Dagnall who is expected to come into the Saints first team next year following an outstanding season in the u18s.

That could make sense yes. Where will Jack Welsby be moving to if not at fullback.

[GeordieSaint]

11 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

Newman rumours?

That one took me by surprise as well…

[bobbruce]

6 hours ago, phiggins said:

Wigan still hoping to sign Luke Thompson. Guessing it will be an expensive deal if they pull it off, would they likely be trying to offload anyone player(a) to make room in the budget / cap if they it does happen?

Hasn’t there been another space added for home grown marquee players. 

[Chrispmartha]

19 minutes ago, GeordieSaint said:

That one took me by surprise as well…

Ive not heard anything (bar the usual nonsense talked on sky) other than he is looking to get through next year injury free to try get an extension with Leeds.

Ive also heard Leeds will make him marquee next year to free up cap space

[phiggins]

31 minutes ago, bobbruce said:

Hasn’t there been another space added for home grown marquee players. 

Yes, but given they’re not exactly lacking in forwards for next season, imagine there’d be at least one outgoing if they signed another. And even if the marquee ruling means the salary cap isn’t an issue, they might still want to clear some wage bill just for their own budget

[bobbruce]

Just now, phiggins said:

Yes, but given they’re not exactly lacking in forwards for next season, imagine there’d be at least one outgoing if they signed another. And even if the marquee ruling means the salary cap isn’t an issue, they might still want to clear some wage bill just for their own budget

They’ll have plans I suppose we’ll see how it unfolds. I’m pretty sure though clubs get into negotiations sometimes without any intention to sign but to make sure a SL rival have to pay up to get a player. I’m not saying this is happening here as Wigan have been linked to him a few times over the last few years. It’s still worth baring in mind when these rumours come out. 

[LeytherRob]

1 hour ago, bobbruce said:

They’ll have plans I suppose we’ll see how it unfolds. I’m pretty sure though clubs get into negotiations sometimes without any intention to sign but to make sure a SL rival have to pay up to get a player. I’m not saying this is happening here as Wigan have been linked to him a few times over the last few years. It’s still worth baring in mind when these rumours come out. 

Much of the time it's a player's agent planting stories to push the price up and the club hasn't even spoken to the player.

[Magic Superbeetle]

13 hours ago, Chrispmartha said:

Ive not heard anything (bar the usual nonsense talked on sky) other than he is looking to get through next year injury free to try get an extension with Leeds.

Ive also heard Leeds will make him marquee next year to free up cap space

I have been told that Newman has told Leeds he intends to leave at the end of his existing contract (next year) with Saints or the NRL as his preferred destination and Saints had had a conversation with Leeds about bringing it forward to the end of this season (which is where the Sky noise came from I believe) but nothing more than that, and no idea whether Leeds even entertained it (given the the noise around marquees, I suspect not!) I am sure we will make him an offer to replace Hurrell at the end of next season so will be interesting how it plays out. 

If I remember correctly there was "Newman to Saints" nonsense last year too so may just be one of those things. To the point in my original post though, I doubt we would have even asked about Newman if the Hopoate replacement could cover centre as well. 

[FearTheVee]

33 minutes ago, Magic Superbeetle said:

I have been told that Newman has told Leeds he intends to leave at the end of his existing contract (next year) with Saints or the NRL as his preferred destination and Saints had had a conversation with Leeds about bringing it forward to the end of this season (which is where the Sky noise came from I believe) but nothing more than that, and no idea whether Leeds even entertained it (given the the noise around marquees, I suspect not!) I am sure we will make him an offer to replace Hurrell at the end of next season so will be interesting how it plays out. 

If I remember correctly there was "Newman to Saints" nonsense last year too so may just be one of those things. To the point in my original post though, I doubt we would have even asked about Newman if the Hopoate replacement could cover centre as well. 

Mixed feelings if this is true. For me everything about Newman reeks of hype over substance and his attitude is clearly a concern.

[Spidey]

42 minutes ago, FearTheVee said:

Mixed feelings if this is true. For me everything about Newman reeks of hype over substance and his attitude is clearly a concern.

I thought that would make him fit right in at Saints

[FearTheVee]

1 hour ago, Spidey said:

I thought that would make him fit right in at Saints

Hard to disagree that Saints must be a den of bad attitude and lack of substance on the way to 4 titles and the WCC . . . . 

[Josef K]

The lack of signings from Saints is quite worrying, we have hardly brought anyone in over the last 2 or 3 years. We desperately need a centre & winger, someone with pace. 

[Wollo Wollo Wayoo]

Massive transfer news from Belle Vue.

 

Lineham has gone. 

[plug]

1 hour ago, Wollo Wollo Wayoo said:

Massive transfer news from Belle Vue.

 

Lineham has gone. 

Hope its not to us FEV

[LeeF]

2 hours ago, Wollo Wollo Wayoo said:

Massive transfer news from Belle Vue.

 

Lineham has gone. 

That’ll leave a big gap

[Monkeymagic22]

1 hour ago, plug said:

Hope its not to us FEV

It’s rumoured to be York.

[Nothus]

19 hours ago, Josef K said:

The lack of signings from Saints is quite worrying, we have hardly brought anyone in over the last 2 or 3 years. We desperately need a centre & winger, someone with pace. 

Ritson is probably one of the quickest players in the league, you just need to tell Mark Percival to actually pass the ball for once in his career.

[FearTheVee]

8 minutes ago, Nothus said:

Ritson is probably one of the quickest players in the league, you just need to tell Mark Percival to actually pass the ball for once in his career.

Ritson has chances and not looked like taking them.

interested to see him next year with another off-season behind him but the reality is he’s been outplayed by Bennison this year.

ps Percival has been outstanding in recent weeks.

Edited September 26, 2023 by FearTheVee

[Wellsy4HullFC]

Cooper Johns to Hull apparently.

[The Phantom Horseman]

TotalRL are reporting that Keighley's Thomas Doyle "will make a move to SL for the 2024 season"

Presumably they have gleaned this story from the Keighley website which earlier today announced a list of players leaving that included Doyle.

They did state however that he had activated a SL clause in August, having been previously had a transfer request to a SL club before the deadline denied by Keighley.

The rumours were that it was Wakefield who were in for him and it will be amusing if this story, which TotalRL are trying to peddle on their Premium platform despite being sourced from the Cougars website, turns out to be a move to Wakefield, now a Championship team.