He’s only till end of 2025. Signed for 2923/2024 at Cronulla do next season is his last. Perhaps afterwards the lure of playing with his brother might open up an opportunity.

Most likely as you say unless we use the marquee spot with some serious coin pumped in it won’t happen.

I wonder who this prop is or even if it’s a prop at all. I’d have thought we’d be looking at a second rower or 9 if anything.

When you say 'lucky'. Do you mean he spotted those three players when others didn't want them and built a team that would go from very bottom before he took over to 4th in one season and then 5th, 5th, 1st, 3rd, 5th and 4th.
Yes maybe he was lucky. I hope he's as lucky with us.

It would be an amazing signing Braden, he’s a top line front rower. Not sure who the NRL prop is, I got wound up the other day we were signing Kurt Capewell!! There will be a lot of names flying about, especially with teams like Parramatta, South Sydney etc getting new coaches and refreshing their rosters. I know it’s a long shot but I believe big Reegan Campbell-Gillard is being shopped about, imagine that!!

Assuming they're off contract, I'd guess it'd be one of Peter Hola (Raiders), Liam Knight (Bulldogs), Makahesi Mankato (Eels) or Martin Taupau (Broncos). Outside chance of Jordan McLean or Matt Lodge. I'd like it to be Knight.

I'd also prefer an out-and-out line-running second rower. Not loads of top class ones about, but I really like Jack Williams at the Sharks. Absolute workhorse but can also run good lines.

Certainly seems to be plenty of forwards available if that list is to go by.

Martin Tapau has been banded about last 2 seasons and it seems his agent just shops him to get him another NRL deal every season. Didn’t we offer him a deal for 2023? I’m not sure I’d be keen on that.

Can’t say that I’m not excited to find out who we have signed as I reckon there’s a big one still to come.

We don't need to go for old past their best players.
I'd rather we shopped in the Rodwell and Uele market.

Give it a rest. I also want to make one thing clear, you don’t speak for most fans, just a tiny minority.

Players get injured, sometimes they have a run of them and then they come back strong. Happened to Ashurst for a start. Would you like me to give you a list?

Truman has played 130 first team games and he’s only 25, to any reasonable person that’s a good return. If he gets past his injury blip then he could easily finish on 300 games when he retires, if that’s injury prone then I give up.

And before you say ‘if’, that ‘if’ applies to every player in the world, they are all only one game away from a career ending injury.

To add to that, he's played more games per season for Hull than TJ did for us in his last three seasons.....but Catalan bought him anyway and he gave them a very good return.
The 'injury prone' thing is a myth. There are lots of players who have big injuries and make a full recovery.

Jonny Lomax being the prime example. Blighted with serious knee injuries in his earlier career and written off by most, but since he got over them he's been one of the best and most consistent halves recently.

Anyway Al always likes a good moan, always banging on about pace but never citing who he would actually like us to bring in. Not even a wish list of unlikely targets, let alone who is available.

Lomax is a great example....of a determined player and a club supporting their player too.

You can add his partner in crime Makinson to that. The list is endless. There are players who never got free of injuries but even they are not ‘injury prone’. Nigel Wright was a perfect example, but that was not down to any failing of his own, he was unlucky and got some poor medical advise, his words not mine.

Injuries more than any other aspect of sport are heavily influenced by chance, and are generally out of the athlete’s control, with the odd exception.

Could go either way for Trueman, but no more than any other of the signings we’ve made.

From what I've heard, the club are confident in the S&C/medical team that they can keep Trueman fit. Catalans said the same about Johnstone and seem to have done a decent job. In the documentary about him, one of the Catalans staff said they'd given him a bespoke training plan, I don't remember the specifics but it made sense. Just from the YouTube interviews I reckon we've a elite backroom team as well.

Been reported that we are chasing Seth Nikotemo a back rower at Gold Coast Titans.