Players like Mika are the ones you should be signing.
NRL clubs have about 30 under 20s players each year, of whom maybe 10 could go on with it to be NRL standard, but at each club there are about 3 or 4 spots in the senior squad to fill each year.
There are a lot of 21 and 22 year olds like Mika who could still be anything.
Signing old guys who are on the downhill slide is why your comp is going backwards.
If you changed the rules and plundered the NRL for promising 20 year olds you would improve rapidly.

Where does everyone reckon he will be playing then, my guess after looking about is 2nd row - a decent size with decent speed with a great offload in the tackle.

2nd row makes sense but coming off the bench to make an impact. I would say the same for Paea as well, which would mean playing Galea at loose, his best position in my book.

McDonnell is all but signed up, and like the signing of Meeks I don't expect Rovers to officially announce it until they both get visas - but you never know with Smithy lol!

Looking at some of those clips i think he has the look of Sam Stewart about him. I will be very happy if he turns out to be as good as that great backrower we got from Newcastle.

Maybe, or maybe clubs could invest some of tehat cash which is going overseas into improving their youth systems and likely improving teh output from them.

Not sure I agree that 2nd rate overseas is quite good by SL standards. There are plenty of overseas players in SL who are garbage

Ton... No, mustn't do that.

Who's this chaps agent?

Whilst on that subject, who is McDonnell's agent too?

Could be anyone know the Howes and Riolo days are over.

McDonnell, some bloke called Steve Gillis back in 2009, couldn't be bothered looking Taulapapa, not your researcher am I?

No.

I didn't ask for Taulapapa, asked for Con Meeks didn't I?

Yes. Well, assumed I did on the basis it's his very own thread. :-p

meeks-good god

Don't know if anyone has seen this, but here are some clips of the guy in action, looks good off loading the ball and a big hitter too.

No YouTube please
GML

So, the Mika career so far asI remember it.

In 2008 he was one of the best players in the Warriors under 20s with a reputation as a fearsome defender.
In 2009 he was the big junior recruitment for the Newcastle Knights and played many roles in the Knights under 20s, including games as a playmaking 5/8 (he wasn't as good as he thought he was).
In 2010 he joined the senior squad and played some good games in firstgrade, including a few in the starting team. At the end of the season he had a leg injury i think, which meant he took virtually no part in the off season.
In 2011 he played in the last pre season trial, which was basically the reserve graders against some local players, and he was so unfit he was owned by the local guys. As the season went on he improved to the point he was selected for NSW residents (basically the best players in the NSW cup who aren't getting any firstgrade games) and played against Qld residents. When Wayne Bennett was appointed coach for next season it became obvious he wasn't wanted for next year, but to his credit he picked up his game another notch and was playing his heart out in the reserves.
I'd say he is now fully fit and in career best form. An off season under Sandercock would see him up to NRL starting standard IMO, since he was near that standard before missing the last off season, so I think you have a bargain.

I know what you mean [ihomie [/i(might annoy 'the worm thing' that), I can hardly find the motivation to reply let alone stay on topic half the time. The majority of topics just end up dull - It was dire here while you were on your jolly hols, appreciated the cheeky visits toward the back-end though.

A media update re Mika & McDonnell www.theherald.com.au/news/local/ ... 22119.aspx

A media update re Mika & McDonnell www.theherald.com.au/news/local/ ... 22119.aspx