i would try to get ellis here this season,and see how he goes.whenever he does come i would make him first choice 7 from the off,he will be 22 by the time he gets here,if hes good enough he ll make it.no disrespect to long or dykes,we have had to many injury prone players in the last few years,lets go for youth.manly sea eagles have promoted to young halfs in foran and cherry evans to the first team and they are now blossoming into a really good ,young partnership,which may form the cornerstone of the manly team for the next ten years.

I suspect that was the plan all along and I dont think Long would have got a contract extension anyway. I think that clears up the signing of Ellis and Heremaia. Ellis as backup and pushing for one of the half back jersies with Heremaia pretty much taking up the role Obst currently has - swapping with Houghton and covering an injury in the halfs. Not sure that makes us stronger but now easier to understand. If nothing else just perhaps shows whats available out there.

Ellis will be.

Even more desperate than putting obst there

Why? We need a kicking game and an organising half, Ellis is far better at both than Obst.

Because as much as obst isn't a scrum half, he has more SL experience in the last couple of weeks than 22 year old ellis has in his life. No way will agar throw him in in front of obst. He'll only play if we have injuries. If agar saw obst as interchange hooker he wouldn't have signed heremaia

I don't think Obst will be here next year.

Basing on no other reason than the current injury and not having chance to prove himself for a new contract I dont see Long playing for us again. Based on that and say Obst leaving that would make Heremaia a straight swap for him (Obst). I just dont see us risking Ellis as a starting half unproven in SL. Therefore if Obst was leaving I could only see us in the market still for a proven half back. What makes you think Obst would be leaving though?

Because I think Heremaia is a replacement.
They've signed Ellis and are probably going to keep Long, so I don't see a place for Obst.
Don't be surprised if he's back at Wakey next year. I have a feeling there'll be a 15 team SL next year.

Obst won't be going anywhere.

If we can get Ellis ready to be a starting SL Scrum Half in a single off season it'll be a miracle. He's got a ton of work to do on the physical fitness side alone.

Dunno, one of the things that was highlighted about him was how fit and ready he was to go straight in!! he is a biggish lad and extremely fit too already ....

If he's going to make then he'll be ok, we worry too mch about experience. With the experience that we have to offer in the team I'd rather someone new and fresh was brought in!

There must be players kicking about in the lower levels that are never going to make it so get rid there will also players that would benefit from playing in the first team more than in the reserves. We have shown that paying people out of position doesn't work. Get promoting youth at the very least we will increase our turnover of players and have more chance of unearthing the next gem.

Wonder if the club can get an early for Ellis in this season? The season is as good as gone now as the chance of staying & scraping into the top 8 is remote. Wouldnt be a bad thing if possible to get him in now so he's as ready as he can be for next season.

comes in the closed season, not gonna happen mate... howeverlets go back two weeks or so when we beat Wire etc all without Long

But we've just collapsed. The last two games they have majorly underperformed, and just making basic mistakes like not being able to hold a ball when running. They took the wrong options on a number of occasions against Rovers and ultimately, in my opinion, those wrong options cost us the game. It's no good saying 'we beat Wire' without taking into account the games we've lost against teams we should be beating.

I fully agree with you mate , we seem to have gone back 8 weeks

However in pro sport its pointless whining about a loss you gotta move on and go again... its done move on and try to solve the issue for the next match, just seems odd that the moment we break a winning plan with RH getting back to some form and Obst playing well we sorrta go and move everyone around and start from scratch again ... we keep mending what was already fixed dont we...
onto next match or until the BOD move themselves into gear

Always been big iirc, maybe needs to lose a stone to sharpen him up. He's not a runner, he's someone who puts people through gaps to make breaks.
A good pre season will sort him out.

I'm not saying for one moment he'll be a superstar next year, but he can organise a team and has a very good kicking game, which we've all pretty much agreed is where we need to strengthen.

bang on mate!! i think he will do very well

off topic yes but just wanted to laugh at those who said Minnichello was over the hill and finished too
Best call the NSW selectors and tell them LOLOLOL

Danny Houghtons going to Aus with Fitzgibbon .

On Holiday or retiring with Fitz?

doubt that massivly..if your that confidant, name a club in which he will sign for??? houghton would be playing either QLD cup or NSW cup not first grade anyways..

I agree, his fitness/body shape will need some work but I think the off season will provide enough time. We need to realise we have not bought a runner but a passer of the ball, an organiser and a kicker. We have Horne to do the running and this kid might not be a world beater but he could give us the balance we have been craving.

In the 4 games I've seen him play, I've seen nothing at all to suggest he's an organiser. Yes, he can kick, and yes, on occasion he can put some one through a gap, but currently, he is certainly no better an organiser than Obst is.