He was never classified as star quality, the word 'looks' was present in the post which would be just an opinion based entirely on the YouTube videos, must be a trait in FC fans to bend people's posts to score points, purposely choosing to read what they want and not what was intended.

I've not heard of him before now, looks star quality though, hope we sign him.

Clark Gable (great sig.)
So do I.

Well I've seen both Seymour and McDonnell play in the NSW cup this year.
Both looked a class above that comp, and both were being kept out of firstgrade by better options.
I suppose it comes down to what your side needs because they are very different players, but Seymour is a quality playmaker in his old age, and McDonnell can turn a game with his quality runs from fullback.
Seymour probably has his best behind him, and 24 year old McDonnell would be hitting his peak in the next few seasons.

Roopy you do know Seymours 27?

I know he's been around for nearly 10 years and been on the slide for the last 3 or 4.
He debuted in 2002.

I know McDonnell has been around for 4 or 5 years and is just about at his peak - might still have a bit of improvement in him.

I wouldn't want either at my club except as backup players, but they might be OK in ESL.

We'll have to agree to disagree there.

But what will help both players is having extended runs in first team football.

And you've just been taken over by a rich man, appointed Bennett, signed a couple of soo players of course you wouldn't want them at your club.

NRL is a few notches up from SL and players who were on fringes of teams over in Oz are often top performers over here, you only have to look at Dobson for us (and Wigan, Cats), he was dream team no 7 for two seasons, also Blake Green became our player of the year and looks a very good stand off in SL.

I am not too worried about McDonnell as he is likley to look a better player here than in Oz, same goes for a lot of those for other clubs as well such as Carmont at Wigan, similar number of NRL games before coming here and looking a superb player.

Carmont was very different.
He was a guy who came late to pro football.
He got his start in his mid 20s for the Knights under a scheme we run where we bring up one or two guys from the local comp each year to do pre season training with the Knights, and he was actually getting better and better at the Knights and i'd say he was a quality player when he decided to stop playing for peanuts and go to the ESL. He suffered from a poor reputation because he was crap for his first year in the NRL, and NRL coaches had already pidgeonholed him.

Dureau is an interesting one as well. He had an amazing junior career where he won an under 18s title, was the dominant half in the under 20s in the minor premiership winning side (lost the grandfinal due to a coaching stuffup that involved him being moved to 5/8 for an injured Luke Walsh coming back from the seniors), and in reserve grade he took the side Luke Walsh had won a wooden spoon with to the top of the table. Brian Smith hated his style and tried to get him to change it, basically to play second fiddle to Jarrod Mullen, and that near ruined Scott's game. All Trent Robinson did for Scott was to tell him to play his natural game, and he went back to being the player who took the Trent Robinson coached Knights reserve side to the top of the table, till Scott was promoted to firstgrade.

I think McDonnell will go OK, but he isn't a star like Dureau has always been except for 2 years under BS and Rick Stone, where he played very irregular football and was never allowed to call the shots, which is what he does well.

I dont think we will really know how either player will do in ESL until they actually play a few games. It was the same as Blake Green, alot of bulldogs fans at the start of last year were saying he was a reserve grade player and would probably just do OK for us but that didnt turn out to be the case.

On the other hand McDonnell go be at the other end of the scale and not do anything at all for us.

But im sure Sandercock knows enough about the guy and has seen him play more then we have so obv must feel confident he's good enough to do the job.

Had a look at the stats for this nrl season, and he compares well to other "marquee" full back signings in super league. Similar tries in fewer games and more mpc

Shannon is well up to speed as an attacking player. He has even been MOTM several times for the Knights in games we have won easily, because his backing up and gap running skills really shine through when your team is on top.
He suffers very badly when compared with Kurt Gidley in defence.
If a player makes a break and goes one on one with Kurt Gidley, Kurt will bring him down. Kurt would have a fair go at a bull elephant if it ran at him.
If a player makes a break and goes one on one with Shannon, pretty fair chance he will score.

Kurt is better than Shannon in other areas, mostly to do with him being the fittest player in the game and able to spend a lot of time at dummy half or as a playmaker in attack, taking the pressure off half the team, but the real difference is that Shannon will look good when your other players lay the platform, and Kurt will lay the platform himself and prop up half the players on the field as well.

Ok roopy uve persuaded us yes we will take kurt of newcastles hands u only had to ask, so wen is he arriving and who is this winger McManus is it.

I think I've fallen in love with roopy, and he's from the Hunter Valley, fabulous Semillon from there.

I'm from Lake Macquarie.
A place no one has ever heard of, so I just say Newcastle.

Lake Macquarie is also the home town of Clint Newton, Willie Mason, Josh Perry, Brett Finch, Brett Kimmorley, Chief Harrogan, Luke Burt, Mark O'Meley, Michael Ennis and a dozen other firstgrade players.

The Newcastle district is made up of the City (Newcastle), the Bay (Nelsons Bay north of the city), the Valley (Hunter Valley) and the Lake (Lake Macquarie - South of the city).

The City is a dump.
The Bay is the world's largest above ground cemetary
The Valley is a huge coal mine populated with bogans
The Lake is God's own country

I had a semillon when I woke up this morning but my missus wasn't interested

It sounds fantastic.

I've never wanted to go to Australia before, but I think I'll book for 2013 right now!

Although, the locals sound a bit frightening and my mouth is want to occasionally get me in a pickle...

Badum, tish!

Try the veal.

Lake Macquarie must be the Aussie equivilant to Hull KR academy then

I might start looking for Newcastle's scores. Mind, I said that about Workington when the link-up was announced and tbh, I never did. They're in the CC1 Final - although slightly weirdly, the top team doesn't play in the play-offs, as they're already promoted.

I did a wine tasting trip at hunter valley. Was impressed.

Why go all that way to taste wine, just nip to Asda and a sly slurp while no-one is looking

Then spit it out on the floor!

I love this forum sometimes.

We've managed to go from discussing a player none of us had heard of this time last week to stealing wine and spitting on the floor!

No idea why people dislike thread drift.

Sorry in advance Sir Skywalker.

No different to verbal conversations really, they drift off subject too.

Newcastle is the strongest League district in the World.

The NRL clubs that produce the most firstgraders are in order;

Warriors representing a country of 4 million or so.
Broncos representing a city of near 2 million
Newcastle representing a district of 500k

At any time there are around 2 teams of Newcastle juniors in the NRL or ESL.

Newcastle had a team in the first Australian comp based in Sydney in 1908 and 1909, and in 1910 they had enough players to form their own 6 team comp.
They now have a 12 team local first division comp and most of the 12 teams have ex NRL players on the books. All 12 field senior sides in 3 grades, so 36 senior sides + juniors. The lower Hunter second division has a further 24 senior sides + juniors.
There is also a mid Hunter comp and an Upper Hunter comp - so roughly 80 senior teams in all, and an estimated 20k juniors (counting school teams).

Our new owner is the richest man and only Billionaire under 40 in Australia, and he started life as an electrician in the mines and a prop forward for the Muswellbrook Rams in the upper Hunter division.