OFFICIAL Sunia "Tito" Turuva

Yes I think we may let Adam go or offer $ 300 as he is a risk , Bud can go as well , that would if both go free up $ 1 million approx and I would say there will probably be a few more from the 30 depart as well , I would keep Sezer if playing well still in case we have injury in half’s
I’m not sure it’ll be easy to move off Bud. Hopefully he can develop into a capable 14.
 
Yeah, but
1. Story breaks saying we have won the race
2. Later reported he told his teammates
3. At least one teammate farewelled him on social media

You don’t need runway lights to put the dots together.
No buts....
He wants it official
That's NOT done yet afaik

I can appreciate people waiting for the official advise
 
I still can't believe how many of us bought the hype

Yes, I'll put my hand up and admit I was one of those people and thought the kid had something in his running game after seeing him tear us apart, but then we have made so many very ordinary players look like super stars over the years.

I thought his signing was a good move at the time with halves being in short supply and this being prior to signing Luai, however when you consider that he wasn't in Flanno's plans I thought the dollars were only a minor issue but the contract length was way too far over on the generous side.

As far as excitement over players goes, I don't see it as being too much different to the hype around someone like Zac Lomax, he's had 2 or 3 very good games in a row where he has almost single-handedly destroyed teams (us included as is usually the case) but I suspect that he may not be able to keeping it up on a regular basis.

He will probably return to his usual form of freaky flick passes that only pay off on the rare occasion and hopefully he can keep it up for his time at Parramatta. The whole point is that for all the good contracts that are signed there will always be ones that don't work out and if you can maintain a bit of objectivity you will see that it doesn't happen just to us but it happens at all clubs regardless of how well they are supposedly run.
 
The time for gambling on reserve graders should be over ..
Agree, some comments on here saying "good for depth" looking at aging reserve graders is not the way to go.
Bight the bullet time wise and go for rising talent, with a caveat; they have the physical attributes, desire, attitude and a personality to fit in with our aims.
 
So early suggestions are that he has been offered a centre position and act as cover for Bula at Fullback, what are people's thought's on this?
I know all backline positions are lean at the moment, however he's been playing wing and that is clearly our position of greatest need. Olam has got one centre spot locked down and theres about 3-4 guys in the squad for 2025 who go do a job on the other side. But our wing depth is dire, surely he's coming to play on a wing?
 
I can understand people not wanting to believe media reports and only waiting till the offical announcement before they can relax when it was Luai. But why the same reaction to Turuva? He’d be a really good signing, but it’s not like it’s game changing. In the very unlikely event the reports are untrue, we move on and look for another outside back. It’s hardly an announcement to be sweating on.
 
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Fifita is one of the highest paid rep forwards in the game - but the Titans are still struggling to know how to get the best out of him - so he was a situational reserve in the game today.

Kelly and Schoupp in particular are basic squad players at centre who are of course are paid less - but that is also why the Titans are not a winning team!!

Their halves and centre depth is ordinary and they have too much salary cap tied up in Fffita and Tino to re-balance their squad...

There is no rule of thumb - the market will determine the individual value of players but there is no way you can overly invest in the back-row and thrive on cheap three-quarters in a balanced cap!
And that is your opinion.
 
So early suggestions are that he has been offered a centre position and act as cover for Bula at Fullback, what are people's thought's on this?
I know all backline positions are lean at the moment, however he's been playing wing and that is clearly our position of greatest need. Olam has got one centre spot locked down and theres about 3-4 guys in the squad for 2025 who go do a job on the other side. But our wing depth is dire, surely he's coming to play on a wing?
Benji will experiment in the pre-season training drills on positional changes. It will also have the effect of putting pressure on the fullback, centres and wingers to do better or maybe not being his 1st choice. He has stated, he goes on form, not reputation.
 
Tito's always been a player I've watched closely through the lower grades at Penrith. while the system is quite obviously elite, he possesses physical and footballing gifts that always set him apart.

he's very good at summing up overlap situations, he's a strong runner of the ball, very agile and is very safe. I've always thought that utilising him on the wing was a bit of a waste, given the ballplaying skill he possesses. there's work to be done defensively, but his work ethic is second to none. he will fix those deficiencies and having someone like Olam to learn off is going to be great for him.

this deal sounds like it's close to done, but it ain't over til it's over. if we manage to lure him across, he is another 10-year player we can add to our core nucelus. he is a wonderful player with so much to offer.
 
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So early suggestions are that he has been offered a centre position and act as cover for Bula at Fullback, what are people's thought's on this?
I know all backline positions are lean at the moment, however he's been playing wing and that is clearly our position of greatest need. Olam has got one centre spot locked down and theres about 3-4 guys in the squad for 2025 who go do a job on the other side. But our wing depth is dire, surely he's coming to play on a wing?
I'm not putting any stock into positional moves the media may suggest
Hell, we have two thirds of a season to go before he arrives... It's the media likely just padding out the story.
It will be sorted next year
 
Tito's always been a player I've watched closely through the lower grades at Penrith. while the system is quite obviously elite, he possesses physical and footballing gifts that always set him apart.

he's very good at summing up overlap situations, he's a strong runner of the ball, very agile and is very safe. I've always thought that utilising him on the wing was a bit of a waste, given the ballplaying skill he possesses. there's work to be done defensively, but his work ethic is second to none. he will fix those deficiencies and having someone like Olam to learn off is going to be great for him.

this deal sounds like it's close to done, but it ain't over til it's over. if we manage to lure him across, he is another 10-year player we can add to our core nucelus. he is a wonderful player with so much to offer.
Summing up an overlap... Well said

You see him close to the line get the ball he will prop for a split second. It's like the gears turning in his brain "summing up the situation"

👍
 
Eh id rather have Talyn there. Play 20 minutes off the bench. Think Api is better with a short break.
100%
Talyn da Silva seems to be showing himself as a decent Hooker.

Which is exactly why we have to be more ruthless with our cap.
Look Talyn to be seems to be more a speedy hooker, more a Michael Ennis then Robbie Farah type. Definately the guy is going to benefit from being around Api, Farah, etc.

I can't see Bud playing anywhere but 5/8, halfback, Center or utility.

Whats more, bringing it back to Turuva... Hiring dedicated players IMHO is the way to go. Yes Utilities are useful for covering gaps, but that kind of player has never really done well here.
AD - never fitted the team and claimed a position.
Mbye - played every game but never excelled at Fullback or 5/8.

Honestly no more then 1 utility. We just don't need "Backrow Depth" that's what reserve grade is for.

Ideally it would be good to sign a Winger with a Center who they are used to playing side by side. Ofcourse we can't have all our wishes come true. ... Hopefully Turuva will combine well with Luai and Luai/Api already have a good combination. We need to start dropping Api's minutes and that means Talyn on the bench...
Either Talyn will have to loosely cover the back row if injuries OR we play with 2x front rowers, Talyn and a back row reserve i.e. Naden/Toa....

Things are looking good.
 
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