Canberra Raiders miss out on signing a second-row target Luciano Leilua

[Roger Kenworthy]

Sort of got to love we're the only club that doesn't see a guy being made available about 4 times a year as a red flag.

[Neeeegz]

Sort of got to love we're the only club that doesn't see a guy being made available about 4 times a year as a red flag.

Exactly, this guy could do more damage than good, if he is anything like Joey personality wise. It's a solid no thanks from me

[Bluesbrother]

Sort of got to love we're the only club that doesn't see a guy being made available about 4 times a year as a red flag.

When was he last available mate?

[Billy Walker]

Sort of got to love we're the only club that doesn't see a guy being made available about 4 times a year as a red flag.

When was he last available mate?

He is looking for his 4th club since 2019.

[Bluesbrother]

Sort of got to love we're the only club that doesn't see a guy being made available about 4 times a year as a red flag.

When was he last available mate?

He is looking for his 4th club since 2019.

Look, it's not a great record but 4 times a year is a bit over the top. Arguably he hasn't been managed by the right coach either. Todd Payten is very green and the Tigers and Dragons have been a rabble the last decade.

I'm not advocating for LL to be here. Personally, I don't think he is worth the money/risk/reward equation when you consider the young blokes we already have. I'm not phased either way, but I dont think he has been in an environment that has allowed him to flourish for any consistent period. No doubt, he has had a hand in that but his brother was the same and he reached his peak whilst he was here.

[Billy Walker]

Sort of got to love we're the only club that doesn't see a guy being made available about 4 times a year as a red flag.

When was he last available mate?

He is looking for his 4th club since 2019.

Look, it's not a great record but 4 times a year is a bit over the top. Arguably he hasn't been managed by the right coach either. Todd Payten is very green and the Tigers and Dragons have been a rabble the last decade.

I'm not advocating for LL to be here. Personally, I don't think he is worth the money/risk/reward equation when you consider the young blokes we already have. I'm not phased either way, but I dont think he has been in an environment that has allowed him to flourish for any consistent period. No doubt, he has had a hand in that but his brother was the same and he reached his peak whilst he was here.

He did, but talent is one thing and buy in to club culture is another. BJ and LL are very talented but they both seem like very big personalities that would naturally be a strong influence on young players and the culture of the club overall. That’s the bit I’d want to be sure about. I’m satisfied he can run a good line, hit hard and do skilful things. I’m not convinced he’s the sort of bloke to set the example in the gym or on the track. He seems like he’d be a popular fun bloke to be around but I’m not sure that’s what we need right now.

[Bluesbrother]

Sort of got to love we're the only club that doesn't see a guy being made available about 4 times a year as a red flag.

When was he last available mate?

He is looking for his 4th club since 2019.

Look, it's not a great record but 4 times a year is a bit over the top. Arguably he hasn't been managed by the right coach either. Todd Payten is very green and the Tigers and Dragons have been a rabble the last decade.

I'm not advocating for LL to be here. Personally, I don't think he is worth the money/risk/reward equation when you consider the young blokes we already have. I'm not phased either way, but I dont think he has been in an environment that has allowed him to flourish for any consistent period. No doubt, he has had a hand in that but his brother was the same and he reached his peak whilst he was here.

He did, but talent is one thing and buy in to club culture is another. BJ and LL are very talented but they both seem like very big personalities that would naturally be a strong influence on young players and the culture of the club overall. That’s the bit I’d want to be sure about. I’m satisfied he can run a good line, hit hard and do skilful things. I’m not convinced he’s the sort of bloke to set the example in the gym or on the track. He seems like he’d be a popular fun bloke to be around but I’m not sure that’s what we need right now.

I agree with you.

I guess the club is backing thier culture to turn him into a decent human. I'm not so sure. As I've said in another thread, I think if this came up with our 2019 side then we could handle a bloke like LL as we had a lot of senior players that could bring him into line. Now, we have a lot of youth the picture is different.

That said, I don't know anything about LL as a person. He has been charged with domestic violence, had the charges dismissed. He had a drink drive charge. There is some smoke but he wouldn't be the first high paid bloke charged wrongfully or to have a beer and drive home. He was 0.052 when he got caught drink driving which is ridiculously low.

Maybe he has been unfairly portrayed off field. He doesnt appear to be the most educated man but I'm not sure.

And, can you really blame him for leaving the Tigers or Dragons?

So all in all, I'm not sure we know for certain that LL is toxic. Maybe he just need's some love and guidance?

[Billy Walker]

When was he last available mate?

He is looking for his 4th club since 2019.

Look, it's not a great record but 4 times a year is a bit over the top. Arguably he hasn't been managed by the right coach either. Todd Payten is very green and the Tigers and Dragons have been a rabble the last decade.

I'm not advocating for LL to be here. Personally, I don't think he is worth the money/risk/reward equation when you consider the young blokes we already have. I'm not phased either way, but I dont think he has been in an environment that has allowed him to flourish for any consistent period. No doubt, he has had a hand in that but his brother was the same and he reached his peak whilst he was here.

He did, but talent is one thing and buy in to club culture is another. BJ and LL are very talented but they both seem like very big personalities that would naturally be a strong influence on young players and the culture of the club overall. That’s the bit I’d want to be sure about. I’m satisfied he can run a good line, hit hard and do skilful things. I’m not convinced he’s the sort of bloke to set the example in the gym or on the track. He seems like he’d be a popular fun bloke to be around but I’m not sure that’s what we need right now.

I agree with you.

I guess the club is backing thier culture to turn him into a decent human. I'm not so sure. As I've said in another thread, I think if this came up with our 2019 side then we could handle a bloke like LL as we had a lot of senior players that could bring him into line. Now, we have a lot of youth the picture is different.

That said, I don't know anything about LL as a person. He has been charged with domestic violence, had the charges dismissed. He had a drink drive charge. There is some smoke but he wouldn't be the first high paid bloke charged wrongfully or to have a beer and drive home. He was 0.052 when he got caught drink driving which is ridiculously low.

Maybe he has been unfairly portrayed off field. He doesnt appear to be the most educated man but I'm not sure.

And, can you really blame him for leaving the Tigers or Dragons?

So all in all, I'm not sure we know for certain that LL is toxic. Maybe he just need's some love and guidance?

Yeah will be interesting to see. I’m maybe warming to the idea.

[Off]

Seems like a complete and utter knucklehead to me.

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[Lui_Bon]

He is looking for his 4th club since 2019.

Look, it's not a great record but 4 times a year is a bit over the top. Arguably he hasn't been managed by the right coach either. Todd Payten is very green and the Tigers and Dragons have been a rabble the last decade.

I'm not advocating for LL to be here. Personally, I don't think he is worth the money/risk/reward equation when you consider the young blokes we already have. I'm not phased either way, but I dont think he has been in an environment that has allowed him to flourish for any consistent period. No doubt, he has had a hand in that but his brother was the same and he reached his peak whilst he was here.

He did, but talent is one thing and buy in to club culture is another. BJ and LL are very talented but they both seem like very big personalities that would naturally be a strong influence on young players and the culture of the club overall. That’s the bit I’d want to be sure about. I’m satisfied he can run a good line, hit hard and do skilful things. I’m not convinced he’s the sort of bloke to set the example in the gym or on the track. He seems like he’d be a popular fun bloke to be around but I’m not sure that’s what we need right now.

I agree with you.

I guess the club is backing thier culture to turn him into a decent human. I'm not so sure. As I've said in another thread, I think if this came up with our 2019 side then we could handle a bloke like LL as we had a lot of senior players that could bring him into line. Now, we have a lot of youth the picture is different.

That said, I don't know anything about LL as a person. He has been charged with domestic violence, had the charges dismissed. He had a drink drive charge. There is some smoke but he wouldn't be the first high paid bloke charged wrongfully or to have a beer and drive home. He was 0.052 when he got caught drink driving which is ridiculously low.

Maybe he has been unfairly portrayed off field. He doesnt appear to be the most educated man but I'm not sure.

And, can you really blame him for leaving the Tigers or Dragons?

So all in all, I'm not sure we know for certain that LL is toxic. Maybe he just need's some love and guidance?

Yeah will be interesting to see. I’m maybe warming to the idea.

Look, I may have this all wrong but concerning the bolded bit above, from what I recall EDIT

NRL player Luciano Leilua charged over alleged domestic violence incident: https://www.9news.com.au/national/lucia ... 4bba474841

Domestic violence charges against NRL player Luciano Leilua dropped: https://www.9news.com.au/national/domes ... ded286354d

Again, I repeat I'm just going off memory now but he ended up with charges dismissed.

[RedRaider]

LL with a low range drink driving charge in January 2024 which has seen his Qld licence suspended. The reports on his NQ Cowboys contract were that he signed for 3 years on a $2.2M deal to begin in 2023. Yet, here he is, just one year into a 3 year deal and he wants out again?? or the NQ Club want him out. Imo he is very over priced at $700K on his playing ability. We have just bought Zac Hosking and have some promising juniors coming through. We have one Top 30 spot left. Would we really use it on LL? My answer would be No.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-07/ ... /103436546

[-PJ-]

LL would have been handy 12-18 months ago.

Today..we don’t need him.

That ship has sailed.

Sail away, Sail away, Sail away.

[VictorTheViking]

Please no

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[Seiffert82]

One one hand I genuinely expect the Raiders would get the best out of him on the field.

On the other, he's had a history of an assault charge (dismissed after he agreed to 13 month AVO), a DUI and he is asking for $900k per season.

On balance we could do better.

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[bonehead]

I'm ok with our backrow after seeing the trial, Sasagi and Noah Martin showed that with another year under their belts there's real promise.

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[Seiffert82]

I'm ok with our backrow after seeing the trial, Sasagi and Noah Martin showed that with another year under their belts there's real promise.

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Yes. They both look good.

I expect there to be calls for Martin to play in the middle sooner rather than later, but he's genuinely got the aggression to be a real weapon on the edge. Very impressive.

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[Andymachine]

Noah Martin's front on defence was a highlight but we didn't see much from him with the ball. It was 20 minutes of one trial game and he's only 18 so still a couple of years away. I think it's pretty early for anyone to be stating that we don't need another edge backrower because we have Noah Martin after seeing him for 20 mins. As for Sasagi, I didn't see anything there to be excited about. I don't think he'll see much, if any, first grade this year.

I still think we absolutely need another edge and I think the club is targeting the right type of player - Fifita, Koloamatangi, Leilua. These guys are exactly what we need. Only problem is that if LL wants $900k, that's too much for him IMO unless the Cows would be chipping in, which they should be. I also don't think his character should be judged too harshly by people who don't know him based on throwing a phone and being a bee's over the limit. We've had much worse indiscretions than that in the playing group over the years.

[bonehead]

I'm absolutely not saying either of those guys this year, with the expectations of this season I'm ok with not buying more forwards if we can front load our cap and go big in 2025 for a gun 9 and possibly edge then happy days.
What I said was both have potential with another year's development. Sasagi has a bit of size and very athletic, he needs to learn to defend at backrow and thicken up a little but I certainly thought he handled it well for first go.
Noah Martin was unstoppable in schoolboys then missed the entire season last year, he's grown a lot and just needs to play consistent week in week out footy I think he's a real prospect, if you saw his Erindale highlights he certainly was an excellent mover on the edge.

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[julian87]

People taking too much out of a trial imo. The squad definitely needs another second rower.

[kiwi raider]

People taking too much out of a trial imo. The squad definitely needs another second rower.

100%, even more so with Whitehead on his last legs and the CHN situation

[Beejay]

People taking too much out of a trial imo. The squad definitely needs another second rower.

Very True.

In '25 we are likely going to have 3 players in the spine under the age of 20.
Strong and experienced forward pack is a must.

[Rick]

Can we sweeten the deal with the cows and give them Guler and Bert?


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[Botman]

I thought Sasagi handled himself well at edge forward, but not to an extent that i think we should be satisfied with where we're at squad wise, he's got nice versatility which will help squad balance over all. Noah Martin is probably a year away from being a year away. If im the club, those guys arent scaring me off going a high quality edge forward (and we can debate if LL is that, but i have no doubt the club thinks he is)

[Bluesbrother]

People taking too much out of a trial imo. The squad definitely needs another second rower.

Agree. I'm not sold on our options at 6 or 7 - maybe the money should be saved for someone in this area. Or, at 9 which is noted problem area.

[Green Blogger]

LL with a low range drink driving charge in January 2024 which has seen his Qld licence suspended. The reports on his NQ Cowboys contract were that he signed for 3 years on a $2.2M deal to begin in 2023. Yet, here he is, just one year into a 3 year deal and he wants out again?? or the NQ Club want him out. Imo he is very over priced at $700K on his playing ability. We have just bought Zac Hosking and have some promising juniors coming through. We have one Top 30 spot left. Would we really use it on LL? My answer would be No.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-07/ ... /103436546

His departure from the Cowboys is about the emergence of young capable players. If they had not come through the system in the accelerated manner that they have then he would not be out the door.

[zim]

I'm ok with our backrow after seeing the trial, Sasagi and Noah Martin showed that with another year under their belts there's real promise.

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Yes. They both look good.

I expect there to be calls for Martin to play in the middle sooner rather than later, but he's genuinely got the aggression to be a real weapon on the edge. Very impressive.

I'm hoping Noah can turn into a strike edge for us. We didn't get a real idea of his fitness and speed from the trial, and at 18 there's obviously lots of development still to go, but he's already got the size and physicality down. I don't want to see him bulk himself out of position that's always in need like Murchie did.
IMO at least 2 years away from a proper look at a first grade bench debut and even further from stopping us from signing someone like a LL on a 3 year deal.
We have had no luck developing young second rowers. Martin's only just back from a significant layoff which really makes the performance even more impressive to me.
Will make for some great watching in NSW cup.

[Sleek the Elite]

Don't worry about a bandwagon. Start building an arc. Noah will be ready to contend for a first-grade starting spot in 12 months-time if he gets enough opportunities this year.

Some people here wouldn't know talent if it ran over them on the way to the try-line.

[zim]

Brendan Piakura is a truly exceptional second row talent. Egan Butcher and Teig Wilton not as good but big wraps through their junior years and into first grade. Ready for starting spots in first grade at 21, 23 and 23 respectively. What a boon it would be to lock down a guy that's ready well ahead of them.

[Ruben Daley]

Noah Martin's front on defence was a highlight but we didn't see much from him with the ball. It was 20 minutes of one trial game and he's only 18 so still a couple of years away. I think it's pretty early for anyone to be stating that we don't need another edge backrower because we have Noah Martin after seeing him for 20 mins. As for Sasagi, I didn't see anything there to be excited about. I don't think he'll see much, if any, first grade this year.

I still think we absolutely need another edge and I think the club is targeting the right type of player - Fifita, Koloamatangi, Leilua. These guys are exactly what we need. Only problem is that if LL wants $900k, that's too much for him IMO unless the Cows would be chipping in, which they should be. I also don't think his character should be judged too harshly by people who don't know him based on throwing a phone and being a bee's over the limit. We've had much worse indiscretions than that in the playing group over the years.

Totally agree. I loved that trial and was pleasantly surprised by nearly everyone but we saw nothing in that affects our 2024 and 2025 second-rower stocks.

I can't speak about Luciano's off-field stuff other than they seem relatively minor in NRL terms, as you've pointed out - though I never like hearing anything about DV.

But Payten made it clear last year that Luciano was one of, if not the only, player giving his all during the Cow's low periods. He singled him out more than once after a loss. This is far more indicative of his effect on the locker room than any of the perceived issues raised in this chat so far.

I'll take a guy who kept working while his team was phoning it in any day.

The real question is the contract. As has been said, $900K needs to be put into context of the current cap, the probability of the Cows paying some freight and the fact we have to use 95% of our cap regardless. Given that, I suspect the club is seeing this as not really stretching us too much (noting they also appear to be haggling).

Luciano would improve our team a lot more than Hosking and he would also make Hosking more valuable by pushing him down a position in the pecking order.

[Seiffert82]

Don't worry about a bandwagon. Start building an arc. Noah will be ready to contend for a first-grade starting spot in 12 months-time if he gets enough opportunities this year.

Some people here wouldn't know talent if it ran over them on the way to the try-line.

Yeah, not too many 18 year olds have the kahunas or ability to come on in a first grade trial and start whacking blokes from the get-go.

Will be interesting to see how the year plays out for him. Wouldn't be surprised at all if he gets a crack next season.

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[Botman]

Stranger things have happened
This time last year people including me thought Chevy was a back end of 2024 and more likely 2025 player
Right now it’s hard to imagine anyone but him being the starting fullback

Guys as talented as Chevy and Noah can make strides very quickly.
But I still don’t think his presence should preclude us from chasing a top line edge

If 12 months, with EW retired, our biggest problem is trying to fit in LL, Young and Martin into fg that’s a good problem to have

[Roger Kenworthy]

Sort of got to love we're the only club that doesn't see a guy being made available about 4 times a year as a red flag.

When was he last available mate?

I plead guilty to using hyperbole on an internet forum.

[dubby]

Don't deny his talent. Just the drama he brings

[RedRaider]

Noah Martin's front on defence was a highlight but we didn't see much from him with the ball. It was 20 minutes of one trial game and he's only 18 so still a couple of years away. I think it's pretty early for anyone to be stating that we don't need another edge backrower because we have Noah Martin after seeing him for 20 mins. As for Sasagi, I didn't see anything there to be excited about. I don't think he'll see much, if any, first grade this year.

I still think we absolutely need another edge and I think the club is targeting the right type of player - Fifita, Koloamatangi, Leilua. These guys are exactly what we need. Only problem is that if LL wants $900k, that's too much for him IMO unless the Cows would be chipping in, which they should be. I also don't think his character should be judged too harshly by people who don't know him based on throwing a phone and being a bee's over the limit. We've had much worse indiscretions than that in the playing group over the years.

Totally agree. I loved that trial and was pleasantly surprised by nearly everyone but we saw nothing in that affects our 2024 and 2025 second-rower stocks.

I can't speak about Luciano's off-field stuff other than they seem relatively minor in NRL terms, as you've pointed out - though I never like hearing anything about DV.

But Payten made it clear last year that Luciano was one of, if not the only, player giving his all during the Cow's low periods. He singled him out more than once after a loss. This is far more indicative of his effect on the locker room than any of the perceived issues raised in this chat so far.

I'll take a guy who kept working while his team was phoning it in any day.

The real question is the contract. As has been said, $900K needs to be put into context of the current cap, the probability of the Cows paying some freight and the fact we have to use 95% of our cap regardless. Given that, I suspect the club is seeing this as not really stretching us too much (noting they also appear to be haggling).

Luciano would improve our team a lot more than Hosking and he would also make Hosking more valuable by pushing him down a position in the pecking order.

I agree with the highlight part, yet he is so loved by the Cowboys they are looking to off load him. There is possibly more too this as to why the Cowboys want to offload a highly paid player so soon into his contract. We have only one Top 30 place left. I would prefer to keep that spot for the Colonel should he be available after Round 6.

[Seiffert82]

I'm sure the Cowboys would keep him if there was no salary cap.

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