Brett Morris

[Headless Chook]

FWIW Bulldog Ritchie just said we are close to announcing the signing of Brett Morris.

And also said that Ryan Hall had definitely signed

[Lydon]

Signing 2 over the age of 30 wingers past there prime totally makes no sense...

Where would both of them play?

[roostersrule2]

Signing 2 over the age of 30 wingers past there prime totally makes no sense...

Where would both of them play?

Yeah.

Morris wouldn’t come here for depth he’s too good of a player with too much reputation.

Hall wouldn’t travel over to the other side of the world to be depth either.

I’d say Ritchie is wrong because it doesn’t make sense. Also he’s hideous looking so that must count for something.

[Half time]

Ritchie is right. Both not expensive and totsl cost is not that much more than fergo

[Kelvin Johnson]

When talking about Manu, Robbo recently said something about NRL players needing to impose their personalities on the game. You kind of feel Manu is hiding his light under a bushel a bit. Atm he's playing like someone who's not sure if he belongs - needs to find the inner footy star and bring it out onto the field. How much does he want to make it?

He needs the ball, Keary needs to pass him the ball. Keary's habit of running towards the touchline rather than straight leaves no room for the Centre's. Then you have Tedesco who also runs first and passes second and Manu's opportunities are limited.

[Horry]

ROOSTERS GO SHOPPING AS DOGS FIGHT FOR YOUNG STAR

By Dean Ritchie and Fatima Kdouh

THE Sydney Roosters are set to secure the services of off-contract Canterbury winger Brett Morris as well as Leeds and England flyer Ryan Hall for next season.

The Bulldogs continue to shed players to remain salary cap compliant, but got some good news yesterday when 21-year-old half Lachlan Lewis re-signed with the club for the next two seasons.

But the Bulldogs are facing a fight to keep boom forward Rhyse Martin, with coach Dean Pay remaining coy on the 23-year-old’s future..

When asked if he would like to see Martin remain at the club beyond 2018, the rookie coach would only say: “Yeah look, we’re going through those negotiations with him at the moment.”

But The Daily Telegraph understands official talks are yet to begin.

The off-contract Martin has pressed his claims for a contract upgrade after a string of quality performances.

He scored 24 out of his side’s 28 points against the Raiders two weeks ago and has emerged as a genuine first-choice goal kicker.

Pay said he was impressed with how the backrower’s progress in first grade has been tracking but with only seven NRL games under his belt, naturally there were areas of his game that needed improving.

“He needs to keep improving on what he’s doing, he’s come in and played some good football for us,” he said.

“He’s like the other young boys, he needs to keep improving on what he’s doing and for the

last three to four weeks he’s put some good performances in but we want him to get better.”

Pay said there were several positions across his roster that he was seeking to fill and the club would be looking to secure the kind of players that offered the most value for money.

That meant they were unable to offer Morris a contract for 2019, bringing an end to the 31-year-old’s four-season stay at the Bulldogs.

After being forced to chop and change his spine over the course of the season, Pay indicated he had finally settled for Lewis and Jeremy Marshall-King as his halves pairing for the rest of the year.

“We’re at a stage where we are quite stable there and I think our footy is improving for it,” he said.

“Hoppa [Will Hopoate] has been really good at fullback and the two young boys in the halves are starting to get a bit of a combination there, it’s definitely helped.”

While Lewis is firmly in Pay’s future plans, he reserved special praise for Marshall-King who is finally beginning to find his feet at the side’s dominant playmaker.

“He’s a footballer, he’s a really good kid and he just loves playing the game, he can play a number of positions for us and he’s improving every week, so he’s enjoying his footy,” he said.

Pay said the stability in his halves would go a long way to helping secure a much-needed victory tonight against last placed Parramatta, in what’s being dubbed the ‘spoon bowl’.

“From where we’re at, we want to go out there and play a really good brand of football, I thought over the last month we have done that and have scored a few points and the boys are starting to get a little bit excited about how they’re playing at the moment,” he said.

“There is a really good positive energy and we want to keep that going.”

[Headless Chook]

I honestly can't see us signing both Morris and Hall, surely the papers have this one wrong

[top_joe]

I honestly can't see us signing both Morris and Hall, surely the papers have this one wrong

Toops will drop back to the bench.

["gaz"]

I honestly can't see us signing both Morris and Hall, surely the papers have this one wrong

Maybe there looking to cover Teddy and Mitchell during Origin, or competition for backline positions plus cover for a back line injury.
Also likely Reece Robinson will go.

[Half time]

I honestly can't see us signing both Morris and Hall, surely the papers have this one wrong

Queen Salvo kept complaining that we have no depth, maybe the club listens to Queen Salvo?

[Lydon]

I agree,if both are signed it must be to shore up our depth..

Maybe the Club has realised that moving back rowers into centre/wing or using newbies like Ikavalu isn’t enough cover..

I am sure lessons have been learnt after the Tupou injuries and losing backs to Origin!

[mightyrooster]

But I can't see either of B Morris or R Hall signing on to be depth. It doesn't make sense. If we want depth we would sign a younger of fringe player looking for an opportunity to push for an NRL spot surely.

[Keith]

It's a joke , we dont want old farts on the wing , we have some young guys who can step up.

[Vasco]

It's a joke , we dont want old farts on the wing , we have some young guys who can step up.

Who are they?

[Vasco]

I also think Manu needs to show signs of improvement.

I know he has missed a couple of games of late but I can't recall him doing much apart from one or two things earlier in the season.