NRL 2021 transfer news: Connor Watson signs with Sydney Roosters

[Spirit of 66]

Connor is best mates with Kayln Ponga who can field offers after November 1. Maybe he’d accept a paycut too? Wink wink nudge nudge.

[mattyh]

i think it should also be mentioned connor does a lot of charity work off field , i think he won or is in the running for the ken stephen medal for work he does off field with thr indigenous community. so great role model.

as far as players let go ...latrell really hurt, rts really hurt, jimmy really hurt in 16 , but when keary arrived the pain subsided.

josh curran played a ripper on sunday for the wariors motm. could be one to watch, looks big, strong both sides of the ball.

[ism22]

We let him [Latrell] go so we must have wanted him and his ego out.

Yeah I dunno the reasoning but it was a conscious decision hey? As a fan I still think he 'got away' because we'll never really know why he was forced out.

My theory is that it came down to the money. Something like...
- We offered him $800k before any other player (including Crichton, Manu, Toops...etc) got to negotiate. We were frank that this amount was already overs for a centre and we weren't gonna enter into a bidding war (1. because we didn't have any more $$$ & 2. because it wasn't apples and apples, since other bids weren't gonna pay $800k for him to play centre, they were wanting a FB).
- He said he was gonna listen to FB offers. Our stance was that we weren't hiring him as a FB (Teddy's our $1m man getting FB $$$) so this amounted to a rejection of our offer.
- After Latrell rejected our $800k offer to play centre, we quickly locked in guys like Manu, Toops and Gus who have done way more for our club than Latrell was offering as one person. All of them signed the dotted line without asking any questions, so the money we'd set aside for Latrell was gone.
- Latrell then came back and asked if he could stay. We had no money left and had to say goodbye. In doing so, we rewarded loyalty, which has fed into today's culture because Manu and Crichton are now two of our leaders. Latrell is a proven strike weapon and an awesome player but IMO he lacked the blind dedication to Easts that the others had (even when offered more $$$).

[Johnny73]

Surely they could of called it ocon cheese instead.

It was one idiot complaining. No one else cared. My significant other has made a stand and horded C*** boxes.

[ROC181]

I think he will be great as a 14 and B Smith not required. CW may not be a strong runner as BS but he is faster and will take his game to another level with us. In 2 years time I think he will have more offers from many clubs for more coin and we will be hoping he would stay...and he will.

[King Salvo]

i think it should also be mentioned connor does a lot of charity work off field , i think he won or is in the running for the ken stephen medal for work he does off field with thr indigenous community. so great role model.

as far as players let go ...latrell really hurt, rts really hurt, jimmy really hurt in 16 , but when keary arrived the pain subsided.

josh curran played a ripper on sunday for the wariors motm. could be one to watch, looks big, strong both sides of the ball.

Curran is only 22 - Issue was he wouldn't get much NRL game time if he stayed at Chook- Surprised he signed with Warrior though -Recently extended till 2023 by Warrior

[milanja]

It was one idiot complaining. No one else cared. My significant other has made a stand and horded C*** boxes.

It’s our favourite cheese too, It will be hard not to call it by it’s original name anyway.

[The Corner Post]

Welcome back Connor.
He certainly provides depth and would make a solid 14, that guy every winning team needs. He would even push for a starting spot. Forwards or backs, he can play almost anywhere.
True to Roosters style, Connor is a Roosters player!

[BraveTheWorld]

Thought this was a strange signing, but remembering how disappointed I was when he left and I'm feeling a lot better about it. This is definitely end-of-the-line for one or two of our utilities. You would have to think Lam and probably Keighran won't be around much longer, although Keighran covers more positions than Hutch, I suppose. It'll be great to see Connor run back out in the RWB.

[Johnny73]

It’s our favourite cheese too, It will be hard not to call it by it’s original name anyway.

Some things need changing, like the current state and federal governments, but Coon cheese wasn't one of them.

[mightyrooster]

Great to have Connor back. He’ll be our Aubo replacement. I remember being upset when he left though it did make obvious sense at the time. I’m thinking this will mean the end of Lam or Keighran.

[Johnny Brass]

Great to have Connor back. He’ll be our Aubo replacement. I remember being upset when he left though it did make obvious sense at the time. I’m thinking this will mean the end of Lam or Keighran.

In my opinion the two best 14s that have played the game have been Wing and Aubo and we could throw Flannery into that conversation and I see Connor doing likewise for us, maybe it's my roosters bias but I think we have been blessed in what is a vital position in the modern game.

[bondi.boy]

With Watson coming in I honestly can’t see Lam surviving the cut,they just seem too similar with Watson a far superior utility..

No.
We must keep Lam.
He's a good player, calm and doesn't cost a fortune.
He'd be a better hooker than Lussick...and there are others who should be cut before Lam.
Cutting Lam from the Club would be 'criminal'.
I'm sure he would be happy to play for the Bears with Hutch and others and fill in when required.
84kg ...5/8, halfback, hooker, age 23.
He throws good passes and has been part of good tries scored this season....and doesn't cost a lot.
I'd find a spot in the 30 for him.

[bondi.boy]

Great to have Connor back. He’ll be our Aubo replacement. I remember being upset when he left though it did make obvious sense at the time. I’m thinking this will mean the end of Lam or Keighran.

Keighran has been elevated to the first grade starting side permanently.

[Jacks Fur Coat]

No.
We must keep Lam.
He's a good player, calm and doesn't cost a fortune.
He'd be a better hooker than Lussick...and there are others who should be cut before Lam.
Cutting Lam from the Club would be 'criminal'.
I'm sure he would be happy to play for the Bears with Hutch and others and fill in when required.
84kg ...5/8, halfback, hooker, age 23.
He throws good passes and has been part of good tries scored this season....and doesn't cost a lot.
I'd find a spot in the 30 for him.

Agree BB. People forget it's a 30 man squad. You only have to look at how injuries ravaged us this year to appreciate having some depth, especially with utility players. Lam is a committed Rooster at heart and only a pretty decent offer would entice him elsewhere.