Yeah, just threw my hat into the ring again.

projectrracing wrote: Some players worth looking at... LB Ramsay Sylvia (ID 587556) SF Winston Manning (ID 1392794) - Bergertrons WR Callan Lambert (ID 467664) David Wills (ID 946888) - Buccaneers OL Jacob Groom (ID 458096) - Panthers Ali Dew (ID 681093) Samuel Tyler (ID 512774) Fabian Somi (ID 732621) Gordon Cartledge (ID 834362) Jack Houlihan (ID 770348) K Bailey Denehy (ID 635868) - Buccaneers Jaymie Mattner (ID 556819) Lots of similar skills OLinemen in there. 18 or maybe 19 skill now guys. I haven't scouted them yet. New coach can use callups to check. And a few from ocenaia teams to save some scouts/callups. Got a few QBs also, but think current 3 guys skill are better.

Some comments on some of these guys (the ones I've looked at in the past anyway)

LBs
Definitely check Sylvia. Good physicals, reasonably rounded build the last time I checked him. But the last time he was only 14ish in tackle/agility, with tacticals at 13, footwork, stamina, catching trained but a bit further back. Decent consistency too.

SF
Didn't look at Winston last cycle. Could be good to have a look though, as I think the Bergers are starting to get to a decent level. Current safeties (including Kai) are rockstars or getting there (check out Elijah Walsh's good progress!), but perhaps you could say they lack a bit of intel. If that's important to you, and Winston fits the bill then definitely consider.

WR
Callen Lambert is already in the team. He's an OK WR (17 speed, yellow strength, 4.5* BPOS, high catching but otherwise lowish-medium balanced skills), but probably our second best KR (which is what I picked him for). Just another dual position guy on the team, but it looks like his skills may have gone up a little bit. I doubt he'd get a WR gig, but KRs don't seem too frequent.

David Wills I haven't before looked at

OL
Wasn't a huge fan of Jacob Groom. Strength is a bit too low for me (assuming it was capped), and was only fast enough for a C or G gig despite the 5* BPOS. When I last looked at him his training wasn't too balanced either, but it could certainly have evened out by now.

Haven't seen Ali Dew

Samuel Tyler is your typical Guard type. 18 strength, yellow speed. Decently high blocking back then. Wasn't completely balanced in training, but the important skills (including stamina) weren't too far behind blocking.

Fabian Somi is also your typical guard type. 20 consistency and a bit stronger than Tyler (though a bit slower). 16 stamina, high blocking and high footwork when I checked but that was a LONG time ago during WC8.

Gordon I've got on my list, but I've never actually gotten around to scouting/calling him up. Don't know anything about him

Jack Houlihan when I checked him had a pretty average build. Physicals indicated a guard type (very similar to Tyler). However, his skills training was all over the shop. When I checked he had 18 vision, 16 positioning which is all good, but then 12 blocking/tackling, and only 10 agility. In my notes I simply wrote "lol" and I think that succinctly described what I saw. At least he didn't get an "Abysmally bad" like another player haha. Who knows though, he may have balanced out by now but we've got heaps of guard types already.

K
I don't think I've scouted any kickers in a long time. Our current crop is pretty good, and then add Tim Surjan (ID 324586) who I dropped last WC to the mix (a 20 punter, 18 kick guy).


I haven't really found too many super dooper guys lately but I'll get a post up later with a few guys to potentially check. My advice to whoever gets the job is to have a look at the local league, as some teams are building some strong Aussie talent (and bleeding out fewer talents in general internationally).

We aren't actually that short of KRs (they're just obviously a little less frequent than other positions). Lambert I felt was just better than at least one of our current KRs, so it was more a decision about improving the team rather than simply choosing anyone who could play. I also liked him because he was dual BPOS and gave us a third KR. The cycle before that we had an injury to one of our two KRs, and I honestly think that had a significant effect on our return distances (making our offence's job harder). So yeah, improvement AND injury proofing the squad was why Lambert came in. Like I mentioned earlier though, my #1 tip to whoever gets it is to have a good look at local teams, given the changes in attitude towards nursing local talent.

I've been a bit busy lately (flying to Italy this Sunday for uni stuff, and will be there and in the UK until the new year + will also be away 8th to 20th of Jan) and as I said before, there's been a noticeable increase in localised training of talent. Furthermore, since I've been in charge the last two cycles, I've tended to include the good finds in the team already So here are a few other guys on international teams (and maybe one or two from local teams) that might make the gig, or at the very least, have a look at.

First of all, have a look at the current NT.

The current NT itself has a few guys who had A LOT of upside, so if you notice players on there who didn't actually get to play, that doesn't necessarily mean they're crap. So make sure you have a good look at those guys (though some haven't come along as well as I'd hoped like Austin Moles). Ronald Burrows could be ready by now or maybe a few weeks off, Elijah Walsh is probably a number of weeks away (but can do the job if required) and guys like Mason Whitecross are still improving (as scary as that is). Leigh Bootsma, a dual RB/LB may also experience a boost in skills (he is currently 15 in everything to go with his super physicals and 5* BPOS) as he's recently changed teams, but alas he's 29. Ethan Gibson is becoming a ridiculous WR also, with his skills being increased to at least 19 (compared to 17ish when we first found him when he was being sold by the long defunct Danish Dark Horses)


Onto the non-NT squad guys, KEEP IN MIND that some of these guys may have since gone bot but I wouldn't know when exactly and so their training since I last saw may not have progressed at all. I haven't really tracked all of them down too recently, though I'll run them through the player search to see if they've retired or not. All skills are from when I recorded them (which could be as old as WC7 or older, but most likely WC8/WC9). This is merely a 'check' list, and not a list of people who I think are necessarily better than what's already in the squad, but it's always worthwhile to check. I've included some former NT players that I dropped, because the next coach may not have the same preferences I did and may want to pick them back up again (though I've excluded the really shit/old ones)

QB
I have a variety here of various quality (a number of high intel 5* BPOS guys though). But I think our current crop are the best available currently.

HB
Callum Daymond (182536) 4.5* BPOS. Very good physicals, former NT RB. Probably the best 'offensive' RB we have, but that's the reasoning why I dropped him over the guys still on the team (cause run vs pass...). Can still block though, and has high consistency. Was around the 15-16 skill level mark last I saw, but he's on a bot team with a couple of other NT players. DO check out his team though, there are a lot of former Skinks on there and I may have missed like the TEs. Some of them are also former NT.

WRs
A variety, mostly ex Skinks though so I've had a look at most of them and they're likely some distance below our current (very good) crop.

OL
Kris Bellchambers (602555) 4.5* BPOS. Another former Skink. Same physicals as project's/Aus NT's starting OT Rhys Drummond, but probably a tiny bit slower than we'd like. Good consistency and well rounded skills though. Footwork and blocking were at 16 when I checked, and salary indicates that's still the case. Hopefully Stamina, vision, agility and positioning have seen some increase (as they were a bit behind to various degrees). Has high intel too, in case the next coach wants that in their Centre. Currently two highly intelligent OLs for that purpose on the NT, but at least one of them is reaching the twilight of his career. Bellchambers is also a bit undersized, but that doesn't matter yet.

Garrick Johnson (746507) 4.5* BPOS. I figured I'd throw one of my guys out there. 19/20 physicals, blocking and agility at 16, footwork at 15, tacticals 10 apiece. I will certainly increase his skills as fast as training allows, to hopefully get at least primaries to 17-18. Might be an option at OT or wherever

LB
Roger Dempster (643406) 4.5* BPOS. Another former Skink/NT on a bot team. High intel, high strength, but average speed. Good skills. Probably MLB only, but we've probably got better on the team now. Included here in case the next coach has different preferences to mine

Ramsay Sylvia. As discussed earlier in this thread, definitely have a look at him. 18/18 physicals and hopefully his skills have remained balanced while going up.

DL
Ivan Wall (807416) 4.5* BPOS. The unlucky guy to miss out on my teams all the time. 18/17 physicals, tackle/agility at 16 last checked (and don't appear to have gone higher according to salary). May have improved tacticals and stamina, as those were a bit lower before hand. Good consistency. Might be a worthwhile inclusion over Michael Betts (despite high tackling, bpos, strength, and safety dual bpos) who is the last DT-only type guy we have or Aaron Riggio (who has higher skills, higher bpos, but lesser physicals).

CB
Quenton Doubleday (359054) 4.5* BPOS. Former NT, 17 speed, 13 strength, good consistency and very well rounded skills. I dropped him because I felt he wasn't as good a field CB as some of our new guys and at the time he didn't have a lot of blocking (which saved the otherwise slightly inferior Finn Pendlebury from the axe). Perhaps he's increased that by now, and become clearly (even if slightly) better than Pendles for STCB

G
Lester Thompson (978476) 4.5* BPOS Ok speed, high strength, 18 tackling. The rest of his skills were pretty low, and is on a bot team so I'm not sure if he's any good or better than our current bunch.

Alistair Kennedy (805701) 5* BPOS. 16/14 physicals and 1 consistency, but well balanced training when I last checked and they seem to have gone up according to salary. 5* BPOS may make him worthwhile to look at, and his skills are a similar level to two current NT Gs.



Sorry that there aren't any real 'gamebreakers' but options for the next coach nevertheless.





KEEP AN EYE ON FOR FUTURE. I figure I'd throw this out there, given I won't have the scouting capability I've had the last two seasons to keep track of them. Some of these guys are borderline squad capable (given we're already carrying some quality 15 skillers as depth) but some are far off but with incredible potential.

QB
A few prospects here also. The best two are probably in project's squad because he seems to have a knack for acquiring tall 20/20 4.5* talents while the rest of us pull 1.5* chumps.

OL
Brad Schmidt (1083240) 5* BPOS, 18 strength, guard type speed, good consistency, balanced training when I last checked. Currently on the Wilhelmshaven SeaWolves which is one of the more successful teams around (5 x CE Top Div Champ, 2 x Ironbowl champ, but curiously no regional cup win). So at least we know he's got a coach who knows what he's doing!

Kevin Gallacher (721890) 4.5* BPOS, 20 strength, yellow speed, 11 consitency. Super balanced training with 5 skills (including stamina) all at 10-11 last time I checked. Salary indicates he's around the 15 mark now

Leslie Petterd (1313334) 3* BPOS but apparently 4.5* talent. 20 strength, 12 speed. Skills still very raw, but the good news is his current team seem to be investing time into him. His BPOS has gone up by half a star since he arrived at his new team to its current level.

DL
Aisake Hughes (628012) 5* BPOS, 18/17 physicals. 15 stamina, 14 tackling, the rest of his skills around the 12 area. Probably since gone to 15 in tackling and hopefully balanced out a bit too.

CB
Dennis Bassett (1178404) 5* BPOS, 18 speed, 13 strength. 20 consistency. Former kong_kaj player before he went bot, so his training was very balanced and hopefully still is on his new team

Cooper Hooker (828207) 5* BPOS, 20 speed, 16 strength, 11 cons. Skills were around 10-11 when I checked and very balanced. On a pretty big team with a coach who knows how to spot talent, so hopefully we see some growth from him soon (he's already 24). Could be a super player if he starts getting trained more intensively, or be the next Leigh Bootsma - a solid player that should have been so much better with his insane physicals and talent.

I have put my bid in for it but its a long shot I guess

Project racing may I say that whilst you are genuinely looking a much improved team , I cannot quite understand how you could logically deduce that our cycles going Down!!!
May I just say, our cricketers are slightly tired after having won the ashes 4 times on the bounce and frankly our sheilas on their bikes have thrashed most of what the world has thrown at them(and without drugs to help). So I can only deduce that the apparent lack of butter on your scone has caused you to frankly hyperventilate to a worrying degree and I look forward to the medication kicking in and bringing you back to your hopefully sane logical self. Id vote fro you as Aussie coach if I could but hey you've to got to prove to the rest of Australia that you are the next coming. Frankly I rated Daudy very highly indeed! Good bloke.