To be fair there’s no way TS asked the club to go out and get him the likes Okunbor, Pele and Nu Brown. It’s been apparent for a good few years (likely after the failure of big name Reynolds) that the club has been using third parties to ‘recommend’ them potential Aussie ‘gems’ from the NRL fringes and lower grades.

He did come across so laid back about recruitment and player contracts almost negligent the way he talked about if deals happen they happen etc. Hopefully Cartwright has a bit more drive about him and more importantly has his finger on the pulse over there so we don’t need those third parties.

Was Nu Brown and Okunbor fringe? think they were both in and around the first team. They just turned out to be bad signings. I'm on-the-fence regarding Hoy, but think he was in the 17 a good few times over there. I'm not an NRL connoisseur, so no doubt a mile off.

Not totally unknown but I’d still say fringe first grade players.

Had a quick google Brown joined at 29 and played around 60 NRL games. He did have a year at Fev and a bad injury early on but still in and out of first grade at all times.

Okunbor joined at 27 and played around 50 NRL games. Not a terrible record but a lot on the wing and what has to be said a poor Bulldogs side.

Hoy and Clifford had a decent record for their ages, especially Clifford at the Cowboys, but at the time they signed neither would have been in Newcastles full strength 17, and they had been performing poorly as a side. Pele had only 7 NRL games under his belt.

Compare that with Reynolds and Evans who had both over 100 first grade games each I think after those 2 someone at the club decided the way to go was ‘less established’ NRL players. Nothing wrong with that but without a dedicated DOR we were at the mercy of third parties recommending players without doing our due diligence.

Hopefully Cartwright himself will be a better judge of these players and Myler in a more dedicated role will help us pick these players better. There’s been plenty of fringe NRL players that have either ripped up SL or at least been just dependable pros. Hopefully we are better placed to find them now.

Yes would love to know what has happened to walker. Up to London game he was our best player then bad game by all and he seems to have shouldered the blame. Must be something more to it

I would like to see what walker can do behind the slightly better pack we have now. I've always thought he was quite limited but seemed to do well at rovers last year although evalds is probably an upgrade on him

Pele confirmed as left.
An extra quote spot to play with now is great.

We don't know what happened or why but I would guess there was a limited budget available so it would not matter who was recruiting. Probably thought they were taking a risk on Ock and Pele but one might work out?

I understand James Webster was involved in the deals for Pele and Okunbor, he was doing some consultancy/mentoring stuff here whilst Smith was in charge. Maybe he's no longer involved either so they're having a proper clear out.

That will depend on who they can convince to sign for us. Let's keep our fingers crossed that Ese'ese is the new benchmark!

Absolutely and still wouldn’t discount Pele making a top player somewhere and Ockunbor ending up a solid player for someone, it’s easier in hindsight to criticise but the club really does seem to have been a perfect storm for everyone to fail especially young lads moving across the world.

Jed Cartwright, Rimbu and Stewart are (or would have been) are similar somewhat risky uses of the quota places but you just get the impression there’s a bit more knowledge and resources available now to make a more educated guess on these type of players and a better environment once they get here.