Storm's Joe Stimson to join Bulldogs next season

Looks like one second rower out and one in (if the rumours are true). Many of the Bulldogs faithful losing confidence in Pay. Just want to see the young players improve, and our older players play better. I just hope this a minor upgrade at no cost and cash is being saved for when a decent hooker/centre /half comes on the market.

I’m biased because I was a big fan of Martin’s from watching him in reserve grade and for the kumuls for the past couple of years. He’s a naturally talented player. The word is that Pay doesn’t think he’s a strong enough defender but I don’t recall that being a problem when we went on a run of wins last year after guys like him and Lewis came into the team. I’ve heard the rumours about him losing the shed. I don’t like to give them too much notice but my fear is that Pay is a one dimensional “in my day we used to bash em” sort of coach. What did CHN do to get dropped? What about Lewis?

What I want to know is what did Martin do that was so bad for him to be dropped? I seem to recall once he got into the team initially that he has been one of the standouts. I can't really fault his play apart from losing interest in a coach who doesn't believe in him. There is also a rumour going around that half the locker room aren't down with Pay as a coach.

Coaches get a bit of leeway to build “their” team. But CHN is one of Pay’s signings and he’s lasted half a season of a four year deal. So our backrow in 2018 was Jackson and Martin. In 2019 it was Jackson and CHN. In 2020 it will be Jackson and Stimson. Is it an improvement? Maybe slightly, maybe not, but it’s a waste of time and resources when we have so many bigger problems. Talk about shuffling deck chairs on the titanic...

Absolutely Baz. I'm perplexed by our apparent desire to constantly bolster our backrowers at the neglect of our spine and other key positions. We're averaging fewer points then last year and currently sit last in both attack and defence. It's becoming quite exasperating watching the Dogs play at the moment and our current signing regime fills me with no confidence for a better 2020 to be honest. (.....and I'm a seriously 'half glass full' type of person!)

Agree 100% with you TB! Been a while since I have posted here because quite honestly I am fed up with the BS excuses the Dogs come up with for the team still being off the mark. So what I can tell you as of a few weeks ago Martin was still not offered a contract by the Dogs but has had 4 clubs approach his management about joining them including one team where he and his Mrs would like to actually live. Martin will be gone and I believe the main reason was because he turned up to the offseason training about 5kgs over weight.... Now the serious question we have to ask is..... Was signing Napa the ideal replacement for Klemmer? simply put ABSOLUTELY NOT! stats will show that Klemmer is Mr consistent and also playing more average minutes than he was last year. Napa has been injured which is no surprise cause he has a little history of injuries but more to the point his workload has not increased from last year. They let a whole bunch of players go including Josh Morris who was offered the same money by the Dogs as the Sharks did but the Sharks gave him a 2 year deal. Why the Dogs didn't match it is beyond me..... The Morris boys can attack but as you said TB numerous times, it's like keeping the Ferrari's locked up in the garage. We haven't had the halves to facilitate for a long time now........ On top of that once Foran comes back Lewis gets dropped..... way to show support in a kid who had the whole team dumped on him when Foran first got injured..... sure his kicking game and management needed to be better but you lumped him with a half in Cogger that has just as many first grade games as he does.... the pressure is going to bite.... The team is for ever being chopped and changed with players who are disinterested now or are just not good enough.... RFM dropped at least 2 balls on the weekend in prime field position. Not good enough for first grade sorry to say. And out of all the players signed on for this year who has stood out? only Meaney to me is worth mentioning. The rest haven't played no where consistent enough to be worthy of the jumper. Only Suasa Sue showed he was trying last week with that chase down tackle (I believe it was him) and the effort to score the try. Then there is rumours we were half a mil under the cap at the start of the year..... so you have wasted money on recruiting average at best players, let the likes of the Morris boys go mainly Josh as he is less injured than Brett while having money to burn. The attack is still rubbish to me. Same predictable crap week in week out but the defence is not what it use to be at all. I've given up on the Dogs while under Dean Pay and while they still use the excuse of "The Mess"..... it's one thing to lose the way we did to the Storm first time round this year. That was effort! but the majority of the loses have been due to a team where maybe only 5 players are actually trying week in week out which is sad for such a great club! I've lost faith in Pay and wish the Dogs signed Jim Dymock as Coach because he was a ball player and played to what he saw in his day and I believe his vision would have had an immediate impact on the offence. Having said that he was a good defender as well.

I like Joe Stimson. Really talented player who hasn’t had a great crack because of the depth at the Storm. But another backrower? Really? We started this year with Jackson, Faitala-Mariner, Elliott and Martin. Then Pay brought in Harawera-Naira and has promoted Chris Smith and Ogden. With Ogden and Martin the ISP second rowers last year, it’s probably the one position in the team where we had quality AND depth. Rumours are Pay has fallen out with Martin, CHN and RFM and they are all looking to leave the club. CHN is in the first year of a four year deal. In a team struggling to find points in Martin and CHN we have two edge players capable of offloading and creating in attack but Pay’s not interested. This is ridiculous alienating some of the few first grade quality players in the one positionwe have depth, recruiting more second rowers, alienating them and then signing more. Meanwhile, we’re trying to compete in the best comp in the world with second rate fullback, halfback and hooker and one centre. We’re skinny in the middle third. These are the players we should be going out hard to attract, not mucking about with more second rowers. We had some guns in the ISP team last year who we’ve just let go or not given a chance. I’m losing faith in Pay. I’ve been completely empathetic of the mess that he’s inherited and accept that results will be poor while we rebuild, but he’s adding to the mess and instability not fixing it.

Sorry to see Joe leaving but it was always going to happen since Christian Welch usurped him this season to take his place in the top 17 players. He has been a very big part of the Storm team and like a lot of Storm players he is highly regarded by other clubs. It's no surprise to me that he's moving on and I'm sure he will be on a better financial deal at the Bulldogs, as is Aiden Tolman after leaving the Storm following playing in a Grand Final. Too many quality forwards fighting for a spot in the top 17 & for some players it's best to move on with the option of probably being part of the top 17 players at another team. I know he's highly rated by Bellamy but you can't keep everybody unfortunately. He will be missed that's for sure.

Sad to see my namesake go but glad he's signing a 3 year deal. I think he'll be good for the Dogs. I think he wasn't going to oust Kenny Bromich who has been great this year with his first full time gig in the 2nd row. Also I think they have Tino coming through as well who I think will be a weapon once he gets up to speed. Joe has been great for the club and I wish him well at the Dogs.

Always a little wary of the players the Storm let go, they tend to keep the ones they want; but on the surface this looks like a good signing. Perhaps this story is linked to rumours Reece Martin is leaving the Dogs.

Rumour is that Christian Welch is coming as well. I think that the forwards other than hooker sorted and if the rumours that Jayden Brailey wants out, with Parra and Dogs after him that would work well. Then hopefully we can find some good backs and a new coach.