Have heard that Souths will be putting in a very strong offer to get AFB.
Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion
- Thread starter MacDougall
- Start date
Is it for $700k, registered as a centre and a pinky promise that he will play in that position for the 2024 season?
AdelaideTiger
Well-known member
Remains to be seen, if Tupou re-signs without much drama, and we are able to get a decent centre without selling the farm, then I'll be a bit more optimistic
Buttface
Well-known member
So KR, if he hits the ground running and tears it up, how long into next season before we can pick him in first grade with a full house of 30? It’s about 10 games in for reserve grade, is fleg and ball the same?
Yep, I think it's after Round 11 for anyone who's not NRL or Development.
crazycat
Well-known member
I'm agreeing with you.
Even more so, when did Melbourne or Easts blood a new recruit that did not have "the basics right"?
Sam Turner, for his faults could steer a team at Halfback.
Jahrome Hugues got control of the team and lead them right.
Yet with the WT, We can't even get Wingers with first grade defense standards.
I get it, players have to learn and improve. I am fine with a rookie making some small mistakes.
We just can't blood people well for first grade.
We have to stop picking on "potential" or picking an entire team on Potential.
Fair enough, though I should note that it's at least interesting that when people disagree with attempts to do objective analysis of players it always comes down to "intangibles" and the like - things that can't be objectively measured and thus can't be argued against. My personal view is that while I have no reason to think Papali'i isn't a great guy and a model professional, (a) it's pretty obvious that he didn't deliver much by way of outcomes on the field, (b) the fact that he plays in a secondary position and isn't an absolute freak physical impact machine like David Fifita means he didn't really have much chance of delivering a great deal, and (c) whatever the benefit of these leadership abilities it has to be mentioned that they weren't sufficient to raise anyone else's game to the extent that we didn't finish dead last again.
As I say, my point here isn't to bag Papali'i. It's just to note that we're one year into a three year deal for a guy who we signed as an 8/10 player but didn't give much opportunity to be anything more than a 5/10 player. That's not his fault, but it's also not money well spent - so far.
You mean Sam Walker. More to the point, you've picked more or less the worst example possible given the Roosters dropped Walker for an extended period largely because his defence was so terrible they thought he was more or less unplayable.
I don't fundamentally disagree with you, though. The difference is that when Melbourne have a player who is deficient in one area of the game they either learn to do it better or stop getting picked. Nofoaluma has played 198 games and still can't defend his position. If I could pick a single thing that the Tigers do worse than every other team in the comp it's improving players after they come into first grade. The amount of players we've had over the years who haven't "kicked on" is shameful - I don't know if it's because we are hopeless at identifying talent or at working with it, but either way until it gets fixed we're going nowhere.
In fact, just for a laugh I'll do a full team. These are players who either debuted with the Tigers or came to the club young enough that they might have been expected to have more development in them, then were either a flash in the pan, never did anything of any consequence, stagnated or fell well short of expectations.
1. Lolohea
2. Nofoaluma
3. Marsters
4. Talau
5. Kepaoa
6. Doueihi (or Laurie if you want to blame Doueihi's woes on injuries)
7. Brooks
8. Utoikamanu*
9. Liddle (or Simpkin)
10. Mikaele
11. Garner
12. Sironen
13. Tuilagi
* Not giving up on him yet, TBF.
Canadian Club
Well-known member
I would agree on most of these, but would have to strongly disagree on a few of these.
Nofoaluma - As bad as he has been recently, he had 5-6 very solid years where he improved each year and was a highly regarded winger. He has just aged poorly due to his own attitude and personality. His downfall is on him and him only imo.
Liddle - Is a solid first grader and was among the dragons best this year. He showed promise here too, but he couldn't string enough games together without getting injured. Have to give him a pass given his horrible run of injuries.
Sironen - Was never good... In fact you talk to people who played in around the juniors with him, he wasn't even a top 10 junior in his own age group. The only reason he ever touched first grade was because of his last name and his size. Rugby League nepotism personified. So i agree that he was a disappointment, but he should never have been there in the first place to even be a disappointment.
Garner - Nothing was ever expected of him. He was a Manly junior who didnt make it there, went to the Roosters lower grade and didn't make it there either. He was never touted as a young talent or ever expected to be a first grader. In fact, the Tigers were the club that developed him from a non-first graded into a first grader. His performances were just as good from his first game with is to his last. He should be regarded as a development W not a disappointment.
Tuilagi - Similar to Garner, was never thought of as a first grader even at the Storm, a club renowed for making first graders out of fringe players. Tuilagi has played for the Storm, Tigers and Manly and played his best football for the Tigers out of those clubs. That says it all really. Most fans were disappointed when they heard he was leaving. Bet none are disappointed now.
So Sironen and Tuilagi fall into the category of players we shouldn't have been wasting our time with to start with, which is one of the things I mentioned: not picking the right players to work with in the first place. Nofoaluma never added to the skills he came into first grade with, it's just that those skills were sufficient to offset his deficiencies for a while. That's literally what I'm talking about. Liddell had terrible luck with injuries, which is why I offered Simpkin as an alternate.
Garner I'll give you.
Anyway, the point isn't to arbitrarily have 13 guys who fit the mold - it's to say that this is a persistent problem that needs to be fixed if we're ever going to get out of the sewer. Imagine if half these players had gone on to be most of what we thought/were told they might be.
dribble1963
Member
McDonnell.
pawsandclaws1
Well-known member
When he was signed information was provided that he would play with Balmain's SG Ball squad. What has happened since then?
Tigers_Wests
Well-known member
The Wests squad is absolutely stacked! Nearly enough to run a Wests A and Wests B with all the Manly converts there too!
I would think the change is for 1 of 2 reasons....
1) They want him building combinations with some of the stronger (already targeted) players in Wests (if they do in fact play SG Ball instead of jumping ahead).
2) Where he is staying has changed and it makes much more sense for him to be in the Wests team location wise.
pawsandclaws1
Well-known member
Thanks for the reply. What provisions have been made for Balmain?
Tom Shines
Well-known member
Daily Telegraph - Dragons interested in acquiring AFB if he can get out of his Warriors deal
Wests Tigers Forum -this means he is coming to the Tigers !!
Wests Tigers Forum -this means he is coming to the Tigers !!
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Tiger_claws
Well-known member
Ended up with the same haircut as Jason. Think there relationship was as team mates and not father/son.
Apparently Jayden Sua on the way to the Dolphins.
mikey
Well-known member
Anyone got access to the SMH article where Luai responds to Cleary?
Tigers_Wests
Well-known member
They've picked up what appears to be a few good players (Mace Karhani, Xavier Tauaifaiga, Jake Fulton and possibly a few others), but I get the feeling the club are putting most of their talent through Wests at the moment. Losing Conti and Nasser will also hurt Balmain.