Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

Lestronge said:
IMO he’s shown in very very limited times that he has something! What that is … who knows . Maybe that’s the best we ever get . A guy who looks the part but just isn’t it … I hope not . I hope all the smart nrl people who said he was the next great lock , got it right … but youre right !! You really do have to squint , to have any chance of seeing it
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Are those 'Smart People' The Wests Tigers people?
- Who've also signed the likes of Laulili'i and Fa'agutu (Both Locks) and Pole to surround Matamua since they've had him in the System?

Pole is miles ahead of him at 13, I saw more in one game from Kit than I've seen in Matamua.
I hope he explodes - But I just don't see it.

I feel the opinion of him here is inflated more often than not,
I also think the club having a better player in front of him and 2 of the best kids in the country right behind him all of a similar age is telling of the confidence they have in him moving forward...

Big year for him,
I see Sam, Kit and Chris rounding him up - And Fonua leaving him further behind...
 
tigerman 0 said:
Since last season when we signed all those forwards and it was apparent our backs were crap, we have gone from Brooks, Doeuhi, Wakeham to Sezer, Sullivan, Fainu.
A million times better.

Then in the outside backs i know we don’t have any superstars (apart from Bula who is great) but at least we have options.
Bula
Naden
Nofa
Lobb
Toa
Staines

At the very least it will create competition
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Add Ollam and pressure for positions is really good… underperformance should see Reggie’s. Naden really needs a big year to stay in NRL
 
Harvey said:
Melbourne's centres last year were terrible when Olam was out. When Olam came back, he was worse than what was being dished up.

His attack is limited and his trademark strong defence was abysmal last year.
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Thought he was great in their last semi
 
boonboon said:
He had no off-season last yr. World Cup then groin injury then broken arm in 1st trial. Any player can have an injury riddled off-season and will have a poor year. He isn't someone like BJ or Naden with a history of attitude problems he is a professional who had a down year due to no pre-season. In the poor year he played 17 nrl games, averaged 126 meters and his missed tackle % at 79% was similar to all his other years and made 6 line breaks.
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I agree you couldnt fault his attitude but he has lost his heart when he got smashed by Olakau'atu. Link here
(number 5). He got smashed like never before. .Since that game Bellemy looking to bail him. Its not like Melbourne have superstar centres ahead of him, but Bellemy has put out the trash & we are picking it up. I could be wrong but Ive seen this before . I played with some hardheads that ran over everyone until had a good hit put on them. I saw the same look in Olams eyes.

​

​

 
Champ1 said:
I agree you couldnt fault his attitude but he has lost his heart when he got smashed by Olakau'atu. Link here
(number 5). He got smashed like never before. .Since that game Bellemy looking to bail him. Its not like Melbourne have superstar centres ahead of him, but Bellemy has put out the trash & we are picking it up. I could be wrong but Ive seen this before . I played with some hardheads that ran over everyone until had a good hit put on them. I saw the same look in Olams eyes.

​

​

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That wasn’t that bad of a tackle. He’s soft as if that is what’s rattled his cage.
 
boonboon said:
He had no off-season last yr. World Cup then groin injury then broken arm in 1st trial. Any player can have an injury riddled off-season and will have a poor year. He isn't someone like BJ or Naden with a history of attitude problems he is a professional who had a down year due to no pre-season. In the poor year he played 17 nrl games, averaged 126 meters and his missed tackle % at 79% was similar to all his other years and made 6 line breaks.
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Starting to join the dots..quite a plausible explanation.
Storm got rolled upfront,and need Blore much more than an
Olam
WE wld like too see the potential of Blore ,but hes invested his career elsewhere,so why bother
 
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Everything is a bit lopsided at the moment.

But with our clubs crap roster it's a case of bulking up then toning down.
 
I like the Olam signing. We need someone to run holes & set the tone out wide. We have been a walk in the park for the opposition for too long.

There are really only 2 players available outside of Olam that I'd feel offer us anything.

Obviously- Hymel Hunt would likely be our #1 outside back if signed.

The other one would be less popular- Luciano Leilua. He is a spotty defender, but he is an impact runner. We don't really have THAT on the roster. That said, I expect he'll demand more $$'s than the value would equate to. But we could do with that kind of a player on the edges.

As for Matamua...I wonder if he would be better off sitting in Bateman's pocket trying to learn his style of play? More that wide ball player type with solid defence? He doesn't seem to have the impact running through the teeth of the defence. Fa'agutu, Lualili'i & Pole all look better suited at #13.
 
batboy said:
Are those 'Smart People' The Wests Tigers people?
- Who've also signed the likes of Laulili'i and Fa'agutu (Both Locks) and Pole to surround Matamua since they've had him in the System?

Pole is miles ahead of him at 13, I saw more in one game from Kit than I've seen in Matamua.
I hope he explodes - But I just don't see it.

I feel the opinion of him here is inflated more often than not,
I also think the club having a better player in front of him and 2 of the best kids in the country right behind him all of a similar age is telling of the confidence they have in him moving forward...

Big year for him,
I see Sam, Kit and Chris rounding him up - And Fonua leaving him further behind...
Click to expand...
??? You’re arguing with yourself ! The club rates him . And all those other 3 are conventional 13s from the 3 middle era …. Slowly moving closer towards a ball playing lock / middle forward hybrid . Eg. Carrigan . I don’t know if Faagatu is that player , he might be , and he’s his age group captain , so that says something else as well .
Matamua is taller , and a former half . So supposedly he had the ball playing skills . Like I said in previous , he might just fit an idea but not the reality .
Pole is a prop mate . He plays like a prop! If he improves his ball skills , then awesome . He’d be an amazing lock . But the whole 3 middles punching forward does nothing for the attack , and I’d arguing if you don’t have the hybrid type i mentioned earlier , than your middle defence can suffer especially with the angles attackers come at you and the agility required ,to not just close your own space down , but the space wider of you . Causing compression and now your screwed down the edges , or there’s a huge gap wider of the ruck . I’m not saying Poles a bad defender , just that those prototype locks can really shore up your middle .
All of that is to say , I backed Matamua , not because I’ve got rose coloured glasses but he’s closer to that prototype . But I honestly could care less who fills the 13 roll . No favourites here . I just want one of them to come through and live up to all the talk . Whether that’s Faagatu , kit , pole or Matamua . Makes no difference to me !
 
Think the key to this one is how desperate storm are for edge forwards. Blore will start from round 1 in the 11 or 12 jersey for them, which he wouldn't at WT.
The fact that they are paying some freight for Olam makes this a significantly better deal for us than was initially proposed. Storm seem to be the motivated party here and not because they need to get rid of Olam but because they need some starch in the middle. I think this probably works out OK for everyone.
 
Lestronge said:
??? You’re arguing with yourself ! The club rates him . And all those other 3 are conventional 13s from the 3 middle era …. Slowly moving closer towards a ball playing lock / middle forward hybrid . Eg. Carrigan . I don’t know if Faagatu is that player , he might be , and he’s his age group captain , so that says something else as well .
Matamua is taller , and a former half . So supposedly he had the ball playing skills . Like I said in previous , he might just fit an idea but not the reality .
Pole is a prop mate . He plays like a prop! If he improves his ball skills , then awesome . He’d be an amazing lock . But the whole 3 middles punching forward does nothing for the attack , and I’d arguing if you don’t have the hybrid type i mentioned earlier , than your middle defence can suffer especially with the angles attackers come at you and the agility required ,to not just close your own space down , but the space wider of you . Causing compression and now your screwed down the edges , or there’s a huge gap wider of the ruck . I’m not saying Poles a bad defender , just that those prototype locks can really shore up your middle .
All of that is to say , I backed Matamua , not because I’ve got rose coloured glasses but he’s closer to that prototype . But I honestly could care less who fills the 13 roll . No favourites here . I just want one of them to come through and live up to all the talk . Whether that’s Faagatu , kit , pole or Matamua . Makes no difference to me !
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Agreed I think Pole would be a great prop.

Lock position has changed now agreed and you really must offer more than running hard and straight eg. How lock was played during the Gallen and optimal Taumololo days.

Don’t know if Matamua is the answer though. Truth be told, we don’t have a lock.
 
Thoughts on this team for this year?

I think the bench is lacking.

What’s the go with Jordan Miller. Apparently he’s 6’3 and 130kgs!

Bula
Alaimalo
Toa
Olam
Staines
Sullivan
Sezer

Klem
Api
Stef
Paps
Bateman
Pole

TDS
Twal
Seyfarth
Samuela Fainu
 
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