balmain boy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2009
- Messages
- 9,316
What this season so far has shown is how bad we've gotten recruitment wrong for many years. Even with our current batch of young stars coming through, many of them don't have the physical traits common to NRL players.
For whatever reason we've been incredibly attracted to nuggets, small and stocky types. Currently we have Olam, Feledy and Faatape in the centres, Kit and Luke Laulilii, Faagautu, Pole, Papali'i, Bateman, Mason, Tumeth, Craig, Tofaeono, Kepaoa who are all well undersized for their positions. Excluding halves that are expected to be smaller so Api, TDS, Sezer, Sullivan get a reprieve. Size isn't always everything but if you're carrying small players side by side in multiple positions at once those big and stronger players will always force their way through eventually. If they're slightly out of position they can't compete with the power, as was extremely evident yesterday. Out of the players listed above it's highly unlikely that more than 2-3 will be playing first grade for us in a couple of years time.
How many of our juniors could have competed with Lomax yesterday? From our previous champion Harold Matts squad where many of our players have come from to date, none of them could have competed with him. Only Makasini and newly acquired Nav Willett would have had a chance. How many of our forwards have the build and mindset to dent an opposition defence? Fainu, Utoikamanu, Pole (when he feels like it). That's it. 3 forwards who might be able to break the line if they try hard enough. It's not good enough.
Storm recruits players based on physical attributes and teaches them the rest. We recruit hard working leaders and then try create them into powerhouses. Which rarely works.
Moving forwards our back should be minimum a minimum of 185cm 90kgs+, forwards 190cm, 105kgs+. This is what other clubs do, we can't just rely on the small players to punch above their weights collectively.
At least there are some youngster that meet the or exceed the average physical dimensions of players in their positions these days: Galvin, Miller, Willet, Makasini (if he re-signs). We need to keep looking for the next Folau, Inglis, Tuqiri not the next Utai or Fitzhenry.
For whatever reason we've been incredibly attracted to nuggets, small and stocky types. Currently we have Olam, Feledy and Faatape in the centres, Kit and Luke Laulilii, Faagautu, Pole, Papali'i, Bateman, Mason, Tumeth, Craig, Tofaeono, Kepaoa who are all well undersized for their positions. Excluding halves that are expected to be smaller so Api, TDS, Sezer, Sullivan get a reprieve. Size isn't always everything but if you're carrying small players side by side in multiple positions at once those big and stronger players will always force their way through eventually. If they're slightly out of position they can't compete with the power, as was extremely evident yesterday. Out of the players listed above it's highly unlikely that more than 2-3 will be playing first grade for us in a couple of years time.
How many of our juniors could have competed with Lomax yesterday? From our previous champion Harold Matts squad where many of our players have come from to date, none of them could have competed with him. Only Makasini and newly acquired Nav Willett would have had a chance. How many of our forwards have the build and mindset to dent an opposition defence? Fainu, Utoikamanu, Pole (when he feels like it). That's it. 3 forwards who might be able to break the line if they try hard enough. It's not good enough.
Storm recruits players based on physical attributes and teaches them the rest. We recruit hard working leaders and then try create them into powerhouses. Which rarely works.
Moving forwards our back should be minimum a minimum of 185cm 90kgs+, forwards 190cm, 105kgs+. This is what other clubs do, we can't just rely on the small players to punch above their weights collectively.
At least there are some youngster that meet the or exceed the average physical dimensions of players in their positions these days: Galvin, Miller, Willet, Makasini (if he re-signs). We need to keep looking for the next Folau, Inglis, Tuqiri not the next Utai or Fitzhenry.
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