Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

I’ve got a weird one here but I was just going through some of our backs and a little devil on my shoulder told me something.

How would Starford Toa fair as a winger. Now before we grab the pitchforks let’s have a little looksie. Now in no way am I saying that Toa and To’o (yes Brian) are on the same stratosphere but I do believe Toa could have a similar impact.

They have pretty similar builds with Toa being a couple centimetres shorter but negligible in weight. They have a similar run style in a strong fend and tough carries, it would also eliminate the amount of defensive pressure he is under as he does tend to miss tackles and have lapses in defence.

All you have to do is go back to the Knights 2020 season on the wing and he was outstanding, now granted he had KP feeding him good ball but he was still great regardless.

Tough carries out of our end is what we need and suffer greatly in. I mean Tupou is the only one with a good carry but he has an error in him and he is leaving. We all know Toa has potential, all you have to do is look back at the cowboys game. It’s just like every other back we have, he fails to find consistency.

Now I’m not expecting him to play like that every week but I still believe he has a place in our backline hopefully. Thoughts?
 
WestsTigers4VR said:
I’ve got a weird one here but I was just going through some of our backs and a little devil on my shoulder told me something.

How would Starford Toa fair as a winger. Now before we grab the pitchforks let’s have a little looksie. Now in no way am I saying that Toa and To’o (yes Brian) are on the same stratosphere but I do believe Toa could have a similar impact.

They have pretty similar builds with Toa being a couple centimetres shorter but negligible in weight. They have a similar run style in a strong fend and tough carries, it would also eliminate the amount of defensive pressure he is under as he does tend to miss tackles and have lapses in defence.

All you have to do is go back to the Knights 2020 season on the wing and he was outstanding, now granted he had KP feeding him good ball but he was still great regardless.

Tough carries out of our end is what we need and suffer greatly in. I mean Tupou is the only one with a good carry but he has an error in him and he is leaving. We all know Toa has potential, all you have to do is look back at the cowboys game. It’s just like every other back we have, he fails to find consistency.

Now I’m not expecting him to play like that every week but I still believe he has a place in our backline hopefully. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Can't be any worse than our man Tupou
 
WestsTigers4VR said:
I’ve got a weird one here but I was just going through some of our backs and a little devil on my shoulder told me something.

How would Starford Toa fair as a winger. Now before we grab the pitchforks let’s have a little looksie. Now in no way am I saying that Toa and To’o (yes Brian) are on the same stratosphere but I do believe Toa could have a similar impact.

They have pretty similar builds with Toa being a couple centimetres shorter but negligible in weight. They have a similar run style in a strong fend and tough carries, it would also eliminate the amount of defensive pressure he is under as he does tend to miss tackles and have lapses in defence.

All you have to do is go back to the Knights 2020 season on the wing and he was outstanding, now granted he had KP feeding him good ball but he was still great regardless.

Tough carries out of our end is what we need and suffer greatly in. I mean Tupou is the only one with a good carry but he has an error in him and he is leaving. We all know Toa has potential, all you have to do is look back at the cowboys game. It’s just like every other back we have, he fails to find consistency.

Now I’m not expecting him to play like that every week but I still believe he has a place in our backline hopefully. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Not a bad idea but he does seem to get bulldozed in defence a little. I have a preference for Naden who seems to be good under a high ball, faster and a bigger body. I know he has a brain snap in him but am hopeful he can tie down a spot.
 
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WestsTigers4VR said:
I’ve got a weird one here but I was just going through some of our backs and a little devil on my shoulder told me something.

How would Starford Toa fair as a winger. Now before we grab the pitchforks let’s have a little looksie. Now in no way am I saying that Toa and To’o (yes Brian) are on the same stratosphere but I do believe Toa could have a similar impact.

They have pretty similar builds with Toa being a couple centimetres shorter but negligible in weight. They have a similar run style in a strong fend and tough carries, it would also eliminate the amount of defensive pressure he is under as he does tend to miss tackles and have lapses in defence.

All you have to do is go back to the Knights 2020 season on the wing and he was outstanding, now granted he had KP feeding him good ball but he was still great regardless.

Tough carries out of our end is what we need and suffer greatly in. I mean Tupou is the only one with a good carry but he has an error in him and he is leaving. We all know Toa has potential, all you have to do is look back at the cowboys game. It’s just like every other back we have, he fails to find consistency.

Now I’m not expecting him to play like that every week but I still believe he has a place in our backline hopefully. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
He was one at newcastle and they were happy to see him leave...lets get someone good and not try and polish the turd. Lets flush the turd instead
 
WestsTigers4VR said:
I’ve got a weird one here but I was just going through some of our backs and a little devil on my shoulder told me something.

How would Starford Toa fair as a winger. Now before we grab the pitchforks let’s have a little looksie. Now in no way am I saying that Toa and To’o (yes Brian) are on the same stratosphere but I do believe Toa could have a similar impact.

They have pretty similar builds with Toa being a couple centimetres shorter but negligible in weight. They have a similar run style in a strong fend and tough carries, it would also eliminate the amount of defensive pressure he is under as he does tend to miss tackles and have lapses in defence.

All you have to do is go back to the Knights 2020 season on the wing and he was outstanding, now granted he had KP feeding him good ball but he was still great regardless.

Tough carries out of our end is what we need and suffer greatly in. I mean Tupou is the only one with a good carry but he has an error in him and he is leaving. We all know Toa has potential, all you have to do is look back at the cowboys game. It’s just like every other back we have, he fails to find consistency.

Now I’m not expecting him to play like that every week but I still believe he has a place in our backline hopefully. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Brian To’o brings it and runs over people almost every week. It’s the size of the hearts you should be comparing.
 
WestsTigers4VR said:
I’ve got a weird one here but I was just going through some of our backs and a little devil on my shoulder told me something.

How would Starford Toa fair as a winger. Now before we grab the pitchforks let’s have a little looksie. Now in no way am I saying that Toa and To’o (yes Brian) are on the same stratosphere but I do believe Toa could have a similar impact.

They have pretty similar builds with Toa being a couple centimetres shorter but negligible in weight. They have a similar run style in a strong fend and tough carries, it would also eliminate the amount of defensive pressure he is under as he does tend to miss tackles and have lapses in defence.

All you have to do is go back to the Knights 2020 season on the wing and he was outstanding, now granted he had KP feeding him good ball but he was still great regardless.

Tough carries out of our end is what we need and suffer greatly in. I mean Tupou is the only one with a good carry but he has an error in him and he is leaving. We all know Toa has potential, all you have to do is look back at the cowboys game. It’s just like every other back we have, he fails to find consistency.

Now I’m not expecting him to play like that every week but I still believe he has a place in our backline hopefully. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
The problem is he doesn’t expect to play like that either. He doesn’t hold himself to those standards and that’s not good enough.
 
WestsTigers4VR said:
I’ve got a weird one here but I was just going through some of our backs and a little devil on my shoulder told me something.

How would Starford Toa fair as a winger. Now before we grab the pitchforks let’s have a little looksie. Now in no way am I saying that Toa and To’o (yes Brian) are on the same stratosphere but I do believe Toa could have a similar impact.

They have pretty similar builds with Toa being a couple centimetres shorter but negligible in weight. They have a similar run style in a strong fend and tough carries, it would also eliminate the amount of defensive pressure he is under as he does tend to miss tackles and have lapses in defence.

All you have to do is go back to the Knights 2020 season on the wing and he was outstanding, now granted he had KP feeding him good ball but he was still great regardless.

Tough carries out of our end is what we need and suffer greatly in. I mean Tupou is the only one with a good carry but he has an error in him and he is leaving. We all know Toa has potential, all you have to do is look back at the cowboys game. It’s just like every other back we have, he fails to find consistency.

Now I’m not expecting him to play like that every week but I still believe he has a place in our backline hopefully. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
He has had plenty of years in the NRL to show and prove his consistency and hasn’t delivered. We need better. I don’t see a future here for him (in first grade at least).
 
jrtiger said:
been mentioned a few times now but with Turuva almost certainly coming across and Laulili'i likely to take one wing spot we desperately need some height on one of the flanks. Willett is still probably a year or two away...

Daniel Tupou for two years anyone?
Click to expand...
No thanks he’s a rooster. His heart would not be in it either.
 
Agree we need height and threat out wide but please no more offcuts passed their used-by dates.

Is Lobb a genuine contender? He seemed great in the air in the trials. Anyone watching him with a better grasp on his potential?
 
Tiger Tarl said:
Agree we need height and threat out wide but please no more offcuts passed their used-by dates.

Is Lobb a genuine contender? He seemed great in the air in the trials. Anyone watching him with a better grasp on his potential?
Click to expand...
Lobb can finish but he lacks speed, is inconsistent in regards to his yardage carries. to his credit he's cleaned up his defence while at WT. this year's pretty crucial to his development. we need him carrying for 150m+ in Cup, but he's currently averaging 79m a game. that's a massive concern.
 
WestsTigers4VR said:
I’ve got a weird one here but I was just going through some of our backs and a little devil on my shoulder told me something.

How would Starford Toa fair as a winger. Now before we grab the pitchforks let’s have a little looksie. Now in no way am I saying that Toa and To’o (yes Brian) are on the same stratosphere but I do believe Toa could have a similar impact.

They have pretty similar builds with Toa being a couple centimetres shorter but negligible in weight. They have a similar run style in a strong fend and tough carries, it would also eliminate the amount of defensive pressure he is under as he does tend to miss tackles and have lapses in defence.

All you have to do is go back to the Knights 2020 season on the wing and he was outstanding, now granted he had KP feeding him good ball but he was still great regardless.

Tough carries out of our end is what we need and suffer greatly in. I mean Tupou is the only one with a good carry but he has an error in him and he is leaving. We all know Toa has potential, all you have to do is look back at the cowboys game. It’s just like every other back we have, he fails to find consistency.

Now I’m not expecting him to play like that every week but I still believe he has a place in our backline hopefully. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
I think that we're missing a trick by not trying to repurpose Star as a winger.

He's here for a couple more years, unless he's moved on.

Last time he had a longer run on the wing, his two main deficiencies were his hands and his positioning (at times). If we can do a lot of work around his ability to catch, particularly in traffic, I think there's a decent 3rd or 4th choice winger there. His ability to play centre or fb (if desperate) helps his case.

I know he has a lot to work on, and has had ample opportunity to jump out of the ground and hasn't, but I'm a little more bullish on his ability than others. It's easy to forget he's only 23.....
 
Kelce68 said:
I think that we're missing a trick by not trying to repurpose Star as a winger.

He's here for a couple more years, unless he's moved on.

Last time he had a longer run on the wing, his two main deficiencies were his hands and his positioning (at times). If we can do a lot of work around his ability to catch, particularly in traffic, I think there's a decent 3rd or 4th choice winger there. His ability to play centre or fb (if desperate) helps his case.

I know he has a lot to work on, and has had ample opportunity to jump out of the ground and hasn't, but I'm a little more bullish on his ability than others. It's easy to forget he's only 23.....
Click to expand...

He has also played one game this year, in which the team struggled. I reserve judgement till he has had a chance under Benji this year with some capable halves. Might be a confidence player at this point in his career.
 
Hbom said:
He has also played one game this year, in which the team struggled. I reserve judgement till he has had a chance under Benji this year with some capable halves. Might be a confidence player at this point in his career.
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Our backs all have an opportunity to step up this season. There’s nothing stopping them getting in and doing the tough stuff which is how it all starts. I was a Noffa critic in the end but early in his career he would get our sets off to good starts with strong carries and tries came to him at the back end of those sets. Hopefully we get some improvement from our outside backs knowing they are all playing for their futures.
 
A few times on here I have seen critcism of Toa based on his defence and missing tackles. The problem is the facts don't back that up. He had an effective tackle % of 84% last year - Much better then Olam or Naden (last yr or this yr) also better then the likes of Bradman Best and Kotoni Staggs. Think people go off personal opinions that just arent real a lot of the time here
 
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