Solomona Faataape #276

[balmain boy]

I must have been watching a different game against the Raiders. Towards the end of the game he demonstrated good evasion in traffic with stepping, strength to hold off defenders and it looks as though he is one of those players who gathers pace in this manner. Ideally his position is centre with a faster winger outside of him.

Staines to me is an NRL player - fullback or wing. Turuva can cover centre, wing and fullback

He's played 9 matches, and a number of Cup games too.

One run in that time, against an opponent who had their worst game of the season by a long way, and were already down by 30 odd, is hardly indicative of his skill set.

9 matches, 2 line breaks, 6 tackle breaks, tackling around 70%. metres around 80, There's just nothing there.

If we're basing players of one game then i'm surprised Ben Black and Keith Lulia don't already have grandstands and awards named after them.

 

[TigerSJ]

Considering Faataape….. my thought is you can’t afford to carry Feledy, Naden, Toa, Saukuru and Faataape all in your top 30.
If AD and Olam are your first choice centres, presuming Olam is fit, then 2 of these guys are all we need. We need to test Toa once fit, make decisions on Saukuru and Feledy, but I have Faataape currently ahead of them. Certainly Naden has shown me enough to know he’s not the answer.
If there is a strong defensive, hard running centre available anywhere to bring into the club then I’d be looking at that as well.
Remember we need to high quality wingers as well IMO.

 

[Buttface]

Value for money isn't our issue. We have money to burn. We need quality first graders, players with pace as a minimum, and preferably with decent size and power too.

Totally agree.

 

[pawsandclaws1]

He's played 9 matches, and a number of Cup games too.

One run in that time, against an opponent who had their worst game of the season by a long way, and were already down by 30 odd, is hardly indicative of his skill set.

9 matches, 2 line breaks, 6 tackle breaks, tackling around 70%. metres around 80, There's just nothing there.

If we're basing players of one game then i'm surprised Ben Black and Keith Lulia don't already have grandstands and awards named after them.

He is not in the top 30, he is a good solid backup, you know what you are getting with him, he is affordable and from what I can see he has a good approach to the club/game. I believe he has some improvement in him. Like Seyfarth, not every player can be a star but they can make a contribution to the team.

 

[tig_prmz]

I don't quite agree with the majority here. I think Solomona initially was quite good. He had a good awareness of when to pass to winger, when to go in and felt he had good solid contact when hitting.

I think he needed to work on his spacing and often thought he ended up being a little far away from the 3rd in defender.

The issue with Solomona is that he's a terrible winger and is probably too small to be in the forwards. Someone like him who is not a genuine tackle breaker and lacks speed, needs to be versatile.

I think he's worth investing in. Toa has had enough chances. Naden to me is a horrible first grader. He is a good choice behind Douehi and Olam.

 

[Kaito]

He is not in the top 30, he is a good solid backup, you know what you are getting with him, he is affordable and from what I can see he has a good approach to the club/game. I believe he has some improvement in him. Like Seyfarth, not every player can be a star but they can make a contribution to the team.

Yeah, although we haven't seen anything that resembles
his attack from his highlights reel, he has an extra
gear, he's only just getting his feet wet. On the other
hand I was bitterly disappointed that he didn't step
or run over the top of Paps from 5m out last week!

 

[BAGNF05]

Value for money isn't our issue. We have money to burn. We need quality first graders, players with pace as a minimum, and preferably with decent size and power too.

I don’t think we have money to burn, they released Paps to free up a bit of cash. You don’t do that unless your cap is out of whack. Pascoe had to overpay to attract anyone, including the likes of Bud, Latu, Naden, AD, Klem etc.

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

Considering Faataape….. my thought is you can’t afford to carry Feledy, Naden, Toa, Saukuru and Faataape all in your top 30.
If AD and Olam are your first choice centres, presuming Olam is fit, then 2 of these guys are all we need. We need to test Toa once fit, make decisions on Saukuru and Feledy, but I have Faataape currently ahead of them. Certainly Naden has shown me enough to know he’s not the answer.
If there is a strong defensive, hard running centre available anywhere to bring into the club then I’d be looking at that as well.
Remember we need to high quality wingers as well IMO.

Quite simply we can’t carry both Feledy & Faataape in the top 30 as they possess very similar skill sets & characteristics. Feledy 4-5 years younger with more upside. Faataape fine on a T&T deal as his experience would be beneficial in Cup.

 

[Westie]

I don’t think we have money to burn, they released Paps to free up a bit of cash. You don’t do that unless your cap is out of whack. Pascoe had to overpay to attract anyone, including the likes of Bud, Latu, Naden, AD, Klem etc.

I thought it was actually top 30 spots that we are short on, not $$
But that was just my thoughts based off Richo comments. So I could be wrong

 

[BAGNF05]

I thought it was actually top 30 spots that we are short on, not $$
But that was just my thoughts based off Richo comments. So I could be wrong

He said he’d have $2 million to spend if Stef leaves. That’s probably the best estimate.

 

[Vicious]

Quite simply we can’t carry both Feledy & Faataape in the top 30 as they possess very similar skill sets & characteristics. Feledy 4-5 years younger with more upside. Faataape fine on a T&T deal as his experience would be beneficial in Cup.

Tomorrow night will tell us a lot, it’s a big opportunity for Faatape tn show what he’s got.
But I do agree that Feledy looks a much better long term prospect.

 

[The Chad]

Before we all decide that Faataape is probably our worst ever centre...just remember...there were calls on here to play Declan Casey.

It's about perspective. If Faataape is in your top 7 or so outside backs, you're doing ok. He's not a star. But he doesn't stand out as incompetent. If he plays no more than 5-6 times in 1st grade a year, and doesn't sit in the top 25 contract values...what is there to complain about?

Remember- the future is Makasini, who is only a year or two away. What the club needs is for players like Faataape to be fill-in's, not considered starters.

We are closer to that than I gave credit for.

 

[balmain boy]

Before we all decide that Faataape is probably our worst ever centre...just remember...there were calls on here to play Declan Casey.

It's about perspective. If Faataape is in your top 7 or so outside backs, you're doing ok. He's not a star. But he doesn't stand out as incompetent. If he plays no more than 5-6 times in 1st grade a year, and doesn't sit in the top 25 contract values...what is there to complain about?

Remember- the future is Makasini, who is only a year or two away. What the club needs is for players like Faataape to be fill-in's, not considered starters.

We are closer to that than I gave credit for.

We have fill ins. Douiehi, Naden, Toa are all fillins. We have projects in feledy and Saukuru. That's already spots 25-30 covered. If we release 4 of these players we can sign 2 quality players and maybe Faatape as backup.

 

[Qwertyrick]

100% behind Faatape.

The position was open for Feledy and ... I never seen him take it.
We punted Tristan and kept Feledy, and I really don't see why

Faatape has that grit you want in a center. Feledy doesn't have the bulk and seems to be making too many errors. Maybe he would develop into something, I doubt it.

At least with Faatape you know he has reached something close to first grade standard. I don't see Feledy getting there.

Feledy lol

 

[innsaneink]

I don't get the hate for him by a few here... But we have several members here who's disdain for a particular player goes beyond reasoning and logic

 

[tigermate]

Good football IQ

no agility or pace or physical dominance … that’s the problem

 

[Telltails]

I don't get the hate for him by a few here... But we have several members here who's disdain for a particular player goes beyond reasoning and logic

So true Ink.

 

[Mighty_Tiger]

I don't get the hate for him by a few here... But we have several members here who's disdain for a particular player goes beyond reasoning and logic

As a backup player he is fine but as a top choice back he isn’t. He is having a genuine dig and isn’t costing us games which you can’t say about a chunk of other players in our squad

 

[king_sirro]

I don't get the hate for him by a few here... But we have several members here who's disdain for a particular player goes beyond reasoning and logic

I agree. IMO Faataape is playing exactly to the level expected of him. He is a QLD cup player brought to fill out the squad at a cheap rate. Yes we were hoping find a diamond in the rough, but rarely that happens. The criticism of him is very unwarranted IMO.

 

[Spartan117]

I don't get the hate for him by a few here... But we have several members here who's disdain for a particular player goes beyond reasoning and logic

Solomon is Hungry, committed and plays well above his natural talent.

I wish some of the old heads had his attitude.