Connor Watson

[swag_tiger]

As has been mentioned many times before, Brooks decisions at the pointy end of the field leave a lot to be desired. His short kicking game is atrocious, and no amount of forwards will fix that. His go-to play is a short, flat pass to his left. Usually to Lawrence . . . but teams have worked this out and it is fast becoming ineffective.
I hope he puts the work into improving his bag of tricks when we are 15m out with a tackle or 2 to go.
If not, I have a hunch about Tyson Gamble. I really hope he works hard in the off-season to put pressure on Brooks. In reality, all he'd have to do at training is a few grubbers that don't skip dead . . . a neat dummy and break the line . . . and a couple of tackles, and he'd be turning heads and raising eyebrows.
Brooks, Lolo, Reynolds, Gamble fighting it out for 2 positions. Gentlemen, start your engines !

Sounds like a movie review :laughing: :laughing:

 

[Russell]

1 watson
2nofo
3 Milne
4 suli
5 Fonua
6 Lolo
7 reynolds

Brooks is the odd man out. Ivan has said he is looking for reynolds to step up and lead maybe he does that by becoming an organising half

Trouble is that he is not and never will be an organising half and neither is Watson.

 

[Russell]

How about this, we move Suli into the 2nd row, (he's only get bigger, not faster)

1\. Watson
2\. Nofa
3\. Lolohea
4\. Milne
5\. Rona / Tupou (whoever gets on the bus)
6\. Reynolds
7\. Brooks
8\. Matulino
9\. Liddle
10\. Packer
11\. McQuuen
12\. Suli
13\. Taylor ©

Sue, Aloiai, Twal, Eisenshuth, Fonua, Thompson, McIllwrick, C. Lawrence, Felise, MWZ

You just can't do that to the young fellow.
Might as well throw him on a scrap heap now.

Agree it would be the end of him. Maybe half the Forum want to do this.

 

[magpiecol]

I like this team alot!

Suli the powerful and skillful second rower we sorely need…YUP!.... :righton:

And Marsters isn't?

No, Marsters isn't. Wont be a regular first grader unfortunately.

Fonua for Milne and Watson and Lolohea to battle out for fullback/center.

Marsters WILL be in first grade.

PS. Nothing official from Wests in regard to Watson signing anything. Maybe more fake news.

 

[momo_amp_medo]

Suli the powerful and skillful second rower we sorely need…YUP!.... :righton:

And Marsters isn't?

No, Marsters isn't. Wont be a regular first grader unfortunately.

Fonua for Milne and Watson and Lolohea to battle out for fullback/center.

Marsters WILL be in first grade.

PS. Nothing official from Wests in regard to Watson signing anything. Maybe more fake news.

My understanding is that there can be no announcement re. Watson until the Roosters formally release him from his existing 2018 contractual obligations.

 

[Lukic]

The Watson to fullback noise is just getting absurd now. I can't see any way Cleary would sign Lolohea with the promise to play at fullback and then immediately sign someone else to play there when he hasn't had a shot yet. From a player relations perspective it'd be disastrous and he'd lose the backing of the group very quickly. Not to mention prospective signings in the future - signing with a team is often to secure an uncertain future - not enter one even more uncertain. I understand it being important to have competition for places and what not, but this can't be the case.

Forget Brooks' contract of 550k a year and the fact he's played behind rubbish packs - fact is he's not first grade standard. Whether someone is on 55k, 550k or 1.2 mil a year - if there's someone better than you - they should be playing.

I will admit that it is difficult to succeed when you've got guys like Kyle Lovett running outside of you, but he just takes the wrong option way too often. He doesn't have the creativity, vision or organisational ability you need to run a team. The majority of his highlights throughout his career have been either in support play, the occasional break through the line using his speed or tries off fluky deflections/bounces from kicks. He's regressed because he hasn't adapted to the NRL. It's one thing to succeed when teams have minimal footage of you, but you get figured out quickly and coaches can plan for you. Last season when we were going well, it was all Moses. I despise him for the way he turned his back on our club and think he's a jackass, but he's no doubt a talented prospect and a world apart from Brooks.

At this point there should be little expected of Brooks being anything more than a fringe first grader. If he proves me wrong and becomes a decent first grade half back that would be a fantastic result. The best player comparison I can think of for him is Daniel Mortimer in his early career and truthfully I don't foresee the same trajectory unless he can pick up his defence and make himself an adequate utility/bench hooker type.

With that said I don't necessarily think Watson has earned the spot either - he's got limited experience and frankly, it'd be wrong of me to suggest he's shown more than Brooks in FG because he hasn't. But for the aforementioned reasons, as well as the simple fact Lolohea has shown more at FB in his career than Brooks & Watson have combined in the NRL, I find it difficult to believe we won't be seeing Lolohea in the 1.

 

[swag_tiger]

The Watson to fullback noise is just getting absurd now. I can't see any way Cleary would sign Lolohea with the promise to play at fullback and then immediately sign someone else to play there when he hasn't had a shot yet. From a player relations perspective it'd be disastrous and he'd lose the backing of the group very quickly. Not to mention prospective signings in the future - signing with a team is often to secure an uncertain future - not enter one even more uncertain. I understand it being important to have competition for places and what not, but this can't be the case.

Forget Brooks' contract of 550k a year and the fact he's played behind rubbish packs - fact is he's not first grade standard. Whether someone is on 55k, 550k or 1.2 mil a year - if there's someone better than you - they should be playing.

I will admit that it is difficult to succeed when you've got guys like Kyle Lovett running outside of you, but he just takes the wrong option way too often. He doesn't have the creativity, vision or organisational ability you need to run a team. The majority of his highlights throughout his career have been either in support play, the occasional break through the line using his speed or tries off fluky deflections/bounces from kicks. He's regressed because he hasn't adapted to the NRL. It's one thing to succeed when teams have minimal footage of you, but you get figured out quickly and coaches can plan for you. Last season when we were going well, it was all Moses. I despise him for the way he turned his back on our club and think he's a jackass, but he's no doubt a talented prospect and a world apart from Brooks.

At this point there should be little expected of Brooks being anything more than a fringe first grader. If he proves me wrong and becomes a decent first grade half back that would be a fantastic result. The best player comparison I can think of for him is Daniel Mortimer in his early career and truthfully I don't foresee the same trajectory unless he can pick up his defence and make himself an adequate utility/bench hooker type.

With that said I don't necessarily think Watson has earned the spot either - he's got limited experience and frankly, it'd be wrong of me to suggest he's shown more than Brooks in FG because he hasn't. But for the aforementioned reasons, as well as the simple fact Lolohea has shown more at FB in his career than Brooks & Watson have combined in the NRL, I find it difficult to believe we won't be seeing Lolohea in the 1.

Too much media for this to be fake news.

 

[BodhiTiger]

The Watson to fullback noise is just getting absurd now. I can't see any way Cleary would sign Lolohea with the promise to play at fullback and then immediately sign someone else to play there when he hasn't had a shot yet. From a player relations perspective it'd be disastrous and he'd lose the backing of the group very quickly. Not to mention prospective signings in the future - signing with a team is often to secure an uncertain future - not enter one even more uncertain. I understand it being important to have competition for places and what not, but this can't be the case.

Forget Brooks' contract of 550k a year and the fact he's played behind rubbish packs - fact is he's not first grade standard. Whether someone is on 55k, 550k or 1.2 mil a year - if there's someone better than you - they should be playing.

I will admit that it is difficult to succeed when you've got guys like Kyle Lovett running outside of you, but he just takes the wrong option way too often. He doesn't have the creativity, vision or organisational ability you need to run a team. The majority of his highlights throughout his career have been either in support play, the occasional break through the line using his speed or tries off fluky deflections/bounces from kicks. He's regressed because he hasn't adapted to the NRL. It's one thing to succeed when teams have minimal footage of you, but you get figured out quickly and coaches can plan for you. Last season when we were going well, it was all Moses. I despise him for the way he turned his back on our club and think he's a jackass, but he's no doubt a talented prospect and a world apart from Brooks.

At this point there should be little expected of Brooks being anything more than a fringe first grader. If he proves me wrong and becomes a decent first grade half back that would be a fantastic result. The best player comparison I can think of for him is Daniel Mortimer in his early career and truthfully I don't foresee the same trajectory unless he can pick up his defence and make himself an adequate utility/bench hooker type.

With that said I don't necessarily think Watson has earned the spot either - he's got limited experience and frankly, it'd be wrong of me to suggest he's shown more than Brooks in FG because he hasn't. But for the aforementioned reasons, as well as the simple fact Lolohea has shown more at FB in his career than Brooks & Watson have combined in the NRL, I find it difficult to believe we won't be seeing Lolohea in the 1.

Is that you Ivan? Throwing the forum a bone perhaps? :laughing:

 

[Yossarian]

Nobody should feel they're owed a permanent position in the team. Whatever Lolohea was told doesn't mean he has tenure at fullback. Watson is almost certainly headed to Concord next year…

 

[hugh1954]

Agree we are tired of players controlling the club, Ivan must be the coach who picks a great squad each week from a talented group of players who want to compete sgainst each other for the top roles and if injury or form interfers then we have ultra keen players ready to fill the breach.

 

[swag_tiger]

Nobody should feel they're owed a permanent position in the team. Whatever Lolohea was told doesn't mean he has tenure at fullback. Watson is almost certainly headed to Concord next year…

Why Concord?
Why not Leichhardt? 😢 😢

 

[oldprop]

Nobody should feel they're owed a permanent position in the team. Whatever Lolohea was told doesn't mean he has tenure at fullback. Watson is almost certainly headed to Concord next year…

Why Concord?
Why not Leichhardt? 😢 😢

That's were the club is. That's were we train. Concord Oval.

 

[swag_tiger]

Nobody should feel they're owed a permanent position in the team. Whatever Lolohea was told doesn't mean he has tenure at fullback. Watson is almost certainly headed to Concord next year…

Why Concord?
Why not Leichhardt? 😢 😢

That's were the club is. That's were we train. Concord Oval.

Still Concord is a shute shield ground. :laughing: :laughing:

 

[tigerfanatic]

Is it fair to say that the media coming out and talking rubbish over the whole promise to tui lolohea turn watson off from the tigers? Me might have already signed but their is a 10 day cooling off period I see him as a great signing and great fullback. I would be filthy if the media (slothfield) cost us a great signing like watson

 

[earl]

I can't see any way Cleary would sign Lolohea with the promise to play at fullback and then immediately sign someone else to play there when he hasn't had a shot yet. From a player relations perspective it'd be disastrous and he'd lose the backing of the group very quickly. Not to mention prospective signings in the future - signing with a team is often to secure an uncertain future - not enter one even more uncertain. I understand it being important to have competition for places and what not, but this can't be the case.

Forget Brooks' contract of 550k a year and the fact he's played behind rubbish packs - fact is he's not first grade standard. Whether someone is on 55k, 550k or 1.2 mil a year - if there's someone better than you - they should be playing.

These two points are contradictory. If we have Watson we have four players battling it out for spine positions. Watson, Brooks, Reynolds & Lolohea. The best 3 should get picked based on form and injury.

I think it's as simple as developing a quality squad.

I hope Brooks makes it as a first grade halfback. I hope he turns into the Andrew Johns version 2\. At the moment though he is no sure thing and none of those players really are. I really hope we sign Watson though to give us more options.

 

[earl]

Nobody should feel they're owed a permanent position in the team. Whatever Lolohea was told doesn't mean he has tenure at fullback. Watson is almost certainly headed to Concord next year…

I'll wait until I read something official but I hope it's true. I think he is the signing that we need now. He is potentially a very good first grade player.

 

[Buffalo]

Is it fair to say that the media coming out and talking rubbish over the whole promise to tui lolohea turn watson off from the tigers? Me might have already signed but their is a 10 day cooling off period I see him as a great signing and great fullback. I would be filthy if the media (slothfield) cost us a great signing like watson

Yep in COP and good old Nick prob got on the blower to his mate Slothfield to drum up some negative press

 

[tigerfanatic]

Is it fair to say that the media coming out and talking rubbish over the whole promise to tui lolohea turn watson off from the tigers? Me might have already signed but their is a 10 day cooling off period I see him as a great signing and great fullback. I would be filthy if the media (slothfield) cost us a great signing like watson

Yep in COP and good old Nick prob got on the blower to his mate Slothfield to drum up some negative press

Yea..pascoe and cleary would of sat down and explained where we are at and where we are heading.going buy the reports watson has signed he must buy into what direction cleary and pascoe are leading the tigers into. Hopefully the media do not deter watson away from us.young footballers are easily manipluated.

 

[beachtiger]

There is so much talk about Tui being "promised" the fullback role but when you read through his original interview about coming here at no point does Tui himself say that, instead he specifically says a few times that Ivan has given him a "pathway" to play in his preferred position.

I have no doubt that if Tui performs then he will be in the first grade squad or alternatively he will drop back to ISP in his "Preferred position" to work on his game. The main issue that Tui has had with the Warriors is being moved from position to position each week and even when back in ISP not being in a preferred position so that he can develop his game.

In my opinion this is what Ivan has promised Tui, an ability to develop his game either in first grade or ISP but in a position that he wants to play in, this is Tui's "pathway" that he spoke about.

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

Nobody should feel they're owed a permanent position in the team. Whatever Lolohea was told doesn't mean he has tenure at fullback. Watson is almost certainly headed to Concord next year…

Why Concord?
Why not Leichhardt? 😢 😢

That's were the club is. That's were we train. Concord Oval.

Still Concord is a shute shield ground. :laughing: :laughing:

It's also our base of operations.