Fifita gamble pays off for Flanagan

[MightyMaggy]

I think a lot of people on here are a bit hard on Fifita - Yea he went missing towards the end of the year and probably had a chip on his shoulder over not being selected but i think with a regular first grade spot and a few games under his belt with the right coach this guy will be a star - just not sure its going to happen at Cronulla.

Yeah I tend to agree.
Funny how different the tunes Im hearing are now….this time last year everyone was talking up Fifita as the next best thing....now hes useless managing 4m sideways hit ups....
The fickleness of sports fans eh...

His form from last year is there for all to see Ink. He certainly had great impact off the bench in 2010 when he burst onto the scene, but he really did go backwards last year with his sideways running and he looked ordinary in State Cup too. You need front rowers putting their head down and making the hard yards up the middle. Woods did it consistently and Groat improved steadily and I daresay will kick on further this year. On the rare occasions when Fifita did hit it up straight and hard he was stopped in his tracks very quickly. Talented yes, but that will only take him so far.

Well said, willow.
Yes, he had promise in 2010, but I think he got lazy and lost interest in 2011.
He will show lots of promise for a few games this year and then return to being lazy.

 

[cunno]

Gibbs is more the man to look out for in round one, Fifita might catch up eventually.

 

[BeeJay]

It's all about the mental attitude with Fifita, if he can keep his head screwed on he could be anything. I don't know whether Flanagan has the experience or even the appropriate coaching staff to be able to give him the attention he needs to keep him on the straight and narrow.

 

[Tiger_Watto]

It's all about the mental attitude with Fifita, if he can keep his head screwed on he could be anything. I don't know whether Flanagan has the experience or even the appropriate coaching staff to be able to give him the attention he needs to keep him on the straight and narrow.

Well said… No one could doubt he can be an excitement machine if he knuckles down. Geez, the guys as big as a house, but he needs to focus on the 'domestic' side of his game and use some of his lateral movement in defence.

It was no real secret Fifita's Manager was shopping him around for nearly 12 months before he signed at the Sharks. We wouldve had to pay big overs to keep him and the club decided to move him on. Its how it goes at many clubs.

Lets see how he goes down there. If he doesnt fire, maybe he can save enough money from his contract to buy a KFC?!

 

[Andyvee]

Gotta feel sorry for Bryce. For his new coach to come out with this article would deflate any player. Regardless of the rumours going around, to print and confirm that the Bryce deal only went ahead because of Fifita…...

He always gave 100 per cent, and will be missed.

 

[Joel Helmes]

Fifita and Gibbs are going to be a massive loss. **Fifita will play for NSW**.

Would you like to place a bet on that?

You do mean in rugby league don't you??

Well he has been named in the emerging blues squad. Thats a good indication of how well he's rated

I don't know why people are so hard on the kid. Yeah his attitude is poor, but that could get better with maturity, who knows? one thing is for sure, if he gets his head screwed on the right way, and starts running straight, he could be anything. And if he doesn't kick on then its not our problem

There's a lot of "if's" and "coulds" in there.

 

[tigerlogic]

Andy that's garbage! Flanagan is stolked to have Gibbs as he virtually said, but if u were the sharks coach, and needed to replace two props, and u were doing a deal with the tigers to help take players so the Blair deal would go through, ofcourse he was going to try and get another player! He wanted the deal to be sweet for the sharks, well done to him!
He said they wanted Gibbs and were happy to get him, but wanted fifita as a package. Gibbs will be another Paul gallen in that side!
Not deflating for Gibbs at all, he would be pumped his new coach rapped him in the media
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[underdog]

Flanagan is such a mug!

I seriously can't think of a worse coach in the top grade right now - and that includes Crazy Brian Smith, and the untested englishman at $0uff$.

I don't see Fifita going from strength to strength - I see him doing a Dean Collis - at best.

I'll miss Bryce Gibbs, but think the lack of discipline at the sharks (desperately grabbing at ANY players they can get their hands on irrespective of reputation) will be too much to resist, and Bryce will go back to his 1-2 silly penalties a game routine that he had with us a few years ago - although his defensive staunch cannot be questioned.

Between Gibbs, Fifita, and De Gois, If you can get an exotic bet for "Which club will get the most penalties in the 2012 season" i'd be putting my house on the Sharks.

interestingly you usually have a few quotes in articles like these from players saying things like "He's get to be one of the best coaches i've worked with" (e.g - Ennis re Hasler)

None of that here, and I don't expect it either.

 

[happy_tiger]

Hey UD the untested Englishman at Souths is actually an Australian But you are correct no doubt without a strict disclpinarian Cronulla could become penalty magnets

 

[happy_tiger]

You seem to be fairly set on your opinion Willow and you must have a reason as to why that is the case, all I am saying is that he played well and I don't believe that form was the only reason he didn't play firsts. I disagree with your second paragraph, every new player gets worked on in their second season and I don't think you can expect someone to just deal with it. They needed to be guided through this phase of their career.

We could have used him off the bench. I am not saying I disagree with Sheens decision as I favour supporting the younger players that are going to stay at the club. My point is that everyone has turned against him because he has gone somewhere else and I just don't think it was justified.

As to whether his form or intensity at training warranted him to be dropped - only himself and the inner sanctum at the Tigers will ever know.

Of course I am set in my opinion. In 2010 I was one of his biggest fans, he offered great impact off the bench and looked to be a superstar in the making. Last season was a major disappointment however.The Tigers did use him off the bench after he proved ineffective starting , and the results were not good. He had a couple of decent showings early on last season and his form slowly deteriorated after that. If you're still unsure about whether his form or intensity warranted him to be dropped, take a look at his stats last year, they're dead set rubbish.

I thought his defence improved slightly Willow but he was totally ineffective with the ball in hand

 

[underdog]

Hey UD the untested Englishman at Souths is actually an Australian But you are correct no doubt without a strict disclpinarian Cronulla could become penalty magnets

You see Happy, that's how little I know about the guy, and I still rate him above Flanagan.

I honestly think he's kept his job at the Sharks simply because no-one else wants to coach them.

When your team has fairly well known nice-guys such as Nathan Gardener and Albert Kelly starting to have "attitude problems" and players such as Fergusson actually coming out and saying bad stuff about the club before leaving (granted Fergusson is massive douche) you know your club is having problems behind the scenes.

 

[tigergirlz]

The real risk to Fifita's development at the Sharks is Carney's arrival.
Party time central! Hope he doesn't make the headlines for anything other than footy performance.

 

[Brisbane_Tiger]

The tigers forward pack hasn't looked this good since the late 80's and our backline is one of the best in the comp.
The sharks have a good team this year and good luck to them as I have a soft spot for the poor gummies and gallen, but…

The sharks will not bother us in round 1 and we won't play them again until 2013.
So I look forward to watching the rest of their season unfold and won't be giving fatfita another thought.
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[2041]

Gibbs will be another Paul gallen in that side!
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Jeez, big call. I mean, in Cronulla's squad they've got one Paul Gallen and 24 _Cronulla players_, I'd say they probability of any randomly selected solid NRL pro going there and becoming the former are a hell of a lot lower than they are of the same pro going there and becoming the latter!

 

[tigerlogic]

Underdog, for the record how do we know Flanagan has no discipline, nobody here is down working with the sharks are they?
As far as Flanagan goes, unles ppl are working with the sharks here I don't think they an comment about his coaching discipline, how would anyone know?
If an individual at the club stuffs up, ie, Kelly, it's not a reflection on Flanagan, the coach would not endorse poor or slack behavior!
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[underdog]

Underdog, for the record how do we know Flanagan has no discipline, nobody here is down working with the sharks are they?
As far as Flanagan goes, unles ppl are working with the sharks here I don't think they an comment about his coaching discipline, how would anyone know?
If an individual at the club stuffs up, ie, Kelly, it's not a reflection on Flanagan, the coach would not endorse poor or slack behavior!
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I never said _Flanagan_ has no discipline.

I said the sharks side is a team full of players with no discipline, (and to elaborate that goes both on and off the field, with different players being the offenders) under an administration not known for controlling their players.

I have actually tipped that mob to make the top 8 next year, but that would be if all the gears come together - thats a bloody big IF as well.

 

[happy_tiger]

Underdog, for the record how do we know Flanagan has no discipline, nobody here is down working with the sharks are they?
As far as Flanagan goes, unles ppl are working with the sharks here I don't think they an comment about his coaching discipline, how would anyone know?
If an individual at the club stuffs up, ie, Kelly, it's not a reflection on Flanagan, the coach would not endorse poor or slack behavior!
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Underdog makes a good point They have players like Gallen ,Tupou ,Gibbs and Fifita who in the past have been penalty magnets and other players with recent disciplinary issues off the field Carney and Kelly

If Flanagan can't pull them together and get them to show discipline both on and off the field they will really struggle

If they manage to pull it together and can get the best out of their squad they could be serious contenders

 

[tigerlogic]

I agree, but that's the same as any coach, he must pull them together, read some of the earlier posts, ppl r implying that Flanagan doesn't impose discipline, I was merely saying how would anyone here know, obviously if they give away too many penalties they will struggle (off the field too) but that's the same with any club..
I think sharks will be this years bolters for the 8
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[innsaneink]

Well said tigersrule4life - Willow you can close the thread.

Lets start one up on Mosese Fotuiaka…

What crap….dont enter it if you dont like it...nothing stopping you creating a thread on a topic you like.

Fifita is still a developing player, I beleive with good coaching and tuition he will come good.

 

[innsaneink]

Flanagan is such a mug!

I seriously can't think of a worse coach in the top grade right now - and that includes Crazy Brian Smith, and the untested englishman at $0uff$.

I don't see Fifita going from strength to strength - I see him doing a Dean Collis - at best.

I'll miss Bryce Gibbs, but think the lack of discipline at the sharks (desperately grabbing at ANY players they can get their hands on irrespective of reputation) will be too much to resist, and Bryce will go back to his 1-2 silly penalties a game routine that he had with us a few years ago - although his defensive staunch cannot be questioned.

Between Gibbs, Fifita, and De Gois, If you can get an exotic bet for "Which club will get the most penalties in the 2012 season" i'd be putting my house on the Sharks.

**interestingly you usually have a few quotes in articles like these from players saying things like "He's get to be one of the best coaches i've worked with" (e.g - Ennis re Hasler)**
None of that here, and I don't expect it either.

LOL…..he's had one season coaching.... :unamused:

You see Happy, that's how little I know about the guy, and I still rate him above Flanagan.

It shows.