How'd Taumata go?

[Gobbs]

Unfortunately due to Coaching Commitments I was unable to attend the Reserve Grade clash of our two feeder clubs yesterday at Campbelltown. Judging by the score, both teams and sets of players left nothing in the tank.

I'm interested to know from those fans that were able to attend, how did one Arana Taumata go? I noticed he was listed on the interchange bench. How much game time did he get? Did he perform in the halves?

We read a couple of weeks back that he was coming into serious consideration for a First Grade start, but a reoccurring ankle injury inhibited him from travelling and playing with Wests Tigers.

With Lazarus and Lui the other halves options, is Taumata a serious contender for a spot in the halves that would leave the club's best No.9 exactly where he should be?

I believe Professor Sheens will be reluctant to play Lui if he is indeed ready to comeback as he's had no game time since Round 2\. Which would leave both Lazarus and Taumata in the running for the No.7.

Folkes and Farah have been extremely vocal in saying how freakish and 'scary' his game is. As a fan with a vested interested in Taumata's career, I would love to see the bloke come full circle and be named in the halves this Tuesday afternoon which would be a great success story for him, but would provide Wests Tigers with an exciting, established halves pairing.

 

[Geo]

Gobbs…Hope the coaching went well...you where missed at Campbelltown...without going into much detail I think these posts in the game thread sum up Arana'a likely success in the No. 7 for the Wests Tigers.. http://www.weststigersforum.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3200&start=198" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Magpies vs Balmain - Campbelltown - SAT 3pm

Geo. wrotelease C_t... I would like to know you valuable opinion on the game of Arana Taumata...
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Do you think based on His form today that he is the Answer to Wests Tigers halfback woes...
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I await your reply in eager anticipation....
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crouching_tiger wrote: You are kidding aren't you??
Lazarus is the BEST halfback in the joint venture. If only he was given a crack to play as a halfback when in 1st grade, WT would not be in this predicament.
Everyone else who is in contention is a 5/8th.
But Taumata virtually played himself into a 1st grade jumper today to play under Manbags. Did everything required to threaten Marshall's spot in the squad.
Moltzen is the ONLY other player in the JV who can partner Marshall's style of game and even then, he's a 5/8th, But due to his injury, that is not possible, so we move onto the next viable contender which is Lazarus.
Lui back in the halves with Marshall will eventually be found out. Doubt me?? Let's wait and see..
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Postby willow » May 8th, 2010, 8:22 pmIn regards to Taumata, do you mean the passes he threw that hit the ground or the one that went 2 metres forward i the second half, or the kicking game that was even worse than Benji's? Taumata did a couple of good things in the backend of the game CT, but for the most part he was ordinary, and I was really keen to see what he offered. Needs more match fitness and improved timing before he's given a go.
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Lazarus may well be the best 7 at the club, but even he didn't stand out today. I'm happy to stick with Lui ahead of him.
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Geo. wroteasses along the ground, passes into touch, passes 8 m forward, kicks that go straight to the opposition or flying over the deadball line...
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Perhaps C_t is right ....built for FG.....
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Postby crouching_tiger » May 8th, 2010, 8:47 pmNow we can have this type of halves playmaking on BOTH sides of the ruck!! Manbags will soil himself over this prospect!!

 

[Staks]

Taumata will fit in well with the Wests Tigers going off yesterdays performance.

 

[innsaneink]

Who's manbags???

 

[Geo]

Sheens …..AKA 'Manbags' AKA The 'Fonz' AKA 'Teflon' AKA 'supercoach' AKA 'Sigfried' AKA 'Tyrant' AKA Aussie coach AKA Wests Tigers First grade coach,,,

 

[Aladinsane]

Gobbs , AJ did some good things , his try ,stepping against the grain of play to score under the posts was freakish and put Balmain back in the game , but like Willow & Geo , I saw way too many errors in his game , and if put in the halves with Benji on a bad day…it would be like 5 birthday cakes thrown in a washing machine at full speed.His fitness level is still a concern, and if he can work hard on his execution , I believe he will be a great #14 for the first grade team.

I agree with CT,and still believe that Lazarus is the type of organizing half back that the team needs. I thought that he didn't inject himself into the game yesterday as much as the Balmain fans would have liked, but he improved tenfold compared to last weeks performance , where Fletcher pulled him off with 5 minutes to play , and the ever maturing Nicholls came on and got the job done and made sure BRET won that game against last place Central Coast , when the game was still in the balance.

I put that game of Lazos down to trying to get over the number that Sheens put him through in first grade. Funny how it has panned out, but that 2 week first grade stint, thrown in while still way underdone, and Sheens playing the kid the way he instructed , hiding him in defence , switching him here and there instead of just telling him to play a traditional halfback role with a simple catch and pass , good 6th tackle kick here and there gameplan, put his development back heaps .
The fans that saw how he played in the first game against Newtown would understand why I think that his game yesterday was still average.

Out of what I have seen of reserve grade and U20s ,at the moment , I would run wirh Lui against Souths, but Sheens has to watch the development of Lazo and Nicholls for the halfback spot, with Flomino earmarked to train wirhbthe first grade squad in the following preseason.

Hence , Gobbs , IMO , AJ in the #7 is not the right fit with Benji in the halves , unless you have 3 pacemakers on hand , for the heart attacks and grief that both will give us when their off the cuff plays don't come off , especially early in the tackle count

 

[Guest]

Taumata has a fair way to go before a FG call up, if it's in the halves. If he is going to be used, best bring him off the bench Ben Barba style at the moment. Taumata has excellent speed and footwork, similar to Benji but a little bit quicker.The passing game isn't there though and neither is the kicking game. AJ made plenty of mistakes, the bad outweighed the good although he did well in the final 20 minutes to help get Balmain home, along with Lazarus. He was filthy with himself each time he made a mistake so he's definitely trying to improve himself and knows he's capable of better.

Given Sheens temporary but failed experiment with Lazarus, I think we can expect Lui back in the 7 jersey to play Souths.

 

[alexaki]

Hmmm..thanks for the update…looks like the Tigers only have 2 options at halfback and both are currently injured...with Moltz out for the year I'd be looking to pickup a specialist halfback before June30 for the rest of this year!..are there any out there???.backload his contract to 2011

 

[boonboon]

Lui to be halfback then as he is well and truly the best option for mine with Moltzen out, as for AJ I think he will really impress once he gets some more consisten games under his belt, having hardly played and definatly not top class football for 2 years needs more time and injury free

 

[Gobbs]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Much appreciated.

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

I would like to hope that Lui returns knowing he should be out to impress with so many candidates (as underdone as they may be,) are ready to fill the breach.

I only wished that Lazo at least left a half decent impression, if that wouldn't have encouraged Robert to take it to the next level, I don't know what will.