Isaiah Papali’i #265

twentyforty said:
That’s absolute rubbish love child.
Papali’i is a better than average back rower. you don’t make an nrl debut at 18 if you have nothing. You don’t play test footy at 19 if you’re ’hugely underperforming’.
Eels had the game plan to suit him, we didn’t.
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Sometimes players hurt need the right club and system to flick a switch. Wasn’t the first, won’t be the last.
 
twentyforty said:
That’s absolute rubbish love child.
Papali’i is a better than average back rower. you don’t make an nrl debut at 18 if you have nothing. You don’t play test footy at 19 if you’re ’hugely underperforming’.
Eels had the game plan to suit him, we didn’t.
Click to expand...

We (Tigers fans) were too busy basking in the signing or revelling in the chaos of weather he was actually coming to notice his form had dipped from 21 to 22....

Looking at his 23 form, Tell me the players from that 22 Eels side that played as well in 23 as they did in 22?
All of them went backwards, and have gone backwards again this year.
It's not just him / them,
Look at the likes of Nanai and Cotter - Plenty of young forwards have gone off the boil of late after breakout seasons, Sua the last couple years, Kaloamatagi this year....

He's better than average, and better than what we had....
But there's plenty of Eels fans that don't miss him after his 2nd season with him, and it will be the same here...
There are teams (Coaches) he could go to that will get the best out of him, I don't know the Panthers are that club....
Players like Garner, Eiso, Peachey, Laurie etc. haven't really kicked on (Performance wise - Obviously they're in a better team and getting better results, But aren't playing decidedly different) since heading over there?

Nice kid, I like him - I wish him well....
Don't know what we're replacing him with, But I won't really miss him.
 
twentyforty said:
That’s absolute rubbish love child.
Papali’i is a better than average back rower. you don’t make an nrl debut at 18 if you have nothing. You don’t play test footy at 19 if you’re ’hugely underperforming’.
Eels had the game plan to suit him, we didn’t.
Click to expand...
How many games did he excel at the Warriors with? How many games has he excelled at the Tigers with? He is an average back rower when not in a superstar side. World class players shine for more than two seasons, if he becomes the best second rower in the world in the next few years again I will eat my words. Jordan Rankin says hi, he debuted before 18, he really lit the NRL up.
 
Never really wanted to be here. Has played well for the most part, without being great. Obviously wasn’t invested and has been biding his time to get out. Question his fitness as he often looks gassed as an edge player and makes really poor and costly efforts in D at certain times in a game. Looked better at 13 recently.
No room for a player who really doesn’t want to play for you or his teammates, especially one who is supposed to be a leader and elite. I think the club has no choice at his contract level to let him go elsewhere.
 
batboy said:
We (Tigers fans) were too busy basking in the signing or revelling in the chaos of weather he was actually coming to notice his form had dipped from 21 to 22....

Looking at his 23 form, Tell me the players from that 22 Eels side that played as well in 23 as they did in 22?
All of them went backwards, and have gone backwards again this year.
It's not just him / them,
Look at the likes of Nanai and Cotter - Plenty of young forwards have gone off the boil of late after breakout seasons, Sua the last couple years, Kaloamatagi this year....

He's better than average, and better than what we had....
But there's plenty of Eels fans that don't miss him after his 2nd season with him, and it will be the same here...
There are teams (Coaches) he could go to that will get the best out of him, I don't know the Panthers are that club....
Players like Garner, Eiso, Peachey, Laurie etc. haven't really kicked on (Performance wise - Obviously they're in a better team and getting better results, But aren't playing decidedly different) since heading over there?

Nice kid, I like him - I wish him well....
Don't know what we're replacing him with, But I won't really miss him.
Click to expand...
Yes, interesting point regarding the edge forwards losing form. Did they actually lose form or did they find it increasingly difficult to fly under the radar. There are some pretty decent coaches who can identify other teams threats and best ways to minimise them.
There are very few players in our squad that I would miss, maybe Api, Stef, Olam and Galvin we cannot afford to lose.
 
This is disappointing. I understand letting him go but it gives a sense of where our club is at. A high performing player comes to our club, underperforms and will go and perform well again elsewhere.

You just want to create a system where decent players can perform well, perhaps even get better, and at present whatever our system is leads to players underperforming and we haven't really seen this improve.

Even those happy to see him go will feel he's going to be very good for Penrith, and while that is obviously due in part to better players around him, it also is about the general buy-in and structure of their system that probably makes their role clear and makes players motivated.

We can say it's a good move because Papalii doesn't want to be here, but surely it is a big problem that he wants to go and doesn't see opportunity here. I feel like Papalii is unfit this year, he struggles around halftime and for that reason fades as the game goes on. We can blame his attitude and all that, but it's a bit too much of a pattern to put it just to that.
 
Flippedy said:
Just another in a very long line of talented players turning to shite when they come to us. This does my head in, I can’t fathom it. When is it ever gonna change?
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When we poach more than one player a year.
We need to fill multiple gaps in the same year to have a chance.
Then simultaneously rebuild from the pathways plan from within.
 
TigerSJ said:
Never really wanted to be here. Has played well for the most part, without being great. Obviously wasn’t invested and has been biding his time to get out. Question his fitness as he often looks gassed as an edge player and makes really poor and costly efforts in D at certain times in a game. Looked better at 13 recently.
No room for a player who really doesn’t want to play for you or his teammates, especially one who is supposed to be a leader and elite. I think the club has no choice at his contract level to let him go elsewhere.
Click to expand...
Is no longer an edge forward, Penrith have brought him to replace fisher-Harris a middle.
Hoping we are looking to spend his money on a specific edge forward not another player that can cover mid as well.
We have enough mids
Klem
Steph
Pole
Seyfarth
Twal

Edge
S.Fainu
?
?
?
 
I'm not going to do any hand-wringing - IP was brought in to add starch and experience to the side. We wanted dynamic play from him, always being around the ball in attack and defence, same as his role at Parramatta. It was a good signing at the time and IP was in career-best form, not signed for a crazy wage either.

The reality is he's always tried hard for us but at the Tigers that also translated into more mistakes - missed tackles, dropped balls. Almost zero impact from crash-tackle plays or hole-running from IP; I can't easily recall him making many line breaks.

I can respect IP as an honourable person: he committed to his deal, player hard most games. But it definitely hasn't worked out. The evidence suggests that without a high-quality pack IP's faults are exposed a little too often, and all the effort in the world cannot undo that.

Also - IMO the trend for backrowers at the moment is for them to become more dynamic and more rangy. So: typically faster, able to beat a tackle with a step or power, with the threat of an offload. Or another option; bullocking with a lead shoulder in defence. Case in point: Olakau'atu, Liam Martin, Nikora, Crichton, David Fifita, Nanai, Kikau, Tohu Harris, Koloamatangi etc. IP does not really have the characteristics of these players, he's not particularly agile or powerful.

It appears to me that Benji has instructed his players to play harder and faster, focusing on always pushing for 80 mins. IP has certainly been upping his output, but with this emphasis on greater speed and power, I think IP has already been overtaken by Samuela Fainu as our most dangerous backrower, someone operating at least half the price.

Many have suggested IP is more suited to prop rotation, but again he's not as dynamic as Stef or Pole, and perhaps a little small.

Therefore makes total sense for IP to go to a club where he can slot in and contribute rather than the the focal point of a club rebuild.
 
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