Alex Seyfarth's #1 Fan
Well-known member
Whenever we played Canberra this bloke was always responsible for at least 20 of the points they put on us. Glad to have him on our side.
Joey Leilua #226
- Thread starter WT2K
- Start date
Cannot understand what's not to like about this signing....
He brings
Aggression,
Mongrel,
Tackle busts & needs 2 defenders min to bring him down,
Has an offload,
Rep experience
&
&
&
He is only ***28*** and playing with his younger brother so would want to prove a point...
Big YES from me.
He brings
Aggression,
Mongrel,
Tackle busts & needs 2 defenders min to bring him down,
Has an offload,
Rep experience
&
&
&
He is only ***28*** and playing with his younger brother so would want to prove a point...
Big YES from me.
hobbo1
Well-known member
@hsvjones said in [Joseph Leilua joins Wests Tigers](/post/1107598) said:
Who’s not liking ?
TheDaBoss
Well-known member
@hobbo1 said in [Joseph Leilua joins Wests Tigers](/post/1107579) said:
And replace it with S.O.S
hobbo1
Well-known member
@TheDaBoss said in [Joseph Leilua joins Wests Tigers](/post/1107606) said:
No excuses now ...
He has the BJ Brothers helping out !
He's the kind of player we never ever seem to have, and that always plays a big game against our lads. Big, Aggressive, dare I say a bully. I'm sick of being the nice guy so to speak.
Brain explosions sure, but he's a genuine threat on the edge, and always good for a dirty hit-up.
Who'd you rather taking the rest set dirty hit-up - Momorovski, or Leilua?
I'm glad we've signed him just so we don't have to play AGAINST him.
Brain explosions sure, but he's a genuine threat on the edge, and always good for a dirty hit-up.
Who'd you rather taking the rest set dirty hit-up - Momorovski, or Leilua?
I'm glad we've signed him just so we don't have to play AGAINST him.
Cairnstigers
New member
All we need to do now is re sign Suli to partner Joey In the centres
But i believe both players play right centre so one would have to move sides
With Nofoluma and Addo-carr on the wings
Doueihi at fullback
Now i would like to see that
That would be a handful for any team
But i believe both players play right centre so one would have to move sides
With Nofoluma and Addo-carr on the wings
Doueihi at fullback
Now i would like to see that
That would be a handful for any team
pawsandclaws1
Well-known member
@Russell said in [Joseph Leilua joins Wests Tigers](/post/1107548) said:
Agreed. You have to compliment JL with a really fast winger on the outside. No use having Nofo on the outside only to be pulled down from behind when in the clear. You would hope this was thought about prior to JL's signing.
Mighty_Tiger
Well-known member
Wouldn’t matter who we got people would still moan about it. At the end of the day we got a top line nrl quality center.
We can look at all the negatives but he is one of the best in the comp, we snared him and he will be wearing our jersey for the next few years. We will be having alot more highlights than lowlights over the next few years down his side thats for sure.
We can look at all the negatives but he is one of the best in the comp, we snared him and he will be wearing our jersey for the next few years. We will be having alot more highlights than lowlights over the next few years down his side thats for sure.
Chipofftheoldblock
Well-known member
Great signing as long as he keeps fit and buys into the culture. Big strong, aggressive centre which we have been crying out for. Lucky we got him before Scott lost the plot on his weekend in Sydney otherwise this would have been another signing we would have missed out on.
@hobbo1 said in [Joseph Leilua joins Wests Tigers](/post/1107603) said:
happy
Jimmy
Well-known member
@pawsandclaws1 said in [Joseph Leilua joins Wests Tigers](/post/1107669) said:
I somewhat agree nofo is an explosive winger and can hit speed fast, problem he can’t seem to hold that speed..he’s a pocket rocket type of,winger....i believe a winger who could good the distance is needed
GNR4LIFE
Well-known member
@Swordy said in [Joseph Leilua joins Wests Tigers](/post/1107695) said:
Tbh, he might not have reached the heights of his 2016 form, but its never been because of laziness. He’s not really a rocks and diamonds player cos he doesn’t have games where he has shockers and doesn’t put in out of laziness. And it’s unfair to think he could become fat and lazy all because he isn’t the skinniest guy to begin with
diedpretty
Well-known member
Campo’s Corner: Wests Tigers strap in for wild ride with Joey Leilua
The Wests Tigers have bought the ticket on Joey Leilua’s wild ride and there’s nothing else quite like it, writes NICK CAMPTON.
Nick Campton, The Daily Telegraph
Subscriber only
|
January 27, 2020 1:19pm
Close
You are either a Joey Leilua person or not, and once you decide to go one way there is little chance of ever going the other because the two paths rarely meet.
The snappy words people use about Leilua are “enigmatic”, or “unpredictable”, or if they are not Joey Leilua people they use words like “erratic”, or “unreliable”, or, and this is the big one, “lazy”.
He is one of those players who by his very nature cannot help but inspire hyperbole. Maybe it’s because of the variance in how he plays – pundits and fans see what they want to see and overlook the things they don’t, because the full Leilua experience has it all.
His believers point to his two Dally M centre of the year awards and his virtuoso 2016 season. His critics bring up his shaky defensive decisions, and his tendency to lose control when the red mists descend.
What of the flick pass to John Bateman against Melbourne, the believers cry? What of the blown chance and the forward pass to Jordan Rapana in the grand final, the critics shoot back?
Remember his barnstorming, two-try effort against Brisbane? Remember the eight-point try he gave away against Manly? That’s just from this year, and as far back as you go, neither party will ever run out of ammunition.
That makes the question around Leilua a simple one – are you willing to take the bad to wait for the good? Which washes out the other?
Are you willing to cop an occasional defensive blunder for the insane flick pass that delivers a try from nowhere? Can you make peace with an error in order to wait for the blindside rush out of nowhere that leads to a try?
Over the last four years, when Joey Leilua has been at his best there has not been a better centre in all of rugby league. Latrell Mitchell might have more tries, but he does not stay involved in the same way. Jarrod Croker might be more prolific, but he can’t break a game open like Leilua does. Joseph Manu is lighter on his feet, but he does not have the raw power, or the work rate.
That work rate is why the criticism of Leilua being lazy in matches does not strike the mark. Not once in Leilua’s four and change years with Canberra has he ever averaged less than 10 runs in a match, even in 2019 when he played just 12 games and was never really fully fit.
He is both strike weapon and blunt-force workhorse from his own end – many modern centres are either one or the other. Even on his bad days, when he races in defensively like a crazy man, or when his temper has gotten the better of him and he’s facing a suspension, Leilua never stops looking for carries.
If Leilua did the things he did at Canberra at another club, he would have played for New South Wales and Australia, but some players have to do more than others to make representative football. It’s likely he wouldn’t have lasted long, because at that level one bad game can mean exile – just ask Latrell Mitchell – and when Leilua runs onto a field all you can do is toss a coin and hold your breath.
In landing Leilua, the Tigers have made their choice on Leilua, and it looks to be a good one from their perspective. Nobody would doubt the Tigers’ commitment last season – they fought and fought hard for every inch they ever got, but one of the reasons they fell short of ending the longest finals drought in NRL history was a lack of points, which came from a lack of creativity and firepower.
The Tigers, once the Tim Sheens attacking machine who believed the only way to stop a team from scoring points was to score more themselves, have come full circle. They have found a toughness they used to lack, but in doing so their blades have lost their edge. Joey Leilua is a blade with the sharpest edge around, but he cuts both ways.
Leilua can provide exactly what the Tigers need, especially if he’s paired on an edge with his brother Luciano, who joins from St George Illawarra, and the ageless Benji Marshall. Or perhaps he’ll be over with Luke Brooks, who has become one of the most underrated players in the competition in recent years. Leilua has spent his years with Canberra as a right centre, but before that he played almost exclusively on the left.
He can be whatever Michael Maguire wants him to be, and if Canberra are kicking in as much money as some reports suggest, it’s a very nice bit of business by the joint venture.
The Tigers will have to convert to the church of Leilua if they want to get the best out of him, and if all goes well it could be a fine match. Leilua started so early it’s easy to forget he is still only 28. He has 10 seasons of first grade under his belt, and it is likely he is what he is at this point. The creases in his game are there to stay, even under a taskmaster such as Maguire.
But, because this is Joey Leilua, the Tigers must brace themselves to take the good with the bad, because when the good is good it’s just so, so good. Leilua will test the faith and win them back, he will baffle and bedazzle, he will go for it all as much as he possibly can, and sometimes he’ll do it too much.
Go back and watch Leilua’s flick pass to Jordan Rapana from Round 26 of 2016 – against the Tigers funnily enough. When Leilua collects the loose ball, he has Elliott Whitehead on his inside and Whitehead has nothing but open space in front of him. It’s an easy play, and one Leilua can easily make.
Leilua doesn’t even look on his inside. He throws an incredible, round the corner ball to Jordan Rapana. There has never been a pass quite like it, before or since. Rapana cruises the 25 metres to the line, laughing with the whip in the air before he even puts it down.
Rapana puts it down to celebrate with his teammate, because they are Leipana and that’s what they do. As Leilua jogs up he does not look like a man who just made the impossible come to life. He just shrugs. Even he doesn’t know how or why he does things the way he does them.
The Tigers have bought the ticket on Joey Leilua’s wild ride and there’s nothing else quite like it.
The Wests Tigers have bought the ticket on Joey Leilua’s wild ride and there’s nothing else quite like it, writes NICK CAMPTON.
Nick Campton, The Daily Telegraph
Subscriber only
|
January 27, 2020 1:19pm
Close
You are either a Joey Leilua person or not, and once you decide to go one way there is little chance of ever going the other because the two paths rarely meet.
The snappy words people use about Leilua are “enigmatic”, or “unpredictable”, or if they are not Joey Leilua people they use words like “erratic”, or “unreliable”, or, and this is the big one, “lazy”.
He is one of those players who by his very nature cannot help but inspire hyperbole. Maybe it’s because of the variance in how he plays – pundits and fans see what they want to see and overlook the things they don’t, because the full Leilua experience has it all.
His believers point to his two Dally M centre of the year awards and his virtuoso 2016 season. His critics bring up his shaky defensive decisions, and his tendency to lose control when the red mists descend.
What of the flick pass to John Bateman against Melbourne, the believers cry? What of the blown chance and the forward pass to Jordan Rapana in the grand final, the critics shoot back?
Remember his barnstorming, two-try effort against Brisbane? Remember the eight-point try he gave away against Manly? That’s just from this year, and as far back as you go, neither party will ever run out of ammunition.
That makes the question around Leilua a simple one – are you willing to take the bad to wait for the good? Which washes out the other?
Are you willing to cop an occasional defensive blunder for the insane flick pass that delivers a try from nowhere? Can you make peace with an error in order to wait for the blindside rush out of nowhere that leads to a try?
Over the last four years, when Joey Leilua has been at his best there has not been a better centre in all of rugby league. Latrell Mitchell might have more tries, but he does not stay involved in the same way. Jarrod Croker might be more prolific, but he can’t break a game open like Leilua does. Joseph Manu is lighter on his feet, but he does not have the raw power, or the work rate.
That work rate is why the criticism of Leilua being lazy in matches does not strike the mark. Not once in Leilua’s four and change years with Canberra has he ever averaged less than 10 runs in a match, even in 2019 when he played just 12 games and was never really fully fit.
He is both strike weapon and blunt-force workhorse from his own end – many modern centres are either one or the other. Even on his bad days, when he races in defensively like a crazy man, or when his temper has gotten the better of him and he’s facing a suspension, Leilua never stops looking for carries.
If Leilua did the things he did at Canberra at another club, he would have played for New South Wales and Australia, but some players have to do more than others to make representative football. It’s likely he wouldn’t have lasted long, because at that level one bad game can mean exile – just ask Latrell Mitchell – and when Leilua runs onto a field all you can do is toss a coin and hold your breath.
In landing Leilua, the Tigers have made their choice on Leilua, and it looks to be a good one from their perspective. Nobody would doubt the Tigers’ commitment last season – they fought and fought hard for every inch they ever got, but one of the reasons they fell short of ending the longest finals drought in NRL history was a lack of points, which came from a lack of creativity and firepower.
The Tigers, once the Tim Sheens attacking machine who believed the only way to stop a team from scoring points was to score more themselves, have come full circle. They have found a toughness they used to lack, but in doing so their blades have lost their edge. Joey Leilua is a blade with the sharpest edge around, but he cuts both ways.
Leilua can provide exactly what the Tigers need, especially if he’s paired on an edge with his brother Luciano, who joins from St George Illawarra, and the ageless Benji Marshall. Or perhaps he’ll be over with Luke Brooks, who has become one of the most underrated players in the competition in recent years. Leilua has spent his years with Canberra as a right centre, but before that he played almost exclusively on the left.
He can be whatever Michael Maguire wants him to be, and if Canberra are kicking in as much money as some reports suggest, it’s a very nice bit of business by the joint venture.
The Tigers will have to convert to the church of Leilua if they want to get the best out of him, and if all goes well it could be a fine match. Leilua started so early it’s easy to forget he is still only 28. He has 10 seasons of first grade under his belt, and it is likely he is what he is at this point. The creases in his game are there to stay, even under a taskmaster such as Maguire.
But, because this is Joey Leilua, the Tigers must brace themselves to take the good with the bad, because when the good is good it’s just so, so good. Leilua will test the faith and win them back, he will baffle and bedazzle, he will go for it all as much as he possibly can, and sometimes he’ll do it too much.
Go back and watch Leilua’s flick pass to Jordan Rapana from Round 26 of 2016 – against the Tigers funnily enough. When Leilua collects the loose ball, he has Elliott Whitehead on his inside and Whitehead has nothing but open space in front of him. It’s an easy play, and one Leilua can easily make.
Leilua doesn’t even look on his inside. He throws an incredible, round the corner ball to Jordan Rapana. There has never been a pass quite like it, before or since. Rapana cruises the 25 metres to the line, laughing with the whip in the air before he even puts it down.
Rapana puts it down to celebrate with his teammate, because they are Leipana and that’s what they do. As Leilua jogs up he does not look like a man who just made the impossible come to life. He just shrugs. Even he doesn’t know how or why he does things the way he does them.
The Tigers have bought the ticket on Joey Leilua’s wild ride and there’s nothing else quite like it.
jirskyr
Well-known member
Good write up for the DT for once.
cqtiger
Well-known member
@pawsandclaws1 said in [Joseph Leilua joins Wests Tigers](/post/1107669) said:
Luckily JL excels at getting passes away inside the opposition 20. Nofo goes ok there.
Harvey
Well-known member
@cqtiger said in [Joseph Leilua joins Wests Tigers](/post/1107777) said:
If he can get the away from inside the 10, Jennings might rocket up the tryscoring charts again.