Kevin Naiqama?

@madunit said:
Are we so desperate for a new signing that we will see any player as being some sort of saviour?

Naiqama is no better than anyone in our top 25 for next year, or any of our depth players.

Why waste the money?
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He is a million times better then Keith Lulia. If not for goal kicking he would start ahead of Richards IMO. He would be the second best fullback after tedesco by a long shot.

To say Hitchcox is better then him, have you actually seen naquaima play? He isn't someone who is going to be a rep star but he is definitely a first grader. Some of the others mentioned aren't

_Posted using RoarFEED_
 
Lol, hitchcox is unfortunately not an nrl player. He can carve out a decent career in the lower grades or in England but he's too small to be a back in the NRL. He doesn't have the required X factor to overcome his lack of size at a higher level. He's got some pace but he struggled in his nrl time this season.

Naiqama may well be in our top 25 next season, if he signs. He's arguably as good as any of our outside backs. He can play anywhere 1-5\. Inexperienced yes, but he also has a better try scoring ratio in the NRL than anyone in our team has had for a long time. Let's see if he can maintain that record next season!
 
Naiqama has played 23 games in 5 years across 2 clubs.

Not exactly the credentials of someone that much better than Hitchcox.

Just because I rate Hitchcox over Naiqama isn't the same as me saying Hitchcox is an NRL quality player either.

We can spend our money better than this.
 
For years and years we have been going for the depth signings and for years and years we run out of depth mid season. So why not buy a couple of durable class players when they are available, if not save your money till one comes available
 
Only one of our players scored more tries in the NRL this season than Naiqama did. Richards scored 9 in 20 matches. Austin scored 7 in 19 matches and Nofo scored 7 in 15 matches.

Naiqama scored 7 in 8 matches.

However the team he was in made the prelim final and have a lot of depth across the park and more quality juniors coming through the ranks.

As a comparison Teddy scored 6 tries in 8 games at the start of the season. Everyone was very happy with his strike rate, so why shouldn't we be excited with Kevin's strike rate when he performed better than any of our players? Potentially signing a player who can break the line, score a try or set up his winger! We haven't had one of them since… a young Lawrence i guess!

And this is all, _if_, he signs with us. We'll know more next week once Taylor joins the club.
 
@Balmain Boy said:
Only one of our players scored more tries in the NRL this season than Naiqama did. Richards scored 9 in 20 matches. Austin scored 7 in 19 matches and Nofo scored 7 in 15 matches.

Naiqama scored 7 in 8 matches.

However the team he was in made the prelim final and have a lot of depth across the park and more quality juniors coming through the ranks.

As a comparison Teddy scored 6 tries in 8 games at the start of the season. Everyone was very happy with his strike rate, so why shouldn't we be excited with Kevin's strike rate when he performed better than any of our players? Potentially signing a player who can break the line, score a try or set up his winger! We haven't had one of them since… a young Lawrence i guess!

And this is all, _if_, he signs with us. We'll know more next week once Taylor joins the club.
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Why do people get excited about players who can score tries
.
Much like Koroibete , how well you can defend at NRL level is far more important than scoring tries

I'd rather he could create 20 tries for his outside men , that would get me excited

Everyone complains at Lawrence's defence for a reason , because defence is far more than attack

If and when we learn to out defend the opposition rather than out attack at opposition we will finally become a football team to fear
 
I was excited to see Hitchcox come into 1st grade this year and was a just reward for his efforts in NSW Cup however he was exposed at 1st grade level over the games he played in that he has alot of work to do to reach NRL standard or play an NRL game again.

Naiqama, on the other hand, is dynamic in both defence and attack and covers all 3 outside backs positions equally well. Naiqama, if given a chance, will be an astute purchase for the club.
People have to remember that Simona was almost passed over for 1st grade until given a chance in 2013 and took his opportunity with both hands so much that you could not drop him. I truly believe that Naiqama will have a breakout season for us next season if this signing is announced.
 
@innsaneink said:
Have we signed him?
5 pages TLDR.
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Not officially..but Wes said he's on the way and that's good enough for some to have him as our leading try scorer and future origin great…
 
@Geo. said:
@innsaneink said:
Have we signed him?
5 pages TLDR.

Not officially..but Wes said he's on the way and that's good enough for some to have him as our leading try scorer and future origin great…
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Maybe the delay is because there are doubts whether the club has enough money left in the salary cap to sign them. After what the club called "big news" yesterday it would seem that way.
 
@Newtown said:
@Geo. said:
@innsaneink said:
Have we signed him?
5 pages TLDR.

Not officially..but Wes said he's on the way and that's good enough for some to have him as our leading try scorer and future origin great…

Maybe the delay is because there are doubts whether the club has enough money left in the salary cap to sign them. After what the club called "big news" yesterday it would seem that way.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Or maybe Taylor doesn't want him and has someone better in mind

Let Taylor choose the squad HE wants
 
As has been said numerous times, and has thankfully been proven to be true, the club won't be signing or re-signing anyone until the Taylor and Moss join the club and can make the calls themselves.

It's not Mayer's role to sign players and he hasn't signed these guys up. He may have put them on a silver platter for the new guys to make the decision on but if Taylor/Moss don't want them then neither Naiqama or Takarangi will be at the club so its a good position to be in.

They may want to have a look at the boys at training, see the attitude and who may be likely to be asked to leave and what positions need greater depth or quality. Taylor starts next week, not sure about Moss.

Pre season training starts beginning of November if i recall correctly? There could be announcements next week or maybe not for another month and a bit. Who knows.

Due diligence and planning is a very good thing, and something which the club hasn't done very well at over the years. Taking time to make decisions which impact upon both the short and long term future of the club should be applauded.
 
Brothers and Fijian Test stars Wes and Kevin Naiqama are gearing up to sport the Penrith jumper for the final time this weekend.

With Wes moving over to England to play with the London Broncos and Kevin shifting over to Concord to play for the Wests Tigers in 2015, they will see out their time together at the foot of mountains against the Northern Pride in the inaugural NRL State Championship.

After extending their seasons by a week after winning the NSW Cup last weekend against their old club Newcastle, it will also be the end of the brothers spending their days at the same club, having shared time at the Dragons, Knights and Penrith.

Wes's move to the Hunter in 2008 encouraged his younger brother, almost seven years his junior, to follow suit two years later, allowing the eldest Naiqama the privilege to see his brother grow into the player and person he is today.

"When I first went to Newcastle he followed me as a young boy but then he came through and we played his first grade debut together and in the World Cup teams so it has been a dream come true for us," Wes tells NRL.com.

"I'm proud of him and so is the whole family. He has a big future ahead of him so hopefully he can go to the Tigers next year find his feet and cement himself a spot in the NRL where he deserves to be.

"He has a lot to offer to any club he is at so I'm hopefully he grabs his opportunities next year and performs on the NRL stage."

While 25-year-old Kevin has plenty of time to prosper, Wes has spent the season in NSW Cup, observing that its standard of footy has gone from strength to strength in recent years.

After giving the green light to the concept of having the best Queensland and New South Wales club teams playing off against one another on grand final day, Naiqama is now keen to go out with a flourish, with his brother by his side.

"Reserve grade has certainly come a long way in the past two or three years," Wes said.

"It died off there when the 20s came in – I'm not bagging the Holden Cup – but personally I think we need a step up from there before you go into the NRL.

"The standard is only going to get stronger especially with this new concept coming in."

While the former Fijian captain's time in the NRL may be coming to a close after 121 appearances, Wes insists he is still hungry to succeed in London.

After signing with the Broncos in August, he is eager to put his best foot forward for the ailing club.

"The Broncos were obviously relegated from the Super League this year so the big goal for the players will be to get promoted back for the 2016 season," Wes said. "I'm keen to put forward my best and contribute as much as I can when I get over there."

http://www.nrl.com/blood-thicker-than-water-for-naiqamas/tabid/10874/newsid/82341/default.aspx?cid=NRL_HP_Latest
 
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