Burton is 3 times the player Galvin is … wtf are the dogs thinking. I’ll go one step further … I was far more impressed with AD when he was the golden boy than I ever was with Galvin. At least we won more than 5 games . I DO NOT GET IT! … he was a talent when he was coming through , but I always assumed lock or edge backrow . This guy will get all the rep jerseys in a few years and it will feel like when Bwaith got all the jerseys above Barrett , Fittler at the back end and whoever . Only worse because at least Bwaith won some shit .
Latu Fainu #282
- Thread starter ancient_magpie
- Start date
Funny that, that’s my halves combination for NSW next year. If they become a club combo it makes it even more likely.
tig_prmz
Well-known member
yeh 100% agree with everything.
Bellamy said over a decade ago that they had a "coffee test" of sorts where they saw how a player would speak to the wait staff at the cafe. Not sure how true it is though.
My conspiracy theory in this is that we sign players that are well known or have a brand to them, those that have Insta followers such as Taylan May, James Roberts, Luai, Naden, Jack Bird etc. Obviously they're all good players but I feel that the $$ value they bring in through exposure is weighed into the signings. That's not to say the "winning traits" aren't valued, but may be not valued as much when we sign players.
tig_prmz
Well-known member
I'm not a big fan of comparing such different players.
We could have Thurston, Cronk, Smith and Slater but still not make top 8 without the support they're given.
Right now, raw talent, personality of player etc isn't our biggest concern. Biggest issue is the support, coaching and emotional intelligence provided to them when they're here.
I agree with this . But less so Taylan May . I think the club didn’t really want him, and had to be convinced . The others were during a period where it was hard to motivate the fan base with Tui Lolohea and Corey Thompson , despite the latter being a real weapon .
So they announce guys like Robert’s , who have some name value to sell tickets .
Luai is an attitude shift for this club . Whilst he can be erratic , and I think the players around him are taking time to adjust to his tendencies, I 💯 believe he and Turuva are the driving force behind us constantly being in the game with 5 to go . And the sheer will to win that seems to be quietly flowing through the club , despite the lack of results and guys who love to shit on the club both externally and in the fan base .
I think it was the Faithful podcast o was listening to today , that nailed someone who I think personifies this the most this year in Star Toa . In years gone by I think when he injures himself on the weekend the first time , I think it defeats him in his head . But last week he injured himself . Kept fighting , did another injury , kept fighting , re hurt his 1st injury , and you could see how much the guy was hurting , yet dragging his legs and arm behind him , he was there in the spot he needed to be at the time he needed to be . It was a real showing resilience for him . And I feel like the more each individual player is put through thier own litmus test , that they will come out the other side realising “I’m as tough as these blokes” .
For whatever reason we’ve really struggled at not just getting but in , but these guys belief in themselves , as well as the realisation that thier limits , are no where near as low as they thought they were . But much much higher !
But you need the first few blokes to walk through the flame to reach back to grab the others . That’s where luai and Turuva have come in .. and slowly but surely one by one , these guys are reaching back and pulling each other through . I genuinely feel we are on the verge of something awesome. It feels like something is about to shift .
