Latu Fainu #282

[jrtiger]

I see L Fainu as a perfect 14 for the next season or so. Once Galvin fills out he’ll be a great 13. He’s got that Brad Fittler look about him, beautiful passing game and a big body.

I think both of them have claims for the 13 moving forward, but you're right, Latu will likely be our 14 until mid 2026. got a long while til we have to begin to worry about it.

I think some people forget he's managed to get thru 80 minutes once this year. he's got a lot of developing to do.

 

[AmericanHistoryX]

That one team will be a bottom feeder. Won’t be roosters or Melbourne.

Are you saying he is re-signing then?

 

[AmericanHistoryX]

I think both of them have claims for the 13 moving forward, but you're right, Latu will likely be our 14 until mid 2026. got a long while til we have to begin to worry about it.

I think some people forget he's managed to get thru 80 minutes once this year. he's got a lot of developing to do.

Latu will be our 14 through to mid 2026 - how do you guys come up with this stuff? Inside information?

 

[mtd#2]

I am not a fan of moving Galvin, the kid is a natural 5/8 and has made a point of being an exceptional player in that position. Do not ruin his progression or give him any incentive to leave.

On the other hand, L Fainu is only 19. Luai is here for 5 years. Fainu will be 24 by the end of Luai’s contract.

If he has owned the lock position, the team is winning and his brothers are here, I see no reason for him to go anywhere. They have the potential to establish a family dynasty together.

He would be guaranteed the starting halves jersey at the age of 24 with a long career ahead of him.

NRL is a funny game, if all three are excelling, Luai may get an offer from another club which would allow both to get an earlier crack at the halves.

Luai may do absolutely crap and need a fresh start elsewhere after a little while.

Who knows what happens, I say just enjoy the ride. I am sure the coaching staff have had numerous conversations with the players about where they see them

I would have agreed with you a few weeks back but the more I see of Latu I reckon he's going to be better in the halves than Galvin.

And little did I know that Galvin was playing backrow in harrold Matthews. So it's not a position uncommon to him.

 

[clontarfkid]

If Latu is good enuff.. and havnt quite seen it yet,tho last week showed potential..we will make a space for him in the 13.
Somewhere
And Im talking 2025..not 2026
Its not as though were blessed with top line players in the back line..and if hes qualifies..tick
But at this stage,he is well short of Galvin at same age..with Luai to come in the halves
So we need to manage

 

[pawsandclaws1]

I would have agreed with you a few weeks back but the more I see of Latu I reckon he's going to be better in the halves than Galvin.

And little did I know that Galvin was playing backrow in harrold Matthews. So it's not a position uncommon to him.

Latu has that ability to convert opportunities into tries. Gutherson is similar that when he gets a sniff of a try he will convert it to points. It's a skill some players have and not readily recognised.

 

[Nadz4483]

Could he play centres???? He's a solid kid, hard to stop close to the line..... And wouldn't be afraid to set up his winger being that he is usually a half

 

[Bigscreentv]

We definitely don't punt him. There's alot at stake with Samuela and Sione here. We need to make the Tigers their family club; from what I've seen from all 3, that shouldn't be any issues.

It does beg the question of what will happen next year when Luai arrives. I'm genuinely torn about what combinations I'd like to see.

Latu is so young that he could play 14, cover injuries or suspensions until Luai starts to get a bit old. He could also play 13.
Galvin could be a 13 due to size but I personally wouldn’t want him making that many tackles and impact his running game.

 

[Bigscreentv]

Three weeks ago, I would not have entertained the idea of Galvin at 13 for this exact reason.

I thought if we shift him to #13, we lose him....

But 3 doesn't fit into 2 (Latu, Galvin and Luai).

So the only way we keep all 3 is by making that move......

How it's going to go down? Who knows....

But after what I saw from Latu, I also desperately don't want us to lose him either!

I completely agree with this - he wants to play 6.
My view - play Latu at 13 and 14 until Luai is past it. Who knows who else we’ll have coming through now that Sheens is at Westfields and there’s a clear pathway from there now.
There’s also eaglevale high which is becoming a sports high school.

We’re gonna end up like Penrith; having an overload of talent and we’ll need to become the best at identifying the ones to keep.

 

[Merlot]

lets hope he doesnt turn into an injured dud,we bought him wounded,basically stayed wounded all year ,n godbless her even his Mum gave him up saying the kid is injury prone

 

[Tucker]

I like how people are prepared to make Latu wait until his mid 20’s before he gets a starting gig in the halves, yet these same people dont blink an eye that Galvin was just gifted his at 18, without earning it.

 

[mtd#2]

I completely agree with this - he wants to play 6.
My view - play Latu at 13 and 14 until Luai is past it. Who knows who else we’ll have coming through now that Sheens is at Westfields and there’s a clear pathway from there now.
There’s also eaglevale high which is becoming a sports high school.

We’re gonna end up like Penrith; having an overload of talent and we’ll need to become the best at identifying the ones to keep.

sorry my position would be to play galvin at #13 longer term not Latu. I think Latu is way too small for a #13. but we'd have to get Galvin in long term before moving him to #13

 

[mtd#2]

I like how people are prepared to make Latu wait until his mid 20’s before he gets a starting gig in the halves, yet these same people dont blink an eye that Galvin was just gifted his at 18, without earning it.

I think people have the opinion that because he's locked in long term we just let him sit in NSW Cup, where as Galvin's contract is what 1 or 2 years less? So probably the fear of losing Galvin. And I think any other year when the Tigers weren't so horrible, Galvin would have spent more time in NSW Cup.

 

[Red88_Tiger]

Imo it’s too early to worry about Galvin or latu to 13.
Currently Galvin is playing ok and shouldn’t be dropped on form and latu is a bench player that gets to potentially play anywhere depending on the game at hand and is playing well also
The better teams only drop on form or injury
If we’re pandering to players about position played it’s only going to bite us later down the track. Example - schuster

 

[Spartan117]

Let's get a decent off season into all our young players.

Develop combinations, bulk up and focus on fitness.

 

[Jedi_Tiger]

I don't believe you can make this assumption. With his time on the field on Thursday night, he set up a try and scored another. Defensively he is very strong. Competition is good and it wouldn't surprise me if he partnered Luai in the halves.

Galvin has the build to play 13 but obviously sees himself as a 6 and enjoys playing 6. If we move him to where he doesn't want to play to accommodate latu fainu then he will have other clubs such as Roosters with a 6 vacant to say come over and play 6 here.

Latu is too good to leave out of starting side.

our best case scenario is Galvin is happy with playing ball playing 13 role and everyone gets a run.

 

[bbobb]

From the limited time I have seen Latu (a couple games in cup and NRL), I believe there are a few differences between himself and Lachie.
1- Latu seems to have more time. He plays the game at his speed and rarely looks rushed. He lets the game to come to him and perhaps is more patient whereas Lachie is full of energy and chases the game.
2 - I think Latu plays more direct and squares his shoulders and straightens the attack where as Lachie is still fairly lateral in his play which sometimes squeezes the centre and wing.
3 - Lachie looks to be more vocal and dominant. Latu is quieter. With Luai arriving, I am interested to see which pairing will be complimentary.
4 - Defensively they are both adequate. Latu seems to be a strong defender for his size especially front on. Lachie can get a little dominated but this is more due to his frame and size which will change.
5 - Haven’t seen Latu in open space enough but my guess he is probably a little quicker than Lachie over 30 meters. Perhaps Latu more threatening with his runnng game (assumption here).

I think they’re both exciting prospects but I cannot see the club retaining both.We as supporters want one of them to play lock but my guess is if they’re not playing in the halves here, it will be somewhere else. My hope is that Latu can have an injury free run next year and we can make an informed choice although with the amount of release requests, my guess is that Lachie is more likely to move.

 

[J.T]

I think Latu is way too small for a #13.

Putting on 4-5 kg would help but he isn't too small. He's 6 foot which is the same size as Victor Radley and Cam Murray who are both arguably in the top 3 or 4 locks in the game

 

[stephen]

From the limited time I have seen Latu (a couple games in cup and NRL), I believe there are a few differences between himself and Lachie.
1- Latu seems to have more time. He plays the game at his speed and rarely looks rushed. He lets the game to come to him and perhaps is more patient whereas Lachie is full of energy and chases the game.
2 - I think Latu plays more direct and squares his shoulders and straightens the attack where as Lachie is still fairly lateral in his play which sometimes squeezes the centre and wing.
3 - Lachie looks to be more vocal and dominant. Latu is quieter. With Luai arriving, I am interested to see which pairing will be complimentary.
4 - Defensively they are both adequate. Latu seems to be a strong defender for his size especially front on. Lachie can get a little dominated but this is more due to his frame and size which will change.
5 - Haven’t seen Latu in open space enough but my guess he is probably a little quicker than Lachie over 30 meters. Perhaps Latu more threatening with his runnng game (assumption here).

I think they’re both exciting prospects but I cannot see the club retaining both.We as supporters want one of them to play lock but my guess is if they’re not playing in the halves here, it will be somewhere else. My hope is that Latu can have an injury free run next year and we can make an informed choice although with the amount of release requests, my guess is that Lachie is more likely to move.

Great points, Bob. Well summarised. I agree we've got 2 good ones on our hands with Lachie & Latu. I probably prefer Galvin to 13 eventually. I think he could become a long time 13 at rep level. Hope he can be persuaded of that.

 

[Milky]

Imo it’s too early to worry about Galvin or latu to 13.
Currently Galvin is playing ok and shouldn’t be dropped on form and latu is a bench player that gets to potentially play anywhere depending on the game at hand and is playing well also
The better teams only drop on form or injury
If we’re pandering to players about position played it’s only going to bite us later down the track. Example - schuster

I would have agreed with you a few weeks back but the more I see of Latu I reckon he's going to be better in the halves than Galvin.

And little did I know that Galvin was playing backrow in harrold Matthews. So it's not a position uncommon to him.

Latu at 14 begs the question, where does TDS play? Kids proven he is ready for first grade

Api isn’t getting any younger. We need to carry TDS on the bench until Api calls it IMO

Difficultly with TDS is I think he only covers hooker?