I am a big fan of Latu.
I think he's got a very high ceiling and a big future.
His time at the Tigers has been somewhat concerning yet interesting.
Not sure of the idea behind it all, but if it's planned, and focused on developing him - that's good. Otherwise, his talents seem wasted and overlooked.
I like to think the Fainus are the future of our club.
It’s obvious what the plan is mate . When we first recruited him he was the anointed one . It was supposed to be him and his Sullivan in the halves , with Sezer as the old head .
But his dodgy hamstrings from youth showed up , and then the injuries compiled , where he barely played because of injuries and COVID since he was 16 .
So now he’s catching up and the club has shifted to get his body right for the contact and grind of the nrl , whilst also filling in a void ,re someone who can come in and do a job at lock and 9 . With the emergence of Lanyon , and madden being a bit better at steering the side around , he’s finally being told to go work on his game in cup .
Hopefully luai fit , AD fit , means we never see madden again , so he can ride the pine in nrl. And the 2 kids can build a partnership in cup . Which seems to be pretty devastating the limited amount of time they’ve spent together .
The roster is evolving . I do think if schuster or even Godinet can put on the neccesary bulk and get thier defense right that they might be able to push Samuela back into the front row , where he believes he’s most affective .
Obviously 2028 the halves will be Latu and Javon (hopefully) , but people need to chill .
I think the days of your Cleary types coming in and dominating at 18 are an anomaly.
It will be a return to the days where the best halves don’t start to really take over until they’re 23/24 and even then they won’t/ don’t peak until late 20s .
Look at the minor premiers from last year , with sanders . He’s gonna be a gun but they’ve got a lot of teething problems before that happens .
Even Benji , sure he won a premiership but I’d argue he was playing a hybrid fullback role , and then his body gave way for the next 4 years .
I know people want instant gratification and the next great hope , but they need to be patient . Especially in the halves . He’s clearly far too good for Cup . In just 2 games there this year he was a man amongst boys , but like so many others before him he’s found the step up an adjustment . He will get there . But I honestly don’t belive until he’s at earliest 23 , which even then in modern nrl is probably a 13 year career .
