Luke Laulilii #290

I'm loving the prospects of Luke in the NRL but I think he's 12-18 months away from being a regular starter

I hope he doesn't get caught up in the internal politics to do with this Galvin debacle
 
hank37w said:
The hate on here for Solomona Faataape is unbelievable.

Yes Luke has great potential and attacking ability but so has Faataape, but does Luke's 40% tackle efficiency really make him so much better than Faataape.
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I’ve said this many times, Luke plays with plenty of heart and gives 💯 which has to be admired, but he’s not tall, not big and not fast, so this puts him at a big disadvantage against almost all rival wingers.
The 2 teams on top of the current NRL ladder have big, tall and fast wingers for a reason.
We could have had Montoya and chose not to.
 
I have great respect for Luke L as a player but he should be playing in his age group and developing over time. He gives 100%, however to make it in the NRL he needs to put on a lot more size and muscle. The play where Moses pushed him into touch would have been a try for nearly every other winger in the NRL - he is just too small and light.
 
Vicious said:
I’ve said this many times, Luke plays with plenty of heart and gives 💯 which has to be admired, but he’s not tall, not big and not fast, so this puts him at a big disadvantage against almost all rival wingers.
The 2 teams on top of the current NRL ladder have big, tall and fast wingers for a reason.
We could have had Montoya and chose not to.
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Not tall, not big, not fast. Sounds like you're describing Tito.

Let's not forget that Luke is 1st or 2nd drop, not first choice, and is an 18 year old kid.

He is tracking really well for a Ball-eligible kid.

He took a lot of good catches yesterday under pressure, ran for over 100m, scored a desperate try and should've had a second if not for a Moses swinging arm.

He's fine and not the reason we lost yesterday.
 
I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt and putting him not being able to finish off the first opportunity down to inexperience. Wingers score those 99 times out of 100.
 
Kelce68 said:
Not tall, not big, not fast. Sounds like you're describing Tito.

Let's not forget that Luke is 1st or 2nd drop, not first choice, and is an 18 year old kid.

He is tracking really well for a Ball-eligible kid.

He took a lot of good catches yesterday under pressure, ran for over 100m, scored a desperate try and should've had a second if not for a Moses swinging arm.

He's fine and not the reason we lost yesterday.
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Nobody said he’s the reason we lost yesterday.
As you say he ripped in and was generally good under the high ball, but the fact is he is shorter, lighter and not near as fast as Turuva.
Would he be playing NRL at Melbourne Storm or the Bulldogs ?
Wing is a body shape and speed specific position at those clubs for a reason.
 
Vicious said:
Nobody said he’s the reason we lost yesterday.
As you say he ripped in and was generally good under the high ball, but the fact is he is shorter, lighter and not near as fast as Turuva.
Would he be playing NRL at Melbourne Storm or the Bulldogs ?
Wing is a body shape and speed specific position at those clubs for a reason.
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That's incorrect mate. There are many people looking for a scapegoat and Luke has been a name floated by quite a few online over the past 24 hrs. It's ludicrous.
Would he be playing NRL at Melbourne Storm or the Bulldogs ?

I've also never understood this argument.

Who cares? They've got better squads, with greater depth, built over a longer time and are dealing with less backline disruption.

We have a young squad, with plenty of wasted spots and have injury and reshuffle issues in the backline.

We've lost Olam permanently in the early rounds. We have Doueihi out of the centres at halfback. We have our starting left winger injured. Staines, who was primary backup appears injured also.

We're being tested with a thin squad that we're trying to rebuild, in an area of weakness.

Wing is a body shape and speed specific position at those clubs for a reason.

No. It's not. Like all positions in this sport, body shape is only one, small component to someone's ability to play.

You want tall? Play Lobb then.

You want speed? Play Staines then.

A fan's perception of Luke's (lack of) size or speed means nothing.
 
Vicious said:
Nobody said he’s the reason we lost yesterday.
As you say he ripped in and was generally good under the high ball, but the fact is he is shorter, lighter and not near as fast as Turuva.
Would he be playing NRL at Melbourne Storm or the Bulldogs ?
Wing is a body shape and speed specific position at those clubs for a reason.
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While I agree that Laulilii should be developing in KOE rather than the NRL, Melbourne aren't a good point of comparison given their backup wingers are Kane Bradley and Dean Ieremia.
 
Kelce68 said:
That's incorrect mate. There are many people looking for a scapegoat and Luke has been a name floated by quite a few online over the past 24 hrs. It's ludicrous.
Would he be playing NRL at Melbourne Storm or the Bulldogs ?

I've also never understood this argument.

Who cares? They've got better squads, with greater depth, built over a longer time and are dealing with less backline disruption.

We have a young squad, with plenty of wasted spots and have injury and reshuffle issues in the backline.

We've lost Olam permanently in the early rounds. We have Doueihi out of the centres at halfback. We have our starting left winger injured. Staines, who was primary backup appears injured also.

We're being tested with a thin squad that we're trying to rebuild, in an area of weakness.

Wing is a body shape and speed specific position at those clubs for a reason.

No. It's not. Like all positions in this sport, body shape is only one, small component to someone's ability to play.

You want tall? Play Lobb then.

You want speed? Play Staines then.

A fan's perception of Luke's (lack of) size or speed means nothing.
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That’s your opinion and you makes some fair points, but I cannot see us transforming into a genuine top 8 team without a blueprint for certain positions and it’s clear to see how clubs such as Melbourne and the Bulldogs do it.
The Bulldogs only have big, tall, strong and fast wingers across all grades.
That’s not because they are discriminating against short and slow people, it’s because they know it’s important to have these attributes as a winger to help their team win games.
I will say Turuva has exceeded my expectations and has been great for us so far despite a couple of costly errors yesterday, however you are asking for trouble if you do not have at least one big, strong, tall and fast winger in your team line up.
That’s why a roster needs balance to allow like for like replacements, if Turuva is out then Luke Laulilli comes in, but if you lose your big, tall and strong winger in Skelton due to injury, you need someone similar to replace him,
 
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Look at Jnr Tupou.

He came from obscurity, essentially...
Raiders u20s, rugby union...

To first grade @ Wests Tigers.

Since leaving he's mainly played Q cup.
 
TV Ted Ellery said:
While I agree that Laulilii should be developing in KOE rather than the NRL, Melbourne aren't a good point of comparison given their backup wingers are Kane Bradley and Dean Ieremia.
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I’m pretty sure they got rid of Ieremia for this exact reason.
Also bear in mind Kane Bradley is their 3rd/4th call up for their outside backs as they currently have Will Warbrick, Nick Meaney and Moses Leo all out injured.
 
Needs 6 inches or a change of position. Maybe we should get him back into the fullback spot in flegg.
He was a very good ball playing fullback in his juniors that has been converted into a runner, meter eater.
 
orange&black said:
I have great respect for Luke L as a player but he should be playing in his age group and developing over time. He gives 100%, however to make it in the NRL he needs to put on a lot more size and muscle. The play where Moses pushed him into touch would have been a try for nearly every other winger in the NRL - he is just too small and light.
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I think the forearm across the head didn’t help him how Moses wasn’t sinbined for that hit
 
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