Rua Ngatikaura

Mighty_Tiger said:
Why do we have a fascination to rush him? He just isn't close to ready yet. He has been struggling to be consistent and pace himself in NSW cup. He isn't ready to step up into the NRL zone and have that pressure on him yet.

Reason is I want Rua to spend a chunk of time in NSW Cup is I want him in a dedicated role at lock and to really learn that role for us, next year the flegg boys will come up a grade and he can mould with that pack as they grown through the grades.

I think he could and its a big could be our solution longer term to the lock player we need.

Simpkin has at least been training and playing with the faster/bigger guys for 2yrs despite his age & is infront of Rua development wise. Would I have played him the last 2yrs no, but we had no choice. If we have no choice then fine play Rua but they both should be in NSW Cup for the next year or so unless we are desperate NRL wise.
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That is the way i see it also.However many see it as a possible quick fix to a problem without seeing the damage it probably will cause long term to his development and future career
 
Congrats young man, hard little nugget, hopefully he can add a few things to his game, but real competitor and has been rewarded for his 100 mile/hour attitude.
 
Good luck to him. He looked good in the trial, it’s the only time I’ve seen him play.

hope he turns out to be as good as the Cheese. Babybel that’s a crack up!
 
These are the ones you like to see stay, hopefully he will have a good career with us and we also get to see our next gen step up and help pull us out of the bottom of the ladder.
 
With Rua, if your good enough your old enough.
He'll get a run this year as well if the stars align for him.
Funny thing is, half our side next year could be hookers and halves.
Doubt that will be so.
 
T
WT2K said:
Awesome news. Rua has the talent. Bright future in the game. Well done to all involved in getting him signed up.
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Totally agree WT2K....just hope he doesnt cop the overhype Brooks did ...let him develop and learn the right way....
 
Fantastic news thought we might see him in different colours in the next couple years with the amount of hookers on our books.

Building his skills alongside Api with Farah in the background should give him a great foundation.
 
The kid can play I’ve seen him the last 5 years but he is a bad ball hog ever since he was a kid he’s been a hog and unfortunately he’s not real fit he never has been good luck to him
 
slurpee said:
The kid can play I’ve seen him the last 5 years but he is a bad ball hog ever since he was a kid he’s been a hog and unfortunately he’s not real fit he never has been good luck to him
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Any hooker who scores tries is called a ball hog. Robbie certainly was. He's missed out on 18 months of development but he'll catch up.
 
Mighty_Tiger said:
Why do we have a fascination to rush him? He just isn't close to ready yet. He has been struggling to be consistent and pace himself in NSW cup. He isn't ready to step up into the NRL zone and have that pressure on him yet.

Reason is I want Rua to spend a chunk of time in NSW Cup is I want him in a dedicated role at lock and to really learn that role for us, next year the flegg boys will come up a grade and he can mould with that pack as they grown through the grades.

I think he could and its a big could be our solution longer term to the lock player we need.

Simpkin has at least been training and playing with the faster/bigger guys for 2yrs despite his age & is infront of Rua development wise. Would I have played him the last 2yrs no, but we had no choice. If we have no choice then fine play Rua but they both should be in NSW Cup for the next year or so unless we are desperate NRL wise.
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Who's saying anything about rushing him? If he can survive the next couple of months in NSW cup and keep up his performance levels then he'll get a few appearances off the bench in first grade towards the end of the season.

If he's struggling to stay fit and impact games in NSW cup then he stays in NSW cup.

Physically he's stronger than Liddle and Simpkin, he's also more aggressive. His passing game is better than Liddles. It's just about getting his body ready for first grade.

I agree he should play a combination of lock and hooker, as he'll need both skillets in first grade. Both he and Simpkin/Liddle should share the duties in NSW Cup with the other playing lock.

The thing about Rua is he's a player his team mates want to play with. He's played with most of the NSW cup squad for the past couple of years and they all look up to him. He's part of the glue that keeps these boys together
 
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Question to everyone thrilled by this - how much of him have you seen?

I've never heard him mentioned here, or anywhere, until I saw him in the trial. Of course, like everyone else I was impressed. But it was just a trial, and one game - so, for those who have seen more of him, is he really that good?

I'd be excited if he is.
 
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