How will we benefit?
OFFICIAL SG Ball Cup
- Thread starter ancient_magpie
- Start date
LeichhardtTiger
Well-known member
The Large brothers were a huge get for Manly, but I think we'll be Finau. 🤪 🍷 🐯
Not to be a hater . But large was generational 2-3 years ago . The next Sualiii . Now he’s dominating SG ball , and watching a whole bunch of kids he played with go into their 3rd nrl season .
He’s ended being a far longer project in hindsight . I’m not sure how it will all play out in the long run , but I think we were wise in not being dictated to by his family . Especially after Galvin .
I mean most had him by now being fringe nrl / part of the full time 17 . I think he will play the year out in flegg.
It’s not a fall from grace or anything , just interesting in hindsight about our talent identification. For once I feel like they might have got it right . As good as he is , he’s not the one you hand the keys to club to . Which I for one , thought the opposite 18 months ago.
Or it could be patient, unrushed development
Tiger Stripes
Well-known member
I watched a City V Country game at Jubilee oval a few seasons ago. Large at 5/8 and Makasini centre.
Makasini NRL level---------Large SGBall.
Not wise to pay overs for potential and ego building.
Can't always be right, but I think we do a reasonable job overall.
And the few players that come back is because they are too far down the pecking order at the new clubs. Better players are poached from outside to fill the voids if the "Potential did not produce the Quality".
ROZELLE.O.G
Well-known member
Outstanding effort against CC Roosters. Big test in round 3 to see where they are against a stacked Parramatta SG Ball side. Lets get them boys.
The issue with not retaining Onitoni Large is that it’s been known since he was 15 that he is not only a very talented player, but his speed is elite and over the past few seasons our NRL team have lacked players with exceptional speed except for Bula.
Even now we only have Bula that has elite speed and even our NSW Cuo team only really have Jack Attard that looks exceptionally fast.
It’s crazy and the club did a really good job of tempering the Makasini buzz , when Large and his brother , Luke L , Galvin etc . We’re all pushing through . I’d heard of him , and watched him but somehow the buzz was tempered with all the talent around him .
It just goes to show that the kid getting all the buzz might not be the one the club has circled.
wstigers11
Well-known member
Large is a guaranteed NRL player just a matter of finding the right position for him. I think he leaves Manly eventually anyway
Yes , agreed but he wanted to play 6 , from memory . Pushed hard by his dad. Hence the clause around Galvin etc.
I dunno where the eagles are playing him , but the buzz was last year around mid year he was being pushed into fullback or centre.
Which probably at tha point , if that’s how the tigers felt ( I’d heard that was the case ) you’re starting to play the game of “who do we prioritise”.
Gone are the days where lower down clubs can hoard talent . If there’s no pathway , or the pathway isn’t clear , managers and family will push to move pretty quickly .
And to be fair at Manly , he’s got a straight shot to the nrl at either centre or in the halves . Even at fullback.
I can’t see an ever aging Brooks , and Fogarty keeping him at bay , nor many of the manly backs standing in his way. Obviously Koula withstanding. I can see Turbo in SL sooner rather than later . And that’s about it. We should have kept him , I’m not saying that … just that it wasn’t the “wtf are we doing “ thing it felt like in the moment .
Hopefully we can jag him back . I think some of the guys in the know like @jrtiger were saying that his family actually wanted him to stay , but saw the Galvin road block . Which I always thought was fair enough.
I don’t really get where Richo was coming from though . I mean get the idea of not creating a precedent where a SG ball player is dictating terms to you , but I really didn’t see the big issue in a Jonah Pezet like clause of “if X player resigns , I get permission to look elsewhere” .
Which is why I think the talent evaluation of where he actually was gonna end up was a variable not really discussed on here, was important.
Anyways . Hopefully we can get him and his brother back .
