OFFICIAL Starford To’a #253

[hank37w]

Well if they want to take the risk of playing him injured like they did last year then at least now we will have 6 on the bench for a bit of insurance and a bit more flexibility.

Hopefully Benji's management of the bench will be better than it has been in the past.

Other than that it looks like Starford could be spending a bit of time in either reserve grade or rehab.

 

[Bigscreentv]

Even if Patrick Herbert just comes in and is solid defensively, we have enough strike power elsewhere.

Naden's biggest issue was his brain explosions and defensive reads. If Herbert gets that right we're ahead.

I personally wouldn't be playing Makasini at right centre for now. It's one of the toughest positions to defend at and he's still so young. Let him develop on the wing. But what do I know!

 

[hank37w]

You know what is best for his development.

 

[Tom Shines]

Even if Patrick Herbert just comes in and is solid defensively, we have enough strike power elsewhere.

Naden's biggest issue was his brain explosions and defensive reads. If Herbert gets that right we're ahead.

I personally wouldn't be playing Makasini at right centre for now. It's one of the toughest positions to defend at and he's still so young. Let him develop on the wing. But what do I know!

Naden cost us games … not every time but on a number of occasions…

Can’t say I know much about Herbert … but yeah if he can just hold it down and be strong in defense and not be done for pace I guess that will have to do …

 

[pawsandclaws1]

Toa provides strike on the right-hand side of the field. We miss him when he is not playing because he turns half chances into breaks and tries.

 

[Bigscreentv]

Toa provides strike on the right-hand side of the field. We miss him when he is not playing because he turns half chances into breaks and tries.

Agree - I want him there, but I think we have better options than last year if he gets injured.

 

[magpies forever]

Toa provides strike on the right-hand side of the field. We miss him when he is not playing because he turns half chances into breaks and tries.

Trouble is, he is not on the field a great percentage of the time.

 

[pawsandclaws1]

Trouble is, he is not on the field a great percentage of the time.

That is right. You get the feeling that at some point something has to give with his injury.

 

[Halbrowne61]

Toa provides strike on the right-hand side of the field. We miss him when he is not playing because he turns half chances into breaks and tries.

I’d love to see that but it just doesn’t seem to happen often enough !

 

[Tom Shines]

Toa provides strike on the right-hand side of the field. We miss him when he is not playing because he turns half chances into breaks and tries.

Yeah …but he is busted mate….

 

[magpies forever]

Yep. I got to say his re-signing late last season had me flummoxed trying to understand the haste. With the news now of his injury being chronic and non fixable via surgery- WTF were we thinking?

 

[Tom Shines]

Yep. I got to say his re-signing late last season had me flummoxed trying to understand the haste. With the news now of his injury being chronic and non fixable via surgery- WTF were we thinking?

Very sus …Anyone know who his manager is ? Couldn’t find it on google

 

[hank37w]

Very Wests Tigers.

 

[magpies forever]

Very sus …Anyone know who his manager is ? Couldn’t find it on google

Could his manager have been following WT management around and got them after a night out at the pub? Seriously though, these type of situations where a player after signing a contract is found to be medically suspect should be available for the club to negotiate a payout without arguing. It's happened a few times now I think and not just WT. There should be some secondary remedy, not just medically retired.

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

Yeah …but he is busted mate….

Let's see how he goes tonight. If he can return to the form from the start of last season, he is in the top 10 centres in the NRL (and arguably higher just from an attacking standpoint).

If this issue affects his left-arm fend in attack and strength in defence, we have a problem.

Manager is Wassermans agency.

 

[gregjm87]

Let's see how he goes tonight. If he can return to the form from the start of last season, he is in the top 10 centres in the NRL (and arguably higher just from an attacking standpoint).

If this issue affects his left-arm fend in attack and strength in defence, we have a problem.

Manager is Wassermans agency.

Yeah. I think too much has been made of what he will/won't be able to do without seeing him in action.
I agree that there are plenty of concerns regarding due diligence when signing him but let's see how hampered he actually is or isn't first before deciding we should be retiring him.

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

Yeah. I think too much has been made of what he will/won't be able to do without seeing him in action.
I agree that there are plenty of concerns regarding due diligence when signing him but let's see how hampered he actually is or isn't first before deciding we should be retiring him.

I've even forgotten where this info came from about his shoulder being chronic & surgery would not fully fix it. Was it a Mielekamp interview?

 

[WestsEffTheRest]

I've even forgotten where this info came from about his shoulder being chronic & surgery would not fully fix it. Was it a Mielekamp interview?

I believe @cochise said it in a Claws Out podcast.

 

[Tim Sheens]

Let's see how he goes tonight. If he can return to the form from the start of last season, he is in the top 10 centres in the NRL (and arguably higher just from an attacking standpoint).

If this issue affects his left-arm fend in attack and strength in defence, we have a problem.

Manager is Wassermans agency.

He certainly has talent, though your middle paragraph has pretty well consistently shown to be a huge issue since Starford arrived. His contract extension never made much sense, possibly a choice verging on being negligent from areas of the club's medical and management systems that approved it.

 

[Tom Shines]

Could his manager have been following WT management around and got them after a night out at the pub? Seriously though, these type of situations where a player after signing a contract is found to be medically suspect should be available for the club to negotiate a payout without arguing. It's happened a few times now I think and not just WT. There should be some secondary remedy, not just medically retired.

Total conspiracy thinking on my part …but the timing of his extension was “interesting “ , given it was at an unusual part of the season to be extended and he had been playing for months already with this injury …now we learn six months later that he is still hampered by the injury, and supposedly it cannot be repaired via surgery ...and the first whispers of medical release have started to do the rounds …although I agree that has some further time to play out …if that was to happen he now has some stability anyway instead of being off contract at the end of this year …

Do NRL Managers do “quid pro quo’s” where favours provided to one player get paid back to that club through others in his stable ? Perish the thought!