Stefano Utoikamanu #241

[BAGNF05]

Imagine how effective those tackle busts might be with the fast support the Storm possess…
Wishing this bloke ill is poor form when he fulfilled his contract and played every game this year. Plenty recently have failed to do likewise.

Yep. Front foot footy will suit him and more rests after tries. He’ll play in a more explosive fashion if they use him how I think they will.

No doubt he was over the losing after years of it, a fresh start will do him good.

As long as we continue on the up it won’t be as depressing as Teddy, Moses etc.

 

[cktiger]

His biggest problem is the fact he's a lazy player.
Not sure if that can be changed permanently.

 

[Spartan117]

Nothing about wrestling comes up when I open the article - maybe not seeing the clickbait due to ad blocking software.

Was a 2 second quote in an interview yesterday on SEN radio.

Something like...

How's it going stef??

Going great, the wrestling session was like nothing I've experienced.

That simple.

Let be very honest with ourselves. The Wests Tigers are not just own in the past the have high standards.

This is changing under Richo and Benji

 

[Speed2burn]

Uto will lift at the Storm because he will be surrounded by many quality players and will have to. I don’t really care too much - good luck to him. To me he will always be the guy who wants everyone else to do it for him not the guy who leads the way!

And that first sentence is the reason why he’ll never be a leader

He needs other players to pick up the slack before he has a crack. I’m hoping May is the polar opposite for us and leads the way

 

[innsaneink]

His biggest problem is the fact he's a lazy player.
Not sure if that can be changed permanently.

A few bellyache sprays might do the trick

 

[magpies forever]

Im not reading anything overly negative into his comment- lets face it, it only reflects what we have all been commenting on that WT fitness and training are not equal to the leading teams. Lets hope / trust we are going to improve greatly in that field in 25 season.

 

[Telltails]

I back Stef not to bag the Tigers. It's the standard story they put out after all our players leave WTs.

 

[jirskyr]

Let's not get overly sensitive by harmless comments by ex-players. Until he scores the match-winning try against us or wins a premiership it's all talk.

 

[batboy]

The issue is the click bait article. Theb2 second statement said that the wrestling session was the hardest ever.

The exaggerating writer is the criminal here

Agreed - Nothing in it.
Find me an NRL Player that doesn't claim "This is my hardest Pre-Season ever" in Media Interviews...
Former and Current Wests Tigers Players Included.

 

[upthetigers]

You aren’t comparing apples with apples.
May in the Roosters system is better than Stef in the Tigers system.
Stef in the Storm system will certainly be improved.
May in the Tigers system could regress.
It’s apples with oranges no matter how you compare them.

May has way more upside then Stef. He will be an upgrade in the tigers system without question and entering his prime years.

 

[Tucker]

May has way more upside then Stef. He will be an upgrade in the tigers system without question and entering his prime years.

We’ll see.
Hopefully he is

 

[upthetigers]

We’ll see.
Hopefully he is

James Graham in his poddy said May was a notch above Stef he is not the most articulate bloke but knows his footy

 

[BAGNF05]

And that first sentence is the reason why he’ll never be a leader

He needs other players to pick up the slack before he has a crack. I’m hoping May is the polar opposite for us and leads the way

I give him a bit more credit than that. He had himself on the verge of origin in a really poor footy side. This last year I think he was mentally done from the losing but over the course of his contract he was one of our best.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

Even if he did have an ax to grind, he’s not the first and won’t be the last player to have one. Hell, even one of our recruits has an ax to grind with his ex club.

 

[Tucker]

James Graham in his poddy said May was a notch above Stef he is not the most articulate bloke but knows his footy

Again, its hard to compare them at the moment.
May would come onto the field when the likes of JWH, Collins, Lenui, Crichton and Radley had already spent time softening up the rival pack.
Stef was the guy charged with doing the tough work from the start with us....and he didnt recieve much help.
The fact he often failed in this area is not lost on me, but it is a factor that May has not had to contend with so far.

 

[Lestronge]

Imagine how effective those tackle busts might be with the fast support the Storm possess…
Wishing this bloke ill is poor form when he fulfilled his contract and played every game this year. Plenty recently have failed to do likewise.

I dunno man I think there’s a bit of confirmation bias going on with that .
I watched blore maybe 5 games with the storm , and I thought he was bog average , and lacked involvement , and was exposed defensively . But people were saying he’s an origin bolter because the storm won nearly all those games .
I think stef will get a positive rub just by being in the storm team . He could play 5 minutes , and people will speak glowingly of him because the storm as a club is amazing .thats not to say he won’t improve, but I honestly think blore got a lot of rub last year . Even in the GF the panthers targeted him defensively . But no one mentioned it really in the post game analysis .
Which is a good thing because he is just one player , but yea . If the storm had a few losing seasons I’m curious if that would continue .

 

[Tucker]

I dunno man I think there’s a bit of confirmation bias going on with that .
I watched blore maybe 5 games with the storm , and I thought he was bog average , and lacked involvement , and was exposed defensively . But people were saying he’s an origin bolter because the storm won nearly all those games .
I think stef will get a positive rub just by being in the storm team . He could play 5 minutes , and people will speak glowingly of him because the storm as a club is amazing .thats not to say he won’t improve, but I honestly think blore got a lot of rub last year . Even in the GF the panthers targeted him defensively . But no one mentioned it really in the post game analysis .
Which is a good thing because he is just one player , but yea . If the storm had a few losing seasons I’m curious if that would continue .

Blore had a good season.
Bellamy trusted him to average 74 minutes every game for 24 starts.
He defended at close to 96% efficiency and pumped out 74m per match which is low but that also had a bit to do with how he was used.
Not a bad start, he will only improve with another pre season with them. As Loiero is also improving, I think the Storm will have the 2nd best best backrow in the comp in 25.

 

[Lestronge]

Blore had a good season.
Bellamy trusted him to average 74 minutes every game for 24 starts.
He defended at close to 96% efficiency and pumped out 74m per match which is low but that also had a bit to do with how he was used.
Not a bad start, he will only improve with another pre season with them. As Loiero is also improving, I think the Storm will have the 2nd best best backrow in the comp in 25.

Yea I didn’t see it man ! The tackle efficiency is a flawed stat . It doesn’t take into account poor positioning , and no attempt at all .
I’m purely basing it on the games I watched though . I could have watched his 5 worst games .
It was the same issues I had when he played edge for us . I think he’s a lock . It’s a matter of when not if .

 

[BAGNF05]

Blore had a good season.
Bellamy trusted him to average 74 minutes every game for 24 starts.
He defended at close to 96% efficiency and pumped out 74m per match which is low but that also had a bit to do with how he was used.
Not a bad start, he will only improve with another pre season with them. As Loiero is also improving, I think the Storm will have the 2nd best best backrow in the comp in 25.

Blore was the ultimate role player, uncomplicated job, it’s Bellamy’s trademark for guys like Blore. @Lestronge i don’t think I heard anyone credible calling for origin selection for SB.

 

[Lestronge]

Blore was the ultimate role player, uncomplicated job, it’s Bellamy’s trademark for guys like Blore. @Lestronge i don’t think I heard anyone credible calling for origin selection for SB.

Yea true , the weren’t exactly credible , but I definitely heard a few podcasts mention it .
I really like blore , but I’ve not been a huge fan of edge player Blore for a few seasons now . He was dynamic when we used him as a lock in the last few games he played for us .