Stefano Utoikamanu #241

Milky said:
Can’t keep both Stefano and Pole happy when you have May

I hope their form continues, along with Luai

We, for the first time in a long time, have the ability to build our side around a great group of players

Pole, May, L. Fainu, S. Fainu, Luai, Bula, TDS

Our big 7
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You know what’s funny , I’d in Turuva and Skelton in that as well .
And no joke , I’d have had Galvin at about 11 on our list when you include api . I really , really don’t understand the hype around that we can’t win without Galvin . The kid has won 33% of his games in total in nrl , and0 or maybe 1 , when the dominant half is out ie. Sezer or luai .
 
gregjm87 said:
I agree that May has been better for us than Utoikamanu ever was but I think it is really only in the minutes he is able to play whilst maintaining a high quality. The comparative output whilst on the field however isn't really much different. I don't think the criticism of Utoikamanu
lines up with reality (though admittedly have only watched a few storm games not all of them).

Up until last night Utoikamanu had the 2nd most tackle breaks of any front rower. Average less than 1 missed tackles a game and only had 1 error for the season.
He is just outside the top 10 front rowers for run metres and post contact metres which might go along with suggesting he is average but he is getting these metres in significantly less time on the field than most above him (average 27 minutes less than May). His output per minute or per run across all stats he is still one of the leading front rowers in the game.
Now you could point to minutes played and say but he doesn't have the motor of the better front rowers. This might be true or it might be Bellamy doesn't see the need to play his leading front rower for huge minutes this early in the season.
Having said all that I think May is definitely the better option for us, we need his big minutes. I just think Utoikamanu has been playing well from the few games I have seen and the statistics would support this.
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Stats. are fine as a basic measuring tool, but that's all they are.
To really appreciate the performance of May against the substandard displays that Stefano was putting in you need to use your eyes.
Take a look at the impact on his team's performance, where he makes the runs, when he makes the runs, how's his positioning and line speed in defence, does he have mental lapses, how effective are the offloads. In all of these areas Stef isn't in the same league as Terrell..
A prime example is that Stef let the try in that changed the momentum of the game through sheer laziness in defence, yet he won't be credited with a missed tackle.
Get your head out of the stats sheet and watch the game with analytical eyes.
Last night when the chips were down Stef did what he always did for us and shrank into the background.
 
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Lestronge said:
You know what’s funny , I’d in Turuva and Skelton in that as well .
And no joke , I’d have had Galvin at about 11 on our list when you include api . I really , really don’t understand the hype around that we can’t win without Galvin . The kid has won 33% of his games in total in nrl , and0 or maybe 1 , when the dominant half is out ie. Sezer or luai .
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What makes you feel like that L, is it's because he runs around hogging the ball like a headless chook looking for gaps that he's not fast enough to get through then when he's tackled has a look on his face of frustration.
I don't think he will be missed, interesting to see if Doueihi grabs his dream opportunity and makes it his own, if he doesn't Latu will be ready to have a crack back from injury.
Galvan could be on the cusp of fading into a dim memory for us.
 
The problem that Stef has is work rate. He just doesn’t churn out the effort on the field that the best props do each week. When he wants to, he can run hard and make great yardage, although his D can be patchy.
I am sure he will be a good player in the Storm system and a good fit for their squad.
The best thing for us was that we never signed him for $1m dollars/year, and it may well prove to be the same story for Galvin.
 
Milky said:
Can’t keep both Stefano and Pole happy when you have May

I hope their form continues, along with Luai

We, for the first time in a long time, have the ability to build our side around a great group of players

Pole, May, L. Fainu, S. Fainu, Luai, Bula, TDS

Our big 7
Click to expand...

Definitely building a great team. Most if not all of our top 17 are playing their roles. Turuva the try scoring machine plus providing a solid start to our sets with Skelton. Our edges are defending better. Our bench is not only maintaining the intensity but lifting it more often than not.

I actually think Douehi & Luia will be a better halves pairing than Galvin/Luia & hope we’ll see the boys be more clinical in attack. Fingers crossed Latu is over his injuries & continues his development in the halves. We can all see his potential.

The effort is definitely there. We just need to build on that.

I’d love to see Richo use Galvin’s money on an elite back rower, a solid prop & signing Tiny. That would round us out nicely.

🐯💪
 
Tim Sheens said:
$Dollars, in the end, it all comes down to dollars. When the amount of some 50% of Terrell's money is still available to go towards say the impact of Hunt, instead of lining Stefano's pocket if he had accepted WT offer, comparatively it is a no brainer as to the value provided.

May brings so much more to the club both on and off the field.
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100% agree. There is no world or metric where we aren't better off with May, value, culture (seemingly at least), game time/output. It all is in favour of May.
I also agree Utoikamanu's can not perform to the price it would have cost us. So I'm not saying we should have kept him given those variables. Nonetheless I believe we are missing a forward of his ability and the criticism of his actual performances this year isn't warranted.
 
Rock Hopper Steve said:
What makes you feel like that L, is it's because he runs around hogging the ball like a headless chook looking for gaps that he's not fast enough to get through then when he's tackled has a look on his face of frustration.
I don't think he will be missed, interesting to see if Doueihi grabs his dream opportunity and makes it his own, if he doesn't Latu will be ready to have a crack back from injury.
Galvan could be on the cusp of fading into a dim memory for us.
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yea exactly . I mean I don’t want to say that he hasn’t done some good things , because he has . But like the Seyfarth line break the other day for example . That was a team plan . You could tell ! They went over and over dropping him under , and only using Bula out the back , and then finally Seyfarth runs an out line , and the gap is a mile wide because the team had been setting it up . It was the right play at the right time . And Galvan did well to recognise it , but it was planned . And it was coaching . But he gets all the goodly eyes from the pundits , but that play had been set up over a whole game . It wasn’t touch footy where it was 2 guys making a plan to hit the hole .
There’s absolutely no reason the current NSW number 6 can’t do that and even more .
We are winning because teams are coming down our left edge, and when they do , luai is shooting up at the 3 man , and then backing a couple of steps off , creating line speed on the edge , but also forcing the playmaker to look way too long at the gaps inside , closing down the space for the block play on the edge . Hopefully AD does the same thing on the right edge .
With Moses in the eels team we just have to watch out for the kick into the space behind .
But that’s where Bula comes in , and he will need to not get trapped at the play the ball the tackle prior .
Just on that . Another reason our defence is much better is when Bula does make that tackle on the line , even if he’s under the pile , the other defenders will hold the player down and allow Bula to peel out the back to get in position to sweep behind .
If he’s not there , they give away a 6 again .
we are much better at that . I remember when Bula first sterted and daine laurie was a demon for it , getting trapped at the play the ball on the line , and not getting into the right position on the next play .
Anyways just my observations of where I think the leaps have been this year .
It hasn’t been in Galvins ball playing
 
mtd#2 said:
Storm have the ball Infront of the raiders posts in extra time...

Stefano gives away a penalty WITH THE BALL!!!

Someones in for a spray from bellyache. Wouldn't see Terrell doing that 🤣🤣
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1) It wasn't actually a pen
2) Looked like Stef was playing the way everyone here wanted him to - fired up.

Given I didn't watch the full match, fired up Stef looked a good version of himself.
 
Moh said:
1) It wasn't actually a pen
2) Looked like Stef was playing the way everyone here wanted him to - fired up.

Given I didn't watch the full match, fired up Stef looked a good version of himself.
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Didn't he hit the player with his elbow in the face before they got to the ground (if I recall correctly).. so I think it was a penalty based on that.
 
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