New recruits

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SeeBee101
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Re: New recruits

Post by SeeBee101 »

Anyone else disappointed in whitehead this year. He has done practically nothing. Poor metres and quite a lot of errors. Weird as he is usually one of our best.


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Re: New recruits

Post by Finchy »

SeeBee101 wrote: March 31, 2019, 12:45 pm Anyone else disappointed in whitehead this year. He has done practically nothing. Poor metres and quite a lot of errors. Weird as he is usually one of our best.


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TBH I'm disappointed in Cotric too. They've both been well below par.

On another note, CNK actually reminds me of a young Billy Slater. I know most on here would hate Slater, but he was a hell of a player despite the grubbiness.
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Re: New recruits

Post by edwahu »

I'm not that disappointed in those guys. They have been quiet but not everyone can be a star at the same time.
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Re: New recruits

Post by BadnMean »

raiderskater wrote: March 31, 2019, 9:28 am
dubby wrote: March 30, 2019, 5:35 pm We're looking better for having no Austin and his abysmal defence

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On that, I actually thought Williams' defence looked better than it has in a while, too. The whole line looks better without Austin.

I am completely sold on all of them. Love them already. CNK has been outstanding, Bateman is just brilliant, I've been impressed by what we've seen of Sutton so far, Horsburgh is gonna be a cult hero in less than a season if he keeps this up, Young's enthusiasm just sparkles and I really liked Simonssen in that one game he's played too. This is good recruiting.

Honestly, between these pickups, not surrendering to the temptation to pay massive overs for Austin, Boyd and Paulo...I'm reeling in a bit of shock from the sudden excellence of our recruitment.
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Re: New recruits

Post by kiwi raider »

Finchy wrote: March 31, 2019, 2:07 pm
SeeBee101 wrote: March 31, 2019, 12:45 pm Anyone else disappointed in whitehead this year. He has done practically nothing. Poor metres and quite a lot of errors. Weird as he is usually one of our best.


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TBH I'm disappointed in Cotric too. They've both been well below par.

On another note, CNK actually reminds me of a young Billy Slater. I know most on here would hate Slater, but he was a hell of a player despite the grubbiness.
On the face of it yea the likes of Cotric, whitehead, etc have been quiet but we’ve played two wet games and 1 where our middle got owned, probably not that fair to judge edge players on those conditions, you could probably argue that all our edge palyers(bar batemans cameo) have been quiet at least in attack, whitehead, Tapine, Croker, Leilua and Rapana certainly haven’t set the world on fire but i also can’t remember them squandering many opportunities which probably means they’ve had very few
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Re: New recruits

Post by Botman »

guys we're three games into the season, settle down
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Re: New recruits

Post by The Nickman »

PigRickman wrote:guys we're three games into the season, settle down
Hahahah what the **** **** is going on here?

We’re in the Top 5 ****!


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Re: New recruits

Post by FROG »

Funnily enough it's this that is the most pleasing part of our start. Some players have been very average and yet we are winning games. There is so much improvement in this team. If we can sort out our left side defensive issues this could be a very special year
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Re: New recruits

Post by Wiki Special »

FROG wrote: April 2, 2019, 7:12 am Funnily enough it's this that is the most pleasing part of our start. Some players have been very average and yet we are winning games. There is so much improvement in this team. If we can sort out our left side defensive issues this could be a very special year
Very true mate. The most pleasing part is despite some individual errors we have stayed on track as a team out there so far. In 2017 or 2018 the Storm would have put 40-50 on us in Round 2. We actually have a defensive identity this year which is what all the top sides base their seasons on.
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Re: New recruits

Post by roneel78 »

Conceded one try only in the last 20min after 3 games. Read that on fox sports. Big improvement


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Re: New recruits

Post by zim »

SeeBee101 wrote: March 31, 2019, 12:45 pm Anyone else disappointed in whitehead this year. He has done practically nothing. Poor metres and quite a lot of errors. Weird as he is usually one of our best.
I have, but he seems to be warming up. He was a lot more active off the ball in the Newcastle game than the previous 2. The beauty of this year's squad is we are still winning games even without the guys we usually rely on being the best players on the field.
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Re: New recruits

Post by BadnMean »

Whitehead: rewatch the game when we are defending a 3rd consecutive set in the 2nd half after a bunch of dropped ball and daft penalties. Newcastle are 1 try away from robbing the game. Then try and tell me me has done nothing.

A certain E. Whitehead leads the set and we contain fairly comfortably. Probably gets lost amongst the stats as just 2 more tackles amid his usual 25-35... but not everything that counts can be counted.

He's not set the world on fire but he's still the same player. If everyone fired at once we'd beat everyone by 40. He'll keep being himself and being a very, very good player whether he seems to be "doing anything" or not. He's a good player who had a bad case of the drops one game. Since then, business as usual.

The rest: going pretty good !
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Re: New recruits

Post by Ilanraiders »

A confident Cotric would’ve backed himself and scored in the corner in the last play of the game against the knights. Agree with most, the boys are just warming up to the task!
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Re: New recruits

Post by The Nickman »

Cotric and Whitehead are both going fine

I swear this forum just needs players to complain about


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Re: New recruits

Post by Keghead »

The Rickman wrote:Cotric and Whitehead are both going fine

I swear this forum just needs players to complain about


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Some people will never enjoy supporting the team that’s just the type of people they are. The effort from all players is there,but every game there is going to be a mistake or a player that has a below average game.Thats where the death riders get their ammo from because there is always going to be something like that happen and then it makes them feel big and clever pointing it out to others who are already aware of what happened but would prefer to look at the more positive aspects.Some use the forum for self gratification some use it as intended,to be a supporter.


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Matt
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Re: New recruits

Post by Matt »

The Rickman wrote: April 2, 2019, 12:37 am
PigRickman wrote:guys we're three games into the season, settle down
Hahahah what the **** **** is going on here?

We’re in the Top 5 ****!


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It gets better...
I agree those guys have been ordinary,
AND...
WE ARE STILL TOP 5!
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Re: New recruits

Post by The Nickman »

Matt wrote: April 3, 2019, 8:56 am
The Rickman wrote: April 2, 2019, 12:37 am
PigRickman wrote:guys we're three games into the season, settle down
Hahahah what the **** **** is going on here?

We’re in the Top 5 ****!


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It gets better...
I agree those guys have been ordinary,
AND...
WE ARE STILL TOP 5!
They haven't even been ordinary though, it's an absolute load of garbage, it's a myth, people shouldn't be selling it, and none of us should be buying it.
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Re: New recruits

Post by Matt »

The Rickman wrote: April 3, 2019, 9:14 am
Matt wrote: April 3, 2019, 8:56 am
The Rickman wrote: April 2, 2019, 12:37 am
PigRickman wrote:guys we're three games into the season, settle down
Hahahah what the **** **** is going on here?

We’re in the Top 5 ****!


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It gets better...
I agree those guys have been ordinary,
AND...
WE ARE STILL TOP 5!
They haven't even been ordinary though, it's an absolute load of garbage, it's a myth, people shouldn't be selling it, and none of us should be buying it.
Mate, I think its a very hard sell for you to tell me Cotric and Whitehead esp have been the same players they have been over the past 2 yrs. They have been slow out of the blocks.

However, they havent been great, yet we are 2 from 3 and top 5. So, should everyone return to form, then its only up and up for us :thumbsup
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Re: New recruits

Post by Roger Kenworthy »

Bateman and CNK have been exceptional. Bateman has class written all over him.
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Re: New recruits

Post by Ruben Daley »

I don’t know how much we’re actually paying Bateman (i.e. not his transfer fee) but I’m very confident it isn’t what he’s worth - which is top dollar for a backrower.

CNK came here to play firsts so you can be very sure he’s not on heaps but, as Matt stated in his head-to-head, there’s an argument he’s the form fullback in the comp.

Sutton wouldn’t be on much either but is a lot better than Luke Bateman who played that role last year.

And Horsburgh and Young are cheapo rookies.

So it appears, assuming these guys can hold their form, that not only has the club recruited well but they’ve done it at a bargain.
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Re: New recruits

Post by Seiffert82 »

Plenty of improvement to come from the boys. Papa, Lui, Whitehead, Cotric, Rapana, Wighton and Sezer all playing below par across the season. Leilua has been inconsistent and even Hodgo is below his best.

It's a good sign that we have won some pretty ordinary games, rather than lose them like we did early last season.

If this team can reach it's potential we will be very competitive across the season. Hopefully the coach is able to get all 17 players at or near their best most weeks. That's his job.

As usual, the new guys are killing it and the older heads are catching up. Consistency is the issue which has stuffed our chances for years.
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Re: New recruits

Post by Ruben Daley »

Seiffert82 wrote: April 3, 2019, 11:14 am Plenty of improvement to come from the boys. Papa, Lui, Whitehead, Cotric, Rapana, Wighton and Sezer all playing below par across the season. Leilua has been inconsistent and even Hodgo is below his best.

It's a good sign that we have won some pretty ordinary games, rather than lose them like we did early last season.

If this team can reach it's potential we will be very competitive across the season. Hopefully the coach is able to get all 17 players at or near their best most weeks. That's his job.

As usual, the new guys are killing it and the older heads are catching up. Consistency is the issue which has stuffed our chances for years.
So true about the joy of winning games while some guys are still finding their feet. It’s all due to the improved defence. This is what teams like the Storm do every year. They win while they’re not playing well.

However, I don’t completely agree with your last point. Sia has had a spectacular start to the season, Croker has been a dynamo in defence and Papa has quietly done some pretty awesome stuff. His metre totals aren’t huge but he routinely takes the hardest hit-ups of the game for us.
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Re: New recruits

Post by Seiffert82 »

Ruben Daley wrote: April 3, 2019, 2:06 pm
Seiffert82 wrote: April 3, 2019, 11:14 am Plenty of improvement to come from the boys. Papa, Lui, Whitehead, Cotric, Rapana, Wighton and Sezer all playing below par across the season. Leilua has been inconsistent and even Hodgo is below his best.

It's a good sign that we have won some pretty ordinary games, rather than lose them like we did early last season.

If this team can reach it's potential we will be very competitive across the season. Hopefully the coach is able to get all 17 players at or near their best most weeks. That's his job.

As usual, the new guys are killing it and the older heads are catching up. Consistency is the issue which has stuffed our chances for years.
So true about the joy of winning games while some guys are still finding their feet. It’s all due to the improved defence. This is what teams like the Storm do every year. They win while they’re not playing well.

However, I don’t completely agree with your last point. Sia has had a spectacular start to the season, Croker has been a dynamo in defence and Papa has quietly done some pretty awesome stuff. His metre totals aren’t huge but he routinely takes the hardest hit-ups of the game for us.
Yep, Sia and Croker have been good. I certainly wouldn't put them in the same category as some others. Rapana really gets a free ticket due to his freakish early return from injury. Papa has been OK, but we should be getting more impact out of him. He and Sia are out leaders out there, and Soliola can't do it off the bench.

Across the park though, we have some very experienced players who haven't really stepped up this year. The best sides have more than 1 or 2 veterans who hit the ground running.
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Re: New recruits

Post by Ruben Daley »

Seiffert82 wrote: April 3, 2019, 3:32 pm
Ruben Daley wrote: April 3, 2019, 2:06 pm
Seiffert82 wrote: April 3, 2019, 11:14 am Plenty of improvement to come from the boys. Papa, Lui, Whitehead, Cotric, Rapana, Wighton and Sezer all playing below par across the season. Leilua has been inconsistent and even Hodgo is below his best.

It's a good sign that we have won some pretty ordinary games, rather than lose them like we did early last season.

If this team can reach it's potential we will be very competitive across the season. Hopefully the coach is able to get all 17 players at or near their best most weeks. That's his job.

As usual, the new guys are killing it and the older heads are catching up. Consistency is the issue which has stuffed our chances for years.
So true about the joy of winning games while some guys are still finding their feet. It’s all due to the improved defence. This is what teams like the Storm do every year. They win while they’re not playing well.

However, I don’t completely agree with your last point. Sia has had a spectacular start to the season, Croker has been a dynamo in defence and Papa has quietly done some pretty awesome stuff. His metre totals aren’t huge but he routinely takes the hardest hit-ups of the game for us.
Yep, Sia and Croker have been good. I certainly wouldn't put them in the same category as some others. Rapana really gets a free ticket due to his freakish early return from injury. Papa has been OK, but we should be getting more impact out of him. He and Sia are out leaders out there, and Soliola can't do it off the bench.

Across the park though, we have some very experienced players who haven't really stepped up this year. The best sides have more than 1 or 2 veterans who hit the ground running.
Hmmm. Maybe. I think Papa has been strong. His carries are great, his defence solid as a rock and he's been deceptively good in attack, such as the try he created against the Titans where he picked up a wet pill off a tricky rebound, drew three defenders and offloaded. Not sure how many of Klemmer, McLean, Vaughan etc. could have pulled that off, and this is where some of his hidden value lies. He's more than just metres.

Sezer is the main worry but it's not like he's any different to usual. Or even that bad. Other than that, I reckon Tapine, Elliott and Cotric have been uncharacteristically quiet but that's about it. Cotric isn't even one of our experienced guys, so doesn't count in this discussion.

Hodgson - got outplayed in the Storm game but the Storm is easily the form team and regardless Hodgo's still having a great season, Leilua - been strong with his carries, created opportunities and his defence is better than ever, Wighton - moved to a new position so shouldn't really count but is doing pretty well considering.

To me, that's four established guys playing really well (Sia, Papa, Croker, Hodgo), a couple playing well (BJ, Wighton), one performing less than his best but still contributing (Whitehead), two performing less than their best but affected by injury (Tapine and Rapa) and Sezer. Not too bad.

I just think the amazing impact of Bateman and CNK is overshadowing these guys.
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Re: New recruits

Post by Old School Green »

I have to say I'm pretty happy that we got CNK over Edwards. Edwards has absolutely stunk it up this season and makes that Steve Mavin chap from the Souths minor semi in 87 look like an immortal.
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Re: New recruits

Post by FROG »

Yep. Certainly seems down on confidence and can't fault CNK so definitely can't complain with how it's all panned out
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Re: New recruits

Post by Seiffert82 »

Yep, totally agree there. Long way to go this season, but so far Charnze is competing with Bateman as the recruit of the year across the NRL - certainly the bargain find of the year!
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Re: New recruits

Post by Bay 67 »

CNK is a great reminder of the difference a natural fullback makes, particularly on kicks. He always seems to be in great position to field and return kick. His defensive positioning still needs a bit of work, but he's still learning our system, so I can forgive that.
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Re: New recruits

Post by Dusty »

Nicoll-Klokstad has some exciting footwork as well RTS-like. Not at the same level but a similar style


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2020: 1. Nicol-Klokstad 2. Cotric 3. Croker (c) 4 Leilua 5. Scott 6. Wighton 7. G. Williams 8. Papalii 9. Hodgson (c) 10. Sutton 11. J. Bateman 12. Whitehead 13. Tapine ----
14. Simmonson 15. Soliola 16. Guler 17. Horsburgh
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Re: New recruits

Post by BJ »

If CNK can develop even an average fullbacks passing game, it will improve his running game even more.

Slater developed his passing game a couple years after he started first grade.
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Re: New recruits

Post by -PJ- »

CHuNKs positioning has been spot on. He cleans up like a man poscessed..

Jack was always miles off the ball and sliding in legs first.

I'm impressed with the CHuNK.
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Re: New recruits

Post by Pete Cash »

Ryan Sutton is raw and makes more than his share of mistakes but he looks a good prospect for a 23 year old forward imo.
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Re: New recruits

Post by Dusty »

I like him a lot


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2020: 1. Nicol-Klokstad 2. Cotric 3. Croker (c) 4 Leilua 5. Scott 6. Wighton 7. G. Williams 8. Papalii 9. Hodgson (c) 10. Sutton 11. J. Bateman 12. Whitehead 13. Tapine ----
14. Simmonson 15. Soliola 16. Guler 17. Horsburgh
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Re: New recruits

Post by EJ »

Sutton is a different body type in our pack. He finds his front quickly in tackle and gets fast play the balls. Does a lot of good defensive work. I'm really warming to him a lot.

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Re: New recruits

Post by FROG »

Sutton had his best game thus far. Showed he has what it takes to be a first grader. Needs to keep that aggression
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