Rumoured and Confirmed signings - Part 4

[herbert henry1908]

Mitch Rein has apparently asked for an immediate release to join the Eels.

It Makes sense. Done bugger all in the lower grades and the eels need a hooker with De Gois out indefinite.

I will have the shits though if Wallace goes down and we have nothing to replace him with.
Katoa can't play 80 minutes if needed.

It's time Peachey was groomed.

 

[martielang]

I like what i've seen from Katoa. Haven't seen much of him in the lower grades but he seems pretty direct, stronger and quicker than Wallace.

 

[chrisD]

Good let him go, just not this week.

 

[TheFrog]

Mitch Rein has apparently asked for an immediate release to join the Eels.

Parra are trying to pinch everyone's players midseason.

Rein was signed as a backup for Wallace. He knew that when he signed. We still need a back up for Wallace.

We might have sacked Ivan Cleary, but we can be coached by him one more time.

Read my lips. No furkin way.

It's time Peachey was groomed.

Great idea. Doesn't mean we don't need a first-grade-ready backup though.

 

[umina panther]

Rein is a bum happy to see the back of him

 

[mxlegend99]

Good let him go, just not this week.

He can go this week. He couldn't get a run as he wasn't named on Tuesday. Titans signed Copley midweek and were denied playing him despite him signing after teams being named.

Honestly our hooker stocks are completely f**ked. Wallace is a solid player who busts his ass. He's a decent hooker for us. But we have no one else. None of our young hookers have been that impressive. We had a lot better looking hookers than Katoa in the lower grades and none of them kicked on in first grade. Masada Iosefa. Joel Romelo. Keiran Moseley.

That's why I think we need to try taking a player who is excess is another position with the versatility and/or skillset to potentially make a good hooker. I rate our chances at getting Te Maire Martin or Tyrone Peachey to perform at 9 for us ahead of any of the alternatives on our books at the moment. If we picked our strongest possible 1-7, I think it lines up like this:

1. Dylan Edwards
2. Josh Mansour
3. Dean Whare
4. Waqa Blake
5. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
6. Matt Moylan
7. Nathan Cleary

I am convinced that Edwards at fullback and Moylan at 5/8th would be a better combination then Moylan at fullback and Martin at 5/8th. That's not because of Martin though... that's because Moylan is an average fullback with a lot of flaws. His strengths as a player suit the halves, and having him at fullback with 2 proper halves just means one of Martin or Moylan is having to take a back seat and they are sharing the job. Making both less effective.

I think we try and convert both Martin and Peachey to hooker while Wallace is still here. Then in 2018 whoever has done better starts at 9, and the other becomes our utility. We can keep both in first grade by doing this, and it leaves us with the following options:

Martin on the bench could cover the spine basically.
Peachey on the bench could cover centres, hooker and second row.

I think a hooker/utility rotation of those 2 would be best solution with our current roster. Now there's no guarantee either of them becomes an NRL quality hooker. In which case we are f**ked as we would have no one good enough once Wallace retires. But one of them can become our utility either way, and the other will probably just have to settle for being a terrific depth player.

 

[Panfa]

Peachey is the perfect player to groom as a potential hooker decent ball player his runs from dummy half are very good and as a backrower no stranger to dropping the big boys he has the making of a good hooker and his speed as well could see him play origin in the 9 one day

 

[age.s]

I could see Martin ending up a very good hooker, but Peachy has looked pretty crap every time he's spent time at dummy half. I don't see him suddenly transforming in that regard.

 

[herbert henry1908]

I could see Martin ending up a very good hooker, but Peachy has looked pretty crap every time he's spent time at dummy half. I don't see him suddenly transforming in that regard.

I like the idea of trying to convert someone. Major concern with Peachey is that you get another Segeyaro who runs the ball himself too much.

With TMM I just see another club swooping in and offering him a 5/8 role. So it really comes down to what's better for team balance.

1. Edwards (or someone else)
6. Moylan

Or

1. Moylan
6. TMM

Or

1. Edwards
2. TMM

For the life of me I can't see how we play Moylan at fullback for much longer. He's genuinely being found out there.

 

[Copperhead]

I like the idea of trying to convert someone. Major concern with Peachey is that you get another Segeyaro who runs the ball himself too much.

With TMM I just see another club swooping in and offering him a 5/8 role. So it really comes down to what's better for team balance.

1. Edwards (or someone else)
6. Moylan

Or

1. Moylan
6. TMM

Or

1. Edwards
2. TMM

For the life of me I can't see how we play Moylan at fullback for much longer. He's genuinely being found out there.

Out of those 3 choices, it's got to be 1 or 3. 2 doesn't work. At the risk of upsetting his fans, I'd choose option 3.
TMM is a much better defender than Moylan and scorches him for pace. He was a great ball player in 20's, so I think he just needs a little time and perhaps not having Moylan there under his feet.
Cartwright is the other option, and that one already worked.

 

[umina panther]

Out of those 3 choices, it's got to be 1 or 3. 2 doesn't work. At the risk of upsetting his fans, I'd choose option 3.
TMM is a much better defender than Moylan and scorches him for pace. He was a great ball player in 20's, so I think he just needs a little time and perhaps not having Moylan there under his feet.
Cartwright is the other option, and that one already worked.

Nope Carty just ran the ball with Moylan playing 6 in attack

 

[Pomoz]

I'm not sure Peachey as a hooker will work. Two reasons: He hasn't shown that he has good passing skills and that has to be a must. Watch Smith. Long cut out balls, soft short passes off the shoulder.You need a range of passes too be good at hooker. Peachey?; His natural inclination is to put the ball under his arm and run. It's in his DNA. You are asking him to pass more than he runs. It is against every fibre of his being and he will be frustrated and unhappy there.

 

[Pomoz]

Nope Carty just ran the ball with Moylan playing 6 in attack

Not strictly true, as shown by the number of assists he had. I agree he played as a forward at times and we certainly miss his metres (the forwards have struggled at times) but he also showed a nice range of passing. I think one of the things we do miss with Cartwright is that he creates space for others because he could get an offload away. It mean't that he would attract defenders to him leaving space for others. Our sideways running in the backs has left space for nobody. We are nearly in the main stand before the ball is getting released. Straighten up already!

 

[Copperhead]

Nope Carty just ran the ball with Moylan playing 6 in attack

That's my point. One extra forward (with a bit of x factor) which we need, and Moylan and TMM not competing for the ball.

 

[betcats]

I'm not sure Peachey as a hooker will work. Two reasons: He hasn't shown that he has good passing skills and that has to be a must. Watch Smith. Long cut out balls, soft short passes off the shoulder.You need a range of passes too be good at hooker. Peachey?; His natural inclination is to put the ball under his arm and run. It's in his DNA. You are asking him to pass more than he runs. It is against every fibre of his being and he will be frustrated and unhappy there.

Agree plus a hooker needs to be able to follow some kind of structure and plan, Peachey is one of the most off the cuff players in the Comp, he'd be like seggy in a lot of ways.

 

[herbert henry1908]

Out of those 3 choices, it's got to be 1 or 3. 2 doesn't work. At the risk of upsetting his fans, I'd choose option 3.
TMM is a much better defender than Moylan and scorches him for pace. He was a great ball player in 20's, so I think he just needs a little time and perhaps not having Moylan there under his feet.
Cartwright is the other option, and that one already worked.

What would really annoy the fans though is if Moylan doesn't even get a chance to play 5/8. No one can really fully evaluate it until then.

No doubt TMM is a better denfender, but that's not in the top few things I'd look for in a 5/8. Right now I'd say Moylans hands & passing vision are superior.

 

[Copperhead]

What would really annoy the fans though is if Moylan doesn't even get a chance to play 5/8. No one can really fully evaluate it until then.

No doubt TMM is a better denfender, but that's not in the top few things I'd look for in a 5/8. Right now I'd say Moylans hands & passing vision are superior.

True, but Griffin seems to be staunchly against it, so we'll probably never really know.

 

[The yak]

I'm not sure Peachey as a hooker will work. Two reasons: He hasn't shown that he has good passing skills and that has to be a must. Watch Smith. Long cut out balls, soft short passes off the shoulder.You need a range of passes too be good at hooker. Peachey?; His natural inclination is to put the ball under his arm and run. It's in his DNA. You are asking him to pass more than he runs. It is against every fibre of his being and he will be frustrated and unhappy there.

Bingo.
Hasn't got the passing game, vision or inclination to follow a structured game plan.
He is much better as a wide runner on the edges. Centre or 2nd row.

 

[Pomoz]

Bingo.
Hasn't got the passing game, vision or inclination to follow a structured game plan.
He is much better as a wide runner on the edges. Centre or 2nd row.

Peachey and the words "structure" in the same sentence seem at odds with each other. A bit like the words "politician" and "integrity", they just don't go together at all..

 

[herbert henry1908]

True, but Griffin seems to be staunchly against it, so we'll probably never really know.

Just part of the reason Griffin is the wrong coach.

If he can't see Moyaln's inadequacies at fullback we have a massive problem, because he likely can't see other players inadequacies.