Toafofoa Sipley to Manly - Why?

[Iafeta]

No they didn't. They played him twice in 2 years, for a total of 31 minutes despite his obvious ability and point of difference to our pack. So he had rough parts to his game, sure. McFudd wasn't prepared to put in the hard work and actually coach him, give him exposure and instead went the soft c**k route on picking plodders like Gubb instead. Even when the season was dead and buried, McFudd defaulted to arse-saving mode through safer options. Think he's been injured this year so Kearney gets a pass on Tof..

This stinks. Bull is on his final legs, Matulino is going, so is Gubb (thank lord), there's no props coming that we know of but we can't make a decent offer to this guy?

Just the complete inability for our organisation to turn obvious talent into bonafide FG standard is just incredibly bad.

Maybe on the last part. I've said it before, I still don't think he's the finished article others seem to think he is. Great going forward, but can be caught lunging at thin air defensively around the ruck. His lateral movement in defence is awkward.

 

[Iafeta]

You know what I've heard this before. Likiliki, ligi Sao, Abraham papalii, brad abbey, nafe seluini, the fish. We were up in arms. Not for long. The club has often been right on who've they've let go.

Will Sipley join this long list of promising juniors who flopped? Maybe, but I hope not. We need more kiwi props in the Aussie system.

Amen.

Mark Ioane
Daniel O'Regan
Alehana Mara
Steve Rapira when he first left
Elijah Niko
Peta Hiku - sure he had a phenomenal 15 months but his star has fallen dramatically
Omar Slaimankhel
Siliva Havili

There was either a sense of devastation when they left or they were talked up deluxe and completely fell flat.

Theres not many big names from our lower grades out there doing consistently well. There's SST, Taylor, Paasi, Packer, Ah Mau off the top of my head.

 

[Scott]

Elijah Niko had huge wraps.... where is he now?

 

[Iafeta]

Plays rugby union in Frances second division.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Maybe on the last part. I've said it before, I still don't think he's the finished article others seem to think he is. Great going forward, but can be caught lunging at thin air defensively around the ruck. His lateral movement in defence is awkward.

He's certainly not the finished article, I certainly don't think that and I don't think the people up in arms about him leaving/a fan of his do either?

Just to me, he has way too much upside to let go. Yes there's rough edges, but that damaging ball runner we so SO desperately need is now Manly's to coach and bring up to speed to be a massive asset. And they'll do a better job than we would've.

McFudd deserves the most blame. This is the guy who played backs on benches, even not bringing them on, when he could've had Tof on it and continued his education in FG. He could've played him when the season was over. But he didn't have the stones or the coaching chops. Ivan would've. Under Ivan, Tof may have 10-15 games under his belt now.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

You know what I've heard this before. Likiliki, ligi Sao, Abraham papalii, brad abbey, nafe seluini, the fish. We were up in arms. Not for long. The club has often been right on who've they've let go.

Will Sipley join this long list of promising juniors who flopped? Maybe, but I hope not. We need more kiwi props in the Aussie system.

I take your point...but who of that list were we up in arms about? None as strongly as this one.

 

[Iafeta]

I take your point...but who of that list were we up in arms about? None as strongly as this one.

There was anarchy over a few of the players mentioned, particularly in the other forum. In our current team I'd take back SST and Paasi. The rest, epic meh.

On your prior post. Struggling to cover the middle of the park defensively is a big problem for me. Putting him up a grade when he's a) been injured b) a defensive liability I don't think was the answer. I agree with others, what's he played, 30 reserve grade games? We've complained in the past about pushing talents with rough edges too quickly from NYC to first grade and ruining them. So you alter your development plans. The offset is some boys still want it now and choose to go. That's the risk but it's far better than destroying blokes too early in their career.

 

[Fufu Andronez]

Plays rugby union in Frances second division.

Remember him going to Melbourne..Guess if Bellamy couldn't polish him then no one could

 

[jaseg]

Niko was never likely to make it... few of those mentioned above were, tbh. Of the ones that didn't/haven't (some still could) listed above, really only Seluini, Abbey, Havili & Papalii seemed like genuine NRL prospects. Even then, I think Havili & Papalii could make an impact with the right team (the latter with ours), and Abbey still has plenty of time after making his debut this season... he's only 20 after all. Seluini was the only real shock - partly hampered by some bad/unfortunate career moves too, mind you - ending up in places where we was never going to get a look in for the starting 9 jersey. And sometimes that just happens - guys who look great don't develop past a certain point.

I will be extraordinarily surprised if Sipley doesn't make it. Finished article or not, he's clearly got more value in him right now than several of the guys who are playing first grade. I'd be amazed if his lack of opportunities compared to clearly inferior players was not a factor in his decision to leave. The news of him leaving last week caused me to forget about the Warriors for a little while... watched the game on the weekend and avoided thinking/talking about NRL outside of that. It was the cherry on the s*** pie served up this year. And it was our (well, Cappy + Kearney) fault.

He's good enough to be playing NRL now - "Great going forward, but can be caught lunging at thin air defensively around the ruck. His lateral movement in defence is awkward." You could easily be talking about Albert Vete (except Vete's defense is worse than Sipley).

 

[Iafeta]

I've said the same about Alberts defence repeatedly. That said this year he has been a lot better than Tofs.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

I'd be amazed if his lack of opportunities compared to clearly inferior players was not a factor in his decision to leave.

Why would anyone leave a club who haven't made the finals in six years when they're not being afforded opportunities at the expense of inferior plodders?

It's all well and good to say Tof has shortcomings and rough edges on his games. But when (and I say when) he makes it as an NRL player, again it falls on us that we had a very promising player in our system, one that could fill the gaping hole we have in our prop stocks, and we couldn't get him into our NRL side and keep him at a standard there. As per SST who Elliott f**ked up. Seems he taught his mentor McFudd well in that regard.

 

[Blair]

Well, what us Warriors fans should hope for now is that he gets homesick one day and returns the 'finished article'.

That might not happen soon though, Sydney's Northern Beaches is a good place to live, with a Polynesian community, if that's important to someone like him.

It's no longer really 'laid-back', way too many people live there nowadays. Auckland's no picnic in that regard now though, is it?

I'm giving him eight years minimum.

 

[Big Marn]

Well, what us Warriors fans should hope for now is that he gets homesick one day and returns the 'finished article'.

That might not happen soon though, Sydney's Northern Beaches is a good place to live, with a Polynesian community, if that's important to someone like him.

It's no longer really 'laid-back', way too many people live there nowadays. Auckland's no picnic in that regard now though, is it?

I'm giving him eight years minimum.

probably couldnt afford to live in Auckland anymore, so dont blame him for moving on.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

probably couldnt afford to live in Auckland anymore, so dont blame him for moving on.

Moving to the Northern Beaches isn't going to help that cause, one of the most expensive parts of Sydney (which is on the whole as bad as Auckland).

 

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

So apparently we really wanted him to stay and made him a decent offer, but he told the club he wanted to sign for a Sydney club as he wanted to live there.

If that's the case, then it isn't really the clubs fault for 'letting him go'.

I don't know why anyone would want to live in Australia.... It's full of bloody australians.

pretty sure his dad lives here. have seen him at a couple of games

 

[SpaceMonkey]

pretty sure his dad lives here. have seen him at a couple of games

If his dad is Sydney based then there's every chance he'd be very keen to do a stint over here. I remember how excited I was to make the move to Sydney from Auckland, 15 years later I have no real desire to go back. Small minded kiwis with chips on their shoulders seem to struggle with that idea though.

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

Yeah if that's the case it's hard to blame anyone in this situation. It just is what it is.

Also might give us a chance of re-signing Pat Sipley too. Was assumed they'd both go over, but Pat already went over and came back so perhaps he's more inclined to stay.

 

[Blair]

If his dad is Sydney based then there's every chance he'd be very keen to do a stint over here. I remember how excited I was to make the move to Sydney from Auckland, 25 years later I have no real desire to go back. Small minded kiwis with chips on their shoulders seem to struggle with that idea though.

There's no way I could live in Sydney, too fast and yuck.

As for moving back to NZ, the older you get the harder it is to move again. Where would I go anyway? If I'm from Palmerston North, well that's a young person's town. I'm not moving back for pure childhood nostalgia. Part of me still wants to live in NZ again, though.

I have lost a day-to-day interest in other sports apart from the NRL, which is probably one reason why the Warriors are such a big thing in my life, they're a tangible connection to 'back home', but I've found home here in the Blue Mountains.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

There's no way I could live in Sydney, too fast and yuck.

As for moving back to NZ, the older you get the harder it is to move again. Where would I go anyway? If I'm from Palmerston North, well that's a young person's town. I'm not moving back for pure childhood nostalgia. Part of me still wants to live in NZ again, though.

I have lost a day-to-day interest in other sports apart from the NRL, which is probably one reason why the Warriors are such a big thing in my life, they're a tangible connection to 'back home', but I've found home here in the Blue Mountains.

I'd quite like to leave Sydney to get out of the rat race but realistically I won't, and certainly not for Auckland. It's former main advantage (cheaper cost of living) has evaporated due to the housing bubble, and it really doesn't appeal over Sydney in most other aspects. And due to my job (I'm a wharfie at Port Botany) it suits me to stay close to the coast in Sydney. If I moved at all it'd likely be to a smaller port city in Aus or NZ. Somewhere like Adelaide, Wellington or Tauranga (the latter would mainly appeal due to bring close to my mum in Kawerau)

 

[Iafeta]

There's no way I could live in Sydney, too fast and yuck.

As for moving back to NZ, the older you get the harder it is to move again. Where would I go anyway? If I'm from Palmerston North, well that's a young person's town. I'm not moving back for pure childhood nostalgia. Part of me still wants to live in NZ again, though.

I have lost a day-to-day interest in other sports apart from the NRL, which is probably one reason why the Warriors are such a big thing in my life, they're a tangible connection to 'back home', but I've found home here in the Blue Mountains.

Fast? Ever sat in Sydney traffic? Lol