Lafai

[Get2dachopper!]

Choc Mundine defense sucked too, but didn't he create some sensational game breaking opportunities week in week out.

I disagree. Choc got through a lot of defense playing 5/8 that went unnoticed. I don't ever recall any team targeting him in defence.

Lafai is a good signing, but I really hope we don't lose Aitken because of it. For mine, Aitken just needs to work on his speed off the mark. If he was a bit quicker, IMO I'd be playing him on that right wing grooming him for right centre. Flo would have to play left wing.

 

[Forster Dragon]

Lafai is a good NRL player and we did get him at a good price.He will form a solid centre combination with Aitken and also assist Aitken with his development going forward.The team is getting a real solid feel about it and should Packer be allowed to stay I can see us having a great year.

 

[dragondonar1]

Dugan
Nightingale
Mann
Lafai
Pm
Aitken to lock. I think mary is smart enough to know that Aitken has to be in side because he will serve the club for a long time and will only get better with experience.

 

[rainman44]

f**k me dead, you all carry on as if Aitken is some kind of superstar who doesn't deserve to lose his place. He's a young kid who had a solid 2015. That's it. Lafai is a much more proven left centre. If Aitken's feelings get hurt because Lafai pushes him down the pecking order, then tough luck.

Well said.

 

[RED73V]

At last someone with some commonsense. Gee what does Aitken have to do to prove his worth as a member of our backline for yrs to come? We fall over ourselves to dump players because a 'gun' centre, is on the market. Yet we expect players to loyal to the Red V.

100% agree seeing Aitkens game develop last year was one of the highlights for me . He is a young guy with loads of talent , great work ethic & future captain of our team. Euan plays beyond his years especially when coming out of our red zone he ALWAYS rolls his sleeves up & has a go. Euan is a MUST in our seventeen I believe he is in for a real break out season. :thumb

 

[Objective View]

Lafai is a good NRL player and we did get him at a good price.He will form a solid centre combination with Aitken and also assist Aitken with his development going forward.The team is getting a real solid feel about it and should Packer be allowed to stay I can see us having a great year.

I'm good with this, if Dugan remains FB. Kurt Mann will have to miss out.

The central point is that the likes of Mann or Lafai are not good enough to sabotage the prospects of Aitken.

Straight Shooter

 

[BrissyRedV]

f**k me dead, you all carry on as if Aitken is some kind of superstar who doesn't deserve to lose his place. He's a young kid who had a solid 2015. That's it. Lafai is a much more proven left centre. If Aitken's feelings get hurt because Lafai pushes him down the pecking order, then tough luck.

Lafai stats http://www.totalfootystats.com.au/nrl-team-stats/canterbury-bulldogs#.VmtVQuKKQnI

Aitken stats http://www.totalfootystats.com.au/nrl-team-stats/st-george-illawarra-dragons

It is not as cut and dried as you think. Sure if you go off 2014 form for Lafai he would move up the pecking order but he needs to prove he can get back to that. Going off 2015 form and in Aitkens rookie year, Aitkengets the nod ahead of Lafai.

 

[mickeylane]

Lafai stats http://www.totalfootystats.com.au/nrl-team-stats/canterbury-bulldogs#.VmtVQuKKQnI

Aitken stats http://www.totalfootystats.com.au/nrl-team-stats/st-george-illawarra-dragons

It is not as cut and dried as you think. Sure if you go off 2014 form for Lafai he would move up the pecking order but he needs to prove he can get back to that. Going off 2015 form and in Aitkens rookie year, Aitkengets the nod ahead of Lafai.

Aitken is a one dimensional centre.. Runs straight and hard only
Too slow for centre
No offloading skills to set up his outside winger
Bereft of creativity or a step

On the plus he's a solid defender but if ur comparing him to Lafais size, pace, ball skills, step, experience including grand final appearance, international and try scoring prowess circa 2014 there's no contest..

Stop defending local juniors.. U. Wouldn't be favouring Aitken if he wasnt a junior..

We need to put the best players in the starting line up and unfortunately for Aitken he's a distant second to Lafai or Mcgregor wouldn't have spent the dollars on both Mann and him if he thought Aitken was up for it..

Aitken needs more time to develop his craft.. He's solid but by no means a strike centre and that's what Dragons need..

 

[mickeylane]

f**k me dead, you all carry on as if Aitken is some kind of superstar who doesn't deserve to lose his place. He's a young kid who had a solid 2015. That's it. Lafai is a much more proven left centre. If Aitken's feelings get hurt because Lafai pushes him down the pecking order, then tough luck.

Agree 100% stop protecting mediocrity because he's a junior..
Too slow for a centre
Can't set up his wingers for tries
Too one dimensional

Lafai miles and classes ahead plus a specialist left centre and Dugan mortgage on the right centre spot

 

[Objective View]

f**k me dead, you all carry on as if Aitken is some kind of superstar who doesn't deserve to lose his place. He's a young kid who had a solid 2015. That's it. Lafai is a much more proven left centre. If Aitken's feelings get hurt because Lafai pushes him down the pecking order, then tough luck.

Aitken is no superstar but Lafai too is not so good whereby you stunt the kid's progress (if Aitken is dropped to accommodate Lafai).

Straight Shooter

 

[Objective View]

Lafai miles and classes ahead

Lol, you must also be wetting your pants with the signing of Mann.

Straight Shooter

 

[saint.nick]

Lafai stats http://www.totalfootystats.com.au/nrl-team-stats/canterbury-bulldogs#.VmtVQuKKQnI

Aitken stats http://www.totalfootystats.com.au/nrl-team-stats/st-george-illawarra-dragons

It is not as cut and dried as you think. Sure if you go off 2014 form for Lafai he would move up the pecking order but he needs to prove he can get back to that. Going off 2015 form and in Aitkens rookie year, Aitkengets the nod ahead of Lafai.

I don't care about your stats, stats don't have any context.

I can't think of one thing that Aitken does better than Lafai. He's just a straight and hard runner more in the mould of an edge forward than a centre. Lafai at his best is evasive, powerful and knows how to find the try line.

 

[St Tangles]

f**k me dead, you all carry on as if Aitken is some kind of superstar who doesn't deserve to lose his place. He's a young kid who had a solid 2015. That's it. Lafai is a much more proven left centre. If Aitken's feelings get hurt because Lafai pushes him down the pecking order, then tough luck.

I see your point I think the side should be picked on form first and foremost.
I just see something in Aitken that reminds me of Timmins.
Its good to have healthy debate about our optoins unlike last season were options were based on who was available when we had injuries.

 

[hazzbeen]

i don't care about your stats, stats don't have any context.

I can't think of one thing that aitken does better than lafai. He's just a straight and hard runner more in the mould of an edge forward than a centre. Lafai at his best is evasive, powerful and knows how to find the try line.

this....

 

[saint.nick]

Aitken is no superstar but Lafai too is not so good whereby you stunt the kid's progress (if Aitken is dropped to accommodate Lafai).

Straight Shooter

If you don't think that Lafai is capable of being very good then you don't watch rugby league properly. He was one of the hottest centres going around only last year. Lafai has shown far more potential in his career than Aitken has, that is why the idea of him getting the nod ahead of Aitken shouldn't even be an argument.

 

[saint.nick]

I see your point I think the side should be picked on form first and foremost.
I just see something in Aitken that reminds me of Timmins.
Its good to have healthy debate about our optoins unlike last season were options were based on who was available when we had injuries.

And Lafai reminds me of centres better than Timmins.

 

[St Tangles]

And Lafai reminds me of centres better than Timmins.

Probably just means Aitkens future may lie at lock

 

[saint.nick]

Probably just means Aitkens future may lie at lock

Exactly. Somewhere in the forwards that demands a bit of athleticism.

 

[FlameThrower]

IMO great signing adding quality to our squad, shows our recruitment is on track. Consider our position 2 years back, journey men , discards and park players is all we had to look forward to! Go the Dragons!

 

[BrissyRedV]

I don't care about your stats, stats don't have any context.

I can't think of one thing that Aitken does better than Lafai. He's just a straight and hard runner more in the mould of an edge forward than a centre. Lafai at his best is evasive, powerful and knows how to find the try line.

They're not my stat's, they're Aitken's and Lafai's. If you don't think they matter, yep, your opinion. But if you think lafai had a better 2015 than aitken you surely jest? At this stage of the off season there should be no locked in players other than benji and widdop. The rest should be jostling for positions. Lafai had a very good 2014 but a not so good 2015. Aitken had a solid 2015 and was improving throughout the year. I think he has talent that is worth developing and I see no reason why he can't continue that in 1st grade. Sure, if lafai demonstrates he is back to his best, than the position can be his but not on his 2015 performances. And this is not a junior vs the recruit argument. Just the way I currently see it without seeing trial form.