Rumoured and Confirmed signings - Part 4

[Fangs]

We should sign the NSW Women's halfback Maddison Studdon.

Cleary could take some lessons from her or Briggenshaw. They looked great in attack yesterday.

 

[OldPanther]

Cleary could take some lessons from her or Briggenshaw. They looked great in attack yesterday.

They were very good at spotting and taking passing options.

 

[herbert henry1908]

Haha, this is up there for one of your more ridiculous posts. Pretty sure that tackle busts is not a measure of how you break the line. You know that's what the line breaks stat is for right? And Blake has 2 this year. No doubt he's big enough to bust a tackle (these can also be while running sideways) but the initial speed is not there to convert to a linebreak.

I get that you're a Waqa fan but you need to also have an objective view of his performances. You've mentioned that he had close to a breakout year last year. Maybe go back and look at the tries he scored, the majority were with no one in front of him. He seems to struggle to beat players (tries against Eels and Warriors are the only exceptions).

That's why I raised his lack of both footwork and speed off the mark. He needs more to his game to make regular contributions and improve the team than just being an athletic runner. Better hands when chasing high kicks would be a good start.

Tackle busts can lead to breaking the line. If someone is running off him as he gets a tackle bust you can get a line break, players who get tackle more tackle busts are also likely to get more line breaks. I’m well aware of the difference between an actual line break and a tackle bust. (I just phrased the other post poorly)

Point is he’s creating opportunities/circumstances for a line break, Whare on the other side has 2 tackle busts. He doesn’t worry the defenders at all. If you’re breaking tackles you’re also likely to draw in more defenders.


I’m not necessarily a Blake fan, never considered myself as such. My interest here is in the constant movement of players through the squad. If you’re going to move on a centre it makes sense for that person to be Whare, not Blake.


As for most of his tries being with no one in front of him, what are you going off here? Just your memory of have you actually recently rewatched the games?


Also worth noting that fox sports has him for 4 linebreaks, some think their stats are better than nrl.com. 4 line breaks is third on the team.





Notice how those who bust tackles the most are also top of the line breaks as well? Players more likely to get a tackle bust are also more likely to get a line break.

 

[herbert henry1908]

Here’s a short clip of some of Blake’s tries from 2018.

5 tries in this clip, 3 he steam rolls the defence, in the other 2 he gets around them.

 

[herbert henry1908]

Some more Waqa Blake highlights from 2018

In this one he does score an easy try, but he’s got some other good highlights. (A try assist, a saved try, and a close call for a try)


2 tries and a try assist in this one. One of the tries was really good ball handling, the other was fairly easy.


Another one of his tries from 2018. Got a good pass, whips through 2 defenders.


This one shows an easy try, but he got himself in a good position with excellent support play


This one contains an excellent try from a high kick



Covered most of his tries from 2018 now, wouldn’t say most were easy.

 

[Abacus]

Some more Waqa Blake highlights from 2018

In this one he does score an easy try, but he’s got some other good highlights. (A try assist, a saved try, and a close call for a try)


2 tries and a try assist in this one. One of the tries was really good ball handling, the other was fairly easy.


Another one of his tries from 2018. Got a good pass, whips through 2 defenders.


This one shows an easy try, but he got himself in a good position with excellent support play


This one contains an excellent try from a high kick



Covered most of his tries from 2018 now, wouldn’t say most were easy.

I have to give you points for trying at least. Almost like we've hit a nerve.

Pretty much supports the points I made that he needs a freeway to run down in order to score. Even the high ball against the Cowboys he struggled to hold on to. He needs to improve his handling and his ability to create his own space. And don't forget his linebreak when Wighton mowed him down in no time.

FWIW, I'm not advocating that he should necessarily be moved on. But the blinkers on some people here when Waqa is mentioned (& their use of superlatives - really good, excellent, etc) are frightening. Almost like you could be genuine Panthers recruiters that overrate our juniors.

 

[Marky Mark]

I have to give you points for trying at least. Almost like we've hit a nerve.

Pretty much supports the points I made that he needs a freeway to run down in order to score. Even the high ball against the Cowboys he struggled to hold on to. He needs to improve his handling and his ability to create his own space. And don't forget his linebreak when Wighton mowed him down in no time.

FWIW, I'm not advocating that he should necessarily be moved on. But the blinkers on some people here when Waqa is mentioned (& their use of superlatives - really good, excellent, etc) are frightening. Almost like you could be genuine Panthers recruiters that overrate our juniors.

He's always had butter fingers - can't help but think that under a 1st grade coach he could have reached his potential. That's why I still don't like the idea of letting him go.

 

[mxlegend99]

Its a miracle we have won any games at all in the past few seasons... reading on here you would think every single one of our players is shit and we would be better off letting them go. Our rep players. Our best try scorers is no one good enough?

Blake is by far our most talented and classy back with Dallin gone. He hasn't been in great form this year. But he also got injured right as our team started to gain a bit of confidence and playing a bit better.

He was in the top 10 last year for tries per game. He finished 8th and only 3 players ahead of him played more than 2 games take out the flukes with tries on debut and you have:

1. David Fusitua 1.0 per game
2. Robert Jennings 1.0 per game
3. Valentine Holmes 0.9 per game
4. Waqa Blake 0.8 per game

Its in our best interest to get him fit and do what it takes to help him find form. Because he is capable of things no other back at this club is. He's still young and his best footy is infront of him.

2. To'o
3. Naden / Whare
4. Blake
5. Mansour / Naden

There's a classy backline with potential brilliance waiting to happen. Just depends on which veteran we back to do their job better out of Mansour and Whare.

 

[OldPanther]

Its a miracle we have won any games at all in the past few seasons... reading on here you would think every single one of our players is shit and we would be better off letting them go. Our rep players. Our best try scorers is no one good enough?

Blake is by far our most talented and classy back with Dallin gone. He hasn't been in great form this year. But he also got injured right as our team started to gain a bit of confidence and playing a bit better.

He was in the top 10 last year for tries per game. He finished 8th and only 3 players ahead of him played more than 2 games take out the flukes with tries on debut and you have:

1. David Fusitua 1.0 per game
2. Robert Jennings 1.0 per game
3. Valentine Holmes 0.9 per game
4. Waqa Blake 0.8 per game

Its in our best interest to get him fit and do what it takes to help him find form. Because he is capable of things no other back at this club is. He's still young and his best footy is infront of him.

2. To'o
3. Naden / Whare
4. Blake
5. Mansour / Naden

There's a classy backline with potential brilliance waiting to happen. Just depends on which veteran we back to do their job better out of Mansour and Whare.

Blake is very good. We've all said they suck at using the centre/winger.

 

[herbert henry1908]

I have to give you points for trying at least. Almost like we've hit a nerve.

Pretty much supports the points I made that he needs a freeway to run down in order to score. Even the high ball against the Cowboys he struggled to hold on to. He needs to improve his handling and his ability to create his own space. And don't forget his linebreak when Wighton mowed him down in no time.

FWIW, I'm not advocating that he should necessarily be moved on. But the blinkers on some people here when Waqa is mentioned (& their use of superlatives - really good, excellent, etc) are frightening. Almost like you could be genuine Panthers recruiters that overrate our juniors.

There’s honestly no nerve hit, I just like discussing my footy team. I’ve never been some huge fan of Blake, you won’t find any past posts like that.



As for your contention he “needs” a freeway, that’s absurd. Look at the first video I posted, there’s 3 tries in there where he steamrolls the defence. None of our other backs are capable of those tries.

 

[herbert henry1908]

He's always had butter fingers - can't help but think that under a 1st grade coach he could have reached his potential. That's why I still don't like the idea of letting him go.

The stats show his errors were very bad in his first season, but then he reduced the error rate from 1.5 a game to 1 per game.

 

[Coast panther]

2 naden
3 Blake
4 Marsters
5 to’o
Would be ideal hahah

 

[herbert henry1908]

Ultimately I’m just a little sick of the player turnover, rather than giving up on players at the drop of a hat, I’d like to see the club knuckle down a little and try and get through some form drops.

The whole backline was rubbish for the first 10 games this year, we can’t go and replace the lot of them.

 

[herbert henry1908]

If there was any chance of prying Brandon Smith away from the Storm we should look at it.

 

[Luke Bowden]

If there was any chance of prying Brandon Smith away from the Storm we should look at it.

I can’t see the Storm letting their replacement for Cam Smith go.

 

[Luke Bowden]

Ultimately I’m just a little sick of the player turnover, rather than giving up on players at the drop of a hat, I’d like to see the club knuckle down a little and try and get through some form drops.

The whole backline was rubbish for the first 10 games this year, we can’t go and replace the lot of them.

I think the player turn over is more closely related to salary cap issues.

 

[herbert henry1908]

I can’t see the Storm letting their replacement for Cam Smith go.

It’s unlikely, but there were whispers he wasn’t happy with Cam Smith re-signing.

 

[herbert henry1908]

I think the player turn over is more closely related to salary cap issues.

If that’s the case there’s an argument the cap has been poorly managed. We’ve seen several players re-sign and within 1-2 years they’re out the door. They should’ve been able to see that far in the future.

 

[mxlegend99]

It’s unlikely, but there were whispers he wasn’t happy with Cam Smith re-signing.

Just get Marty on the phone to them offering up Katoa. They will come out of thedeal thinking they have pulled one over on us.

 

[Luke Bowden]

If that’s the case there’s an argument the cap has been poorly managed. We’ve seen several players re-sign and within 1-2 years they’re out the door. They should’ve been able to see that far in the future.

You can say it’s been poorly managed, you can also argue that it’s just being managed.

Things happen, positions become weak, changes need to be made.

It is what it is.