Matterson provides 80 minutes of quality every week. He isn't flashy like Papali'i, but consistent and involved like Cordner. His tackle efficiency is over 96% ffs. That's amazing for an edge player. His form is down this year but last year he was one of the best forwards in the game.
But this year Papali'i has been phenomenal. Just behind David Fifita.
Comparing him to Cordner is ridiculous. He has never been as damaging as Cordner when Cordner was fit. Cordner knew how to run lines and then set up the next play like nobodies business.
I like Matterson, he is a good defender and does the occasional good thing in attack, but he is average otherwise. Sure he has the skill and size to trouble the opposition, but rarely ever uses it. Now is this a consequence of his concussions, who knows, but when was the last time we ever saw him run onto the ball at speed and with venom over the top of the opposition or through a whole running a great line?
I can't recall it. But in my book that is what a quality backrower should be doing each week, not just defend real well. There are two sides to the game mate and you always seem to miss the spectacular stuff. You're one of these merkins that only sees the boring grinding stuff that we can all see, but only dumb dumbs think that no one else can and keeps trying to point them out so people don't think you are one of those dumb dumbs.
He is very limited in attack from a major presence point of view and all he does are hit up type of runs that aren't all that threatening. He needs to show his skills and learn how to set himself up for that great line run that quality backrowers are renowned for. He at the moment is not known for that type of game at all. He is playing a solid but very containable type of game at the moment. If he wants to improve he needs to learn how to run on to the ball properly at speed and and the right line for the occasion. At the moment he is keeping a lot of his gun powder dry and barely firing off a shot. I think he has it in him, but will he ever let it out?