What pisses me off the most about the Warriors targeting David Fifita

[Iron Lion]

Supposedly want to pay Fifita $1m per season.

• Yes, David Fifita is a rock star in the making.

• Yes, he is exceedingly better and more talented than any backrower in our NRL squad.

Even comparing Fifita with Papalii is like comparing a Ferrari with an old Ford Escort.

What annoys me, even pisses me off the most - is the Warriors already have a David Fifita on their books.

A player who was so destructive and talented that he was carving teams up in reserve grade in 2018 and being 'called for' by those in the know to debut in the NRL in 2019.

This player is called Tom Ale and he is the same age, size and position as Broncos David Fifita.

I am disgusted to say that Tom Ales career has gone nothing but backwards at the Warriors in 2019.

A player who seemed destined to be an exciting and destructive force at the warriors is now looking like a player whose skill set, ambition and drive have been severely curved and limited.

Tom Ale is barely getting a shot in reserve grade now and spending most of the time in jersey flegg. A shocker when he looked like he should be playing in the NRL this year.

In a year where Anthony Seilbold had the balls - has been daring enough to debut several young players at the Broncos with the majority being in a now sensational forward pack...... he is now enjoying the rewards.

His oppositive coach Stephen Kearney seems obsessed with playing shit discards with no playing future. Players like Blake Ashyford, Jazz Tevaga, Adam Blair and Isaiah Papalii there.

If Tom Ale was at the Broncos then Seibold would be playing him already, I see no doubt about that. He is a David Fifita copy.

Well at least he was

Stephen Kearney has killed the Warriors.

He is a shit coach and coaches a shit brand of football.

Not only that - Stephen Kearney has killed the development of the junior players. Kearney has no balls to give any junior guys a chance. He keeps on playing the crappest NRL talent in important positions. And of course, the Warriors keep losing.

CNK had to leave to become good. Look at him now. Shouldn't that wake the Warriors head office up?

Perham is going to become a shit player here. It's already happening.

He too should have played NRL this year but has only got one cameo role off the bench against the Storm of all clubs.

The Warriors want to spend $1m a season on a 19-year-old player when they already have the stand-out talent here that they refuse let alone just can't develop.

Ask yourself.

If Perham and Ale were at the Broncos what would they look like? - Would they have debuted and fired by now?

How much would they cost for us to buy them and play there here?

This club sickens me. It's a Mickey Mouse show.

They want to spend huge money on a storm kid too but they won't do jack shit with the talent they already have.

Kearney has to go. There is no ifs or buts. He has to go.

If that means Brian Smith coaches the team ........ so be it.

We need to play football again and we need to blood young talented players from Rd 1 next year.

You have the talent you Morons - F@cking play it!!!!!

 

[Big Marn]

i think the main difference between NRL and comps like NBA, and NFL is that the owners of of NBA and NFL franchises will accept rebuilding seasons, which gives the coaches a chance to try new talent out knowing that :
a) the team isnt expected to win so they can try new things without the pressure from above
and b) the franchise owners have the knowledge they are going to get a high draft pick, which they can use to trade with other teams for quality players, or even keep the draft pick (depending on how good they are) if they are a good fit for team. eg NFL - franchise Quarterback.

Its one of main reasons those competitions give all the teams a chance to be competitive over time.

Philadelphia 76ers trusted the process and they were 1 flukey rim bounce away from making the NBA final after being a laughing stock for years.
For years and years the Cleveland Browns were considered to be the standard when it came to mediocrity, but this year they are expected to contend for the Superbowl.

The Warriors never have that consolation of a high draft pick if the season turns to shit for whatever reason eg ravaged by injuries, shit coach, shit players etc.
Unfortunately there is no draft system for NRL. I wish there was. We are already at a severe disadvantage with the travel, plus Auckland being a shit city to live in. Players dont want to come here unless they are getting out of Australia to hide from drama, or because the moneys too good to say no for someone in their twilight years.
With the draft system, players have to go where they are told and cant leave for at least 3 years unless they are traded. If they wanted to be picked up by a good team, they needed to excel.
The closest similarity in the NRL would be by finding players in reserve grade that other teams didnt have room for on their roster and getting way more from the player than initially expected. eg James Maloney.

Also, after making the 8 last year, 2019 would have been a year where we were expected to win a lot of games (ie in American terms, we were in the "window" where the team is built to contend - usually this is only for a limited period of time as rookie contracts end and teams know they will have to pay to keep their players that have been excelling on the cheap, resulting in the roster being blown up as they cant keep everyone under the cap).

Its a rarity for this window to extend any more than a few years. Exceptions would be the New England Patriots and the Golden State Warriors which Americans term as dynasties. In the NRL, the obvious dynasty is the Storm.

in 2019, Warriors management/ownership would have been expecting results which would have made it difficult for new blood to be injected into the team.
Losing SJ at the beginning of the year due to player greed probably wasnt part of the calculations and then losing your Marquee forward halfway thru the season exposed the lack of depth.
Now that we are out of contention, Kearney has the opportunity to blood emerging talent.
Getting the existing talent to show up in the last 2 games (for the fans) in what are meaningless games is a total waste of time.
He should be blooding as many emerging players as he can while he has the chance. He wont get many more.
But if our player development is as dire as Iron Lion believes, then with how the dice are already loaded against the Warriors, a premiership is totally unrealistic.

 

[BLN2]

Good post, have been thinking the same thing. Even guys like Satae and Sao get 10 minutes off the bench if they're lucky, while dominating Reserve grade. Then we hear some of our players aren't putting in, and the same f*cking team is rolled out every week!! Just excuses pulled out of thin air.

Kearney has picked locks in our second row all year, basically taking away what should be a vital attacking player and plugging it with guys who look shocking ball in hand and no idea how to run a line. Just crazy stuff. How does Bunty get dropped, for a guy like Lisone?

Pretty hard to understand what the plan is ATM. I mean why was Curran signed for 3 years, pretty sure he's a lock, and we already have Tevaga, Papalii, Blair, Burr. We have four No 6's, and no one with a genuine 7 game who can organise and kick. Green is not a 7, never has been, and his body is buggered. Has let in several tries the past couple weeks due to be too slow.

 

[JJ]

Unfortunately young players going backwards at the Warriors is the norm now, has been for quite a while

A Newcastle type rebuild is probably needed.

 

[Iron Lion]

i think the main difference between NRL and comps like NBA, and NFL is that the owners of of NBA and NFL franchises will accept rebuilding seasons, which gives the coaches a chance to try new talent out knowing that :
a) the team isnt expected to win so they can try new things without the pressure from above
and b) the franchise owners have the knowledge they are going to get a high draft pick, which they can use to trade with other teams for quality players, or even keep the draft pick (depending on how good they are) if they are a good fit for team. eg NFL - franchise Quarterback.

Its one of main reasons those competitions give all the teams a chance to be competitive over time.

Philadelphia 76ers trusted the process and they were 1 flukey rim bounce away from making the NBA final after being a laughing stock for years.
For years and years the Cleveland Browns were considered to be the standard when it came to mediocrity, but this year they are expected to contend for the Superbowl.

The Warriors never have that consolation of a high draft pick if the season turns to shit for whatever reason eg ravaged by injuries, shit coach, shit players etc.
Unfortunately there is no draft system for NRL. I wish there was. We are already at a severe disadvantage with the travel, plus Auckland being a shit city to live in. Players dont want to come here unless they are getting out of Australia to hide from drama, or because the moneys too good to say no for someone in their twilight years.
With the draft system, players have to go where they are told and cant leave for at least 3 years unless they are traded. If they wanted to be picked up by a good team, they needed to excel.
The closest similarity in the NRL would be by finding players in reserve grade that other teams didnt have room for on their roster and getting way more from the player than initially expected. eg James Maloney.

Also, after making the 8 last year, 2019 would have been a year where we were expected to win a lot of games (ie in American terms, we were in the "window" where the team is built to contend - usually this is only for a limited period of time as rookie contracts end and teams know they will have to pay to keep their players that have been excelling on the cheap, resulting in the roster being blown up as they cant keep everyone under the cap).

Its a rarity for this window to extend any more than a few years. Exceptions would be the New England Patriots and the Golden State Warriors which Americans term as dynasties. In the NRL, the obvious dynasty is the Storm.

in 2019, Warriors management/ownership would have been expecting results which would have made it difficult for new blood to be injected into the team.
Losing SJ at the beginning of the year due to player greed probably wasnt part of the calculations and then losing your Marquee forward halfway thru the season exposed the lack of depth.
Now that we are out of contention, Kearney has the opportunity to blood emerging talent.
Getting the existing talent to show up in the last 2 games (for the fans) in what are meaningless games is a total waste of time.
He should be blooding as many emerging players as he can while he has the chance. He wont get many more.
But if our player development is as dire as Iron Lion believes, then with how the dice are already loaded against the Warriors, a premiership is totally unrealistic.

Great reply.

The players are signed on the books.

Kearney just doesnt have Seibold level of balls to give them a shot.

Seibold accepted he would lose games to debut and give game time to his young youth.

WOWSER!!! look at the return for the Broncos. Should make the top 8 this year

Likely top 6 next year and I predict they will be in the grand final within 3 years.

Its great stuff and incredibly ballsy!!!

My contention is if Perham and Ale were at the Broncos then they get healthy game time this year.

A coach needs vision. SK clearly, surely & most definitely does not have that.

 

[Iron Lion]

Good post, have been thinking the same thing. Even guys like Satae and Sao get 10 minutes off the bench if they're lucky, while dominating Reserve grade. Then we hear some of our players aren't putting in, and the same f*cking team is rolled out every week!! Just excuses pulled out of thin air.

Kearney has picked locks in our second row all year, basically taking away what should be a vital attacking player and plugging it with guys who look shocking ball in hand and no idea how to run a line. Just crazy stuff. How does Bunty get dropped, for a guy like Lisone?

Pretty hard to understand what the plan is ATM. I mean why was Curran signed for 3 years, pretty sure he's a lock, and we already have Tevaga, Papalii, Blair, Burr. We have four No 6's, and no one with a genuine 7 game who can organise and kick. Green is not a 7, never has been, and his body is buggered. Has let in several tries the past couple weeks due to be too slow.

Yeah it just doesn't make logical sense, does it?

How can fans in the stand see it but the coaching and Warriors management dont?

Warriors greatest ever strength was the junior players.

Now we do everything not to give a junior game time.

Your comment on Curran is most interesting too. He's a lock yet in reserve grade we are playing him at prop!!!! then when he plays NRL under Kearney he will be a 2nd rower or even worse......... a hooker.

It defies logical belief.

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

Seibold didn't debut anyone. Fifita made his debut under Bennett.

Ale is a very good prospect, Fifita he is not.

 

[Iron Lion]

Seibold didn't debut anyone. Fifita made his debut under Bennett.

Ale is a very good prospect, Fifita he is not.

Seibold debuted 7 players this year

Izaia Perese
Patrick Carrigan
Xavier Coates
Thomas Dearden
Herbie Farnworth
Thomas Flegler
Keenan Palasia

Seibold then also gave game time to several players with very limited appearances in 2018

David Fifita
Payne Haas
Patrick Mago (Not sure if he has played this year?)
Gehamat Shibasaki
Kotoni Staggs
Jake Turpin
Sean O'Sullivan

I think that is pretty ballsy don't you?

 

[Iron Lion]

Also, I disagree. Tom Ale is an exceptional prospect. Looked the next Sonny Fai up until this year.

Warriors have messed with his progress.

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

Warriors mess with progress is status quo.

Still, wasn't on the same level as Fai/Fifita etc

 

[Iron Lion]

Warriors mess with progress is status quo.

Still, wasn't on the same level as Fai/Fifita etc

Each to his own though at least we both agree he is at the very least a good prospect.

Pretty sure he broke a Jersey Flegg record in 2018

- these were his incredible stats

The performance was highlighted by an outstanding second half when the Vodafone Junior Warriors recovered from a 10-16 halftime deficit to score 22 unanswered points.

The most remarkable individual statistics were provided by loose forward Tom Ale. Remembering Jersey Flegg games are played over two 35-minute periods – not 40 minutes – it was astounding that Ale should gain an exceptional 240 metres from 22 runs in his 57 minutes of the field. He made 94 post-contact metres, eight tackle breaks and four offloads as well as scoring a try.

https://www.warriors.kiwi/news/2018/06/05/jersey-flegg-team-named-for-14th-round/

 

[Meth]

• Yes, he is exceedingly better and more talented than any backrower in our NRL squad.

Tohu Harris says hello

 

[Iron Lion]

Tohu Harris says hello

Lol and David Fifita says 'goodbye'

Do you seriously think Tohu Harris is better than David Fifita?

Harris is a good player but not elite.

 

[Meth]

Fifita may very well become a rock star, but right now he's just a promising, developing player.

Harris is elite. Premiership winner. Should-be-Clive-Churchill medal winner. Kiwi International

 

[spear tackle]

was it last year some of the board were wanting out of the reserve grade comp and were for plonking players from the NZ local comp straight into NRL first grade? With that attitude at the top is it any wonder the place is going/ gone to the pack? It really turned to kaka when Cleary left although danger signs were there before that.

 

[Iron Lion]

What is a worry is there is less and less of us posting on this warriors forum now. I think we may be coined ...... the die-hards.

A few spirits have been finally broken

 

[spear tackle]

my spirit was broken a while back but I still hold out hope (although I'm not sure where that comes from)

 

[Rich102]

Maybe I'm a masochist?

 

[Iron Lion]

Maybe I'm a masochist?

Interesting......... A key demographic the brains trust at Warriors HQ can possibly tap into.

Question ...... would you like the Warriors 2020 Jersey / kit to be made of latex?

 

[Iron Lion]

Presenting the 2020 New Zealand Warriors Home Kit