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Daily Telegraph: Feleti Mateo launches Eel attack

lucablight

First Grade
Messages
6,063
Feleti Mateo, who was last year dumped by the struggling western Sydney club - but has since had one of the best seasons of his career with the Warriors - said Parramatta have "no direction or harmony".

As Mateo tries to keep the Warriors' finals hopes alive against the Wests Tigers on Friday, the star playmaker still found time to give Parramatta's hierarchy a back-hander from the other side of the ditch.

"I don't know what went wrong there this year, I think the boys were unlucky and losing a few games that were close," Mateo said. "I don't know what's going on at the club at the moment.

"It just seems there's no harmony and nobody knows what's going on.

"Speaking to the boys throughout the year, there's still a bit of frustration there.

"I'm just really happy I'm out of there.

"I loved Parra when I was there, but I'm really happy where I am now, and it's been telling on the field with how much I've enjoyed my footy and playing with these guys here."

Mateo never had a beef with his teammates or former coach Daniel Anderson, but did have an issue with management.

Eels chief executive Paul Osborne last night declined to comment when told about Mateo.

While Eels fans were shattered to see Mateo depart, the New Zealanders have been delighted by his on-field antics in his first season. At times criticised for pushing too many passes, Mateo said fitness had been the key area he had improved.

"Fitness is a big thing.

"I've played a few 80 minute games here and there and tried to get quality out of my minutes," Mateo said.

"At Parra I probably averaged 50 or 60 minutes a game, and seemed to be cruising along there and doing my job and nothing else.

"Here I've had the energy and fitness to poke my head on the other side of the field or take a run up the middle and try and create something more for the team. Being fitter also helps me in defence as well."

So what went so horribly wrong in Saturday's 30-point drubbing against Brisbane, a loss that virtually left many experts prepared to write off coach Ivan Cleary's men?

"Going into the game against the Broncos at even odds may have hurt us," Mateo said.

"With (Josh) Hoffman and (Sam) Thaiday out, we may have thought it would come easier than it did. We may have been over-confident.

"This week being the heavy underdogs against the Tigers, who are the hottest team in the comp right now, things might work in our favour.

"We've got nothing to lose and they've got everything to lose. But we've still got to earn the right to be there next week."

Mateo has been in such brilliant form that a representative call-up would not come as a shock. But the 27-year-old is solely focused on a premiership with the Warriors, a young team he feels can regularly push for top-four finishes in years to come.
link: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...nches-eel-attack/story-e6frexnr-1226136154479

Now that the season is done and dusted what do most people think about Mateo being let go compared to the same time last year? I've always maintained that it was a massive screw up and I see no reason to change now. Mateo was one of our best performers in 07 and 08 and despite missing most of 09 he was crucial in the late surge to the grand final. Daniel Anderson was even quoted at the time as saying the Eels wouldn't get anywhere without Mateo. We really should have been trying to tie up Mateo at the end of 09 instead of chasing Mortimer and letting the warriors get an opportunity with their "once in a life time" offer. He did have a quiet 2010 yet he was still statistically one of the best Eels forwards despite that and finished the season on fire- after he had signed with the Warriors. With the benefit of hindsight it's quite embarrassing we let him walk out only to sign Webb, Walker and Whatuira who didn't really add much this year. We had one of the worst attacking records this year and I think Mateo at five eighth would have certainly helped. Imagine what a Mateo/Sandow halves combo would have been like. I know alot of people here will say get over it but it's very frustrating to see someone perform at another club when you think they could have still been in Eels colours.
 

oldmancraigy

Coach
Messages
11,295
Did we want to keep Mateo? Yes.

Is he a 400k a year player? No.

Would we have won the comp with Mateo this year? No.

Would we have made the top 8 with Mateo this year? Possibly - but we'd be mortgaging ourselves to mediocrity to see him as our '2nd best player'.

/end of thread.



Seriously - it's not as simple as "we should have kept him" - well duh. But not at the price of a superstar...
 

grapeape

Juniors
Messages
343
Mateo was the warriors best player this year and hasnt missed a game all year.

He would have been parra's best if he was still here.

Why would we let the most dangerous player in the comp go?
 

oldmancraigy

Coach
Messages
11,295
Mateo was the warriors best player this year and hasnt missed a game all year.

He would have been parra's best if he was still here.

Why would we let the most dangerous player in the comp go?


Take away Maloney and Johnson and the Warriors finish equal with us on the table.

If Mateo was the most dangerous player in the comp, then how come the Warriors didn't improve at all?

14 wins without him in 2010
14 wins with him in 2011.

Doesn't seem to have made a lick of difference - when it comes to the 'big dance' they're still a team standing on the outside and looking in.


Mateo isn't a "difference maker" in the NRL - if he'd taken $250k then heck yeah, I'd want him to stay. But for $400k+ you want a bloke who can take you from 'mediocre' or 'good' to 'great'.

Mateo can blow up about the Eels all he wants, but he was a big part of the half-arsed culture that we had.
 

aqua_duck

Coach
Messages
18,316
Did we want to keep Mateo? Yes.

Is he a 400k a year player? No.

Would we have won the comp with Mateo this year? No.

Would we have made the top 8 with Mateo this year? Possibly - but we'd be mortgaging ourselves to mediocrity to see him as our '2nd best player'.

/end of thread.



Seriously - it's not as simple as "we should have kept him" - well duh. But not at the price of a superstar...
Where does the $400k figure come from? The papers reported that he signed for $350k with the warriors, considering he's a local junior and has so many close mates at the eels not to mention family, you'd think an offer anywhere near $300k would've been enough, is he worth $300k? Ofcourse
 

hineyrulz

Post Whore
Messages
148,287
He's got a do or die semi coming up and feliti can still take the time out to have a dig at Parra????

But he's happy over the ditch :lol: yeah pull the other one. If maybe he had of pulled his finger out before the Broncos game we might have kept you. Keeping Mateo may have cost us the cap space to get Sandow and that's a very easy choice.
 

strider

Post Whore
Messages
78,603
he already reportedly took "less money" to stay once in the past - I'd be willing to bet he'd be at the point of needing any parra offer to be pretty close to stay (can't keep turning down good offers)

the $400K was probably paper talk - they always seem to get hold of some figure above the real figure, possibly its an incentive laiden figure for incentives which are unlikely to be achieved (probably like the sandow $550K figure) - so yeah I reckon parra could have kept him for maybe a little under $350K .... but I don't think it'd have changed our result

i'm glad feleti had a good year - hope he can keep backing it up, that's the big test
 

strider

Post Whore
Messages
78,603
He's got a do or die semi coming up and feliti can still take the time out to have a dig at Parra????

But he's happy over the ditch :lol: yeah pull the other one. If maybe he had of pulled his finger out before the Broncos game we might have kept you. Keeping Mateo may have cost us the cap space to get Sandow and that's a very easy choice.

read the article - did he actually have a dig at parra? I don't think so .... you've got read past the bullshit headlines in a telegraph article .... all he said is there's no harmony or organisation and the boys are frustrated - pretty f'n spot on if you ask me .... actually said he loved when he was at parra and admitted he wasn't fit .... can't see any dig
 

Maroubra Eel

Coach
Messages
19,044
Speaking of wasted cap space, does anyone know when Justin Poores contract is up?

That will free up a heap of cash.
 

Poupou Escobar

Post Whore
Messages
84,160
His defence isn't good enough for the position he plays. Case in point was his game against the Broncos - had a good game in attack with 2 LB but in defence he missed 7 tackles.

As has already been said, we would've gone better with him this year but would've had no room to sign a halfback, which is what we've really needed for so long.

Plus Feleti's attitude is shit - he's a whinger and a sook, and he's proved it again with these comments to the media.
 

Gronk

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
73,538
"Fitness is a big thing.

"I've played a few 80 minute games here and there and tried to get quality out of my minutes," Mateo said.

"At Parra I probably averaged 50 or 60 minutes a game, and seemed to be cruising along there and doing my job and nothing else.

"Here I've had the energy and fitness to poke my head on the other side of the field or take a run up the middle and try and create something more for the team. Being fitter also helps me in defence as well."

I agree with Feleti. At the Eels he was unfit and didn't try most of the time.
 

oldmancraigy

Coach
Messages
11,295
Where does the $400k figure come from? The papers reported that he signed for $350k with the warriors, considering he's a local junior and has so many close mates at the eels not to mention family, you'd think an offer anywhere near $300k would've been enough, is he worth $300k? Ofcourse

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/3446642/Warriors-offering-400k-for-Feleti-Mateo

I was looking at this article - but it's Kiwi dollars!

The tele reported $350k.


As for him taking less to stay at Parra, did he ever say he'd take less to stay here?
And is he even worth $300k?
Considering he has added 0 wins to the warriors this season, I think it's a bit silly to suggest that he's the difference maker over there. They won just as many games without him last season.


I would've liked to have kept him for the $250k mark - if he can get $350 - good luck to him!
 

oldmancraigy

Coach
Messages
11,295
the $400K was probably paper talk - they always seem to get hold of some figure above the real figure, possibly its an incentive laiden figure for incentives which are unlikely to be achieved (probably like the sandow $550K figure) - so yeah I reckon parra could have kept him for maybe a little under $350K .... but I don't think it'd have changed our result

i'm glad feleti had a good year - hope he can keep backing it up, that's the big test

On the Sandow number, techincally the papers reported $1.7mill over 4 years.
Rusty said $650k - but that's because he divided by 3 rather than 4.


So the 'reported' number on Sandow is $425k


But I digress! I agree with you on Feliti - wish he'd stayed (for less) but he's not the difference maker to our squad (or to the Warriors based on their results).
 

tresurehunt

Juniors
Messages
1,323
Take away Maloney and Johnson and the Warriors finish equal with us on the table.

If Mateo was the most dangerous player in the comp, then how come the Warriors didn't improve at all?

14 wins without him in 2010
14 wins with him in 2011.

Doesn't seem to have made a lick of difference - when it comes to the 'big dance' they're still a team standing on the outside and looking in.


Mateo isn't a "difference maker" in the NRL - if he'd taken $250k then heck yeah, I'd want him to stay. But for $400k+ you want a bloke who can take you from 'mediocre' or 'good' to 'great'.

Mateo can blow up about the Eels all he wants, but he was a big part of the half-arsed culture that we had.

well there in the semi's , i would say he hasnt hurt them,,,,
 

hineyrulz

Post Whore
Messages
148,287
read the article - did he actually have a dig at parra? I don't think so .... you've got read past the bullshit headlines in a telegraph article .... all he said is there's no harmony or organisation and the boys are frustrated - pretty f'n spot on if you ask me .... actually said he loved when he was at parra and admitted he wasn't fit .... can't see any dig
I did, no harmony, people are frustrated and no one has any idea what's going on. So that's not a dig??? Really why bring us up at all??? If he's so happy over there and with a semi final coming why mention Parra??? He still sounds dirty he was let go IMO. He still seems a sook.
 

Gronk

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
73,538
FMD a team that nearly came last has an unhappy dressing room ? How controversial.
 
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