2015 Team

[aqua_duck]

If there's a coach dumb enough and desperate enough to take Uate's monstrosity of a contract off our books it's Ricky

 

[perverse]

I'd be sad to see him leave, destroyed if he rediscovered his mojo elsewhere... and keep the razors away from me if he ever scores a hattrick against us. I don't see the point in clearing the decks for next year when we have cap space to burn, but I guess if there is a suitor and we're not willing to wait around for him to find his form - which is a risk in itself - then it makes some sense.

We've got a new breed coming through that are capable, so it won't kill us at all, but none of them bar maybe Sione will ever reach heights even remotely close to Aku's peak.

 

[otori]

I wouldn't be overly phased if we lost Aku. He hasn't earnt his contact recently. I'd much rather keep McManus who is presumably much cheaper, more reliable and less likely to make a game losing decision. Plus if we end up keeping our current centres, you've got to think the Mata'utia brothers will force him into NSW Cup anyway.

 

[Apey]

Uate is one of those guys I have a sentimental attachment too. Would really hate to lose him and see him playing in other colours. Clearly we can't keep paying him the big $$$ for his output though.

 

[aqua_duck]

If teams like Roosters, Melbourne, Souths, Manly, etc have shown us anything it's that wingers are dime a dozen, paying a winger anything over $350k is just stupid

 

[Newie is God's Country]

If this is true it shows that Stone is doing things his way this time. Good to see. We cannot allow this free loader comfort zone culture anymore. Mullen might want to think long and hard in the offseason as well, I would suggest he will be next in the axe line if he does not lift his game next year. Especially when the likes of Ben hunt, Keiran Foran and DCE are going on the market. Mullen in all honesty should have left this club years ago for his own development. He has not progressed as expected in part cos knows he will get a new deal every time. There is no incentive for him to lift his game under the threat of the sack. Had he not had the 2013 form there is no way you could justify re-signing him.

 

[aqua_duck]

With the juniors we have coming through everyone should be on notice

 

[Spot On]

It looks as though a lot of what some of us have been saying for quite a while is finally in the thoughts of some at the club. Happy to see Uate go. At 500K a year it's a no brainer. Of course he'll score tries at an other club but will his ongoing defensive issues, ball security issues and problem under the high ball disappear after he comes comfortable at the next joint???? I don't think so. Good luck to him if he turns it around though.

If there's any truth to Bennett's finger pointing at a few locals who've become comfortable, and the apparent new toughness Stone is showing by waving goodbye to a few this year, then 2015 could be the last year for a few local boys as well.

Putting together two or three good performances late in the season aint gunna cut it. Blokes should be fit and ready to go in round 1 next year, not late in the season when the fat lady is singing or the club is hanging on to 10th spot with a chance to make the 8 if they win their last two.

 

[Joker's Wild]

Dont get too excited just yet boys. That was a pretty nothing article

 

[Spot On]

Hopefully smoke, fire stuff though. It would not be out of the realms of possibilities that Ricky believes buying two wingers will improve the Canberra team performances next year. Hell, he might even suggest that Canberra pay the money we owe Aku!!!! :shock:

 

[Bring it home Knights]

When we signed uate, he was a 500k per season winger or there abouts. He helped carry our forward back and was a prolific try scorer. However whilst he was overweight and low on confidence, he wouldn't be worth half what he is on. I saw some pleasing signs before he was ruled out for the season. He was leaner and moving more freely, plus he was looking a lot more dangerous. Clearly his confidence is a problem as his hands have been poor for a fair while now.

 

[Knight Vision]

His form went down immediately after Bennett arrived, and this year he has played mostly with injury from what I understand.

 

[Spot On]

Aku has been a target since the year he was dropped from the NSW team in 2012. The writing was on the wall early in that series and possibly before. We can argue about when his formed has dipped or seemingly returned but the facts are he has not addressed or been able to improve the areas of his game that needed attention. Teams have targetted him successfully for years now. Yes he is a confidence player who lacks confidence when defending, placed under the high ball or scooping the ball up off the ground and with his general with ball security when returning out of his own end.

At his absolute consistent best with minimal mistakes you have him every day of the week.

Either way, staying or leaving, I hope he plays well. However, if the rumours are true, you can't blame the new coach for planning ahead and making some tough decisions considering Aku is collecting just under 10% of the cap.

 

[Rod]

I think he deserves another year. That knee seems to have been a problem for a while, and I think him constantly being in and out of the team makes it seem like he had a worse year than he actually did. Rehab it properly after the surgery and give it a good off-season to get right. He also may benefit from a more attacking style of play if indeed that's the way we go under Stone.

Also he's on 97 tries, with a strike rate that only Brett Stewart comes close to to the best of my knowledge. Would be a shame if he didn't at least get 100 for us.

 

[Noname36]

For starters, I think everyone is going off a bit early. That article is from the Lurker who never gets a thing right and seems to be purely speculation.

If there is any truth to it though id be on the fence. I could see Stone's reasoning for trying to move him on and I would respect his guts to do it. It would also open the door for Sione and Mamo. At the same time though on a purely personal level id be pretty sad. Like others have mentioned, Aku is one player in the side I do have an attachment to and frankly I think his poor form this year has been greatly over exaggerated. I feel it would end up biting us in the arse too. We saw what happened when he was dropped to NSW Cup. Came back the following week and played great, running harder than I have seen him all year. Imagine how much he'd turn it around if he was forced to go to another club, not just play a game in ressies.

 

[Newie is God's Country]

Aku's deal was just bad business all the way. No one will ever know why the club agreed to it apart from his gate pulling ability. Even that is doubtful now.

 

[Noname36]

Aku's deal was just bad business all the way. No one will ever know why the club agreed to it apart from his gate pulling ability. Even that is doubtful now.

Um, the fact that he was our best player and only good thing we had going for us when he signed that contract would have had a lot to do with it. People really forget just how dynamic he was at his best.

There's no way he'd be offered a contract like that on current form, but at the time he certainly deserved it. Just a shame he let himself get lazy, overweight and lose his speed after he signed it.

 

[Newie is God's Country]

Still bad business in my book. Don't agree.

 

[otori]

Um, the fact that he was our best player and only good thing we had going for us when he signed that contract would have had a lot to do with it. People really forget just how dynamic he was at his best.

There's no way he'd be offered a contract like that on current form, but at the time he certainly deserved it. Just a shame he let himself get lazy, overweight and lose his speed after he signed it.

I tend to agree that at the time he signed, our attack was pretty garbage apart from Aku and Doogs. I don't necessarily think his contract was the lunacy that everyone on LU went on about; if your best player happens to be a winger but he scores points and wins games then it's not overpaying.

The issue has become that he stopped earning his money and what were once small faults that you could overlook became glaring issues in a mediocre player. You look at some of the average wingers around the league and they may not be able to bust open a game like Aku but they won't drop the ball stupidly, carry it loosely or make silly mistakes in D.

 

[Apey]

I'm still hoping for an Aku revival in the red and blue. Sadly I don't think it's going to happen.