Bye bye Ta'ai

[SpaceMonkey]

Send him to the Dogs Des will turn him into a machine!

I reckon he'dve been a better pickup than Inu. Ta'ai has some issues but they're the sort that a disciplinarian like Des could potentially fix, I don't see that with Inu.

 

[Fast Eddie]

:lol:

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Too many handling errors and penalties for the level of output we got from Ukuma. Big shame, he certainly has the physical tools to be quite a good player. Good luck to the big man.

Pretty much this. Last year I would've been upset we were losing him, now I could really care less. However, really want to see him go to another NRL club (not the UK) and do well.

 

[vvvrulz]

Ta'ai is surplus to requirements, however it does concern me a little that we're offloading a few of our backup players. That's Brown, Inu and Ta'ai now gone.

 

[hitman82]

Since my initial reaction got mod'd...
I'd like to politely express my strong feelings of disappointment regarding the departure of our friend, Mr Ukuma Ta'ai. I wish him well at his next club of residence.

 

[hitman82]

Out:
Maloney
Luck
Brown
Inu
Ta'ai

In:
DN
TL
...?

Surely we have a fair wad of cash sitting around now.

 

[Juju]

Our retention policy is SUPER weird at the moment. I would of thought we would of at least kept 1 of Brown or Ta'ai - and that thought was before we learnt Luck was retiring.

Its a concern too that no Juniors are really setting the world on fire and demanding a FG contract this season while still being a top 4 team.

One of our strengths last season was our depth... sheesh

 

[vvvrulz]

Our retention policy is SUPER weird at the moment. I would of thought we would of at least kept 1 of Brown or Ta'ai - and that thought was before we learnt Luck was retiring.

Its a concern too that no Juniors are really setting the world on fire and demanding a FG contract this season while still being a top 4 team.

One of our strengths last season was our depth... sheesh

Forgot about Maloney and Luck, its worse than I thought. With Neilson we have cover for Inu and TL covers Maloney (at least in theory). We're managing without Luck and Ta'ai at the moment but that's assuming our main props and Taylor are fit. We do have Lousi for cover as well.

We've got nothing to cover the loss of Brown, so if we have cash lying around we should be chasing utilities or splash on a very good #6.

 

[Meth]

Still waiting for that big signing...I seriously hope Nielsen wasn't it

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

Henry will move into the second row next year and Tuimavave will be groomed to cover the halves/centre if we have injury issues. One thing we'll never lack is second rowers.

There might not be any juniors setting the world on fire but that's not a bad thing. We shouldn't be looking at them to come straight out of U20's and step into first grade. A year in the vulcans would be a good thing.

If we can keep Omar then our wing depth won't be much of a concern either.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Our retention policy is SUPER weird at the moment. I would of thought we would of at least kept 1 of Brown or Ta'ai - and that thought was before we learnt Luck was retiring.

Its a concern too that no Juniors are really setting the world on fire and demanding a FG contract this season while still being a top 4 team.

One of our strengths last season was our depth... sheesh

Second-rowers who will probably be here in 2012: Mannering, Mateo, Henry, Taylor, Ikahihifo, Palavi, StRapira, Sam Lousi. I wouldn't worry too much about our second-row depth.

To suggest we won't have depth next year is just not true. Analyse it:

Fullback: Locke, Fisiahii, Slaimankel (possibly). Fine.
Wing: Vatuvei, Tupou, Slaimankel (possibly). Depth not really here.
Centre: Nielsen, Hurrell, Ropati, Tuimavave, Penehe, Henry (if nedeed) Fine.
Halves: Johnson, Leuluai, Tuimamave, Godinet. Not completely flush but pretty standard situation
Props: Packer, Matulino, Lillyman, SaRapira, Sione Lousi, juniors. Fine.
Hooker: Friend, Leuluai (maybe), Mara, Godinet. Fine
Second-row: Flush, as above.

So if we're looking for a signing, I'd suggest wing is the place we should be targeting. Up in the air on Leuluai but he can make that position his own as well. Otherwise, that's depth to me.

 

[Juju]

Second-rowers who will probably be here in 2012: Mannering, Mateo, Henry, Taylor, Ikahihifo, Palavi, StRapira, Sam Lousi. I wouldn't worry too much about our second-row depth.

To suggest we won't have depth next year is just not true. Analyse it:

Fullback: Locke, Fisiahii, Slaimankel (possibly). Fine.
Wing: Vatuvei, Tupou, Slaimankel (possibly). Depth not really here.
Centre: Nielsen, Hurrell, Ropati, Tuimavave, Penehe, Henry (if nedeed) Fine.
Halves: Johnson, Leuluai, Tuimamave, Godinet. Not completely flush but pretty standard situation
Props: Packer, Matulino, Lillyman, SaRapira, Sione Lousi, juniors. Fine.
Hooker: Friend, Leuluai (maybe), Mara, Godinet. Fine
Second-row: Flush, as above.

So if we're looking for a signing, I'd suggest wing is the place we should be targeting. Up in the air on Leuluai but he can make that position his own as well. Otherwise, that's depth to me.

Good points - I am just lamenting 2010/11 depth where we had a Vulcans team that on paper looked like it compete with a lower rung NRL team.

I just worry about the amount of experience we are losing - the above squad looks pretty green and not very battle hardened.

 

[Fast Eddie]

I'm not sure you can say depth is fine at centre when you have two starters, a broken down injury prone, defensive liability back-up in Ropati and then guys who have never played FG and one of them plays 5/8th predominantly currently.

 

[vvvrulz]

I'm not sure you can say depth is fine at centre when you have two starters, a broken down injury prone, defensive liability back-up in Ropati and then guys who have never played FG and one of them plays 5/8th predominantly currently.

Neilson, Hurrell, Henry with Mannering and Taylor to swap in if required. Pretty solid depth to me.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

I'm not sure you can say depth is fine at centre when you have two starters, a broken down injury prone, defensive liability back-up in Ropati and then guys who have never played FG and one of them plays 5/8th predominantly currently.

I think the depth is fine. You have Ropati, who yes is all of those things but he's still played a lot of NRL, then you have Henry who has been very solid this year and can migrate back if need be and Mannering if things get more dire.

We've hardly ever fielded two decent centres, least of all had adequate back-up. Can't expect to wheel out top-class NRL players from back-up.

 

[tangalife]

two things concern me here:

1. first of all, why are we outright saying no to Ta'ai next year when we are not even halfway through this season? shouldnt we be saying to him, hey your best to start looking elsewhere but we'll give you till the end of the season before we give you a definate no?

2. second of all, we are really cutting away at our depth, something that has been our strength over the past 2 seasons. letting go of brown was "okay because we have lots of depth", now we are letting another back row first grader go. you could argue and put on paper that we still have depth available if you want to start naming juniors, but we truly are loosing the QUALITY of our depth. the juniors that will take their spots better be up to it otherwise we gonna end up with a team of new bloods and we, in my view, coming off a grand final appearance are in a position of asserting dominance and not 'building for the future'.

we are loosing alot next year: maloney, brown, luck, taai, inu (already gone) - these are the guys that got us to the GF last year - who have we got coming in? ....Thomas Leulaui....

 

[hitman82]

I'm not sure you can say depth is fine at centre when you have two starters, a broken down injury prone, defensive liability back-up in Ropati and then guys who have never played FG and one of them plays 5/8th predominantly currently.

This, aside from the bashing.
Our outside back depth looks terrible, particularly when you consider a couple of our backs are rookies, one's apparently destined for the back row, and another is injury-prone Manu who 50% of people don't even think should be a winger!

 

[hitman82]

Owen Glenn being our new co-owner... does this look like possible cost-cutting to anybody??

 

[Penrose Warrior]

I think in Ta'ai's case, his manager may have said to us we're fielding these sort of offers from NRL/UK clubs, we said no we're not prepared to go into those sort of ball park figures, ok thanks a lot it's been a pleasure, see you goodbye.

Same with Penrith, who's offer I would imagine was far in excess of what we were prepared to front up with.

I don't sniff cost-cutting in the slightest.

Nor do I sniff it at the Bulldogs. Apparently they are now interested in a mid-season transfer for Jennings too? Are we to believe they just had a reasonable amount of cap sitting around un-used?

 

[ozbash]

two things concern me here:

1. first of all, why are we outright saying no to Ta'ai next year when we are not even halfway through this season? shouldnt we be saying to him, hey your best to start looking elsewhere but we'll give you till the end of the season before we give you a definate no?

2. second of all, we are really cutting away at our depth, something that has been our strength over the past 2 seasons. letting go of brown was "okay because we have lots of depth", now we are letting another back row first grader go. you could argue and put on paper that we still have depth available if you want to start naming juniors, but we truly are loosing the QUALITY of our depth. the juniors that will take their spots better be up to it otherwise we gonna end up with a team of new bloods and we, in my view, coming off a grand final appearance are in a position of asserting dominance and not 'building for the future'.

we are loosing alot next year: maloney, brown, luck, taai, inu (already gone) - these are the guys that got us to the GF last year - who have we got coming in? ....Thomas Leulaui....

There is some serious talent coming up through the junior ranks and I think the club is making room/prioritising.