Croker appreciation thread

[The Axe of Druss]

After yesterday's merkin of a game I thought some positivity was in order

I just wanted to give a shout out to Mat Croker. Is one of the very few guys each week that tries his dick off and yesterday was no exception.

He's gone from a fringe player who had a questionable NRL future to a very good clubman and he looks to have really stepped up his size and strength over the off season. By no means a finished product yet but right now we as a club are lean on middle forwards and it's good to see a guy developing nicely. Future captain along with Lucas imo

 

[slotmachine]

If Croker is captain something has gone very wrong.

 

[The Axe of Druss]

If Croker is captain something has gone very wrong.

How so? I know he's no superstar but he has all the markers of a good leader

 

[slotmachine]

Cause he's not a player you'd want to see as a regular in the best 17 of a decent side. Good 18th man.

 

[ryan.a87]

Gotta agree, there was a lot more energy from him than when he came on compared to the Thompson twins

 

[Yosh]

I personally like him as a player and I hope he has a long and successful career here. There is definitely improvement in him. Can't see him being rep level but definitely good first grade standard.

 

[alexwilliams_66692007]

I wouldn't go as far as saying captain material but he's definitely a workhorse.

Watch Knights release him now

 

[Zoidberg]

Always been a fan of his but he hasn’t seemed to improve his game much over the years I feel. No real stand out games. Just consistently solid. Good player to have in the squad.

 

[Rod]

I personally don't see it. Fine as like a 17th-20th man but if he's one of your key forwards/leaders you're in trouble.

 

[ryan.a87]

I think the issue is he has no one to be a mentor to learn off

Our forward leaders are Thompson who has one foot out the door, Jsaf who doesn’t come across as the sharpest tool in the shed, and maybe Hetherington, who is just outright dumb

 

[perverse]

Cause he's not a player you'd want to see as a regular in the best 17 of a decent side. Good 18th man.

Sums him up. A bloke every squad needs to earn a below average wage and fill in when called on. If you're seeing him every week then you're in an injury crisis or your depth is cooked.

 

[Yosh]

The more I think about it, the worse I feel about letting King go. Looks like the sort of leader our young forwards needed over the years.

 

[Old dog]

Leaders are born not made, best player is not necessary the best leader. Compare two of our players, Lucas plays hard strong fast and virtually says “follow me” and Ponga who is brilliant but doesn’t seem to inspire the team, can do unbelievable thinks but doesn’t have that “follow me” quality. Lucas is more the Captain you want in the same mould as Johns and the Chief.
Not suggesting change just pointing out alternatives.
Sometimes the brilliant player should be left to do what they do best, play brilliantly and win games.

 

[The Axe of Druss]

I know we have some forward injuries right now but Croker being named at 13 is a clear reward for his form and effort the last few weeks

 

[slotmachine]

A bloke with 5 games of league in his life started last week, I wouldn't read much into it.

 

[Dr Dr Gimedanews]

What has changed is he now has over 50 games of NRL experience as he matures into the peak physical years of his career. Dito Jones et al

People are all too quick to write off players. It takes time to develop.

 

[aqua_duck]

The reality with Croker is he’s 26 this year and been around since 2021 so there should be an expectation there. Croker will never be a big metre eater nor will he ever be an enforcer, he tries very hard but he’s definitely not in the mould of typical forward captains like JFH, Tapine, Isaah Yeo, Tino, Cam Murray, etc who all have a presence and aura about them that let’s face it Croker will never have.
He’s great as like the 18th man or bench if you have a couple of good metre eating props but if he’s a one of your first middles picked you’re in some strife (which sums up our predicament)

 

[slotmachine]

Definitely not a starter.

 

[Yosh]

I reckon he is a victim of AOB as well. He used to have a great step and a good offload in him. Now he is asked to play like Josh King. Reckon he will also benefit from a change of coach.

 

[ryan.a87]

Was King here during AOB years?

or was he apart of the Brown era?