Eels in the media

[Gazzamatta]

Even when they were with us twal and layoun weren't getting first grade spots in our team. Twal has gone to the tigers, of course he's going to look good there they have one of if not the worst forward packs in the comp. Layoun is a 20 year old fullback who was in the NYC grand finalists spine, odd how he doesn't have an NRL contract despite there being 15 other clubs to pick him up. You would think by now he would have signed somewhere to be in a top 30.

We didn't have any players debut and yet we still finished 4th this year. You know what our team has in bucketloads? Youth. You know what we lacked when it came to the big games? Experience. Twal and layoun would have added nothing to our 2017 squad and neither would have added to our 2018 squad that we don't already have.

Would you have layoun in front of Gutherson, French or Smith? FWIW, layoun wasn't even meant to be our #1 20's fullback this year.

Lol. Take it easy on a bloke trying to manage the after effects of a Lebanese wedding last night with unlimited beverages. Ouch. Great night though. I thought Layoun showed grit and energy. Hopefully we can find a place for him somewhere. At 20 there is huge potential there.
I just hope we dont start thinking, with the abundance of kids we have, that the next kid is going to be better.

 

[Gronk]

Lol. Take it easy on a bloke trying to manage the after effects of a Lebanese wedding last night with unlimited beverages. Ouch. Great night though. I thought Layoun showed grit and energy. Hopefully we can find a place for him somewhere. At 20 there is huge potential there.
I just hope we dont start thinking, with the abundance of kids we have, that the next kid is going to be better.

Falafel out loud.

 

[hineyrulz]

Layoun looks a handy player but hasn’t quite the speed or size needed to crack first grade IMO.

 

[Obscene Assassin]

Lol. Take it easy on a bloke trying to manage the after effects of a Lebanese wedding last night with unlimited beverages. Ouch. Great night though. I thought Layoun showed grit and energy. Hopefully we can find a place for him somewhere. At 20 there is huge potential there.
I just hope we dont start thinking, with the abundance of kids we have, that the next kid is going to be better.

The next one may not be better but the ones slightly older than him are way better.

 

[Gazzamatta]

The next one may not be better but the ones slightly older than him are way better.

And you are referring too?
Ta

 

[Obscene Assassin]

And you are referring too?
Ta

Gutherson (24) French (22) are both better than Layoun while only slightly older than him, you don't agree?

 

[Gazzamatta]

Gutherson (24) French (22) are both better than Layoun while only slightly older than him, you don't agree?

At this stage of their careers, no doubt. Im also of the opinion that Layoun has shown he can handle the big time on his first opportunity. Something to persevere with and not necessarily at fullback. We have high hopes for Greg L from last years 20s but he has done nothing yet. I know we cant keep em all but goodness when someone grabs his chance on the international scene, surely hes worth holding on to.

 

[Joshuatheeel]

French is only one year older then layoun.

Can't find his profile, what size is Layoun? Does he have a build for winger?

 

[Gazzamatta]

Maybe a back up half. We are a bit light on there. The kid has grit and appears to have a great attitude. Anything is possible from then on. Would be inexpensive as well.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

I think you’re showing your age Gaz. Thirty years ago you could make it as a first grader with nothing but skill and toughness but these days size and speed are absolute barriers.

 

[Obscene Assassin]

At this stage of their careers, no doubt. Im also of the opinion that Layoun has shown he can handle the big time on his first opportunity. Something to persevere with and not necessarily at fullback. We have high hopes for Greg L from last years 20s but he has done nothing yet. I know we cant keep em all but goodness when someone grabs his chance on the international scene, surely hes worth holding on to.

With the way the system is set up a lot of the time you can't afford to persist with a 21 year old who's only played 20's.

Don't get me wrong I like Layoun, he's certainly good enough to be a solid option in reserve grade but then it comes down to do we offer a 21 year old fullback (where we already have a few players in first grade with experience) a development spot or a 19 year old centre in Afualo a development spot who is continually picked for rep teams and has played 20's since he was 17 years old? Neither has played any reserve grade football so we don't know how either would handle the regular step up.

 

[strider]

The problem these days is there are too many who look to have the physical attributes as kids but go missing when they progress ... if you are not recognised by the time you are 16 then tough ... but then a 16 yr old could be a total flop when they get to the real dedication needed to be a professional nrl player ... probably many who could go alright get missed

I have no answer to how you spot them

 

[hineyrulz]

I think you’re showing your age Gaz. Thirty years ago you could make it as a first grader with nothing but skill and toughness but these days size and speed are absolute barriers.

Yep I even thought in that 20’s GF he wasn’t big enough or quick enough to take his game to the next level.

As you said it all about size and Speed these days.

 

[Obscene Assassin]

The problem these days is there are too many who look to have the physical attributes as kids but go missing when they progress ... if you are not recognised by the time you are 16 then tough ... but then a 16 yr old could be a total flop when they get to the real dedication needed to be a professional nrl player ... probably many who could go alright get missed

I have no answer to how you spot them

Bevan French wasn't signed or recognised as a potential NRL player until the year he turned 17 and wasn't in a district rep team until he was 18. So whilst it isn't common it isn't completely impossible. The talent scouts of the NRL clubs (bar 1, unless that has changed) continuously go to school carnivals, rep weekends as well as attending their own districts junior games so they know what's out there. You can't sign every kid though.

 

[Gazzamatta]

The skeptic in my wonders why it took the World Cup and an opportunity from outside our club to give Layoun a run amongst better quality players. Obviously someone saw more in Layoun than we did. The kid never saw 2nds yet we gave opportunities to players like Nathan Davis who was poor in general but worse in the number 1 shirt.
Will similar occur in 2018 to promising NYC forwards now we have welcomed T Rex back?
Am I looking for an issue that dosent exist? I still find it unbelievable we never blooded one rookie last year.

 

[Obscene Assassin]

Yep I even thought in that 20’s GF he wasn’t big enough or quick enough to take his game to the next level.

As you said it all about size and Speed these days.

I wouldn't say it's all about size and speed. Give me Ray Stone any day of the week over souffs Jordan Mailata

 

[Obscene Assassin]

The skeptic in my wonders why it took the World Cup and an opportunity from outside our club to give Layoun a run amongst better quality players. Obviously someone saw more in Layoun than we did. The kid never saw 2nds yet we gave opportunities to players like Nathan Davis who was poor in general but worse in the number 1 shirt.
Will similar occur in 2018 to promising NYC forwards now we have welcomed T Rex back?
Am I looking for an issue that dosent exist? I still find it unbelievable we never blooded one rookie last year.

Heaps of lower quality players have been picked for the lower ranked nations. If he'd been picked for Australia I'd be impressed but he was playing for Lebanon who had Nick Kassis, Mitchell Mammary amongst a host of other players who have never played first grade and will never play first grade. What other fullback across the rugby league landscape has Lebanese heritage that is better than Layoun? Maybe Reece Robinson but I think he was sick. Layoun may have never even played in the RLWC if Reece had been available.

We didn't blood any rookies because we didn't need to. Would you have Layoun play in front of Gutherson, French or Smith? Plus there's many more reasons than just ability as to why a player doesn't make their first grade debut. For instance we may have wanted Niukore to debut but because he wasn't a part of our top 25 we may have had no second tier salary cap available to play him, similarly with any other player.

 

[hineyrulz]

I wouldn't say it's all about size and speed. Give me Ray Stone any day of the week over souffs Jordan Mailata

In the forwards there is still a place for the undersized hard working mad merkin. But in the backs it’s all about speed, power and how high a Merkin can jump.

Sadly the footballer is now replaced by the athlete.

 

[Gronk]

 

[Gronk]

Rumour sometimes end up duds