Euan Aitken

[blacksafake]

Just want to get peoples opinion of Euan so far.I must admit i haven't seen him coming through the grades only what i have seen this year.He does seem good in defence with plenty of ticker but attack wise so far i'm yet to see him beat anyone.There was talk when he came into the team that he was not on his preferred side,but since being moved there seems little improvement in his attack.There was some talk in the press pre season about him being the next big thing & I'm not asking for him to be replaced as i'm more than happy with how he is coping in the top grade & it can take time to feel comfortable enough to play to your strengths without thinking about making mistakes.I would just like to hear what those that have seen much more of him coming through the grades think about his progress so far.

 

[Weipa Dragon]

I've been watching him and get him mixed up with Joel thompson at times with that top gun iceman haircut. Yeah I agree that he doesn't exactly beat people but he runs hard and backs up. I think he is playing it safe at the moment to keep his spot and to gain that experience. He is a bit of a TNT waiting to explode I think. Strong defender and just waiting for the right time to take off attack wise . For. 19, it feels good to have the juniors in first grade. Add one of those halves( not sure when) like crook or hutch and maybe if Eto gets dropped give kiti a run, will be a strong blend of youth and old heads. Yeah, he will be our centre for years I think.

 

[bottle]

Very young as Weipa says. I can't comment on him coming through the juniors, but he is certainly tough for a kid his age. Usually manges to drag himself a few more metres forward once the defense engages.
I don't know that at this stage he has offered anything more than Farrell did, although he has probably provided a few less poor decisions. Doesn't have the silkiness of Pete M on the other side, but has some toughness about him. Hopefully develops into a Matt Cooper type with the ability to bullock over in time.
At this point in time he isn't critical to the side in an attacking sense, other than the fact that we are thin for options in the centres.

 

[hazzbeen]

Very young as Weipa says. I can't comment on him coming through the juniors, but he is certainly tough for a kid his age. Usually manges to drag himself a few more metres forward once the defense engages.
I don't know that at this stage he has offered anything more than Farrell did, although he has probably provided a few less poor decisions. Doesn't have the silkiness of Pete M on the other side, but has some toughness about him. Hopefully develops into a Matt Cooper type with the ability to bullock over in time.
At this point in time he isn't critical to the side in an attacking sense, other than the fact that we are thin for options in the centres.

well said......

 

[dragonsman4eva]

Personally I think he is going well. Doesn't shirk any task in defence or attack and has come up against the best centres in the game and kept them quiet. His attack will develop. I don't think he has had a lot of opportunity one on one with his opposite. Happy with his progress

 

[Get2dachopper!]

Slow burner, like Cooper when he came on the scene in 2001. Took a few seasons to find his feet. Aitken is very similar to Cooper.

 

[BrissyRedV]

He will continue to develop. Still only very young and still getting used to the physical demands of 1st grade. He has been great in defence as mentioned and kept some very good players quiet. On offense, again as mentioned, doesn't shirk the hard yards. Yet to see him really stand up an opposition player or make a clean break so will be interesting to see how he develops with this and also how our game plan develops as well. Our attack tends to favour hitting our hard running 2nd rowers or going out the back to the FB instead of hitting the centres so will be good to see it develop into some early ball for our centres as well.

 

[blacksafake]

Slow burner, like Cooper when he came on the scene in 2001. Took a few seasons to find his feet. Aitken is very similar to Cooper.

I'll be more than happy if he turns out 1/2 as good as Coops.

 

[BennyV]

Young kid who looks comfortable in first grade. While he isnt dominating (shouldnt be expected to at his age) he doesn't do a whole lot wrong. Best thing is his work ethic, and because of that we can expect him to explode over the next few years.

Watching him in 20s last year, he is deceptively strong, often carrying 3-4 defenders with him to score. Can break tackles too. Will come good.

 

[since77]

Seems very strong for his size, is rarely tackled without gaining a few extra metres and always seems like he's got the potential to break the line. He's been solid without being spectacular. Well worth sticking with if he can develop his game.
Peter M on the other side of the field is the one we need to lock up ASAP - he's been great and will only get better.

 

[R&WTILLIDIE]

The kid is 19 years old.

Anyone who can play as good as he has been at the age of 19 is a star in the making.

 

[dungay dragon]

Has done really well in his debut season
Would like to see him get some Clean Ball and room to move to show us what speed he has
Plays it tough like a back rower
Didnt Benny Creagh start in the backs as well ?

 

[bottle]

Has done really well in his debut season
Would like to see him get some Clean Ball and room to move to show us what speed he has
Plays it tough like a back rower
Didnt Benny Creagh start in the backs as well ?

He got some clean air against Souffs when PM put the move on Walker and got him away. He ain't that fast, he got run down.

 

[dragonsman4eva]

He had a hamstring injury that night

 

[hardbaby]

I really like him. Super fit. Very strong. Defends well. Big work rate. Very promising.

 

[possm]

Yea, I like him too and hope we keep him long term.

Bird still has not signed with the Sharks for 2016. If we are not re-signing Mata 'Utia, I'd love to see them sign Bird as our left center.

 

[Hutty1986]

Seems to be more about the physicality in attack and breaking the line with sheer power, rather than showing a great deal of footwork. Has a massive future and plenty of improvement to come.

 

[bottle]

He had a hamstring injury that night

Did he? Fair enough.
How fast is he then? I honestly haven't seen him in space to be able to tell.

 

[TheRev]

Hes a slow burner imo.. im sure we overpaid for him (as per usual) buying him after a week of hype.. but down the track I agree I see a cooper style player, extremely fit, trains like a demon.. strong..

Not sure if hes at full speed at the moment, hes definitely better on the right though, hes starting to look more dangerous in attack, though to be fair Mata'utai is clearly a class above in footwork.

But Aitken is defending most of the time pretty well, im happy that hes not letting us down, and the pay off will come later.. as others mentioned we dont play a lot of classic backline movements on the right either.

 

[The Nick]

Slow burner, like Cooper when he came on the scene in 2001. Took a few seasons to find his feet. Aitken is very similar to Cooper.

I was going to say he reminds me a lot of Cooper. Even a splash of Beau Scott. Wouldn't be surprised if he ends up in the back row later in his career.

He hasn't broken the game open yet but I've been more than happy with his contributions. As a rookie he is infinitely better than Green IMO.