Is the hate warranted for Pompey, Ford & Afoa?

[Wheeled Warrior]

The title says it all I guess.

I am certainly a fan of Pompey and that hasn't changed since he joined our club.
I love his strength and balance. Has a good fend and is starting to grow into his role (Albeit, it may be a little slow for some fans)
I just don't think the hate this bloke gets. If you are forever improving in your game (Stats too) then that's going upwards not downwards IMHO. I understand he sometimes doesn't use his size to his advantage in the past but with Webby on-board he is getting physical now and almost winning the battle one on one OR sometimes with more than one defender.
RTS is coming I know but having Pompey as a backup is a MUST.

Jackson Ford I hear people dislike due to his infringements (Currently leading the NRL) and I get the hate. But in saying that I feel Ford still has more positives than negatives in his game. I like how he seems to get better as the game matures. Slow starter but his gradual involvement comes at the right times. If somehow he could taper down the enthusiasm on defence he be talked about in a better light.
The week or weeks off will be handy for the long season.

Bunty Afoa for me is the easiest of the 3 listed to justify hate. Afoa seems to have plateaued in his role and hasn't added anything to his developing game for quite some time now. Not sure what the team has planned for Afoa but I feel a stint back in NSW is required to get some mongrel back in that motor of his or give him a stint in 2nd row to freshen his game up. Either way we need Afoa to fire on cylinders to get the best out of him. I think he's only had 1-2 dominant good games to date in the Warriors jersey. If he cannot aim up unleash a new hungry forward from our NSW Cup.

Thoughts?

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Pretty much agree on all three. Pompey had a limited ceiling due to his lack of pace but is realising his potential in other areas now (strength, football nous, attitude)
Fords strengths are obvious, just needs to cut out the infringements.
Bunty I think we know what we can get with him and it’s a matter of utilising him correctly. He’s good on the big kick-off returns and at making his tackles but needs to be paired with the right front row partners to be part of an effective unit.

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

Pretty much agree on all three. Pompey had a limited ceiling due to his lack of pace but is realising his potential in other areas now (strength, football nous, attitude)
Fords strengths are obvious, just needs to cut out the infringements.
Bunty I think we know what we can get with him and it’s a matter of utilising him correctly. He’s good on the big kick-off returns and at making his tackles but needs to be paired with the right front row partners to be part of an effective unit.

I'm guessing since he done his ACL back in 2020 he hasn;t been the same. (No player really is) so maybe I am being a bit too harsh on the guy.

 

[Matua]

I think Ford's being going ok. As an Oz import I'm not as annoyed with him like I have been with others in the past.

 

[Fufu Andronez]

Its hard to be too annoyed with them as they are probably 3 of our lowest paid players.

In terms of effort/output to cost ratio, they aren't going that bad. They will be very good squad depth next year when we have our Top Liners all available.

 

[Scott]

I get more annoyed at the usage of Pompey, rather than disliking him as a player. He cam clearly play, and has all the skills. I think he is a specialist left centre. All his skills are suited to that position.

Afoa & Ford are nothing more than role players. I'd say they provide reasonably good value for money.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Afoa & Ford are nothing more than role players. I'd say they provide reasonably good value for money.

Put it this way - I could see both (and Pompey) at the Storm or Panthers. All the sorts of player who can be very effective coached and used right. And I think Webster is getting there with that.

 

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

If i had to choose to keep 2 id go Pompey and Ford

Afoa meh

 

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

Pompey reminds me of Vinny Anderson. He is the exact player we need at centre plus he feeds the winger

 

[Penrose_11]

I think Afoa’s going great. He’s not the elite big bopper but he’ll be coming at a fraction of AFBs $800k. Gotta keep the books balanced somehow. I’d say he’s on par with Lindsey Collins at Rorters and even Welch at Melbourne. And both play origin. Both starting solid players. Other than Panthers, what other teams have to top level starting props? Canberra probably about it

 

[JJ]

all 3 are fine, most clubs have these sorts of role players, not everyone can have the Roosters roster

 

[Meth]

Pompey has some noticeable weaknesses and makes some very questionable decisions at times. I think he's been better overall this year. The main frustration was when he was seen to be holding out somebody who had more potential upside, but that hasn't really been the case this year.

I like Afoa, generally. Hasn't been at his best this year.

I wouldn't have thought Ford gets hate on here. I feel like I don't rate him as highly as many on here and I'm in the minority on that front. As I have said previously, I see him as a depth signing. He's kinda where Tevaga was a season or two ago, where he would always cough up an error, a penalty or a ruck infringement at just the wrong time. In any event, Curran, Niukore and Harris are all clearly better than him.

 

[Fufu Andronez]

I think Afoa’s going great. He’s not the elite big bopper but he’ll be coming at a fraction of AFBs $800k. Gotta keep the books balanced somehow. I’d say he’s on par with Lindsey Collins at Rorters and even Welch at Melbourne. And both play origin. Both starting solid players. Other than Panthers, what other teams have to top level starting props? Canberra probably about it

Have to disagree with this. He is nowhere near on par with Lindsay Collins or Christian Welch. Bunty is a 30 minute player, the others are 50 minute plus players and they make a ton more metres too. He's a role player for us as evidenced by the low minutes he gets from Webby. Hopefully Ale develops into our 2nd top liner.

Metres over the last 4 years:
Welch - 128m, 116m, 139m, 124m
Collins - 122m, 98m, 141m, 118m,
Afoa - 60m, 89m, 70m, 89m

 

[sup42]

Pompey is an outstanding one on one tackler against Alpha NRL Stars like Val Holmes.

Val has had two quiet games thanks to Pompey. You cannot overestimate how important his marking up is.

We have seen him own Gagai, contain Latrell.

Most of what I hear complaints about Pompey are that people wish he had more pace. If he had more pace he would be Latrell Mitchell and we couldn't afford him, the exact same argument applies to Ed Kosi, if Ed was faster he would be the Beast.

Anyway I hope you all saw Pompeys break against the Dogs, he was flying, got run down but showed enough toe to prove his preseason hype was bang on the money, he is much quicker than last year.

Bunty ironically had his best game this season in the same dogs game, he was the chief line bender in the opening ten.

Ford I am wary of because none of us know what he is really like, He started out well, and turned to Rocks.

I read that he has the most six again infringements in the comp, if true and that keeps up he has to go.

Till then the Jury's out for mine.

I forgot to mention Pompeys kick returns are gold...I will be pretty stressed when he is not in our team, he brings a lot with doing boring shyte that would tax our forwards without him.

I bet SJ and the forwards love Pompey.

Agreed with the OP that these kinds of guys like Pompey are showing the ability learn, throw Kosi in there too.

In fact you could make a long list under Webster regarding hit and miss guys who are steadily improving:

To get better than Pompey we are gonna have to spend more on a center. What would Bellamy do??? trim elsewhere? or simplify roles for cheap moneyball tradesmen.

 

[sup42]

Have to disagree with this. He is nowhere near on par with Lindsay Collins or Christian Welch. Bunty is a 30 minute player, the others are 50 minute plus players and they make a ton more metres too. He's a role player for us as evidenced by the low minutes he gets from Webby. Hopefully Ale develops into our 2nd top liner.

Metres over the last 4 years:
Welch - 128m, 116m, 139m, 124m
Collins - 122m, 98m, 141m, 118m,
Afoa - 60m, 89m, 70m, 89m

Bunty has struggled for meters in the past but you also need to look at minutes played. The warriors usually use him to Rest guys that can play eighty minutes and as a tackler as much as anything

 

[Meth]

Definitely not on par with Collins or Welch.

 

[JJ]

Definitely not on par with Collins or Welch.

No, they weren’t the right names imo

 

[Leber]

Not sure where the Afoa hate comes from.

Pompey is dead average, but so are all of our other centres.

Ford was super average at the dragons, had a few great weeks for us, now seems average again. A good fringe player for mine.

 

[vvvrulz]

Bunty always always struck me as someone who's on the cusp of finding his top gear, but just never seems to find it.

 

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

Have to disagree with this. He is nowhere near on par with Lindsay Collins or Christian Welch. Bunty is a 30 minute player, the others are 50 minute plus players and they make a ton more metres too. He's a role player for us as evidenced by the low minutes he gets from Webby. Hopefully Ale develops into our 2nd top liner.

Metres over the last 4 years:
Welch - 128m, 116m, 139m, 124m
Collins - 122m, 98m, 141m, 118m,
Afoa - 60m, 89m, 70m, 89m

I loled at the original post. Afoa is 3 tiers below Welch and Collins. The stats prove it