Jennings

[Chicken_Hunter]

He has been talked about sporadically in a few threads, probably deserves its own thread. Should we make a play for him?

Pros
Provides much needed pace in our centres
Won't deprive aku ball and will probably create a lot of opportunities for him

Cons
Off field dramas
Salary cap space that could be spent on forwards

IMO I think we need a quality centre, T only has a few years left at best and is lacking a bit of pace, sau and wes are solid at best. Likiliki and matautia seem to be on the outer and lack first grade experience. We desperately need a good centre inside Aku, if we had a centre with blistering speed and skill inside aku the combination could be devastating. I believe that a quality centre like Jennings would be just as good as a solid front rower. Discuss

 

[Nuffy]

Good player and if he gets his head right and has a reasonable run with injuries, then he could be all time great as he has got it all.

We are no chance though, he'd want far too much money and its hard to see Penrith releasing him anytime soon.

 

[Jono078]

It's really the perfect opportunity for us.

We are in dire need of a star centre, we have maybe a top 3 or top 5 centre in the game available to us now!

As I said, I believe we tell the Panthers we'll send them Sau or the Naiqama brothers and Joel Edwards if they want for Jennings.

Front rowers you can find cheap and they end up being solid enough to get the job done.

A star centre is much harder to come by. It will improve Aku's game, Boyd's game, basically who ever plays on his side and links up with him!

 

[RABK]

Too much money. Bennett met Gagai in brisbane this week. If we are able to get him he'd be a much better buy all things considered.

In Gagai and Sione Mata'utia, providing we are able to hold onto both of them, we'd have two future Australian centres.

 

[Chicken_Hunter]

I am not really prepared to wait much longer for a quality centre to partner Aku. Aku needs a rep quality centre inside him now. We need to unleash him in the next 1-3 years if we are ever going to be a title threat. Isn't Sione only 16? or is that chanel?

 

[RABK]

Sione is 15 yes. But Gagai is first grade ready now. Under Bennett, 100k, talent galore - win, win, win.

Jennings is a left centre, you do realise Aku is a right winger? Unless you think Jennings is capable of throwing 40 metre cut out passes 500k thrown at Jennings isn't the answer to our Uate starvation problem.

All these people suggesting or thinking that switching players across field is as simple as slapping a different number on their back have little idea how hard it is defending outwide. Jennings and Tahu have played their entire centre careers on the left. They have all their confidence and natural instincts trained into sliding to their left shoulder and moving up and in on second rowers leading with the right shoulder. Aku same story, sides reversed. It really isn't a simply adjustment at all, especially not in first grade. The single biggest headache for Ricky Stuart in selecting his Origin side would have been the fact that he had to select either Josh Morris or Chris Lawrence at right centre with both been left centres. He would have number crunched a shitload of stats to see who could handle it best.

 

[perverse]

depends on how much he costs. according to this article he is on hefty cash. if the Panthers footed some (a lot) of the bill then maybe. otherwise no way. he's not worth close to that figure. it seems like he has a pretty shithouse attitude, too.

definitely interested in Gagai. he looks to be a star. have heard he's also got an attitude problem. I assume we can get him effective immediately? might be hard with the cap given that we just squeezed Willie in.

 

[hugzy]

Jennings doesnt.pass the ball... We need one of the following inside aku:

Tahu
Lyon
Tate- my pick cuz that guy does NOT make a wrong decision
Inglis


I cant believe im racking my brains to think of another centre who can setup his winger. The leagur is srsly full of these dumb f**k centres who dummy and goes when its 2 on 1 eg:

Josh dumb f**k morris
Jarrod ULTRA dumb f**k croker
Justin df hodges
Israel foloo when he played nrl
Jamal idris

I can name another 20 isnt it like a BASIC skill to draw and pass?

 

[Chicken_Hunter]

Sione is 15 yes. But Gagai is first grade ready now. Under Bennett, 100k, talent galore - win, win, win.

Jennings is a left centre, you do realise Aku is a right winger? Unless you think Jennings is capable of throwing 40 metre cut out passes 500k thrown at Jennings isn't the answer to our Uate starvation problem.

All these people suggesting or thinking that switching players across field is as simple as slapping a different number on their back have little idea how hard it is defending outwide. Jennings and Tahu have played their entire centre careers on the left. They have all their confidence and natural instincts trained into sliding to their left shoulder and moving up and in on second rowers leading with the right shoulder. Aku same story, sides reversed. It really isn't a simply adjustment at all, especially not in first grade. The single biggest headache for Ricky Stuart in selecting his Origin side would have been the fact that he had to select either Josh Morris or Chris Lawrence at right centre with both been left centres. He would have number crunched a shitload of stats to see who could handle it best.

Ahhh good point, I didnt even bother to think what side he played on..

My concern is, is gagai going to just turn out like another prospect like Sau, or is he going to step up to the next level. Because we already have a bunch of guys who can talk the talk, but cant necessarily walk the walk

 

[The Showstopper]

Was Gagai being touted to replace Hodges? Reed seems to have left centre sorted. I get a bit sick of this gay guy pronunciation the commentators seem to think is funny. It is typical homophobic bulls###.

 

[shane1970]

Was Gagai being touted to replace Hodges? Reed seems to have left centre sorted. I get a bit sick of this gay guy pronunciation the commentators seem to think is funny. It is typical homophobic bulls###.

.
:lol: - gay guy - gag ai - much the same if you ask me - how else are they supposed to pronounce it ? I suggest Dane Gaga-i - and this topic is a about Jennings - Class and all but $600K NO WAY !

 

[Rod]

No club will take him off the Panthers for 600k, they'll have to foot half of that themselves.

I'd have him at the Knights for 300k though.

 

[Spot On]

No club will take him off the Panthers for 600k, they'll have to foot half of that themselves.

I'd have him at the Knights for 300k though.

Exactly. He is possibly worth 300K on rep and potential but recent form and attitude quickly makes that sum look princely. Gould knows he is massively overpaid and has returned didly-squat on their investment. A very, very, very generous sum of money that will see him earn 700K a year toward the end of the current deal. Insane. He'd want to be scoring 20+ tries every year and setting up another 20 for that money. Needless to say he will do neither.

The Queensland centres have been heard to say the had hoped NSW would pick Jennings as they don't rate him defensively. We'll see after this series. Maybe having Carney will make a huge difference?

I agree with RABK. If Bennett can snare Gagai for little money and work with him for a few years he could be anything. A cheaper gamble on a bloke with massive potential. Smart buy.

 

[aqua_duck]

I watched Gagai in Qld cup yesterday and I tell you what the guy is abit of a gun, kind of a smaller version of G.I but quicker.

 

[Whats Doing]

I watched Gagai in Qld cup yesterday and I tell you what the guy is abit of a gun, kind of a smaller version of G.I but quicker.

Might be smaller than GI but still quite big. Plays right centre too and pace to burn

 

[aqua_duck]

Might be smaller than GI but still quite big. Plays right centre too and pace to burn

No doubt. To be honest I was abit skeptical until I saw him playing centre in Qld cup and he looked way too good in that comp. The bloke would be about 92-93kg at present, put another few kg of muscle on him and he'll be a gun

 

[Joker's Wild]

Sione is 15 yes. But Gagai is first grade ready now. Under Bennett, 100k, talent galore - win, win, win.

Jennings is a left centre, you do realise Aku is a right winger? Unless you think Jennings is capable of throwing 40 metre cut out passes 500k thrown at Jennings isn't the answer to our Uate starvation problem.

All these people suggesting or thinking that switching players across field is as simple as slapping a different number on their back have little idea how hard it is defending outwide. Jennings and Tahu have played their entire centre careers on the left. They have all their confidence and natural instincts trained into sliding to their left shoulder and moving up and in on second rowers leading with the right shoulder. Aku same story, sides reversed. It really isn't a simply adjustment at all, especially not in first grade. The single biggest headache for Ricky Stuart in selecting his Origin side would have been the fact that he had to select either Josh Morris or Chris Lawrence at right centre with both been left centres. He would have number crunched a shitload of stats to see who could handle it best.

Seems pretty comfortable on the right to me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0ciP0E9qhk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPhJ9mQ70-8

 

[RABK]

You'll have to let him borrow your time machine.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

I haven't seen much of Gagai but I remember him being one of the unlimited crop of quality young players the Broncos always seem to have and I wouldn't mind us throwing him a line if we could get him cheap.

Seems odd though that we are looking for a centre when supposedly Liki is going so well in NSW Cup. Surely he would get the first look in wouldn't he if Sau and Wes are deemed not up to the job? The guy has played a couple of average FG games with us but our whole team was poor on those occasions, one of which being that game against the Dogs *shudders* I would think that based on this year's form that would warrant another shot at FG this year if need be.

 

[Johns Magic]

If he can't pass he's useless to Uate.

In saying that I'd rather see him given a go than Sau.