Karawana: most improved?

[K-Man]

I think he is the most improved player in the club. And from some comments around here I get the impression some people decided he was useless in the past and don't even bother watching his game this year because they assume he is still useless now.

Smith has obviously told him to bulk up and put in the work to make the transition to the back row as his best chance of regular first grade. It has worked in my opinion. Every time he comes on he makes a few good runs. He's not massive but he hits it up at speed and with a bit of footwork in the mould of Mark Minichiello (and no I'm not actually saying he's like Minichiello other than in the style of play).

He's got a few linebreaks and half breaks this season already, although the commentators mostly ignore saying his name or think that it is Taia instead.

I'm also not the least bit interested in his match stats to do with work rate. Often these statistics are relied upon too heavily to decide if a player has performed well or not. Karawana's job is clearly not to make 40 tackles and 15 hit-ups. He probably only spends 20-30 minutes on the field and he's out there to give a backrower a rest, tackle well, make a few surging runs, and provide some skill and mobility around the centre of the field.

I'm liking his work, especially factoring in the money he'd be earning.

Anyone else been impressed or is it all negativity for Marvin?

 

[Karmawave]

I think Karawana has looked better as the team has played better.

Possibly the same can be said about Houston as well, but I'd put Houston and Taia up there with the most improving. Maybe Houston is merely meeting his true potential now while underachieving for most of last year, while Taia just seems to continue to get better each game.

One of the things our club struggles with I feel, is not having stand out performances when we lose. If you look at other teams, there is often a real stand out - almost man of the match performer - in losing teams. Apart from Kurt Gidley, we often don't have that with the Knights.

Though Taia is getting there with his solid performances week in week out , and lets hope Houston keeps it up as well. Hilder too.

Especially in the forwards, if you look at other teams, the Gallens, Lafranchi's, Dallas Johnson, Luck , Stagg etc, have the exact same workload win or lose every game and are always close to being best on the park.

If our team can replicate that, we'll win many more games than we lose.

 

[Bring it home Knights]

I wouldn't be selecting karawana in the team to play this weekend. Also why do we need another back rower? Let Karawana go and buy a front rower

 

[League_God]

I think Karawana has looked better as the team has played better.

Possibly the same can be said about Houston as well, but I'd put Houston and Taia up there with the most improving. Maybe Houston is merely meeting his true potential now while underachieving for most of last year, while Taia just seems to continue to get better each game.

One of the things our club struggles with I feel, is not having stand out performances when we lose. If you look at other teams, there is often a real stand out - almost man of the match performer - in losing teams. Apart from Kurt Gidley, we often don't have that with the Knights.

Though Taia is getting there with his solid performances week in week out , and lets hope Houston keeps it up as well. Hilder too.

Especially in the forwards, if you look at other teams, the Gallens, Lafranchi's, Dallas Johnson, Luck , Stagg etc, have the exact same workload win or lose every game and are always close to being best on the park.

If our team can replicate that, we'll win many more games than we lose.

spot on!

also i will actually further add to that, kurt plays best in struggling sides, his best form was in 07 when we were sh*te.

 

[Johns Magic]

Can't say I think he's doing anything special, but he's exceeded my expectations and bringing him on doesn't mean a drop of quality in the team's performance.

Put it this way, to me we now have another bench backrower in the club who I never considered before. I wouldn't want him starting though.

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

I wouldn't be selecting karawana in the team to play this weekend. Also why do we need another back rower? Let Karawana go and buy a front rower

Karawana would be on $80k at the very most, and can cover the backrow and at a pinch 5/8th. He'll never be in our 17 when we have our star forwards available, but in the same context he'll never let you done either, in short a great player to have for depth.

There are no frontrowers worth buying under a $150k, frontrowers and halves these days seem to have the most inflated price tags. Front rowers imparticular.

Would rather stick with Tolar, Cross, Faaoso, Wicks & Natsch. Also we can stick Houston and Simmo in their at a pinch.

 

[Peppers]

He's going ok but did give a away a penalty within 30 seconds of his arrival on Sunday.

 

[Jono078]

He's been average. So no, not most improved.

 

[B-dos]

i certainly dont rate him.

i think it was the game against manly when he was abysmal.

he isnt FG standard in my books

 

[Johns Magic]

For mine the most improved is Fa'as.

He and Taia will make the NZ team(if he's eligible) if we finish in the top 6.

 

[Frederick]

Fa'aoso and Houston are by far our most improved.

 

[Joker's Wild]

For mine the most improved is Fa'as.

He and Taia will make the NZ team(if he's eligible) if we finish in the top 6.

I think Fa'aoso is a Qlder of Tongan heritage so Im not sure he will be eligable for NZ.

Then agian Taia is a NSWer with Cook Island heritage and he is talking about playing for NZ so who the f**k knows what could happen.:crazy:

 

[aqua_duck]

I wouldn't be selecting karawana in the team to play this weekend. Also why do we need another back rower? Let Karawana go and buy a front rower

He's in the team because Pato ain't right yet. You say let him go and buy a prop like he's on big money, the money he's on wouldn't even get you Bryce Gibbs, he's not even part of the top 25 so would be on maybe 1/4 of the money Bryce Gibbs is on

 

[Johns Magic]

I think Fa'aoso is a Qlder of Tongan heritage so Im not sure he will be eligable for NZ.

LOL, when has that ever meant anything?

 

[Joker's Wild]

LOL, when has that ever meant anything?

:lol: What was I thinking, he is clearly eligable under the "Carroll rule"

 

[Serc]

Or the QLD rule :lol:

Anyway, particularly over the last month I think Karawana has been performing the job asked of him well, yeah I don't think he's amazing but has offered some reasonable value of late (especially given how much coin he'd be on)

And like Fred, Houston and Fa'aoso are my most improved this year so far. I'd also give a mention to Aku as well (obviously after people like Taia of course), even though his form has been like watching the weekly fuel cycle this time last year...mostly heading upwards but a few major ups and downs on a regular basis.

 

[Yosh]

Probably our best 18th man... I doubt if we have a full squad he'd get a look in but should always be our 18th man.

 

[Super Sub]

Karawana does the job asked of him but nothing more. A reasonable depth player that I'm glad to have when our forward pack is missing a few guys, but wouldn't get a look-in for our top side.

I remember when we first brought him over here from the bulldogs, wasn't he supposed to be this gun 5/8? And now we have turned him into an average backrower with a little ball-playing ability. If we had developed him in the position that we brought him over here for then maybe our halves issue would be solved by now with Mullen at halfback and Karawana at 5/8... Did we squander a good opportunity to develop this guy a couple of years ago? Or was his form poor to the point where he has had to bulk up and become a backrower to make our first grade side?

 

[roopy]

We forget how young he is because he wasn't a Knights junior, but like Jimmy Fawcett we bought him the year he got too old for juniors, so he is 22.
This is his first year as a forward, and he is improving quickly as a forward, but he still has all his 5/8 skills if we need them.
He can be anything in time.

 

[Adsy]

I thought this thread said 'Karmawave: most improved?' :lol:

On topic: Marv has been good for us this year in doing what we have needed from him. He should really have two tries from the last two games. Also he replaced Hilder last week and there wasn't a drop in the standard of defence, which is one area i think he really has improved in.