carlnz said:
PJ Marshal said:
the sad thing he has played 5/8 for NZ allready and everyone who plays 5/8 NZ career fall arse up like Leulaui and Hohaia
This kid has massive potential, and I honestly think under a top Australian coach, he would be a major asset that will come back and kick the Warriors up the ass.
Watch the Kiwi test last year that we won, the more confidence he had the more he tried different things which resulted in a couple tries.... He also set up one our two tries in this years test...
You cant blame him from leaving the warriors...
I disagree. He linked well in a couple of the tries. His kicking game in that test was not much to write home about, to the point that Monty Betham who is definitely NOT a kicker was taking responsibility out of hooker to compensate. Jerome Ropati was by far and away the superior five eighth at the Warriors this year, Leuluai's own performances did not warrant selection. This violin playing that he was treated badly in selection is woeful.
Thomas Leuluai seemed to get by on the shirt-tails of his old man, but from there didn't really turn it on. I've never seen a more inept performance from a half in NRL (apart from most of Mark McLinden's games) as the final 5 minutes Leuluai played against Canterbury earlier in the year. Here's an excerpt of his game, take the ball to the line when there's numbers out wide screaming for the ball, pass as he's about to get smashed to Jerry Seu Seu 15 metres out from the line, Jerry ain't going to score you a try from there, especially with 3 hombres about to belt the living crap out of him. Explanation-Hospital Pass of the century. I still believe if Ando hadn't been so ignorant in replacing Stacey Jones, we would have gone to extra time. On the last play where there numbers queing up out wide for a try, Stace would have directed play that way. Leuluai was a not a director of traffic, he didn't have a good running game, his passing game was ordinary, and his kicking game was laughable.
The try he helped Kidwell to score against Australia was well done, that was the first, and only time in his entire career he took the ball to the line and timed a ball off the hip to perfection. I genuinely believe the Australians were in shock that he did that. I don't believe it was anything overly special, just more a rude awakening that they hadn't anticipated.
Potential is one thing, I'm certainly not convinced that he is this mass superstar everyone is making out that he is because he may or may not be leaving - everyone seems to be crying a river for him, like its his funeral where even child porn pedaphiles get a wrap for being nice blokes deep down.
Having said that, Mick Watson was quoted in the papers as saying Leuluai had not been granted a release. I guess the plot thickens.
