Luai, the new JT?

[Valheru]

I suppose if it had to happen it's better now than a few rounds out from the finals. It gives Walker more time to get into the swing of 1st grade. Sualli as well I imagine.

Can't mope around about it, shit happens.

Look no further than the raiders and souths last year who lost Hodgson and Latrell to long term injuries respectively and still gave the finals a good crack.

Winning the comp is a long shot now, history says you need luck with injuries to go all the way but there is still a lot of talent in the team and if they are serious they should at least be providing a tough out for the top teams come finals time.

 

[The_Frog]

Luai isn't even the best 5/8 at the Panthers. Burton will prove to be the better player long term.

Big call, and a lot of our fans would have agreed with you based on his form when Cleary was out last year. But the brains trust thought otherwise and Luai certainly came through. My feeling is they place huge importance on keeping together the core of this side, which has been together for almost a decade already. Edwards-Naden-Luai-Cleary-FisherHarris-May-Leota. Robert Jennings was part of this group too. Would have been nice to make a utility out of Burton but we've already got one of those. So he was always going to look elsewhere, since halves are better paid anyway.

 

[MugaB]

Can't mope around about it, shit happens.

Look no further than the raiders and souths last year who lost Hodgson and Latrell to long term injuries respectively and still gave the finals a good crack.

Winning the comp is a long shot now, history says you need luck with injuries to go all the way but there is still a lot of talent in the team and if they are serious they should at least be providing a tough out for the top teams come finals time.

Luck?
Not luck, you need depth, and commitment, any team can have a stacked side, but if they are reliant on keary, cleary, peirce, reynolds etc then they have either shit depth or shit commitment or both

 

[Tommy Smith]

Luck?
Not luck, you need depth, and commitment, any team can have a stacked side, but if they are reliant on keary, cleary, peirce, reynolds etc then they have either shit depth or shit commitment or both

Absolute nonsense.

The likes of Keary, Teddy, Munster, Cleary, Latrell, Reynolds, and Wighton are integral to the Premiership hopes of the heavyweights.

No team will win the comp if they are missing the above superstars come finals time. The same likely applies for Koroisau, JFH, Kikau, Papy, Grant, George Williams, Hodgson, Papalii, Cody Walker...

Whichever of the heavyweight teams has all of the above stars available will likely play in the GF - just like last year.

 

[MugaB]

Absolute nonsense.

The likes of Keary, Teddy, Munster, Cleary, Latrell, Reynolds, and Wighton are integral to the Premiership hopes of the heavyweights.

No team will win the comp if they are missing the above superstars come finals time. The same likely applies for Koroisau, JFH, Kikau, Papy, Grant, George Williams, Hodgson, Papalii, Cody Walker...

Whichever of the heavyweight teams has all of the above stars available will likely play in the GF - just like last year.

Canberra and souths didn't make it to the GF, might have been coz they couldnt beat the teams with better depth

 

[Tommy Smith]

Do you pelicans even have a 5/8 for the rest of the year?

Ease up! I'm still a hurtin' over losing Keary and seeing our Premiership hopes go up in smoke due to another ACL.

Anyway when the Roosters aren't playing I'm on the Panthers bandwagon now as you're the only mob that can beat Souths to the title imo.

That soft draw will serve you well

 

[soc123_au]

Ease up! I'm still a hurtin' over losing Keary and seeing our Premiership hopes go up in smoke due to another ACL.

Anyway when the Roosters aren't playing I'm on the Panthers bandwagon now as you're the only mob that can beat Souths to the title imo.

That soft draw will serve you well

You will still make the 8. If Walker lives up to the hype you have the firepower to give it a crack still.

 

[innsaneink]

cocky lil blighter

 

[Meth]

Luai is a fantastic player to watch and he's on a hot streak. Comparing him to JT is any kind of meaningful way is over the top though. He has a long way to go to get near him.

I thought this was going to be about his competitiveness.

 

[MugaB]

Ease up! I'm still a hurtin' over losing Keary and seeing our Premiership hopes go up in smoke due to another ACL.

Anyway when the Roosters aren't playing I'm on the Panthers bandwagon now as you're the only mob that can beat Souths to the title imo.

That soft draw will serve you well

It was always going to be a soft draw, as we don't play anyone that finished above us from last season

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

Luai isn't even the best 5/8 at the Panthers. Burton will prove to be the better player long term.

Thurston wasnt the best 5/8 in his time at the dogs either, yes he was young but still..

I think Luai & Thurston are very different in style.

That said I generally hate it when a current player, in any sport, is called "the next (insert ex-player name)". All the greats of the game didn't start out in the game only to become a mirror image of a former great... Thurston, Lockyer, Lewis, Daley, Fittler, Johns...... never became another "Lewis, Sterling, Kenny, Mortimer" etc..

If a guy like Luai goes on to become a great 5/8, he won't be another Johnathan Thurston.. he may be compared to him in debate on who was better, but not referred to as another Thurston. And if he doesn't become a great, again, he won't be another Johnathan Thurston.

He's not in my team but I do like watching him play. He looks more like a true "footballer" in the halves rather than a set-play coordinator which has stifled the halves in recent times in my opinion.. I hope he does succeed, so it sets the bar for more "true footballers" to succeed in the position..

 

[Someguy]

I hope he does succeed, so it sets the bar for more "true footballers" to succeed in the position.

maybe Sandow can come back

 

[MugaB]

maybe Sandow can come back

But only when he has run the queen of the nile down to zero, ...
.
i think he still another 20cents left

 

[t-ba]

I thought this was going to be about his competitiveness.

GOAT LU meme right there. I miss it.

 

[myrrh ken]

Its a soft comp. Riff v South's gf with Parra lurking to upset

 

[MugaB]

Its a soft comp. Riff v South's gf with Parra lurking to upset

I'd have storm there abouts too, after last thursdays game, i wouldn't back against them

 

[GreenMachine121]

How about no ..... good player no doubt , has a way to go to be considered that good or competitive lol

 

[typicalfan]

You could even argue Burton could end up the better player, Burton almost took his position Luai saved by his combination with Cleary.

 

[Mr. Shaman]

He’s a bit of a grub, seems to type to enjoy a lads trips to Coffs. So yes.

 

[Glen]

I can see the comparison on one level. Acting like a twat every week under the guise of being “competitive”