MANLY SIGN KYLIE LEULUAI

[chileman]

"Manly today signed tough ex Parramatta,Roosters and Junior Kiwi prop Kylie Leuluai to a one year contract.
Leuluai will attend the orientation day on Friday and start training with the Manly NRL squad next Monday.
Leuluai played 10 NRL games with Parramatta in 2003 and is a dynamite hitter in defence.
He comes to the Sea Eagles with former team mates Daniel Heckenberg,Shayne Dunley and Jeff Robson from the Eels.
Utility forward Nathan Hollingsworth from Parramatta and Nathan Tutt from St.George have also agreed to terms for next season." - Admin from mightyeagles.com

 

[swoop]

Great stuff!! They just keep coming. We've gone from having 2 or 3 props to a team of props!!!!!

 

[LyonHeart]

He'll just be a back up prop for you guys.
We had too many props in front of him, Cayless, Vella, Cannings, Pearson, Tsoulos, Peek

 

[swoop]

He'll just be a back up prop for you guys.
We had too many props in front of him, Cayless, Vella, Cannings, Pearson, Tsoulos, Peek

He might have been a back-up prop for Parramatta but a lot of players that have been let go by your mob have gone on to be regular 1st graders! i.e Drew, Mogg, Hindmarsh, Ryan,Schicofscke etc, etc.....

 

[chileman]

He'll just be a back up prop for you guys.
We had too many props in front of him, Cayless, Vella, Cannings, Pearson, Tsoulos, Peek

Cannings is a great buy for you...we'll miss him

 

[The Colonel]

He'll just be a back up prop for you guys.
We had too many props in front of him, Cayless, Vella, Cannings, Pearson, Tsoulos, Peek

He might have been a back-up prop for Parramatta but a lot of players that have been let go by your mob have gone on to be regular 1st graders! i.e Drew, Mogg, Hindmarsh, Ryan,Schicofscke etc, etc.....

Funny story is all those players you mentioned bar Mogg were regular first graders when they were at Parramatta anyway.

Leuluai is a good defender, hits very hard but doesn't offer much in attack. He hasn't been able to establish himself in first grade - he is now 27 years old so I doubt he will be playing much more than Premier League unless injuries wreck your season. Your club would have been better to hold on to Danny Lima and Tony Jensen as opposed to buying Leuluai.

 

[chileman]

Your club would have been better to hold on to Danny Lima and Tony Jensen as opposed to buying Leuluai.

No arguments here from me on Lima...I was sad to see him go....Jensen just wasn't up to first grade peak after his injury!

 

[swoop]

Yes, Most were regular 1st graders with no form. As soon as they left they turned out to be very,very good 1st graders! I wonder if the coaching has something to do with it???? ;-)

 

[swoop]

Your club would have been better to hold on to Danny Lima and Tony Jensen as opposed to buying Leuluai.

No arguments here from me on Lima...I was sad to see him go....Jensen just wasn't up to first grade peak after his injury!

Jensen was very enthusiastic but his lack of size was the problem. And I'm sure there's something more to the Lima story. There must of been a fallout between him and the club.

This question has to be asked, if Lima was so good why hasn't other clubs chased him??

 

[The Colonel]

Yes, Most were regular 1st graders with no form. As soon as they left they turned out to be very,very good 1st graders! I wonder if the coaching has something to do with it???? ;-)

Ian Hindmarsh..... was one of the Eels best in 2002. Struggled with injury this year at tha Raiders but was among their best when fit.

Andrew Ryan - played well and was picked for NSW from the Eels. Has struggled to find a starting spot at the Dogs but was finding his way late in the year.

Brad Drew - yes he has had his moments at the Raiders though his form fell away much like it did at the Eels. Aagain struggled with injury late in the season.

Schifcofske - his form was never in question at the Eels. He was going to play behind Hodgson as the second string fullback or on the wing so he left. His form has improved since he left - and given what happened to Hodgson would have been good if he stayed. Of all that has left his form has risen better than anyones.

One from four with your reasoning isn't too bad I suppose.


You wanted an honest opinion on Leuluai I gave it. He has only been at the Eels for a year - a journeyman at the best. If he was any good he would have been kept by the Roosters anyway. He won't play ahead of Rennie, Heckenberg, Cleal, King, Haumono, Donnelly etc. He'll be good value as a reserve grader - was given the Players player award for Prem. League. But he has probably missed the boat at 27 to be a regular fuirst grader.

 

[swoop]

You're kidding! If they were so good why do you let them go? Don't give me that "we couldn't fit them under the cap" You went and bought Green, Dykes and a host of other players!

Drew, Hindmarsh and Schifcoske blossomed and have played their best football since they've left! I agree that Ryan had a disappointing year.

 

[The Colonel]

Actually no I'm not kidding.

And I also ask myself the same question as to why we let Hindmarsh and Schifcofske go.

Drew did have a good start to the year but found himself back on the bench late in the season and injured in the last few weeks. He isn't a bad player but I wouldn't play him ahead of Morris.

Ian didn't blossom but he did get out of the shadow of his brother - he was always that good but just didn't get the chance to shine behind his brother. He did however move to Canberra as he was offered a) good dollars and b) had bought a farm not far from there in Cowra. I still think we should have been offering him good money to stay rather than let him go but maybe it wouldn't have changed his mind.

Schifcofske left because of a clash with the coach - two stubborn personalities - as well as the oppurtunity to cement a first grade fullback spot. We shouldn't have let him go but thats in the past now.

Green was on match payments..... and probably was lucky to get that and we had Dykes at the club a full twelve months before Ian, Andrew and Drew left.

 

[MR GEORGE]

kylie biggest problem is fitness.

 

[fish]

Drew did have a good start to the year but found himself back on the bench late in the season and injured in the last few weeks. He isn't a bad player but I wouldn't play him ahead of Morris

Not having a go but drew was the reason you guys made the grand final and was one of your best alongside cayless and hindmarsh.I know if he was at my club and they let him go I would be pissed.
There was also stu kelly,until the broncs lost their last 8 games this year,he was having a great season.

 

[Nikki]

Kylie has had a few fitness problems, but is a great buy none the less. I think you guys getting Crusher back is already paying off. The fact that you have signed about 8 - 10 parra players just goes to show who the boys respect more....

 

[Ron Jeremy]

Yes, Most were regular 1st graders with no form. As soon as they left they turned out to be very,very good 1st graders! I wonder if the coaching has something to do with it???? ;-)

Andrew Ryan is overatted & he reached his potential in 2001 mainly on the back of other performing Parra forwards, it's no coincidence that his form with the dogs has been very ordinary with the likes of Steve Reardon keeping out of a starting berth.

Ian Hindmarsh, this might shock a few people but i don't think his loss was all that big a deal & feel he isn't anything to ride home about as a player, just an honest toiler no different to a John Fearnley or in Manlys case a David Hosking.

Look this is the scenario....we had the likes of Drew, Ryan & Ian Hindmarsh at Parra in 2002 and yet we ended up wining more games this year then last.

With the likes of Ryan & Ian Hindmarsh last year we ended up wining something like 3 or 4 games from our last 15!!, the reason we wen't bad this year was due to a horrific injury toll.

As for Brad Drew??...His form for Parra late last year was terrible & with younger utilitys at our disposal next year in the likes of Thorman & Morris he wouldn't of made first grade.