Mann Vs Aitken, who deserves the starting centre role?

[Objective View]

Euan Aitken stats source ... care of Dragons home page
https://www.dragons.com.au/teams/telstra-premiership/st-george-illawarra-dragons/euan-aitken/

Tim Lafai stats source ... care of Dragons home page
https://www.dragons.com.au/teams/telstra-premiership/st-george-illawarra-dragons/timoteo-lafai/

Defensive mistakes souce ... care of NRL.com
https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/01/19/the-best-and-worst-defensive-centres-in-the-nrl/


its black and white both on paper and on the field.

I'm certain mickeylane can also produce stats to prove McGregor's a good coach.

Straight Shooter

 

[RufusRex]

Then convince me why Aiken over lafai ..
What does he bring to the table that makes him the better option.

 

[Dragsters]

Mann/Aitken is a false comparison. Lafai should be no where near first grade.

Straight Shooter

Except that they are vying for the same position...

 

[Dennis Papaioannou]

No room for sentiment and it's not a matter of loyalty. Let form determine who is selected at right centre. Mann is ahead after the first trial game. If Mary thinks Aitken will be much better next game, then give them a half a game each at the CC. But I doubt very much Aitken will do better than Mann.

Moving Macdonald to the left wing and Mann replacing Aitken at right centre, has really plugged up our problematic right edge. Mann should be our right centre.

I find it ironic that Mann come to us at the time he was playing centre at Melbourne.
Mary pegged him as a utility.
So instead, he ended up playing FB, wing, half and spending copious amounts of time sitting on the bench getting splinters in his arse.
After 2 seasons of what seems to be, trial and error by McGregor, he looks like selecting Mann to play centre again...
Should have been in the starting 17 a long time ago and in a settled position IMO.
Utility? Mann is wasted in that role. He should be on the field 80 minutes.
Aitkin is not competitive against the top line centres in the comp. Never has been,
Totally agree that form should dictate team selection but switching Nightingale to his favoured right wing and shoring up Lafai's centre pairing - how insightful do you have to be as a coach to work that out??
It's something that should have been fixed ages ago.

 

[possm]

Except that they are vying for the same position...

Right now I wish we had not extended Lafai or Aitken. Mann at left centre and Lomax at right centre would do me fine. They have speed, elusiveness and good defence. If either were injured there are a few young guns that can take their place. Mann is already up to first grade standard and Lomax sure looks like a big improvement on both Aitken and Lafai.

 

[stretch neilsen]

Mann > Aitken.

Lomax will be better than both

 

[RufusRex]

And here we have seen gitano and objective views arguements on why lafai should be out of first grade

 

[The Damo]

And here we have seen gitano and objective views arguements on why lafai should be out of first grade

Yep. Honestly anyone arguing that Lafai isn’t up to first grade - when last year by any standard was in at least the top half dozen centres - is impervious to evidence.

 

[dragonssamy61]

Both had off season surgeries but Mann has come back in far superior condition to Aitken and it really showed yesterday.
The point here is Mann is ready, Aitken is probably a good month away from peak fitness.

Spot on Dragonslayer
Aitken has only recently been cleared for full contact.
So give both a run next week but start with mann

 

[monsterkev]

A

Definitely Aitken. Not even a question. So much more powerful in attack.

Mann isn't a centre, fullback or half. Good 14.

good to see you still have no clue Gitano
First time on the site for a long time and this is what greets me
You're the only person that bags Mann
Read all the comments
Mann is who we should be playing in the centres
I hope there is no more shitty comments from you like this one or you will be copping shit not just from me

 

[dragonssamy61]

Nice post, Lafai the better option, logically and statistically.

Yeah, people can back up their arguments with some very unconvincing points.

1. He is not a local junior - totally irrelevant - the same people who cry for player loyalty turn around and say " get rid of Nightingale ".
2. He makes mistakes - High at 29, same as J.Bird and B.Ferguson but gets away 4 times as many off - loads as those guys so it's a price I'm happy to pay. He's not dropping them cold.
3. He had a poor 1st season due to injury - has improved dramatically since and more to come.

Also 3 of Aitken's tries were against a slow and very flimsy Manly defence. I don't think they even laid a finger on him.

Agree also lafai is a reasonable back kicker.
If anything happens to widdop during the game.

 

[KiamaSaint]

And here we have seen gitano and objective views arguements on why lafai should be out of first grade

You forget mate, gitano has forgotten more about league than most people know*.






* That suggests to me he no longer knows anything about the game but maybe I misread his quote.

 

[KiamaSaint]

I find it ironic that Mann come to us at the time he was playing centre at Melbourne.
Mary pegged him as a utility.
So instead, he ended up playing FB, wing, half and spending copious amounts of time sitting on the bench getting splinters in his arse.
After 2 seasons of what seems to be, trial and error by McGregor, he looks like selecting Mann to play centre again...
Should have been in the starting 17 a long time ago and in a settled position IMO.
Utility? Mann is wasted in that role. He should be on the field 80 minutes.
Aitkin is not competitive against the top line centres in the comp. Never has been,
Totally agree that form should dictate team selection but switching Nightingale to his favoured right wing and shoring up Lafai's centre pairing - how insightful do you have to be as a coach to work that out??
It's something that should have been fixed ages ago.

He is the Mike Hussey of the Dragons.

 

[KiamaSaint]

I voted for Mann, I have been a fan for a while (CC has been a bigger one) but even I am surprised by the weight of this poll.

 

[gitano]

A

good to see you still have no clue Gitano
First time on the site for a long time and this is what greets me
You're the only person that bags Mann
Read all the comments
Mann is who we should be playing in the centres
I hope there is no more shitty comments from you like this one or you will be copping shit not just from me

Quality post.

Was there a point there somewhere, little fella?

 

[gitano]

I voted for Mann, I have been a fan for a while (CC has been a bigger one) but even I am surprised by the weight of this poll.

Never underestimate the power of a circle jerk.

Thankfully a worthless poll being conducted by clueless Derek's.

Nothin to see here.

 

[gitano]

He is the Mike Hussey of the Dragons.

Minus talent.

 

[gitano]

You forget mate, gitano has forgotten more about league than most people know*.






* That suggests to me he no longer knows anything about the game but maybe I misread his quote.

I know nothing about forums.

There's the problem and why I don't fit around these parts.

 

[gitano]

And here we have seen gitano and objective views arguements on why lafai should be out of first grade

I rate Lafai.
Mann isn't a centre. Or a half. Or a fullback.

 

[Crush]

Then convince me why Aiken over lafai ..
What does he bring to the table that makes him the better option.

On reflection I think we need to persist with Lafai for a while and see what we get from him this year. He really is a rocks and diamonds player.
I would say Mann and Lafai is our best option for now but I haven't written off Aitken either.
If Lafai continues to make errors though he will have to be replaced. I don't think you can just say ahh well take the good with the bad.