antonius said:
Yep JM is correct Newton was bloody awefull when he first came into first grade, you'd cringe every time he had the ball.
Troy Fletcher-bad he was. The main problem being his sloppy ball handling.... knock-on central it was. But he's turned it all around, to his credit, and is now up there with Simpson as our 1st choice selections in the forwards.
Regarding Perry: It's interesting. I'm not in favour of keeping him if he is costing us more than about $120,000 a year. It's big money to be earning when you're giving away cheap penalties, dropping the ball, getting suspended and getting injured. It's also big money when other forwards think you're soft, and you only provide a rebutal to the reputation when contract time comes.
But, just like last time, I genuinely hope that someone grabs him by the scruff of the neck and pulls him into line. I don't think Hagan is that sort of coach. Ricky Stuart is.... but he lets himself down in other areas. What Perry needs is discipline.... four years after his breakthrough year in 2001, he's still costing us metres because he gives away cheap penalties and drops the ball.
I would have sooner let him go elsewhere. The club doesn't have the resources to keep him fit, let alone disciplined. But now that he has signed, it's time for someone to get alongside him and get his game in order. He showed glimpses of what he needed to do on Sunday, but let himself down with stupid penalties, meat-headed penalties in fact, and some dropped-ball.
I hope, for our sake, the $200,000 buys us a prop with a bit of grunt, a bit of don't-argue but more importantly a prop that knows exactly where the line is, and knows how to avoid crossing it. He could be great -- but can he discipline himself to reach his potential?