Rd10: 750pm Parra v Dolphins GAME DAY THREAD @ Commbank 8/5/25

[DaveMc]

Hang on the 2 on 1 was JAC and Dylan Brown....
But I agree with the rest of what ur saying

Yeah apologies, I mixed that up. Doesn’t change my broader opinion though. I can’t understand how it’s even controversial.

 

[Matty Bhoy]

Mate, we lost tonight on the back of a drop of a bomb that all first grade fullbacks (Iongi included) catch 98 percent of the time, and by butchering a simple two on one overlap to win the game. He’s not the least of our problems - he’s straight up a problem. He’s been really, really ordinary so far.

I’ve said many times that I don’t mind persisting with him for the moment, in what is obviously another failure of a season that in retrospect will be billed as a total rebuild year (but jeez it’d be nice to hear the club tell us up front to expect nothing for the season when they’re fleecing us of our bucks for memberships and merchandise). But you are absolutely kidding yourself if you think Iongi has been anything other than exceptionally ordinary so far. Put it this way - which fullback in the comp would you currently put below him in rankings? I can’t think of one.

You do realise he didn’t butcher the two on one overlap? I assume you do but if you were at the game perhaps not.

He hasn’t been ordinary. He’s been getting rave reviews in a beaten side. Yeah he’s dropped a bomb which hurt tonight, a miskick that he had to come screaming forward for and didn’t get it. Anthony Minichiello couldn’t catch a cold when he entered first grade. Give him time, he’s the least of our issues.

Would you rather him or Titans fullback Jaylen DeGroot? Both rookies.

 

[DaveMc]

You do realise he didn’t butcher the two on one overlap? I assume you do but if you were at the game perhaps not.

He hasn’t been ordinary. He’s been getting rave reviews in a beaten side. Yeah he’s dropped a bomb which hurt tonight, a miskick that he had to come screaming forward for and didn’t get it. Anthony Minichiello couldn’t catch a cold when he entered first grade. Give him time, he’s the least of our issues.

Would you rather him or Titans fullback Jaylen DeGroot? Both rookies.

As I said above, I mixed that up.

The fact that the only bloke you can compare him to is a rookie at the Titans who’s no better than the fourth best fullback at their club rather proves my point. He’s been really ordinary so far, and more to the point, a clear downgrade on Gutherson. Maybe it’ll be worth it in the long run - but that remains to be seen.

 

[Matty Bhoy]

As I said above, I mixed that up.

The fact that the only bloke you can compare him to is a rookie at the Titans who’s no better than the fourth best fullback at their club rather proves my point. He’s been really ordinary so far, and more to the point, a clear downgrade on Gutherson. Maybe it’ll be worth it in the long run - but that remains to be seen.

All good, I’ll leave you with it. If you get the chance, watch the game again. See if you change your mind at all.

178m, two try assists, five tackle breaks, a line break and a line break assist. Not bad for a kid in his 11th game of first grade for mine.

 

[eels_fan]

He’s been really, really ordinary so far.

Iongi’s been in our top 2-3 players all season.

if he’s been really, really, ordinary - then he’s the least of our concerns - as the other players who have pulled on a jersey have been notably worse than him.

 

[DaveMc]

Iongi’s been in our top 2-3 players all season.

if he’s been really, really, ordinary - then he’s the least of our concerns - as the other players who have pulled on a jersey have been notably worse than him.

The team is absolute shit, no question. But he’s been underwhelming too. I’m not sure I agree that he’s been top 2-3 in the squad so far (even with limited games for some, I’d put at least Simonsson, Moses, Smith, Moretti, Tuivaiti, Samrani and probably JAC ahead of him), but even accepting he may be, that speaks more to how dreadful we’ve been than how good he’s been.

 

[DaveMc]

Iongi’s been in our top 2-3 players all season.

if he’s been really, really, ordinary - then he’s the least of our concerns - as the other players who have pulled on a jersey have been notably worse than him.

I reckon if you plug any starting fullback in any other team into the lineup, you’d be no worse off. That’s my concern. He may well come good, but it’s a write off of a year while he’s learning the ropes.

 

[senior]

As I said above, I mixed that up.

The fact that the only bloke you can compare him to is a rookie at the Titans who’s no better than the fourth best fullback at their club rather proves my point. He’s been really ordinary so far, and more to the point, a clear downgrade on Gutherson. Maybe it’ll be worth it in the long run - but that remains to be seen.

You keep comparing him to Gutho but Gutherson at 21 was dogshit and he’s also regressed this year and will continue going downhill, it would’ve just set the club back another year or two

We have our fullback at the club it’s Papalii or Iongi

 

[DaveMc]

You keep comparing him to Gutho but Gutherson at 21 was dogshit and he’s also regressed this year and will continue going downhill, it would’ve just set the club back another year or two

We have our fullback at the club it’s Papalii or Iongi

I do keep comparing him to Gutherson - who’s a bloke that we could’ve had still playing fullback for us this year but for letting him walk. A regressing Gutherson would be (and is) better this year than what Iongi’s showed so far, and anyone saying otherwise is in deep denial.

I keep saying, hopefully it’ll be worth it in the long run. But the season is a write off with him in there at the moment, and we can only hope it’ll be worth the short-term pain. I personally am not convinced it will be, but I really hope it ultimately is.

 

[senior]

I do keep comparing him to Gutherson - who’s a bloke that we could’ve had still playing fullback for us this year but for letting him walk. A regressing Gutherson would be (and is) better this year than what Iongi’s showed so far, and anyone saying otherwise is in deep denial.

I keep saying, hopefully it’ll be worth it in the long run. But the season is a write off with him in there at the moment, and we can only hope it’ll be worth the short-term pain. I personally am not convinced it will be, but I really hope it ultimately is.

This season is a write off with or without Gutherson

 

[TheCrowe]

So we did play shit but really should have won. We bombed numerous tries.
Dylby was like a handbrake often tonight. He often looks in two minds and the second of hesitation allows the defence to shut us down. He regularly takes the wrong option.
Ionghi made some errors but he is a rookie. He does a lot of good things as well.
Carty may be out of favour but at his best is a game changer. Just cant see the point of persisting with Guymer on the edge. Let him develop in reserves.
Have some concerns about Ryles letting personality conflicts clouding his judgement.
Its great to give rookies experience but it needs to be balanced out with experienced players.
I think we are better team with Carty and Matterson in the mix.
No one can tell me that Kautoga and Guymer offer more at this stage of their careers.

 

[Wally21]

It's time to shut the club up for good.
Makes us the 2nd NZ team...I've had a gutful

Yeah nah.

 

[Obscene Assassin]

Anyone who’s saying he’s anything other than a young player with lots of potential but significant flaws is deadset kidding themselves at the moment.

Is anyone saying different?

 

[Timana]

For mine, nearly every game he throws a shocker over the side line when we have good field position. Yesterday was a tip on.

It was 12 points our way from the drop bomb and the drop try

Irealize why i dont like him now

He reminds me of will hopoate when he came here after his mormonship

I didn't think will was that good

 

[Timana]

Here's my last suggestion for hoppa,

Left edge

He can learn to run good lines, should defend well and can have an around the corner pass.

However, i feel kautoga last pass saved him for another game

So maybe right edge for hoppa

 

[piggysmalls]

Been watching this team for 50 years, definitely worse times than this. I get we didn’t win and we are lacking some cattle, but I don’t think it’s as bad as some are making out. Can definitely see improvement and I like the style of footy we are playing. Also seem way ahead in terms of resilience - we’ve been in games whereas in years gone by we drop our heads, and lose by 40. Things are changing. .couple signings and we will be right up there.

 

[Snoochies]

We won spoons when Jarryd Hayne was the best fullback in the league and we also had Semi. Give the rookie a break, he's not the issue here.

 

[Gronk]

I said after last week that we were a 4 or 5 players worse team than the Sharks.

This week we left at least 5 tries out there against a worse team.

Very clunky.

 

[Eelementary]

I’m pretty used to it by now. I’m sure we all are. Looking forward to Galvin in for Brown, assuming that is happening. It might not feel it tonight but I think we are headed in the right direction.

Tbh, I do feel it, even after last night's result.

We were one play away from snatching a win.

It didn't work out.

It happens.

But despite thr overall lack of class in this team, we are giving it a real go, and with some better luck, we would have a few more wins under our belt.

Clear out some dead wood, replace them with quality players, and we are halfway there.

In Ryles I trust.

 

[hineyrulz]

Sorry, everyone saying how shit Iongi is, really???? he had a couple of shockers, no question, but he is 11 games in to his career. Seriously??? Yes he dropped that ball when he should have scored, but who else would have even been there to take the pass?
Penisini on the other hand, he is what 70 games into his career and is going backwards.
We need at least 3 top tier forwards. We need a centre desperately. And as much as Riley smith has the heart of a lion, we need a dummy half who can give us another option in attack, with Riley learning his craft off the bench.
Iongi is not the reason we lost that game

Agreed Wal, we were smashed up the guts all game. Besides the last 5 mins when we played some expansive football how many times did our forwards get us out of our own half without a piggyback?? Besides Paulo we had zero go forward before Morretti came on. The stats at HT showed we should of been well ahead instead we were lucky to be even.