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[mean]

Tate will be in the centres. So I think Mannering should move so Ropati can play in the centres, Mannering will do alright in the second row running out wide.

I don't think Mannering is capable of a 80min tackling and attacking game in the second row and that's what I expect from a first grade second rower.

 

[Skram]

Ah Van: C ~ As others have said, went backwards from last year

Anderson: C ~ Too many silly penalties in his limited time.

Byrne: B ~ Probably overrating him due to the fact he offers nothing dynamic but he filled in anywhere he was needed and did admirably well in doing so.

Crockett: C+ ~ Went well at times, especially with Ropati aside him but also played poorly and made some crucial mistakes.

Fien B- ~ Goes much better after Gatis, because of their contrasting running games but has had better seasons.

Gatis: B+ ~ Was the better of the two primary hookers.

Hohaia C ~ Played pretty well at centre to start but like others have said is on the decline, he kinda seems lost as a player.

Koopu: B+ ~ Ended well, I think he's finally over the injury, hopefully he can maintain this form.

Lauaki: B+ ~ A few games that showed his potential as an absolute game winning one man wrecking ball. Shared the trait with Louis that he was guaranteed (at least) one negative play a game, in Lauaki's case it was his hands.

Lawrie: C ~ Had luck been against us and Micheal went down injured he would have filled in well, otherwise he didn't show anything to displace even Swann (though I reckon Lawrie woulda passed it).

Luck: A ~ Got smashed, got up, made tackles.

McKinnon: A ~ My favourite player this year, was always so fired up, I actually like it about him, shows he gives a sh*t. Good to see after some past Warriors players.

Mannering: B ~ Didn't push on from last season as well as I thought he should have. Hope he can play better in the second row next season than he did at his time there this year though.

Martin: C ~ Wasn't too bad at the beginning of the season but definitely not part of the top team.

Price A+ ~ Nuff said.

Rapira: B+ ~ Realising his potential, yet still so young.

Ropati: A- ~ Was superb in the centres, sorely missed in the finals.

Rovelli: C ~ In the US of A they call it the sophomore slump. He seemed so good as a rookie, went hugely downhill. Did he acquire weaknesses or were they just not exploited when he was new to first grade.

Swann: C- ~ Extremely slow to start the season, got a little better midway through and showed nothing of his much touted experience.

Tuimavave: B ~ Carbon copy of last season, peaked midseason again and slowed towards the end.

Vatuvei: B+ ~ Would have been A if not for the shocker. Has some slight defensive issues but it showed how much he meant to the gameplan as a whole in the finals games. If you see him with his huge grin, you're probably watching the Warriors win.

Wiki: B- ~ Had some good games late in the regular season but overall was tired.

Witt: B+ ~ Rav's lost us a fair few games, Witt won us some and lost us none.

 

[Skinner]

I don't think Mannering is capable of a 80min tackling and attacking game in the second row and that's what I expect from a first grade second rower.

I just don't think he is capable.............................

But that's only a personal opinion.

 

[ozbash]

lol, thats not very nice skinz...

 

[Skinner]

Those boot fish aren't biting today.....wellington boot fish :lol:

 

[Waitakere Warrior Fan]

My turn!

Ah Van - C+ : Like everyone else said he didn't quite follow through on his promise from last year, but I don't think he was all that bad apart from a couple of costly errors. He performed pretty decently filling in at a tough position in fullback and I think that's his future if he doesn't develop a bit more speeed or size/strength.

Anderson - C+ : He does give away a few too many silly penalties, but I thought he was starting to eliminate them and playing quite well before he was dropped. I think he was just a victim of the club having some pretty decent people in that position and deciding it was better to persevere with players who'd be back next year.

Byrne - B : Skinny had a good season and did everything that was asked of him. He's probably not the kind of player I'd want in the top 17, but he's the kind of guy you love having in the squad to fill in when needed.

Crockett - C+ : He's got a good nose for the tryline, but he seems to make a few mistakes and I'm unconvinced by him. His speed is decent, but he doesn't seem to be as fast as he was hyped up to be. If he doesn't improve next season I'd imagine Solomona will get a go or Tate will shift to the wing.

Fien - C+ : Quite disappointing this year. He's gone well at hooker for us in the past, but just wasn't at the same level this year. Hopefully he'll be motivated to have a good season next year and prove we kept the right hooker.

Gatis - B+ : He wasn't all that great early on, but for the second half of the season he was easily the best hooker and the team looked much better with him on the park. Whoever plays hooker next year will need to do well to make up for losing him.

Hohaia - C : He didn't do anything wrong at centre, but he doesn't really have the physical attributes to be a top NRL centre. To be honest I really think he needs to leave the Warriors for the sake of his career. For whatever reason we haven't seen his best lately and I think he needs a change of environment.

Koopu - B+ : Started out a bit slow which was to be expected after his injury, but he finished the season off strongly. I still think he's one of our most valuable players for his ability to cover the backline, play long minutes, make a lot of tackles and bend the line when he takes it up hard. He's probably got the physical attributes to be much more of a force on attack than he currently is though. I'd say his challenge is to make a bit more use of his strength and speed on attack than he currently does.

Lauaki - B : He's still a bit up and down and makes too many errors, but he showed the ability he has a lot more this year. He needs to get more consistent, but when he has a good game he's one of our most dangerous players.

Lawrie - C : He was solid in the limited opportunites that he had and it's nice that he at least got a chance at NRL football. It's a shame for him that we already had a bunch of workhorse second rowers and hence couldn't really fit him into the team more often.

Luck - A : A solid workhorse player who gives his all and tackles his heart out every game. In some ways I'd rather see him in the second row with a more attack-oriented player at lock, but still one of our best. When he joined us last year I certainly wouldn't have guessed that he'd play every game since arriving.

McKinnon - A- : Moments of brilliance were let down occasionally by brain explosions that lead to suspensions. He's a great attacking weapon but needs to curb or at least redirect some of his aggression. Having a running verbal battle with referees isn't going to do the team any good Wade!

Mannering - B+ : A pretty good season from Mannering, with the only major caveat being that he really needs to give Manu the ball more often if he continues to be partnered with him. I think he's far better at centre than the second row right now though and really hope they don't shift him next year. Having his size at centre seems a big help to the team given how monstrous many opposition centres are these days and I don't think he's ever looked nearly as effective playing second row.

Martin - C : It's not so much that he did anything wrong, but with Witt playing well we don't need his goalkicking and he isn't really good enough to make the top team purely on playing ability.

Price - A+ : Best prop in the game bar none. I hope his relative lethargy in the last few games of the season was just a product of a long and hard season rather than age finally starting to catch up with him. I'm sure he'll be great next year either way, just not sure if he can be as great again.

Rapira - B+ : Great season from a player still learning the trade. Unless he has some bad luck he's going to be top class.

Ropati - A- : One of our most dangerous players when he was on the field, he just needs to get over the injury niggles and play more often. He may have his deficiencies and detractors, but few players have the ability to find a hole and break the line that he does in any position.

Rovelli - C- : In my opinion he's the single biggest weakness in the Warriors team as it stands. I wouldn't mind him playing interchange hooker, but someone else needs to join Witt in the halves next year. Whether it's Ropati, Fein, Hohaia, McKinnon, or someone else.

Swann - B : I'll probably be accused of overrating him (and that's possibly fair to a degree, I might have given him a B- if he wasn't arguably my favourite Warriors player), but I think Logan was still mostly good for us this year. People love to focus on the occasional errors, but he worked hard, played good minutes, and defended well. He may not be the force on attack that he once was, but still has plenty to offer in my opinion. It can't be bad for the young guys to have someone there who's been around as long as Swann has too.

Tuimavave - B : He had quite a good season, but he seems to remain a bit of an enigma. At his best he's quite possibly the most damaging runner of the ball that we have, but even within one game his level of intensity seems to fluctuate a fair bit.

Vatuvei - B+ : He had one terrible game, but otherwise showed just what a dangerous player that he is. I'd like to see him get the ball in space a bit more often than he currently does though.

Wiki - B- : He improved a lot after moving to the second row. He's still not the Ruben that he used to be, but at least he's useful there. He still probably doesn't play enough minutes though and I think he needs to move to the bench next year.

Witt - A- : I'm probably being a bit generous, but Witt was a great deal better for us than I expected. His goalkicking gives the Warriors a level of confidence in that area better than they've arguably enjoyed ever before and his long-kicking game is also a nice change for the Warriors with his big boot. Unless there's some late surprise I think they need to prepare for the next season under the assumption that he's going to be the main playmaker in the team. I actually feel pretty good about having him as the main playmaker too, which is something I never thought I'd say at the start of the year.

 

[Rovelli]

Ah Van - C
Didn't manage to beat out Crockett for a spot in the starting line-up, which means he did kind of regress from last season. Strong, but needs to bulk up a bit

Anderson C
He's gone to Warrington, perhaps that was why we didn't play him? When he did play in the 2nd half of the season, he was more disciplined and that's a good thing for Louis; good luck in the UK, hope to see you back with us in two seasons time.

Byrne B
Didn't do much wrong. Great to see him play his 100th FG game and score his 50th FG try. Won a game for us with a great kick-chase, could say he lost another final with his failure to ground the ball in the 1st half against the Eels. Good luck wherever you goto next, Todd.

Crockett C+
4 tries in the first two games, but then his season really turned to poop. Caught out on D and didn't have the pace sometimes. Off-field has been a bit of a disaster for him too.

Fien B-
A bit average for me this season, has the ability to really step up and be a top dummy-half, but didn't show it enough during the season. We should perhaps try him at 7.

Gatis B
Sad to see him go, he was one of the better Warriors all season with his dummy-half running etc.

Hohaia C
When he burst onto the scene, I thought he was going to be a star. Five years on, he's regressed. It's sad. I'd like to see him back in the team if possible next season - he didn't play too well for the Lions, but he'd cherish the Warriors jumper.

Koopu B-
Was one of our best players; took some time to come back to 05-06 form; great with ball in-hand, although defensive blunders (Canberra game) got us dearly on occasions.

Lauaki B+
Breathed hot and cold, but he finally became consistent. Fizzled after the Roosters game but should be better for the experience. Should look to re-sign him next season before UK comes calling.

Lawrie C
Didn't see much of him. He doesn't belong in the NRL.

Luck A
Played every single game and was a warhorse. Led the NRL in tackles. Would like to see him improve that upper body strength of his or speed; so many tries could've been had when he was put through, but he couldn't finish it off

McKinnon A
Great signing. Big mouth aside, he really became a great ball player with us, and he's always been great on kick-returns, support play etc. Love the guy.

Mannering B+
Pretty good season; struggled when he was moved out (wing, and perhaps centre). Learning to pass the ball. Should move into the 2nd row which might be the position for him.

Martin B-/C+
Giving him a B- for his service to the club; this season his goal-kicking was average in comparison to Witt, he was often a liability on D and doesn't offer too much on attack.

Price A+++++
A+++++ probably doesn't even do him enough justice.

Rapira A-
Good season, still a little rough around the edges, but next season he'll get another year to play alongside Pricey.

Ropati B+
Looked great on attack, centre's a good position for him. Somehow needs to stay healthy.

Rovelli C
Didn't get any better from last season. Great support-player, but too often we saw him jinking around on the spot without making much headway.

Swann C-
He came back and we came back into the playoff picture. That's all he really 'did'. He always juggled, made some telling errors, and just didn't do anything for me. It's sad, because Logan was a favourite of mine in 2000-2003.

Tuimavave B+
Looks good coming off the bench, he'll eventually start, so hopefully he develops some more consistency.

Vatuvei B+
One shocker, but after that, he didn't drop anything. Great weapon on attack, almost an extra forward with his size. Love seeing him run at the line with a full head of steam!

Wiki B-/C
Of course, he's in the twilight of his career, but he was disappointing season. Had a neck injury which hampered his early season; had an alright 2nd half without doing anything spectacular. Hopefully he comes back and gives it one more full-on season before he hangs them up.

Witt A-/B+
Got to applaud Michael for coming over - we know he's a fair player, but this season he's tackled a lot more and improved that facet of his game. His kicking game blew rather hot and cold, his goal-kicking was great, and he was an able support player.

 

[Rich102]

Question.

Would the team go better if Rovelli and Fein changed positions? Has this ever been tried in a trial game?

 

[Martli]

Question.

Would the team go better if Rovelli and Fein changed positions? Has this ever been tried in a trial game?

They tried it last year and Fein sucked.

 

[Rich102]

Thanks for that.
How did Rovelli go?

 

[Fast Eddie]

They tried for about 2 games last year. Rovelli wasn't too bad out of dummyhalf.

 

[Martli]

Thanks for that.
How did Rovelli go?

I don't really remember how they used him since he came off the bench. I seem to recall him just being a utility and plating at 5/8th, halfback, hooker etc. I don't seem to recall hating him I just remember it being a good move when he went to halfback. But then that was probably because Fein was a sh*t halfback and infinitely better when playing at hooker.