How would he compare to Hopgood? They look similar.
Hopgood is a machine and has skill with the ball. They are roughly the same age and Hopgood would have been playing NRL consistently earlier if he didn't have Yeo in front of him. Moretti is a prop by the way. How do you think Hopgood would be going if he was playing in the front row?
I haven't seen Moretti play anywhere near the quality or output that Hopgood provides at lock. Do you think they have the same skill set?
I see Moretti's greatest asset being real aggression. If he can bring that to the NRL and harness it well and get way more fitter and up to NRL speed, then who knows, he maybe a great point of difference for us, but he needs to lift heaps for all that to happen. And I believe attitude has kept him back the most more then anything and why the Roosters weren't to fussed to see him leave.
But players mature and wise up, so who knows. Lets hope he doesn't rest on his laurels and listens to the coaches around him as I'm sure they are pushing him to keep on going and keep trying even harder. Fitness is his first hurdle at NRL level and then he needs to add intensity and maintain his power. We will see how this plays out.
I brought up Ruben Cotter earlier for a reason. I think a young and aggressive small front rower should base their game on his which is all about line speed, intensity and in your face offensive and defensive legal aggression. Then as he gets older and heavier he can be more the Gallen hitup type. That is why he needs to get super fit and focus on being a machine out there. That would make him irreplaceable and vital to the team. Of course I'm not expecting him to become Cotter, but a version of him that is still very productive and what we need in our team. A tenacious forward that can off put the opposition and is always aggressive with and without the ball.
I don't know if he is mentally tough enough to be that type of player though. He would really need to bust a gut to get there. He strikes me as a player that likes to take a mean first couple of big carries and do his necessary tackles kind of guy. Remember he is 23 and he should have been way more advanced for all the hype about him in his junior years in both League and Union. So like I said attitude seems to have gotten in the way.
Little blokes need to make more contribution then just hit ups and a few tackles, because if that's all they are doing, they won't get far in the NRL against so many giants and tackling machines. They will easily be replaced by the next good to great player coming through. My best tip for him if he wants to stay in the NRL is to become a bit of a mop in defense and a fearless runner with the ball in his carries. Der all very obvious stuff right I know, but he needs to have that approach or he will be very replaceable.
