Poupou Escobar
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How much patience does he need ffs? Sanders turns 21 next year, when he will potentially join another club. Of the 17 first choice number 7s last year, six of them (over a third) were NRL regulars by the age of 21. In fact five of those were NRL regulars by the age of 20, including Cleary and Walker, who were first choice halfbacks by the age of 19. It hasn’t ruined their careers at all. If you’re good enough you’re old enough, and if it turns out you’re not good enough, it won’t stop you getting another chance later on. Hastings was run out of town for being a toxic f**kwit on the piss, but his talent never left him, and now he is at least a solid NRL halfback.I don't think he can at this stage of his development. That's the problem, impatience. Playmakers need more time and development than any other position on the field. To soon and you can cook them well and truly.
Only five of the NRL starting halfbacks last year weren’t NRL regulars by the age of 22, so being a late bloomer is the exception, not the norm. These are the facts that will drive Sanders and the cubs hoping to sign him, not pissy Eels fans pointing out how Hughes, Hynes, Fogarty, Townsend and O’Sullivan were happy to bide their time. They waited because they had no choice, not because they thought reserve grade would be good for them.