Sack Adam O'Brien

[Loose Cannon]

So a 14.

No.

 

[aqua_duck]

Maybe so. But it was well documented that Brown saw Mann as an option at 9, and signed him in order to play that role.

Injuries to Watson, Ponga etc. negated his initial intentions.

We can go around in circles with this but the point is by the time Mann got here it was pretty obviously he was not a first grade centre or 5/8th anymore, in fact he had only played one game at centre since 2018 until AOB decided to make him a starting centre again in 2021.

 

[Loose Cannon]

We can go around in circles with this but the point is by the time Mann got here it was pretty obviously he was not a first grade centre or 5/8th anymore,

Exactly right. No argument here.

My point is that Brown, although aware of Mann’s utility value, had his vision of turning Kurt into a hooker. That is what he wanted to do with him. Mann signed on with that expectation.

From the link I posted.
Nathan Brown: “We believe Kurt has the potential to become a hooker and his ability to play a range of positions is an added bonus in today’s game.
”Kurt expressed a desire to secure a regular position and he’ll be given every opportunity to do that.”

 

[TooheysNew]

Exactly right. No argument here.

My point is that Brown, although aware of Mann’s utility value, had his vision of turning Kurt into a hooker. That is what he wanted to do with him. Mann signed on with that expectation.

From the link I posted.
Nathan Brown: “We believe Kurt has the potential to become a hooker and his ability to play a range of positions is an added bonus in today’s game.
”Kurt expressed a desire to secure a regular position and he’ll be given every opportunity to do that.”

14 is a regular position.

 

[HarVeeGee]

Uate
McManus
Cross
Mullen
Albert

Yep and to that I’d add, in recent history, the Saifiti twins. Both were controversial selections the first time they got picked. Probably THE most questioned selections in those particular teams. Daniel in particular got selected on the back of pretty much just one really good game, in 2019 - 2020 was his first ever consistently great season. Daniel had a run of games at that level after that where he was legitimately the best forward on the field arguably, so maybe that has erased memories of how controversial the original selection was?

 

[macavity]

Yep and to that I’d add, in recent history, the Saifiti twins. Both were controversial selections the first time they got picked. Probably THE most questioned selections in those particular teams. Daniel in particular got selected on the back of pretty much just one really good game, in 2019 - 2020 was his first ever consistently great season. Daniel had a run of games at that level after that where he was legitimately the best forward on the field arguably, so maybe that has erased memories of how controversial the original selection was?

and both of them played very very well in Origin.

 

[HarVeeGee]

They did. But people were asking for examples of Knights being picked due to connections within the camp. Both of them are clear examples of that. Both were being outplayed at NRL level by other options at the time they got picked.

 

[macavity]

They did. But people were asking for examples of Knights being picked due to connections within the camp. Both of them are clear examples of that. Both were being outplayed at NRL level by other options at the time they got picked.

don’t agree they were being out played. Both deserved it.

 

[The Axe of Druss]

don’t agree they were being out played. Both deserved it.

I think thats your Knights bias though dude. JSaf at the time was in very average form

 

[HarVeeGee]

D Saf was a bolter off the back of one really really good game against Souths, I recall he was told before the game if he played well he’d get the jersey.

Absolute classic Daniel that. Not gonna do it week to week just out of desire, is he?

Go back and look at contemporary “who should be picked for Origin” articles re: the props and his name isn’t even mentioned. Besides Klemmer & Haas the bolter, and Paul Vaughan who did get picked: Jordan McLean, James Tamou, Junior Paulo were all comfortably outplaying Dan that year and would have warranted selection more on club form.

 

[mozza91]

Josh Perry was the first one that came to mind for me. Got picked after Joey talked him up in his column in one of the papers. The bloke was an error and penalty machine who rarely put any consistent form together for us.

 

[Yosh]

D Saf was a bolter off the back of one really really good game against Souths, I recall he was told before the game if he played well he’d get the jersey.

Absolute classic Daniel that. Not gonna do it week to week just out of desire, is he?

Go back and look at contemporary “who should be picked for Origin” articles re: the props and his name isn’t even mentioned. Besides Klemmer & Haas the bolter, and Paul Vaughan who did get picked: Jordan McLean, James Tamou, Junior Paulo were all comfortably outplaying Dan that year and would have warranted selection more on club form.

I think they wanted a big body like Dan/Jacob who would take the first hit up and also was a prop who would find his elbows and knees quickly in the tackle. I think both of them did really well every every Origin game they played. Not a bad selection at all.

Josh Perry was the first one that came to mind for me. Got picked after Joey talked him up in his column in one of the papers. The bloke was an error and penalty machine who rarely put any consistent form together for us.

Josh Perry was Payne Haas good on his day. Pity it was once every 3 or 4 seasons.