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Season 2025 Changes I'd like to see.

Manu Vatuvei

Coach
Messages
17,021
Goalkicking (and field goal kicking) has been a season-defining issue since CHT took over, but at the same time I don't think you can plan for that. CHT was arguably our 5th choice kicker this year. SJ was #1, Metcalf was his back-up, Pompey kicks when he's in the team, and Tuaupiki kicks ahead of CHT when he makes the team (albeit clearly we are not going out of our way to select Tuaupiki to kick).

Also keep in mind that CHT wasn't even supposed to be in the starting line-up.

No team is making signings based on having a good 5th string kicker, that's just horrible luck.
 

Manu Vatuvei

Coach
Messages
17,021
Also I really don't think Tuaupiki is going to play wing or centre. I literally can't think of a single player like him in the whole comp who plays those positions. If you're a little bloke who can ball play a bit these days you play in the spine or nowhere. The only way a guy his size might play on the wing is if he had absolutely elite speed, which he doesn't (I can't even think of a comparable small speedster on the wing these days anyway, but maybe in the past).
 

Penrose Warrior

First Grade
Messages
9,097
Nah, Tuaupiki will have to go somewhere else to play, unless there's injuries to both RTS and CNK. Good player, and was epic in that Penrith win, but I don't think he's the player that Kini is, or even Faalogo from the Storm. And as MV says, I can't really see him playing elsewhere in the backline.
 

Beavers Headgear

First Grade
Messages
9,442
Goalkicking (and field goal kicking) has been a season-defining issue since CHT took over, but at the same time I don't think you can plan for that. CHT was arguably our 5th choice kicker this year. SJ was #1, Metcalf was his back-up, Pompey kicks when he's in the team, and Tuaupiki kicks ahead of CHT when he makes the team (albeit clearly we are not going out of our way to select Tuaupiki to kick).

Also keep in mind that CHT wasn't even supposed to be in the starting line-up.

No team is making signings based on having a good 5th string kicker, that's just horrible luck.
The weird thing is, Barnett actually has a pretty decent record from his knights days, granted not over a big sample size but he may have been worth a kick
 
Messages
2,833
Nah, Tuaupiki will have to go somewhere else to play, unless there's injuries to both RTS and CNK. Good player, and was epic in that Penrith win, but I don't think he's the player that Kini is, or even Faalogo from the Storm. And as MV says, I can't really see him playing elsewhere in the backline.
I told my best mate that Tuaupiki will likely join another team. He also mentioned that Ali might leave if he doesn't get more game time. I really hope the coach doesn't stick with Pompey or Berry. They should be our backups, while Ali and Charnze could take the starting spots in the centres.
 

Izz

Bench
Messages
3,857
I told my best mate that Tuaupiki will likely join another team. He also mentioned that Ali might leave if he doesn't get more game time. I really hope the coach doesn't stick with Pompey or Berry. They should be our backups, while Ali and Charnze could take the starting spots in the centres.
Berry's developed into a pretty good centre, imo. I'd like our centre pairing next year to be him and Ali.

I'm really not sure what the best option re CNK/RTS is. A lot of CNK's value comes from his mammoth work rate. Put him anywhere else on the park and you lose a lot of that.

RTS was a great signing from a promotional point of view, but I can't help thinking he wasn't a great signing in terms of playing group balance.
 
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