Sione

[slotmachine]

Moreover, even if he suffers no further recurrence, another factor has emerged that Knights management will be no doubt weighing up – Mata’utia’s defensive lapses.

In Newcastle’s past two games, he has missed one-on-one tackles against Latrell Mitchell and Euan Aitken that have conceded tries.

This is not a recent issue. Since his first full NRL season, 2015, Mata’utia has struggled with the man-on-man marking requirements of playing in the centres, which is perhaps one of the reasons Knights coach Nathan Brown switched him to the back row almost two years ago.

This season, he has made 82 tackles and missed 12. That’s more than five times more tackles than Tautau Moga (15) made on Newcastle’s opposite edge.

In other words, it would appear opposition teams are targeting Newcastle’s right-side defence, in particular Mata’utia and five-eighth Brock Lamb.

 

[Spot On]

The sandwich can't be cut any other way Slots, he's a poor defender and shouldn't be in the centres.

Was the same story before he went to backrow.

 

[Apey]

Plodder

 

[slotmachine]

It only took a few years but everyone got there eventually

 

[Noname36]

I defend Sione because ever since he was picked for Australia he seemed to cop it unfairly from a bunch of people but really he keeps making the exact same decisive error over and over again which is inexcusable and he’d be in NSW Cup if we weren’t so short on centres.

 

[slotmachine]

he keeps making the exact same decisive error over and over again

He's literally the same player he was when he debuted which is sort of amazing

 

[Glendale]

I said in November when it was rumoured he was going to have to go back to the centres again that it would be the worst possible thing for his career. He was going well in the backrow and he never showed too much potential in the centres but concussion problems forced our hand and what I was worried about seems to be occurring...

 

[Noname36]

He's literally the same player he was when he debuted which is sort of amazing

He could actually defend better when he debuted I think. Moving him to the forwards and bulking him up has made him too slow to defend out wide now.

It’s more the rushing up that annoys me because he does it over and over again regardless of whether it’s the right time or not. I get he has absolutely no faith in Lamb (can’t blame him there) but he hurts the defensive line badly because it rarely comes off.

 

[perverse]

I defend Sione because ever since he was picked for Australia he seemed to cop it unfairly from a bunch of people but really he keeps making the exact same decisive error over and over again which is inexcusable and he’d be in NSW Cup if we weren’t so short on centres.

Same boat here, but he has to be on thin ice at this point. It's a shame his effort and attitude isn't translating into the improvement that one would expect. We've dicked him around a bit with his development the past few years, but that's not really important at this stage. What we're getting out of him now isn't good enough.

 

[Jono078]

The only way I see him keeping his spot is if we swap him and SKD around I think. But I'm not at all confident he'll be good at wing any more unlike his rookie year.

 

[perverse]

The only way I see him keeping his spot is if we swap him and SKD around I think. But I'm not at all confident he'll be good at wing any more unlike his rookie year.

Too bulked up, won't be fast enough for wing.

 

[mozza91]

Too bulked up, won't be fast enough for wing.

That’s what I found strange about his preseason. We knew he was moving into the backline and he bulked up even more. The speed he had when he came in to First Grade has gone.

 

[Noname36]

Same boat here, but he has to be on thin ice at this point. It's a shame his effort and attitude isn't translating into the improvement that one would expect. We've dicked him around a bit with his development the past few years, but that's not really important at this stage. What we're getting out of him now isn't good enough.

I think the reason he's still in FG is a combination of the fact that like you said his effort and attitude can't be faulted and there's just nobody to replace him, especially now that Moga is gone (not that he was doing much, if any better than Sione prior to injury though). If the attitude and effort wasn't there history has shown that Brown would drop him regardless, even if he had to replace him with a prop. Also I'm sure Brown is well aware it's been difficult to him adjusting to so many new positions, he's not an idiot, so he's giving him a bit more time, especially as we don't have a decent replacement.

Saying that though if he hasn't improved by the time we get a better option, whether that's Ramien or hopefully a mid-season buy then I'd expect him to be dropped and only re-signed IF he proves in the lower grades that he's improving his defence AND it's a smaller contract. I understand why we had to re-sign Sione on the amount we did but those reasons dont stand up anymore and his performances at present don't justify that sort of coin.

Brown needs to take a bit of responsibility to help him though and tell him this is the position he wants him to play and outline what he wants him to do to improve, and if Sione doesn't want to play the role Brown sees for him then he needs to leave (although I can't see him kicking off because his attitude certainly isn't one of his problems).

 

[Burwood]

So how close are guys like Naden, Hughes, Denniss and Musgrove to being able to step up to first grade, even if it means moving SKD into the centres?

Like Uate, you could always (partially) forgive Gagai because he had a very strong attacking game to compensate for his poor defence. The same just can’t be said for Sione- he’s not really contributing anything to the team at the moment.

 

[Noname36]

You mean the same Sione we can credit Wayne Bennett for Woosh?

 

[Burwood]

Brown dropped Hodkinson and Uate. Anything is possible.

 

[Spot On]

Unfortunately Wayne gave us bugger all re decent juniors.

 

[Spot On]

Brown dropped Hodkinson and Uate. Anything is possible.

Bastard kept Gagai in firsts. I fear he'll do the same with Sione. Fingers crossed.

 

[slotmachine]

Bring skd in one and put whoever on the wing

 

[Old dog]

Bastard kept Gagai in firsts. I fear he'll do the same with Sione. Fingers crossed.

Kept him in firsts but should have played him on wing, big difference