Still some second tier first graders out there

[Mixmasterreece]

According to another threat in the general league section, their are still a few players off contract.

Now Im not saying that they are super stars, but at the right price, I would buy Nigel Plum

And one or two of:

Scott Logan
Charlie Leano
Brad Morrin
Ian Donnelly
Shane Tronc
Frank Pulatua
Mickey Paea
Scott Geddes

Then go hard for a top name prop in 2010.

Im at the stage where I dont even care which props we buy - we just need some genuine props!!! Keith cant do it all by himself.

Tuimavave and lesson ah mau from the warriors would be very good value

 

[ucantseeme]

Has everyone forgotten about Daine Laurie.

With a strong off season he will be a much better player for us in 2010. No need to find some 2nd tier forwards when be have the Predator.

 

[b.bear]

paea would be one. has some ball skills and hits the line good interchange player.stick with the rest minus payne

 

[b.bear]

Has everyone forgotten about Daine Laurie.

With a strong off season he will be a much better player for us in 2010. No need to find some 2nd tier forwards when be have the Predator.

true. get rid of payne

 

[Tiger Hawk]

Gibbs penalties for this season - 9 in 18 games. Because you seem to struggle, that's half a penalty a game. Not a good one or two a game.

Tronc averages 1.1 ineffective and 1.2 missed tackles a game while averaging 28.2. Compared to Heighington with 28.8 tackles per game with 2.1 of those being ineffective and missing 2.3 per game. This is done with an average of 30 minutes more football on the field.

If that doesn't show that a) Tronc is quite an effective tackler, and b) Heighington is ineffective in general let alone around the ruck (especially combined with his 6.6m runs...) then I don't know what it shows.

I haven't ignored statistics about Heighington's tackles or missed tackles, infact quite the opposite, and they prove that he has been very ineffective for a long period of time.

You've made three points:

Gibbs gives away atleast one penalty a game. Wrong. Currently 0.5/game.

Tronc isn't an effective tackler and misses tackles. Wrong. There are 40/73 other props in the game that make more ineffective tackles per game than Tronc. Of the players that make less ineffective tackles per game, Tronc make more tackles than absolutely all of them. He is also ranked 10th in average tackles made per game.

Heighington is effective around the ruck. Wrong. If you call Tronc ineffective (which you have) then Heighington is more than twice as ineffective as Tronc (this is before you take in to account that Heighington plays around 30 minutes more football per game than Tronc).

People's opinions are quite obviously dictated from the media and stereotypes. Your view on Tronc and the statistics disproving it quite clearly back that up. David Williams has a career on a beard. He is, always has been and always will be sh*t. He played for Australia because he had a beard. There is a stereotype that Gibbs gives away penalties, clearly wrong. Rabs once made a comment about Heighington in 2005 and people instantly ran with it, but it's clear to see he's average.

madunit, Tronc may not have high 1-on-1 tackle counts, but do you really expect him to? He's a prop, he defends in the middle.

Can I get a source of those stats? If you can provide a source, fair enough on Gibbs - he's conceding less penalties than he has historically. Hopefully he can keep improving.

And I never claimed Heighinton is effective around the ruck, simply pointed out the double standards you apply - you've always been quick to point out how Hino will chase player x away from the ruck only for an inside ball to find a man in space back through the ruck - where's the stat for that? Where's the stat for second / third man in tackles? Sorry, I've never relied on stats, just my own observations. Tronc is an average defender, and you can continue pulling out all the stats you like, won't change my view.

 

[Magpie Nick]

I've never claimed that Heighington chases a player from marker leaving massive holes (something our whole team did yesterday unfortunately), quite the opposite in fact. He is lazy in moving and following the play, resulting in holes.

http://nrlstats.com/

I'd love to know what you and who you classify as a good defender if Tronc isn't one.

 

[TrigaTheTiger]

UCSM -

On Daine - I love the guy - but two things:

1. Strong rumours that he is leaving the club
2. Sheens is "grooming" him for the back row anyway

In my opinion Galloway and Laurie are the only two effective props at the club.

 

[DanOz]

Can't believe we haven't taken care of our own backyard with Laurie and Gallant, sad that we are even discussing taking on other 2nd rate players while these 1st rate players are unsigned.

 

[baddog]

sheens is still saying he hasn't made his mind up on gallant. ffs if he was 6 inches taller (or played for windsor) he'd be on $200k. the little bastard has known for years that his height was going to see people dismiss him so he has gotten tough. he makes some of the best one on one tackles of any fullback, he barks orders from the back and organises his side for the full 80, despite his size he is rarely outjumped and is super safe under the high ball, he is an evasive kick return, and in open space its shut the gate. lastly he loves wests and wants to be here for the long haul. i'd trade 6 inches of height for those qualities.

as for looking at other clubs fringe rubbish sheens should give his own reggies a crack. they're better than most of the crap being brought in. daniella will be glad to be wearing a balmain jersey next year. being in black and gold stripes will make him look more like a speed hump so josh davis might slow down when he goes over the top of him next time. josh is probably looking for a platter so he can hand him back his arse when he gets to concord. gower would go as well and most of those named and would sign for bare minimum.

 

[madunit]

madunit, Tronc may not have high 1-on-1 tackle counts, but do you really expect him to? He's a prop, he defends in the middle.

Nick, I'm astounded that you think you can find statistics to determine whether someone has an effective technique.

I would expect my props to be the most dominant tacklers in the team. Thats 60 percent of their job is tackling, they should be the best at it.

If he struggles to get his man to the ground in a one on one situation, or struggles to wrap the ball up, then that is a technique issue. No number of stats you pull out of your arse will change that.

Furthermore, he is going to England, so why the f**k bother wanking over him anyways.

Finally, Heighington has been injured and out of a lot of games this year. Hardly a fair comparison to be making.

But you'll take any opportunity to make him appear like crap, so I'm not surprised.

 

[Magpie Nick]

Nick, I'm astounded that you think you can find statistics to determine whether someone has an effective technique.

I would expect my props to be the most dominant tacklers in the team. Thats 60 percent of their job is tackling, they should be the best at it.

If he struggles to get his man to the ground in a one on one situation, or struggles to wrap the ball up, then that is a technique issue. No number of stats you pull out of your arse will change that.

Furthermore, he is going to England, so why the f**k bother wanking over him anyways.

Finally, Heighington has been injured and out of a lot of games this year. Hardly a fair comparison to be making.

But you'll take any opportunity to make him appear like crap, so I'm not surprised.

Did you or did you not read the stat regarding effective tackles? It's one of the more crucial stats when looking at defence and Tronc is very good at it. He averages 28 tackles a game, one of which is ineffective, meaning the attacking player dominates Tronc or gets an offload away, 1 in 28. He also misses 1 in 28. How the hell can you say he's a bad defender when looking at those stats...

Please re-read the first sentence I wrote regarding the signing of Tronc. This is now more than an issue of signing Tronc, it's an issue of trying to understand how you still think Tronc can't tackle.

If Heighington is out and injured, he doesn't play. Meaning his stats don't change... The bloke plays 80 minutes yet he does the same amount of work that many players do in 50 minutes. In fact, some of the stats he produces, particularly metres per run, is very disappointing for someone who is meant to be a workhorse and a leader.