Underestimate Walker at your peril, Sailor tells Eels' rivals

[Stagger eel]

just on Walker, it's not his lack of talent that concerns me because I believe he matches most outside backs in the comp on that alone, it's his mental ability to last a full season that concerns me.

just on Hodko, he's not on big money at the dogs, he's on ridiculous money, he's way over paid at the moment, it may pay of for the dogs but it's still a massive punt on a kid who at very best was reasonably good in his first year at first grade.

there's no way any club would of matched the sort of money he's on at the dogs.

 

[TheRam]

Manly supporters have big wraps on him

If memory serves me correctly Jodeci, his stats were better then Murray's last season. I know stats aren't everything, but just saying.

 

[Maroubra Eel]

I'm happy to take a punt with Murray.

 

[TheRam]

I'm happy to take a punt with Murray.

I think most of us are.

 

[84 Baby]

just on Walker

Walker's on!

 

[aqua_duck]

If memory serves me correctly Jodeci, his stats were better then Murray's last season. I know stats aren't everything, but just saying.

Murray played NYC, cherry-Evans played qld cup.
Funny how people say Inu and Mateo were inconsistent and underachieved, ummm hello you guys just signed the ultimate under achiever in Carl Webb

 

[benkustosgrandmother]

The difference is that we didn't pay 450 g for our underachiever.

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

ok, I've never said that our squad is worse than last years, however it's definitely not better if you line them up and the issue isn't what we have at our disposal, it's what other teams have compared to last year.

* The Bulldogs are definitely a better team.

* Souths are now a gun side.

* Newcastle signed Houston and Costigan.

* The sharks are also a better team with Jeremy Smith and Wade Graham.

* even the cowboys made some terrific signings however they've not improved due to Tates injury.

* Manly have Stewart back.

* Canberra have one of the best packs in the comp but may well be a concern with Campo not there.

* The Tigers will have Moltzen back (I think they'll go close to winning it)

* New Zealand - no change there.

so as you see most of those sides are better than what they were last years while we could be looking at a similar result.

As you probably now know, but Canberra have signed Orford and the Warriors along with Inu and Mateo have also signed Shaun Berrigan.

 

[eels81236]

Manly do rate DCE. They believe however, ideally, he would spend 1 more year in 2nds. Hence they put the feelers out for brett Finch.
Foran will have to split time between 6 and 7 during games for atleast the first half season. Disapponting because if the kid could spend a full season at 6 they believe he will be an absolute superstar.
I asked a recruitment guy who would they take for the same cash, DCE or Morts they would take DCE. Take that with a grain of salt though. I'm sure if you asked Parra guys the same question they would say Morts.

 

[84 Baby]

Walker's on!

Found it.

Did you tell them Walker's on? Comedic gold

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LolV16joZDg

 

[TheRam]

Murray played NYC, cherry-Evans played qld cup.
Funny how people say Inu and Mateo were inconsistent and underachieved, ummm hello you guys just signed the ultimate under achiever in Carl Webb

The stats I was referring to were from 2010 NYC stats.

 

[spiderdan]

The stats I was referring to were from 2010 NYC stats.

i thought (and may be wrong) that murray topped try assists and line break assists for halfs in nyc by a long way?

 

[TheRam]

i thought (and may be wrong) that murray topped try assists and line break assists for halfs in nyc by a long way?

Some stats Murray was better and others Cherry-Evans was better. I just don't remember which ones. But I remember being equally impressed with Evans, if not more so.

 

[Jake the snake]

Murray doesn't run the ball. Needs to improve that part of his game.

 

[hindy111]

On Mateo-IF we kept him we had to probably get rid of Ben smith or Hindy.I mean the three of them in the backrow was anot a good balance -None of them punch up the guts and hit the line hard.Im not an epxert but persoanly i think you need in the backrow a guy who tackles all game(hindy) a guy half way in between ( smith) and a guy who hits the lines and runs hard- ( prithcard style player) Other wise your leaving all the hard hit ups to the 2 props all the time.Not the balance you realy want

 

[Jake the snake]

On Mateo-IF we kept him we had to probably get rid of Ben smith or Hindy.I mean the three of them in the backrow was anot a good balance -None of them punch up the guts and hit the line hard.Im not an epxert but persoanly i think you need in the backrow a guy who tackles all game(hindy) a guy half way in between ( smith) and a guy who hits the lines and runs hard- ( prithcard style player) Other wise your leaving all the hard hit ups to the 2 props all the time.Not the balance you realy want

You speak to much sense.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

On Mateo-IF we kept him we had to probably get rid of Ben smith or Hindy.I mean the three of them in the backrow was anot a good balance -None of them punch up the guts and hit the line hard.Im not an epxert but persoanly i think you need in the backrow a guy who tackles all game(hindy) a guy half way in between ( smith) and a guy who hits the lines and runs hard- ( prithcard style player) Other wise your leaving all the hard hit ups to the 2 props all the time.Not the balance you realy want

Just about every team looks for one back-rower to play in the middle (Hindy style) and two to play out wide (right and left).

For the tight back-row spot we have Hindy who's perfect for the position - big with a high workrate. There's a bunch og blokes who can fill in when needed.

For the wide spots we have Ben Smith (who's played on the right for several years now) and Horo (who switched with Mateo last year on the left side). There's also Maitua who will probably take over from Horo when he's back to his best) and Carl Webb can fill in out wide as well. Shackleton is also able to play in the wide role but he's more suited to Hindy's central spot.

As for front-rowers, their job is to hit up, hit up, hit up. They only play 40 minutes a game so they should be taking as many hit ups as they can. The central back-rower is there more for defence and support play than for go-forward, especially because he spends more time on the field* than the front-rowers and needs to pace himself.

*Unless your wide back-rowers can play 80 minutes in which case you could have two 40-minute central back-rowers alternating between the field and the bench. In this case you want them to rip and tear as much as the props.

Last year Mateo wasn't able to play 80 minutes in the wide spot (Ben Smith plays 80 minutes every game bar injury) so Horo had to fill in for him, as well as providing Hindy with a break here and there.

Maybe Horo can play 80 minutes wide? It would be good if Shackleton and Hindy could play 40 minutes each in the middle. Once Maitua comes back he'll definitely be playing 80 minutes a game out wide (when he does play) so then it'll probably be Horo and Shackleton fighting for the bench spot.

 

[Eels Dude]

Maybe Horo can play 80 minutes wide? It would be good if Shackleton and Hindy could play 40 minutes each in the middle. Once Maitua comes back he'll definitely be playing 80 minutes a game out wide (when he does play) so then it'll probably be Horo and Shackleton fighting for the bench spot.

No way. If they're both fit I'd expect both to be in the 17. Maitua is the one who has to prove himself as an NRL level player again. By the time he comes back he won't have played in 2 years, and be coming into a side a third of the way through the season, and have to fight for his spot by performing in Wenty. Given he's not even allowed to train with the side until late May, he'll be lucky to nab a spot on the bench before the 3 quarter mark of the season. Given Shacks can play in the front row, I'd have him ahead of Webb on the interchange if Maitua's form was demanding selection.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

No way. If they're both fit I'd expect both to be in the 17. Maitua is the one who has to prove himself as an NRL level player again. By the time he comes back he won't have played in 2 years, and be coming into a side a third of the way through the season, and have to fight for his spot by performing in Wenty. Given he's not even allowed to train with the side until late May, he'll be lucky to nab a spot on the bench before the 3 quarter mark of the season. Given Shacks can play in the front row, I'd have him ahead of Webb on the interchange if Maitua's form was demanding selection.

Obviously I'm talking about when Maitua is back to peak form and fitness. I predict that will be sometime in July.

He'll play some games for Wenty, sure, but as for proving himself - there's no substitute for class. He'll kill it for Wenty, he'll be far too good to keep in that competition.

And for ability both Maitua and Webb are better players than Shackleton. Shack's best asset is his ability to cover three forward positions - front-row, back-row (middle) and back-row (wide).

But he's not our best at any of them. Poore, Mannah, Moimoi and yes, Webb are better front-rowers. Horo, Smith and Maitua are better wide back-rowers, and Hindy is better at the central back-row spot.

Shack also won't have played for 12 months. Is that really much different from Maitua's 2 year absence? Maitua's at least been fit the whole time. Shack's spent most of the past year on crutches.

 

[Eels Dude]

He'll play some games for Wenty, sure, but as for proving himself - there's no substitute for class. He'll kill it for Wenty, he'll be far too good to keep in that competition.

And for ability both Maitua and Webb are better players than Shackleton. Shack's best asset is his ability to cover three forward positions - front-row, back-row (middle) and back-row (wide).

But he's not our best at any of them. Poore, Mannah, Moimoi and yes, Webb are better front-rowers. Horo, Smith and Maitua are better wide back-rowers, and Hindy is better at the central back-row spot.

Shack also won't have played for 12 months. Is that really much different from Maitua's 2 year absence? Maitua's at least been fit the whole time. Shack's spent most of the past year on crutches.

They definately have great ability. But both players are far from consistent. If there were an award for "Most underperforming player of the past decade" Webb would be in the top three. Maitua himself is quite inconsistent. He performed in a supporting role behind the greatest forward back of the past decade, but he was cold more often than hot in his last couple of years at the Dogs. So yes those two blokes have the ability, but they're also lazy and go MIA a lot of the time.

Shacks is a bloke who puts 100% in no matter what, which is equally if not more important to a football side than natural talent. That's why the club signed him because he has ability as well as doing the hard yards and were really impressed with his attitude. Ability only does so much, it's hard work that makes the difference in the end. And in regards to Maitua's fitness, there is a difference between general fitness and football fitness. It's all well and good he's kept himself fit, but he won't have taken part in any training drills and ball work for 2 years and won't until May. Wendell Sailor made his comeback in May too, but it took him until the end of the season after 2 years out to get a regular crack in first grade. And he was just winger, and a far better player than Maitua.

I'm just being realistic. Webb and Maitua have not been players that perform on a week to week basis for a long time now. Hence why their previous clubs let them go so easily. So we shouldn't be expecting too much of them.