Vea Joins Dragons

[Dragons1990]

Joining Dragons in 2012

Incoming St George Illawarra Dragons coach Steve Price’s recruitment drive for big and aggressive forwards continues with St George junior Atelea Vea joining the Dragons next season.

Vea, 24, a back-rower, spent his youth playing for Hurstville United before switching to Cronulla Sharks where he made his NRL debut in 2009.

Vea played eight games at the Sharks before switching to Melbourne Storm last year where he missed a large chunk of the season with a shoulder injury.

He has played eight games for the Storm this season.

The Dragons’ forward pack were criticised this season for lacking punch. With Vea (102kg) joining North Queensland Cowboys giant Leeson Ah Mau (108kg), Gold Coast Titans prop Will Matthews (104kg) and the New Zealand Warriors’ big man Jeremy Latimore (109kg), Price has looked to add some size and muscle.

The Dragons lose Jon Green (Sharks) and Adam Cuthberston, who is likely to follow Wayne Bennett and Darius Boyd to Newcastle.

Vea is the second St George junior back at the club next year with Chase Stanley reuniting with younger brother Kyle in the Dragons’ top squad. Wests Tigers’ utility back Tim Moltzen is the other and the Dragons may target one more outside back.

http://www.theleader.com.au/news/lo...elbourne-storm-forward-to-roster/2261994.aspx

A bit more mongel next year will be good!

 

[mightydragon]

Watched him v the Magpies yesterday on Fox Sports. Didnt set the world on fire.

 

[Gas Panic!]

http://www.theleader.com.au/news/local/sport/rugby-league/dragons-add-melbourne-storm-forward-to-roster/2261994.aspx

 

[Godz Illa]

The venerable Vea arrives in the Red V via the venal villainy of Victoria, and the vacuous vermin of the Sylvania vicinity. Verdict: very good value

 

[Mr Red]

you would think with the storm losing Adam Blair they would have salary cap left over to keep the forwards they see as having potential.
so to let this guy leave means that they dont see him as value..
plus at 24 you would have thought he would be stepping up by now if he has anything to offer.
i think in Price's efforts to have aggression in the squad he maybe overlooking the fact that they still need to have the skills to play first grade...

i really hope i am proven wrong on this...

 

[Godz Illa]

i really hope i am proven wrong on this...

Won't be the first time.

Melbourne are (supposedly) abiding by the salary cap these days. They've signed Ryan Hoffman for Blair. Vea may have desired a return to Sydney, and the Storm didn't have a speedboat/fake charity to change his mind.

 

[counterpuncher]

I'm just concerned that what we are buying at the moment are essentially forwards barely on the fringes of first grade, that their respective fans would not be all that cut up about losing.

Compared to quality players that had established some quality top grade form/careers before joining the Saints (Kite, Weyman, J Smith, Scott, Costigan, Priddis) this lot of recruits are looking like the same class of journeyman plodders like Long, Reynoldson, Isemonger, Peek etc.

But as others have said, hope I'm proven wrong.

 

[st.phil]

you don't recruit rep quality when you have the amount of SOO / rep players as the Dragons currently have in squad. When bennett recruited those players we had finished 8th the previous year and needed dramatic change. That is not the case now. I think journeymen is the wrong term / bit harsh...this batch fits more into the young "unfilled potential" category.

 

[counterpuncher]

Fair enough. Just don't feel that these guys are going to set the world on fire.

...and as mentioned before, Vea is already 24 and getting a bit past the "unfilled potential" tag.

I think you can usually tell the quality of your recruits by the reaction of their current fans. I'm annoyed McKinnon is leaving us, but Jon Green's departure won't be keeping me up at night. So in my opinion, the Knights have done well, the Sharks are getting leftovers.

 

[Godz Illa]

Compared to quality players that had established some quality top grade form/careers before joining the Saints (Kite, Weyman, J Smith, Scott, Costigan, Priddis) this lot of recruits are looking like the same class of journeyman plodders like Long, Reynoldson, Isemonger, Peek etc.

Kite played zero first grade before joing us. He made his debut as a Dragon.
Weyman was barely a fringe player when he left Canberra (played only 7 games in 2008). Overweight, ill-disciplined and injury prone.
Beau Scott was hardly established quality either. Sharks fans hated/still hate him, such was the quality he showed in their colours.
Costigan had played some rep football in 07 but was well off the rails and couldn't make the starting side for Canberra in 08.
Priddis. Only ever a fill in, and only filled that role suitable in 2010. 09 he was awful.

 

[country_dragon]

seems Steve Price is a smart guy... he can obviously see what is wrong with the dragons lately - no GUTS up front.

Pretty interesting actually, given the Jon Greene is leaving as his main reason was he thought with two S.O.O front rowers (in Merrin and Weyman) he would get more game time at the Sharks?

Wonder who is looking of their shoulder now?

 

[counterpuncher]

Kite played zero first grade before joing us. He made his debut as a Dragon.
Weyman was barely a fringe player when he left Canberra (played only 7 games in 2008). Overweight, ill-disciplined and injury prone.
Beau Scott was hardly established quality either. Sharks fans hated/still hate him, such was the quality he showed in their colours.
Costigan had played some rep football in 07 but was well off the rails and couldn't make the starting side for Canberra in 08.
Priddis. Only ever a fill in, and only filled that role suitable in 2010. 09 he was awful.

I do remember Canberra being filthy they lost Kite, Aussie Schoolboy, had played for Tonga, they knew he was a gun (proven correct). I also remember being pretty happy with the Costigan and Scott signings for all the aggro/mongrel (& the fact that anything Cronulla hates is probably pretty good.) I also had a better feeling about Priddis at hooker than Withers or the Germ.

But does this make Wayne Bennett a master recruiter for taking all these "rubbish" players and turning them into gold? Or was he
taking a stupidly dangerous risk with all of them and it just happened to come off?

...and does Steve Price have the same ability??

 

[Godz Illa]

I'm simply saying that with hindsight it is easy to make those signings appear guaranteed success stories. But at the time there was a large element of gamble about them, and with a quirk of fate they could easily have laid alongside the likes of other Bennett signings Matt Head, Peni Tagive, Junior Paulo, Daniel Penese and even Michael Greenfield.

There are upsides and downsides to all signings, and if you look a little deeper into the pedigree of our recruits for next year you'll see plenty of upside

 

[counterpuncher]

I do like the fact that he (along with Chase) has spent some quality time under Craig Bellamy. All salary cap sh*t aside, he is a coach that seems to get the very best out of his players.

 

[country_dragon]

I do like the fact that he (along with Chase) has spent some quality time under Craig Bellamy. All salary cap sh*t aside, he is a coach that seems to get the very best out of his players.

who is the Storms Wresting Coach?

 

[st.phil]

Au Mau and Matthews look like the pick of the litter in terms of offering something fresh to our pack. Mobile, aggressive second rower / props with an offload. Latimore looks like a depth signing but he played well for parra when he came out of 20's and also for the warriors in the last couple years...however I would like to see Gower get a shot on the bench next year. Au Mau was playing some really strong footy at the start of the year, he was the Cowboys rookie of the year last year as well.

Anyways - focusing on Friday...

 

[Father Ted]

who is the Storms Wresting Coach?

Not sure if it's still this bloke?



Melbourne Storm's wrestling master revealed
Article from: Daily Telegraph September 27, 2007

THE martial arts master who has transformed the Melbourne Storm into a premiership powerhouse has been revealed.

The Daily Telegraph last night uncovered explosive details of the mystery man who has revolutionised rugby league with his controversial wrestling techniques.

Cage fighter John Donehue holds a black belt (shodan) in both judo and ju-jitsu.

He is regarded as the undisputed king of "grappling and submission" in Australia. He is also the Storm's wrestling coach.

Since joining Melbourne in 2001, Donehue has had such an impact on rugby league that the NRL will this year hold an emergency summit to address wrestling in defence.

In the meantime, Donehue could be the man who propels the Storm to their second premiership on Sunday.

Melbourne's hidden weapon has been gagged from talking, but The Daily Telegraph last night uncovered a website interview where Donehue lifts the lid on the Storm's most guarded secret.

The former WWF R.A.W. submission coach alludes to the contentious "ripper" tackle when he mentions "arm locks". "There are several aspects of wrestling that could be applied to (rugby league) training," Donehue told NHB (No Holds Barred) Fight.

"Tackling styles, arm locks, ways of protecting the football and methods of slowing down the play-the-ball area are all vital parts of the game that can be enhanced.

"I concentrate on upper-body wrestling techniques in terms of tying up the guy who has got the ball and turning him over on to his back in defence.

"I also make sure they understand the finer points of body positioning before they go in to tackle and different ways to bring people down to the ground and control them once there."

Donehue is revered in the world of martial arts. He is one of only four Judo black belts to have ever trained under legendary martial arts figure Gene LeBell.

A reference from another highly regarded martial arts figure - dated January 1, 1999, highly recommends Donehue "as a coach, teacher and trainer in any submission and grappling arts".

Former Australian Mixed Martial Arts titleholder Jon Leven - a 3rd red tip Jin Wu Koon exponent - last night said Donehue was the best exponent of the grapple in Australia.

"He is a leading figure in our industry," Leven said. But in a stunning admission, Leven declared Anthony Watmough was right when he suggested the "ripper" tackle could wrench an arm right from the socket.

"We use it in MMA. The ripper is when you extend the arm backwards with the palm out," Leven said.

"It will hyper-extend the shoulder and elbow and provide pain.

"If it was to be extended far enough it would snap and it has happened in MMA. It is a move we use to force a submission. It is borderline dangerous, that is why we have the option in MMA to tap and submit."

 

[Father Ted]

Atelea Vea
Career: A St George junior, Vea started his career in the lower grades at Balmain, before moving to Cronulla. He made his NRL debut for the Sharks under Ricky Stuart. He arrived in Melbourne in 2010 with big hopes but was hampered by an ongoing back injury. After shaking the injury in the latter stages of 2010 Vea delievered some big efforts for the Storm’s NSW Cup outfit and will be looking to push for NRL action this year.

Preview: A strong back-rower, Vea will push immediately for an NRL berth, having finally shaken a back injury.

Atelea Vea
Date of Birth : 27 November, 1986
Height : 183 cm
Weight : 102 kg
Position : Back-row, Lock
Rep. Honours : Tonga 2009 Pacific Cup
Junior Clubs : Hurstville United
Previous Clubs : Cronulla 2009
FG Debut : Cronulla v Penrith, CUA Stadium, 16/5/09, (Rd 10)
Club Debut : v Bulldogs, AAMI Park, 4/4/2011 (Rd. 4)

 

[RedVDave]

Very good signing I rate this bloke pretty highly the downside however is this almost certainley spells the end for Cuthbo (though we already were pretty sure of that anyways).

 

[Mr Red]

Kite played zero first grade before joing us. He made his debut as a Dragon.
Weyman was barely a fringe player when he left Canberra (played only 7 games in 2008). Overweight, ill-disciplined and injury prone.
Beau Scott was hardly established quality either. Sharks fans hated/still hate him, such was the quality he showed in their colours.
Costigan had played some rep football in 07 but was well off the rails and couldn't make the starting side for Canberra in 08.
Priddis. Only ever a fill in, and only filled that role suitable in 2010. 09 he was awful.

i love how you conveniently left out the signings of Jeremy smith, Mark Gasnier, Nathan Fien and Darius boyd to support your argument, all of which were already very high profile rep players.......:roll:

i think counter-puncher has a valid point regarding recruitment patterns...