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Warriors Awards 2024

Messages
2,957
His play certainly helped Barnett, and indeed the halves etc. I agree he might have impacted others negatively but the reality is the players wouldn’t have voted for him if that was the case…. I think you should be looking elsewhere for the problems… the halves were ineffective generally, the backline plod, edge forwards similar, Egan faded, CNK is an energiser bunny but average at this level … and Webster’s selections and gameplan
I mentioned all of those issues in my season breakdown in the other thread. The point about AFB is just my opinion on how his presence could potentially affect other players waiting for their opportunity. If I were a Sifakula or Maiu'u, I might start noticing the double standards—if you're elite, you get certain privileges, but if you're not, like Tevaga, you're seen as expendable because you don't produce the same numbers as AFB.

AFB had a remarkable season individually, and I thank him for that, but I also got an elephant memory when it comes to his professionalism.
 

JJ

Immortal
Messages
32,422
His professionalism was an issue before he came here, so we were eyes wide open on that. Personally I think he’s been great, he’s an all world prop, has played very well and very consistently for us, and created no obvious problems aside from one’s made up in here… I think contracts should be honoured but that’s not the NRL’s way…

He’s hardly a problem and I expect Cronulla can’t wait for what he adds.

I think Fish is wonderful, but he can’t do on field what AFB does
 

Blair

Coach
Messages
11,204
AFB was the most popular player? But how did the voting go? 'AFB 5, Tohu 4, Mitch 4, Charnze 3...'

So, AFB has five supporters. A shame the Tohu and Mitch vote was split, Charnze shouldn't have blocked Roger at fullback, otherwise three more would've backed him in...
 

JJ

Immortal
Messages
32,422
AFB was the most popular player? But how did the voting go? 'AFB 5, Tohu 4, Mitch 4, Charnze 3...'

So, AFB has five supporters. A shame the Tohu and Mitch vote was split, Charnze shouldn't have blocked Roger at fullback, otherwise three more would've backed him in...
Speculation or published somewhere?

I was negative but AFB has been a terrific signing tbh
 
Messages
10,053
Listen to plenty of podcasts, and a few well connected ones that don’t deal in bullshit said what they’d heard wasn’t great but didn’t go any deeper than that. He got dropped for a week so obviously there was something going on, and there was something posted on here after the Titans flogging that he and Jazz were going at it on the sideline

Not everyone has to get along though, and performances always shine through. Hadlee wasn’t popular at all with the mid 80s cricket side, and wasn’t on speaking terms with the captain for a while, but was always the MVP
 

SpaceMonkey

Immortal
Messages
40,338
Considering some of the absolute donkeys we’ve had in regards to professionalism over the years (up to and including Curran for turning up to the season review hungover) I don’t think we’ve really had much call to criticise AFB in that regard.
 
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Grizzman

Juniors
Messages
249
For me, Barnett has been the outstanding player of the year. He was quieter towards the end of the season to be fair, but he was probably buggered. He played himself to a standstill every week and shown leadership on top. I said when he signed him, he was going to be good and I'm rapt that this has been borne out. Fish and Barnett are going to be the senior cornerstones of a very good pack next year!
 

Big Marn

Bench
Messages
2,963
For me, Barnett has been the outstanding player of the year. He was quieter towards the end of the season to be fair, but he was probably buggered. He played himself to a standstill every week and shown leadership on top. I said when he signed him, he was going to be good and I'm rapt that this has been borne out. Fish and Barnett are going to be the senior cornerstones of a very good pack next year!
i wonder how good he would go if he had AFB's frame.
 

Blair

Coach
Messages
11,204
Speculation or published somewhere?
That's just me guessing how the voting process went. My point was, he was the 'most popular' player but, out of 20 or so, he may've only pulled five votes.

Nevertheless, I voted for him on our POTY thread nearly every week.

(But, in the past, I often voted for 'Lodgy' too).
 

JJ

Immortal
Messages
32,422
That's just me guessing how the voting process went. My point was, he was the 'most popular' player but, out of 20 or so, he may've only pulled five votes.

Nevertheless, I voted for him on our POTY thread nearly every week.

(But, in the past, I often voted for 'Lodgy' too).
got it - Lodge's off field escapades were next level - Packer-esque... AFB to my knowledge hasn't done anything of that magnitude, and is a much much better prop than Lodge - IMO he's probably a better prop than anyone except Haas right now
 

Grizzman

Juniors
Messages
249
got it - Lodge's off field escapades were next level - Packer-esque... AFB to my knowledge hasn't done anything of that magnitude, and is a much much better prop than Lodge - IMO he's probably a better prop than anyone except Haas right now
It will be interesting next year to see the influence of JFH as a comparison. A different kind of prop but a Pack leader. If the whole pack lifts as a result of JFH, then I say we are still ahead of having a dominating awesome prop who scores tries.
 
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Matua

First Grade
Messages
5,109
I dislike AFB as a person for his past violence towards his partner (and maybe he's reformed but I don't know, not many domestic abusers do) and his playing for NZ when not selected for Tonga and then defecting immediately, but some of the anti him stuff in this thread is nuts.

He was one of our best on the field. Our sorry season would have looked markedly worse without him. He did his role, and he did it bloody well, and that's all that should be expected of him.

I'm not fussed that he's going, would rather JFH as he's a genuine kiwi (I'm just worried the Warriors will ruin him).
 

JJ

Immortal
Messages
32,422

This speaks to my point in another thread about how the likes of Johns, Mason, Cronk and co calling SJ an all-time great, is basically because they don't know enough.

The Mole calling Wayde Egan our best player this year :D
I guess he's an all time great Warrior - but even amongst his peers in the NRL he's well down the list...

Egan was the best player, if you stopped watching late April... Clearly Barnett and AFB, not many others (if any) can claim to have had good seasons...
 

Penrose Warrior

First Grade
Messages
9,452
Ha yeah, I mean Egan wouldn't have even been in the top 10. We were talking about him being dropped near the end of the season, for Nathaniel Roache. I love Wayde but he had a very below par season, and not much if all of it was to do with injury.
 

Manu Vatuvei

Coach
Messages
17,218
As someone foolish enough to be on twitter and to follow him, I can honestly say that The Mole might be the dumbest bloke on the planet. Incredible that he's paid to write about the game.
 

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