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Will we give him another chance?

Iron Lion

Iron Lion

Juniors
Messages
1,216
What do you guys make of this, Raiders and Dragons both requested mid season transfers from Maumalo. Cappy doesn't think he is up to first grade. Is this another guy we would regret letting go?

Dragons want him to start immediately.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league...e-to-Dragons-blocked-in-pills-scandal-fallout
Warriors wing Ken Maumalo's move to Dragons blocked in pills scandal fallout

DAVID LONG
Last updated 05:00, May 22 2016






1463747316415.jpg
Photosport
Ken Maumalo was hoping to reignite his NRL career at the Dragons.






A proposed mid-season move by Ken Maumalo to the Dragons was likely scuppered by the fallout from Manu Vatuvei's involvement in the prescription pills scandal.
It's understood the Dragons, short of firepower out wide, thought the deal had been done last week to bring the 1.91m winger to the club, and he was going to be rushed straight into the starting team, sources close to the club said.
But despite verbally agreeing to let him go, the Warriors did a backflip, believed to be caused by the off-field issues of the past month involving star winger Vatuvei and five teammates that threatened to leave them short of options on the flanks.
Vatuvei was one of five players who admitted mixing prescription medicine with energy drinks in a night out in Auckland after the team returned from Melbourne, where they had been belted 42-0 by the Storm in the Anzac Day clash. The other players have returned to action after a two-match suspension by the club, but Vatuvei remains on the sidelines as he recovers from the saga. Konrad Hurrell, who denies taking the pills but was with the group, is playing in the Warriors reserves.

Maumalo played in eight games for the Warriors last year, but the 21-year-old hasn't been sighted on the field this season, with Andrew McFadden preferring to put Vatuvei, Jonathan Wright, David Fusitu'a, Matt Allwood and Tuimoala Lolohea ahead of him.
The closest he's got to cracking first-grade footy this season was when he was 18th man for the game against the Dragons, which the Warriors won 26-10, when the six suspended players were out of commission.
It's obvious McFadden feels Maumalo is no longer up to the standard required despite him scoring a hat-trick for the NSW Residents in their 30-16 reserve-grade win over the Queensland Residents earlier this month.
"Hopefully performances like that can put my name forward for first grade this year," Maumalo told NRL.com afterwards.
"It's pretty hard right now to get a crack at the Warriors because there are heaps of outside backs but getting a go last year was really good."




The Paul McGregor-coached Dragons need to add depth to the wing position. They have highly rated Kiwis international Jason Nightingale on one side, but on the other edge Wellington-born Kalifa Faifai Loa has played just 58 NRL games in seven years.
Maumalo is signed with the Warriors for the rest of this season, and they also have an option on him for next year.
- Stuff
 
P

Penrose Warrior

First Grade
Messages
9,467
Manu's issues might have earned him a reprieve, plus apparently Manu is also being shopped around. Do I want Ken kept? Not under the current coaching structure. He won't go anywhere. Do I want him kept in the silly hope we might get a decent coaching staff and environment sometime soon? Yes. Defensively very suspect last year, diabolical in fact, but has upside. Good metre-eater and finisher. I can see a future of him, Wells and Fusi in the back three.

That's the sad thing about our organisation, I can't see the value in keeping young talent with rough edges. Nothing happens to them since 2011.
 
KeepingTheFaith

KeepingTheFaith

Referee
Messages
25,235
He's not a winger, will never be a first grade winger. For his own sake he needs to get out of here and start working towards becomming a backrower where he should be developing his game.
 
Manu Vatuvei

Manu Vatuvei

Coach
Messages
17,221
Maumalo is a very poor man's Vatuvei imo. Has all the same problems but is nowhere near as fast or explosive. That applies whether we're talking about 18 year old Vatuvei or 30 year old Vatuvei. Maumalo looks the part but I'm just not convinced he's much good.
 
Iron Lion

Iron Lion

Juniors
Messages
1,216
I dont think the warriors have any clue at all.

If two NRL clubs have been scrambling to sign him it means he has something going on. I simply cant believe we would keep playing Jonno Wright over Maumalo. He is the leading try scorer in reserve grade. I think he deserves another chance to remain in Warriors colours.

Not many rookies in the NRL look great immediately in their first couple of seasons. I think we could regret letting him go. Probably not an NRL winger but a great coach will be able to get solid value out of him.
 
KeepingTheFaith

KeepingTheFaith

Referee
Messages
25,235
Another team will sign him, they'll move him to the second row, he'll take off from there and we'll look like fools again.
 
vvvrulz

vvvrulz

Coach
Messages
13,625
Don't overrate U20s and NSW form.. remember Flying Fish was a superstar at those levels.
 
J

jaseg

Juniors
Messages
2,274
Fish's injuries had a big part in his not kicking on, though. NSW cup form is usually a decent indicator, if not 20s.. but there's a reason why Maumalo has never made reserve grade teams of the year.

Maumalo is an absolutely terrible winger. His try scoring record in NSW cup is down to us having a great setup on that left hand side - most of his tries require him to simply hold his width, catch the ball, run a few metres and put it down untouched. He's not a particularly good finisher, his hands are very questionable, despite his height he's not impressive in the air on either side of the ball... the only thing he brings is early set metres. Let's not even start on his 'defending'...

MV & KTF hit the nail on the head pretty much. He's a very poor man's Manu on the wing, and more than likely a second rower, given some serious development (which isn't likely to happen here, even if he does get moved).

If the Dragons want him that's no indication of talent. Their recruitment is awful. Shipped out their most promising attack-minded outside back (Runciman) halfway through last year seemingly because he had the audacity to actually score some tries.

Storm & Sharks etc might see the raw athletic ability and want to stick him in reserves and coach him up a bit - but that still is not any sort of guarantee that he'll develop into an NRL player; see Abraham Papalii @ Roosters, Elijah Niko @ Storm (and Cowboys) etc etc...
 
Last edited:
Blair

Blair

Coach
Messages
11,204
ozbash said:
Reading that between the lines tells me Manu is gone ?
Click to expand...

I'm thinking the same, that Manu's played his last game for us. If that's the case then I was metres away when he scored his last first grade try, at Gosford. What a sight it was, he was looming out there, all massive and menacing, once he got the ball he was over, no one was stopping him on that occasion.

Were any of you guys there when he scored his first fg try?
 
ozbash

ozbash

Referee
Messages
26,922
Manu Vatuvei's time at the Warriors could be coming to an end.

The 30-year-old winger is being shopped around Japanese rugby teams and English Super League clubs, despite having three more years on his contract with the club.

One of the clubs linked with Vatuvei is St Helens and the only player to score at least 10 tries for 10 seasons in the NRL would be an instant star in the north of England.

Vatuvei hasn't played since being one of five players caught mixing energy drinks with the pain killing drug Tramadol last month.

He was given extended leave from the club, but although he is physically fit, he has been held out of the team and didn't play in the woeful 38-12 defeat to the Raiders in New Plymouth on Saturday night.

It appears that Vatuvei and the Warriors have agreed to part ways, or at least explore the possibility.

When quizzed about Vatuvei at a media session last week, Warriors coach Andrew McFadden said Vatuvei was almost ready to return but said there had been complications.

"He's had some other stuff which has come up more recently which has delayed that comeback, but he's very close," McFadden said.

Vatuvei signed a contract extension with the Warriors last April, which ran until the end of the 2018 season.

Two weeks ago the Warriors agreed to allow fellow winger Ken Maumalo leave midseason to join the Dragons, but the club then did a backflip and wouldn't release him.

It's likely the reason for their change of heart is because Vatuvei's future in Auckland is uncertain.

As one of the higher paid players at the Warriors, his release would ease the pressure on the Warriors' salary cap.

The club are close to the limit and with no big names coming off contract at the end of this season, they don't have room to recruit any experienced, top level players from Australia for 2017.

Vatuvei is one of the leaders at the Warriors and is someone the younger players look up to, especially those from Polynesian families.

It's because of his seniority status that he took the humiliation from being exposed for mixing prescription pills with energy drinks harder than the others.

The Auckland-born Vatuvei made his Warriors debut against the Rabbitohs in 2004, was their player of the year in 2010 and has gone on to play 215 games and score 148 tries for the club.

He will always be remembered as one of the club's all-time greats, along with Stacey Jones, Simon Mannering and Steve Price, but it looks as if his time in the Warriors jersey will come to an end soon.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/80298465/manu-vatuvei-and-the-warriors-are-set-to-part-ways
 
DRAGONSNZ

DRAGONSNZ

Bench
Messages
2,696
Well you 'bros' need to give us Konrad Hurrell if you dont wanha release Maumalo!!!! Or Manu hahah
 
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