Young talent way to go

[T-BONE MCGRAW]

I think out of all our youngsters Hayne and B Smith will be the best closely followed by Timmy and Tsoulous (hopefully). Inu, Taia and Cordoba are still to prove themselves in first grade and hopefully Jack Afa comes good again as he could be anything IMO. I suppose we wiil have to wait and see but it looks promising

 

[slippery nipeel]

As much as I would have liked to sign Scott Hill or a Craig Wing for our halves and maybe a good prop, I feel far more confident than I did a month ago in our chances for next year. I think young guys like the Smiths (B & T), Hayne, Blake, Josh, Zeb, Weller, Inu etc will really step up next year. We still have exceptional talent in players like Hindy, Fuiy, Tahu, PJ and Guju to help provide experience.

Like most (not all) I was excited about what Jamie Lyon could add to our team, but I agree it was extremely poor not too have a contingency plan if he did not sign and to let it draw out reflected badly on the club and particularly those involved with negotiations. To put all of your eggs in one basket was DUMB!!!!!

 

[Stagger eel]

I think out of all our youngsters Hayne and B Smith will be the best closely followed by Timmy and Tsoulous (hopefully). Inu, Taia and Cordoba are still to prove themselves in first grade and hopefully Jack Afa comes good again as he could be anything IMO. I suppose we wiil have to wait and see but it looks promising

unfortunately Jack won't be with us next year, destination unknown at this stage.

 

[T-BONE MCGRAW]

unfortunately Jack won't be with us next year, destination unknown at this stage.

Thanks for heads up Eela. I wasn't sure of his contract status. That news is a little dissapointing but I suppose he has had enough time to show what he can do, but just hasn't really lived up to expectations since his debut season

 

[The Colonel]

And Colonel, I beg to differ. Take Zeb for an example. MASSIVE wraps coming into firsts, and his first game was good. Almost immediately after that he dropped away. Josh is similar - he has had enough games in firsts now that we should be able to pick out an example of where he was a shining example of front row domination for us. Just because he comes off the bench is no excuse. I like Josh, he busts his arse most games, but he still hasn't been a standout for us.

Why do they have to be a standout because they had big wraps? I think Hayne has managed to shine for a couple of reasons. Mostly due to the increased confidence in the rest of the team since JT took over and because the kid is a confidence player.

Cordoba played a great game against Newcastle round 1 and he was a bit flaty game 2. He was then dropped and wasn't seen for a number of weeks in the top grade. Recently his efforts have been much improved since his return.

Zeb had a great game first up and again flat in his second and hasn't been given an oppurtunity since. Zeb, Josh and Joel and to a lesser extent Delaney played most of their games when the first grade side was at its lowest point in terms of confidence.

 

[greena]

Can't agree with your optimism "Colonel". From what I have seen the last few years Taia, Cordoba, Hauraki, Oake & Afamasaga are all good PL players but none have shown that they will ever make permanent first graders.

If this is the best we have to offer next year we will be ordinary, none of the above players fill me with confidence.

Also, I don't think Taia exactly set the world on fire in his first game, made a few hard runs but some of his handling mistakes led to tries against us.

Look at most first graders, they were standouts in the lower grades and quickly became permanent fixtures in first grade. There might be a few exceptions to the rule but usually because the player above doesn't deserve to be dropped.

 

[The Colonel]

Not asking anyone to share my optimism "greena".

We saw last year how well players who make their debut in a team that is performing well can go. Confidence is an amazing thing.

 

[Hellsy]

Well that was stupid.

Lyon the dog.

We should have made a solid offer and given him two weeks, then moved on. Was silly to try and base the whole planning for next year around one name, especially when we know first-hand how unreliable he is.

Nick

I agree!!!!!!!

 

[Utey]

its simple, its impossible to bring kids into a struggling team.

 

[number8]

Not asking anyone to share my optimism "greena".

We saw last year how well players who make their debut in a team that is performing well can go. Confidence is an amazing thing.

I know you're not asking but I'll go with you! Our 98 through 2001 sides were built in much the same way as we are now. Good young kids comming into grade on the back good players leaving, & a few experienced rejects from elsewhere comming to the club.

I don't think these kids that were graded played that bad at all. I was more than happy with their games & Zeb's in paticular who seems to be seen by everyone else as the poorer of the group! I thought he, & the rest were great considering! Aside from Delaney who has been a flop (no A grader imo) Cordoba of the lot, was probably the lesser performed of the boys early on, but he done well also. Especially his last few.

I can't wait to see Weller get acrack & will be happy for any of these guys to be mainstays in next years 1st grade side.

 

[yy_cheng]

Zeb had a great first game but in his second game he went for shoulder charges when he was defending off his line. He missed and only strolled back into position. That is not what you do on you own line unless you are up by about 50.

Maybe he does it pl (i don't watch it so I don't know) and it's not bad as they are always winning.


The one player that have really shone even more than Hayne is Moimoi.

He hits the line hard. Gets smashed by 4 players, gets up, throws his head gear away and still puts up his hand to hit the line.

His fitness has improved.

His defence has improved remarkably.

No more wild shoulder charges that miss.

He does not jog back to the line. (he used to do what I mentioned Zeb did)


I would say that I would've considered him about the same as the PL players were last year. i.e. last year, they were all about the same level.

Now look at him. Granted, they have given him more game time and someone has definitely worked on him and his game.

The PL players just have to follow the path of Fuifui Moimoi.

 

[Stagger eel]

I'm still of the belief that we'll have the right people at our club who will get the best out of everyone and some..and I'm including our kids.

 

[JOB 3:14]

Young talent way to go
BRAD EARL
19jul06


Fitzgerald said the club still had funds available under the salary cap.
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No Sh*t.

 

[Dragons_Head]

just a question regarding two former eel juniors, 1. where has daniel backo gone? 2. is there a chance that ross brown( now playing with cabramatta in the jim beam cup) could end up back in the blue & gold? , outstanding schoolboy footballer, played the same year as leahroyd-lahrs.

 

[The Colonel]

Daniel returned to Qld, homesick and looking to "retire" after a knee injury. Could reappear with the Titans.

Never seen nor heard of Ross Brown so couldn't tell you, if he's good enough then who knows.

 

[Hollywood Jesus]

Are you trying to say that Hayne would not have played so well if he had have been blooded at the beginning of the year, Colonel? If Hayne had been in an underachieving team he would have underachieved himself?

I beg to differ. Hayne is a perfect example of a kid who came up and straight away showed that he is first grade material. We lost three of our first four under JT but still everyone knew Hayne had already proven himself, even in a team getting beaten.

It's a two way street - you say that the kids can't show it in a team that is out of form. That's partly true, but Hayne immediately showed us that it is not entirely true. On the other hand, part of the reason we couldn't find form is that we didn't have those kids to come in and fill the gaps left in a team that was underperforming.

But like I said, I'm not bagging anybody out. We have some juniors with a helluva lot of potential but a lot of people seem to think that it's a given that they will fire for us next year when it is far from it.

Without Morrison, Morris, Stringer, McKinnon, Widders, O'Dwyer, Delaney etc all gone and Timmy not having had a good 80 minute game all through 06, we aren't gonna be a side that comes out and fires straight off the bat. We will probably have teething problems at the beginning of the year and suffer from poor early form. Which puts us in a somewhat similar situation to the beginning of this year.

So why does everyone seem to think that these kids are gonna do the job next year when they couldn't in a struggling team this year? Will it just take time? If so, we've had plenty of time for the kids to step up this year, work their early niggles out and become important first graders - yet nothing of the sort has happened with the exception of Hayne.

Quite simply, the progression of our juniors into the first graders we will need them to be is not as cut and dried as so many people seem to think it is.

 

[fish eel]

The young kids that step into first grade and excel as much as Hayne has done, so quickly are rare. They're the real gems. I dont think even Jamie Lyon in his first season did as well as I hear Hayne has been doing.

 

[The Colonel]

Are you trying to say that Hayne would not have played so well if he had have been blooded at the beginning of the year, Colonel? If Hayne had been in an underachieving team he would have underachieved himself?

I beg to differ. Hayne is a perfect example of a kid who came up and straight away showed that he is first grade material. We lost three of our first four under JT but still everyone knew Hayne had already proven himself, even in a team getting beaten.

It's a two way street - you say that the kids can't show it in a team that is out of form. That's partly true, but Hayne immediately showed us that it is not entirely true. On the other hand, part of the reason we couldn't find form is that we didn't have those kids to come in and fill the gaps left in a team that was underperforming.

fAR FROM IT MATE. i THINK hAYNE WOULD HAVE SHONE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. oTHER PLAYERS THOUGH AREN'T LIKE hAYNE....

 

[the_eel]

I'd rather give one of the young up and coming juniors a go then to pay ridiculous amounts of money for a player like Finch or Rudder.....if the juniors fail miserably then so be it but surely with Hindmarsh, Cayless, Grothe, Tahu, Robinson, Riddell, Vella, Wagon and PJ there is enough experience in the squad to help these young blokes adjust to the riguors of first grade footy.

 

[The Colonel]

So why does everyone seem to think that these kids are gonna do the job next year when they couldn't in a struggling team this year? Will it just take time? If so, we've had plenty of time for the kids to step up this year, work their early niggles out and become important first graders - yet nothing of the sort has happened with the exception of Hayne.

Which kid besides Delaney and Hayne has had a liong enough period in the first grade squad to do what you are suggesting? Delaney has played much of the season crook....and no one else has been given a long term run outside of Josh now to do what Hayne is doing. Cordoba for mine has been going along well.