Josh Starling

[Disco]

I'm against the majority here but i have been very pleased with Starling so far.

We have plucked him out of reserve grade and given him the responsibility of being a starter and he is putting in his shift and making no mistakes........just what we need from him.

Not everyone in your team can be a flashy player and you have to remember Starling is making his yards against a fresh pack, he is facing the fresh Burges, Fifita's and Woods of this world were our "impact props are coming on against fatigued players or your bench forwards.

Also Starling seems to know his place, he takes the runs were we are 10 out from our own line needing hard yards done and leaves the attacking runs to guys like Watmough etc who are designed for it.

Can't fault him so far and he seems to be improving

 

[HappilyManly]

He is just like Vic Mauro - basic skillset, reliable attitude and on the improve

 

[Manly til i die]

I think every successful side as a player whose just honest, rolls up the sleeves, does nothing fancy but is important to the side.
In 96 we had Niel Tierney, 08 Mark Bryant and 11 Vic Mauro. When you think back to those premiership years their not the first players that come to mind, but they did all that was required of them and I'm sure their teammates would be the first to say how vital they were for the side. Starling looks a real go-er to me, think he fits the side nicely

 

[anthonyb1965]

ordinary and always will be

A lot of people thought the same of Gifty (and I know, he isn't a front rower like Starling) when he first started. Glad people mature into something special, most of the time, at Manly 🙂

 

[lsz]

I would suggest he is worth what he is being paid...which can not be much more than the min wage

 

[Chip and Chase]

Not everyone can be an impact player. Someone has to do some grunt work. If he makes tackles, makes some yards and doesn't make any errors then that's fine by me.

 

[BOZO]

He has not done anything spectacular and he has not done anything to lose his position either . . Under our coaching staff he can only get better .

 

[bones]

Tolman and Woods have to do extra work to make up for slugs like T-Rex and Adam Blair.
You're not going to get a Tolman, Woods or even a Kite for the money Starling is on.

 

[RiverEagle]

Yeah I agree with that general vibe of solid, value for money, no frills footballer. Bit like Horo actually and with our salary cap issues we clearly need to find a few rough diamonds, and hope we turn them into polished 1st graders.

Lawrence is the poster boy for that, tho I'm not expecting him to rise to that level exactly. He'll either improve steadily or slip back to the field as the season rolls on, but I like how we give these ''rookies'' per say, a chance at our great club...And I'm another content with his effort so far.

 

[6/71]

Starling has been doing exactly what is required. Pretty hard to complain.

I'm pretty sure BJ is playing hurt and is more tentative than usual. As Starling continues through the year and BJ starts hitting the line harder we will be in a great place.

 

[Jatz Crackers]

Starlings worth can not only be measured by stats and by skills and impact but also by his low cost, which allows Manly to implement other plans in retention & recruitment.

If we were to swap him for someone like Woods we, in turn lose 2-3 other players.

Makes him kind of ideal at the moment doesn't it.

 

[tookey]

Woods, Tolman and JWH are all vastly more experienced than Starling.

Wait until the end of next year before comparing him to the other props mentioned.

 

[Masked Eagle]

Starlings worth can not only be measured by stats and by skills and impact but also by his low cost, which allows Manly to implement other plans in retention & recruitment.

If we were to swap him for someone like Woods we, in turn lose 2-3 other players.

Makes him kind of ideal at the moment doesn't it.

I guess that means if he continues to improve its unlikely we will be able to hold onto him when his contract expires and he'll be replaced by another cheapie looking for an opportunity and a premiership or 2!

 

[double hoops]

3 things. No mistakes. Improved every week to date. Finally has a bit more muscle about him then our other props.

 

[Killer03]

I rate him. He's just done his work quietly. Averaging close to 100m and 20tackles is pretty good in my book. And he's getting better.

Those other props mentioned are all earning good coin. If we want to keep DCE, Foz, Killer, Snake, Gift..........someone has to be on lesser coin.

 

[MissKate]

We all know that too many superstars in a team don't fit so Josh fills a vital role for us.

Not knowing what to expect of him I have kept an eye on him this season. There have been a few times during these first few games that I have noticed him looking pretty exhausted and looking like he wants to come off for a breather. It then seems like he kicks back into gear and he takes a deep breath and runs back into play. Guessing part of that is him getting used to the pace of first grade. I can only see him improving during the season but also lasting the season well, unlike some of his high performing counterparts, will they last the whole season with consistently outstanding stats, I think not

 

[The Eagle Has Landed]

Wasn't too impressed with him for the first couple of games but he really played his best goty against the Sharks. He doesn't drop the ball and gets busy.
It's a bit too early to be calling for his head.

 

[Biscuits]

Ryan is the worst judge of footballing talent I have ever come across. Because of that, I expect him to become a test team regular within two seasons.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

If I'm a starting prop from another team, I'm very thankful Josh Starling is my opposition number - it would give me confidence coming in.

Yes the Burgess boys and JWH were probably chuckling when they saw they'd be lining up against him.
But maybe not so smug after they failed to win those matches.

 

[Sheikheagle]

Good call SER8, I think he is slowly getting into the swing of things at manly. No superstar but an important no frills player that every team needs. Ryan never rated toovs as a coach either!