Matt Ballin

[Stiffi]

Several people on several different sites have Matt Ballin playing in First Grade next year. As someone who has not been able to get to any games this year, I don't know anything about him, so if someone could post some positives & negatives and any information about him it would be greatly appreciated!!




Cheers,

 

[Dan]

the games i have seen him i have been impressed, not so much for ummy half running but ball playing and creativity.

The tigers trial was a great example he had the ball on a string and had decoy runners running off of him.

 

[The Wheel]

He looks to have promise but had a few injuries throughout this season which set him back this year.

He is only young and has a slight build which could see him struggle in NRL at this stage of his career.

He is quite handy from dummy half with a good passing game, I thought he was about our best in the first P/L semi against the Dragons.

Needs to build up over off season but probably have Monas & Dunely in front of him next year. I think he can handle NRL OK, watch for him later in the season.

 

[Guest]

the games i have seen him i have been impressed, not so much for ummy half running but ball playing and creativity.

The tigers trial was a great example he had the ball on a string and had decoy runners running off of him.

Maybe Dessie should have put him at half back this year. We could have done with someone with the ball on a string and setting up decoy runners.

 

[The Wheel]

Hard to pass when the ball when it is on string.

 

[Ryan]

I wish Monnas ball was on a string...actually make that a rope !!! LoL

 

[Guest]

If we had string on the ball then someone could have tied it wround King's hands whenever he ran with it. That way he mightn't have dropped it as often when he got tackled.

 

[Dan]

King ran with the ball?

 

[Ryan]

I was actually thinking guys. I reckon we give Jason King $100 per metre gained in a game. This season he would have averaged around $1000- per game which isn't bad some would say, but that's only $26,000 gross. I bet that would be the encouragement he'd need to improve.

You guys reckon it would work?

 

[jamesie]

King ran with the ball?

King ran?

:bdh:

 

[Guest]

I am sure that it was King that I saw running with the ball against the Warriors. Then again I could have had too many beers and might have mistaken him for someone else under the lights.

There is always next year.

 

[Dan]

tookey is that a meek defense of King?

 

[Guest]

Meek and King. Hmmmm those go well together.

Maybe I have been reading too many of SGT's emails defending him.

 

[Dan]

perhaps, but for mine playing 2 games at the standard of a fringe first grade prop is just not good enough, injury or no.

playing 2 games with the following
- 13 metres, 2 hit up, 40 mins of footbal
- 8 metres, 1 hitup, 23 mins of football

Just isnt good enough. Time to go back to PL and learn how to play again or at least try and find you heart

 

[The Wheel]

If you forget the hit ups etc our Number 1 starting prop should be playing 60 to 65 mins per game. Look at the Webkes, Baileys, O'meleys they all play signficant period of the game.

 

[Dan]

ours struggles after 10 minutes. Quality all the way to the bench!

 

[Guest]

And they were not even a quality 10 minutes either.

If his performances really were due to injury then he would have been better sitting out a couple matches rather than put in efforts like those.

I find it hard to believe the excuse that he built his upper body up too much for his legs. Training and diet is so scientific and stringent right from Harold Matthews so how could the trainers get it so wrong with King?

Perhaps it might be that we have the wrong fitness and training staff? Parra seem to have got it right this year.

 

[Dan]

We have a theory that he has photos of someone, we dont know who or what of but it seems the only feasible theory