Matt Wright's try

[swoop]

This bloke always copped a bit of stick on the forum but Matt Wright try got us up and going. To stay alive and chase the ball through to score was terrific I thought. He carted the ball up strongly. Did a lot of good things. Well Done.

 

[manlyfan76]

He has great moments and is good under the high ball.

Really good back up player but would never be a star.

 

[Turbo4Life]

Well done to Matthew, still don't know how he outpaced munster.

 

[HappilyManly]

For those questioning Wrighty's value

https://twitter.com/NRL/status/997789261129703424?s=19

Always follow the ball and play to the whistle

 

[BrendonStarr]

Safe hands, solid defender, wealth of experience. I would prefer him on the wing over Brad Parker, but he is only warming the edge for Taufua at the end of the day. Deserves a spot on the bench until walker comes back, but after that i would have Suli on the bench over Wright snd then bring Wright back in when Tom is out for State of Origin.

He almost pulled off an even freakier play on the stroke of half time against thee Broncos last week with those two kicks as well.

He has done enough in my eyes to warrant a contract extension for another yesr or two if it is within our budget. He is only 27 so he has a few good years left in him if his body holds up.

 

[Garts]

He gets bagged as he is not a superstar. But he is solid and reliable and excellent back up. I would not be upset if we kept him for this reason.

 

[maxta]

A heap of way quicker wingers would not have scored that try....
Wright done what you are told by coaches from U7's - never give up on the play - play to the whistle.
The Storm players basically gave up on the play and as a footy can bounce pretty much anywhere, Wright was rewarded for his gutsy chase - Great effort!!

 

[Pittwater Legend]

Matt Wright is a great player to have around

That was a magic try. I can't believe that it didn't hit the corner post, which would have been a 7 tackle set to the Storm

 

[Tragic Eagle]

I have been critical of Matt Wright in the past as he is rocks and diamonds. But he showed massive determination as he’s not the quickest outside back around to score that try which for mine was the turning point. Well done Matt!

 

[Kevinward777]

Very good back up player... and unless you’re Penrith, who are blessed with a perpetual influx of super talented juniors, then Matty Wright is exactly the type of player we need in our squad. Experienced, reliable, and able to cover several positions.

 

[Bearfax]

Never said he wasnt a good winger and no doubt his safeness is what Barrett picks him for. But he is like Brown in the forwards. Nothing wrong with Brown either, a good solid player who wont let you down. But they are players who just do their job well without star quality. Mind you Matt has done a few things in the past two weeks that have surprised me. That try was one, the double kick episode in the previous game was the other. I've seen him score a couple of clever tries as well. Both experienced reliable players. But both are just a shade better than reserve graders. You wouldnt drop Taufua or even Uate for Matt. And personally I'd risk Tom Wright on that wing, but maybe Trent thinks that's still a little early.

 

[double hoops]

A heap of way quicker wingers would not have scored that try....
Wright done what you are told by coaches from U7's - never give up on the play - play to the whistle.
The Storm players basically gave up on the play and as a footy can bounce pretty much anywhere, Wright was rewarded for his gutsy chase - Great effort!!

He is a pretty reliable footy player all round. He has the safest hands of any Manly winger, since Robbo.

 

[Scorpio]

Well done to Matthew, still don't know how he outpaced munster.

Munster gave up on the play as he thought it was going dead.

Wright never gave up on the play and reaped the rewards. He isn't a superstar but he has done all that has been asked of him.

 

[BOZO]

Wright does the basic things right most of the times .
The Kick by DCE was meant to find touch . All players gave up running hard at the ball because they thought the ball would go out of play . Wright had his eyes on the ball and never gave up the chase and was rewarded with the try .
Wright has been given plenty opportunity by Trent to play NRL . If the same opportunity was given to younger faster players with more potential than Wright then we would see them show their worth as well .
IMO I would give young players with pace to burn like Matt Wright and Anderson ahead of the stereo type players .

 

[swoop]

Wright does the basic things right most of the times .
The Kick by DCE was meant to find touch . All players gave up running hard at the ball because they thought the ball would go out of play . Wright had his eyes on the ball and never gave up the chase and was rewarded with the try .
Wright has been given plenty opportunity by Trent to play NRL . If the same opportunity was given to younger faster players with more potential than Wright then we would see them show their worth as well .
IMO I would give young players with pace to burn like Matt Wright and Anderson ahead of the stereo type players .

I agree with that but it's not the right time to blood young untried players when we're trying to climb the ladder and especially when they are winning games.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

All the talk about Tom Wright on the wing, has he ever actually played there ? People think it is an easy place to plonk into, and it is easier than some other slots, but there are still positioning things and communications with your inside man that needs to be worked on otherwise you'll be a fish out of water

I'm happy enough with Matt Wright, you don't have to have a team of superstars, but he is solid and reliable in a number of positions and is great value as a 4th choice winger/centre/fullback. A lot of chat about how you have to have size and pace etc as well these days, Edrick Lee has all of that and I'd pick Matt Wright every day of the week

Our 2008 premiership side contained the likes of Bryant and Hall, our 2011 side had the likes of Mauro and Rose, a good footy side has a mix of game breaking players alongside the reliable players that fill in the 1 percenters that allow the others to do their thing

The side leading the comp at the moment has Nighingale on the wing, not a big guy, not a fast guy, but they know they can rely on him week in week out and he gets it done 99 games out of 100

 

[BOZO]

I agree with that but it's not the right time to blood young untried players when we're trying to climb the ladder and especially when they are winning games.

Depends which way you look at it. I believe the time is right for the right players with ability .
We will agree to disagree

 

[Bearfax]

All the talk about Tom Wright on the wing, has he ever actually played there ? People think it is an easy place to plonk into, and it is easier than some other slots, but there are still positioning things and communications with your inside man that needs to be worked on otherwise you'll be a fish out of water

I'm happy enough with Matt Wright, you don't have to have a team of superstars, but he is solid and reliable in a number of positions and is great value as a 4th choice winger/centre/fullback. A lot of chat about how you have to have size and pace etc as well these days, Edrick Lee has all of that and I'd pick Matt Wright every day of the week

Our 2008 premiership side contained the likes of Bryant and Hall, our 2011 side had the likes of Mauro and Rose, a good footy side has a mix of game breaking players alongside the reliable players that fill in the 1 percenters that allow the others to do their thing

The side leading the comp at the moment has Nighingale on the wing, not a big guy, not a fast guy, but they know they can rely on him week in week out and he gets it done 99 games out of 100

I dont recall Tom Wright playing wing before other than his first grade initiation which was only 5 minutes and which he did with aplomb. Tom is however quite versatile as can been seen in the positions he has played, those being five eighth, centre and full back. I think he's also had a few shots at half. The fact he has played full back and did it successfully, shows he would have no problems catching the ball, returning it and covering the field. Add to that he is fast, evasive and knows how to use his supports. His defence has improved quite a bit. So he has the qualities that would make him an effective winger. Add to that, like Anderson, who has also played centre, wing and full back, he knows to come in and support players inside. Matt Wright is a good winger who is safe and does the occasional clever thing. But he is no better from what I have seen in catching and returning, is slower, does not have the evasive elements, seems no better in defence. Matt is a good fringe first grader. Tom is an emerging first grader who just may become a star. Certainly his combination with Tom T would be explosive once they learn each other's moves.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

That's all fine in attack, which is the easy part of things

On the other side of things, there is the need to know when to drop back, how deep to drop, when to come in to cut off a play and when to stay on your line and trust the insides etc

I haven't seen any reserve grade at all and only watch a couple of 20s games so haven't seen a huge amount of Wright, what I did see though wasn't an indicator he was ready to jump straight into first grade so I'll trust the coaches on the timing of that

 

[HoldenV8]

Well done to Matthew, still don't know how he outpaced munster.

I still don't know how he outpaced the ball.....but he did.

I knew it was a try as soon as I saw Munster's reaction. He knew the ball had been grounded for a try.

 

[Bearfax]

That's all fine in attack, which is the easy part of things

On the other side of things, there is the need to know when to drop back, how deep to drop, when to come in to cut off a play and when to stay on your line and trust the insides etc

I haven't seen any reserve grade at all and only watch a couple of 20s games so haven't seen a huge amount of Wright, what I did see though wasn't an indicator he was ready to jump straight into first grade so I'll trust the coaches on the timing of that

He seems to know enough about back line play to adapt. Thing is with Tom Wright, he has outstanding skills, but tends to be a bit Phil Blake like, in not involving himself enough or trusting his own talents. I look at young Ponga, and T. Wright has similar skills. But Ponga involves himself, takes charge. Tom W seems reluctant to do that. Perhaps its because he's had a couple of long term injuries when he first arrived at Manly and is a bit hesitant. But like Ponga, he plays like a touch footballer. If this kid decided to take that leading role in games that we see only occasionally, he would be one of the best in the game. Its just getting 80 minutes out of him instead of 10-20.