News: Api Koroisau contract situation

[Woodsie]

Is it just coincidental that the last 2 matches tommy has been a bit off Api has started? I dont think so.

Did you type that with a straight face .... tell me you're taking the piss ... please ... what? ... you were serious ... **** off . you're kidding me .... what the **** drugs you doinn ??? ....

 

[Pittwater Legend]

Seems you don't rate all that highly the ability of people here to make up their own minds on this subject or you need others to validate your views for a short term high.
Reminding me you don't rate my dribble is all good though, helpful hint Dan has provided you a function below each post to do just that, might help open up more time in your day using this function more.

Your ramblings are piss-easy to scroll past. I don’t think you are that clever or interesting and you lack redeeming qualities so now I skip reading most of your bull****.

 

[40 years an eagle]

No point making 40 tackles a game of third man ins, not moving forward to chop down a player, no line speed to lead the defensive line, no sprinting out to put pressure on the hooker, not proactive on the inside and switching off, etc etc on top of forwards having to work harder in either supporting a weak defender or making more tackles in general.

Tell that to Scameron Smith, that's exactly what he has been doing for 10 years.

 

[sheridanstand78]

Api has great tackling skills and is a very brave defender and is not afraid to take the line on. His one serious weakness is his distribution from dummy half and at times he is sloppy there.

Young Fainu is far from the finished article and his impact this year coming on against tired defences has been lethal at times. He is so creative around the ruck and he and Tommy Turbo lurking around are creating many opportunities. I would like to see Fainu improve his defence and stamina. very much a work in progress and ideally we need two hookers until he is totally ready.

Shame that we are likely to lose Api as he always tries hard for the team. I expect the club will work a lot on Fainu over the off season and try and get him to be a consistent 80 minute player. We must keep him because he is going to be an amazing hooker once he matures!

 

[master blaster]

It seems the Bulldogs is where Api might be headed , funny but I thought they had a bigger salary cap issue than we did!!!

Well Mark ,I gave up trying to figure that one out. We were the less of the clubs that stuffed up but we are the only club that has continued to shred players for the last 2 years just to stay under the cap. And by all accounts we are still doing it tough now. What am I missing here...

 

[qldeagle]

Well Mark ,I gave up trying to figure that one out. We were the less of the clubs that stuffed up but we are the only club that has continued to shred players for the last 2 years just to stay under the cap. And by all accounts we are still doing it tough now. What am I missing here...

Leagues clubs and poker machines. That's what we're missing.

 

[BOZO]

Leagues clubs and poker machines. That's what we're missing.

We also have fans missing in action through club membership

Sydney NRL Club Membership

Rabitts 29597
Dragons 20642
Tigers 20155
Panthers 19920
Dogs 18273
Roosters 16264
Sharks 15795

SEA EAGLES 12 435 .... Our great club deserves better than being dead last .

 

[qldeagle]

We also have fans missing in action through club membership

Sydney NRL Club Membership

Rabitts 29597
Dragons 20642
Tigers 20155
Panthers 19920
Dogs 18273
Roosters 16264
Sharks 15795

SEA EAGLES 12 435 .... Our great club deserves better than being dead last .

I think when you have a good inviting leagues club to visit then that incentivises the punters to join the team club through cross promotions, belonging, community and so on. St George, Roosters and Brisbane are a classic example of that. I know the Broncos club is chockas more nights than none.

 

[HoldenV8]

Yep, none of us want to lose Api but he’s on decent coin and that’s a much cheaper option isn’t it!!

As much as we do like Api, there might be more who won't be as fussed if he leaves as you might think. A lot of us have been saying since 2016 that he has just about the worst passing game from dummy half in the NRL for a full time hooker, and sadly as last Friday night proved not much has changed in 3 1/2 years. I do not blame him for the loss to the Warriors. We did very little in that game to help our own cause. But with a known referee crackdown on forward passes going on right now an experienced dummy half like Api should not be throwing forward passes like the one he threw to Jake.

Personally I like the 1-2 hooker system we use, but the reality is that Manase Fainu could do the job just as well on his own. His defence is no worse than Api's, his dummy half running is better and his passing is far superior.

I still maintain that at the end of 2016 we got rid of the wrong player. I still believe that we should have let Api go and kept Matt Parcell.

 

[robbiea]

We also have fans missing in action through club membership

Sydney NRL Club Membership

Rabitts 29597
Dragons 20642
Tigers 20155
Panthers 19920
Dogs 18273
Roosters 16264
Sharks 15795

SEA EAGLES 12 435 .... Our great club deserves better than being dead last .

Club membership dollars are equal to about 5 mins of retired old Edna's pension plan going down the gurgler on the pokies!
For such so called business savy Penns,I dont know how they missed this free money memo.

 

[HappilyManly]

Club membership dollars are equal to about 5 mins of retired old Edna's pension plan going down the gurgler on the pokies!
For such so called business savy Penns,I dont know how they missed this free money memo.

Have you seen our Leagues Club? It's pokies and more pokies

 

[globaleagle]

I just read a hilarious foxsports article saying that the poor bulldogs are facing a dilemma as some clubs also want the 3 players they want, and therefore that's mean as the bulldogs wont be able to afford all three players.

Like...wtf, you couldn't make this up.

No wonder the monkey typist didn't put their name to the article.

 

[HoldenV8]

I still maintain that the onus is on the ball runner to get the timing better, and not so much on Api.

By that stage of the game it's all just muscle memory for Api, under fatigue, and under scoreboard pressure.

Scoreboard pressure I get, but in this case fatigue I don't. Api only played 37 minutes against the Warriors with around 25 of that coming in the first half. And most of the time he was on in the back half of the second half we were on the attack so its not like he had been making tackle after energy sapping tackle (he made 27 all game). Yes it was only his second game back from injury, but even in the conditions he shouldn't have been that fatigued.

Yes Jake overran him, but an experienced dummy half should not be throwing forward passes, especially not when its common knowledge that the refs have been cracking down on forward passes.

However, in no way known should Api be the blame for the loss. We made way too many mistakes and poor decisions throughout the game to pin the loss on one mistake with 2 minutes to go. Api's mistake was just the last in a long line of mistakes we made in Auckland. Remember, with 12 minutes to go we were 18-0 down. If we had won it would have been a miracle, and if truth be told a bit underserved. The Warriors out-played Manly, simple as that.

 

[maxta]

Scoreboard pressure I get, but in this case fatigue I don't. Api only played 37 minutes against the Warriors with around 25 of that coming in the first half. And most of the time he was on in the back half of the second half we were on the attack so its not like he had been making tackle after energy sapping tackle (he made 27 all game). Yes it was only his second game back from injury, but even in the conditions he shouldn't have been that fatigued.

Yes Jake overran him, but an experienced dummy half should not be throwing forward passes, especially not when its common knowledge that the refs have been cracking down on forward passes.

However, in no way known should Api be the blame for the loss. We made way too many mistakes and poor decisions throughout the game to pin the loss on one mistake with 2 minutes to go. Api's mistake was just the last in a long line of mistakes we made in Auckland. Remember, with 12 minutes to go we were 18-0 down. If we had won it would have been a miracle, and if truth be told a bit underserved. The Warriors out-played Manly, simple as that.

Agree with 99% of the post H8 and the ONLY thing I would add in the -
Api shouldn't have passed it due to his runners location (very fair to say)
Jake over ran the pass ( also, very fair to say)
Truth is, even in that tackle like many before, Manly were mistiming the run and even when shifting were often out of sync....this imo was largely down to the factor of them having that latitude to slow that play ball which effects the rhythm and timing of the attack.
To be 100% clear this is no excuse, as Manly did not adapt to these tactics well and NZ were deserved winners on the day, maybe by more if you take away the fact Blair copped a rough 10m bin to invite us back into the game.....simply stating the confused and frustrated looking attack including that pass in question, was due to that slowed ruck all day.

 

[HoldenV8]

Api is a great player and if we lose him I doubt very much we will have to pay any freight. The salary cap for most clubs is a real issue meaning that sometimes good players have to be let go. I will be sorry to see him go.

Api may be a good defender, especially with his energy and in that regard he reminds a lot of Tooves who punched well above his weight with his defence, but he has too many deficiencies otherwise to be a great player. As @susan has pointed out already, when it comes to attacking stats for NRL hookers in 2019 he ranks near the bottom. And in the almost 4 years he's been at Manly his passing game from dummy half has barely seen any improvement.

Yes we'd be sorry to see him go, but as much as I do like Api I honestly think that Faniu could do the job on his own and probably do it better. And if its the 1-2 punch from hooker that people don't want to lose we always have Croker or Cust (who was a hooker in the lower grades) who can do that job.

 

[bob dylan]

The fact is Manly score most of our points when Api is off the field or not at hooker.

Last week was just another example of this. Its been going on all season.

 

[Go manly]

People here seem to think i rate Api more highly than i actually do, Api has his limitations that are obvious, the point i am making is Fainu is not as good as people are making out (at the moment and might not ever reach the heights people expect here) and getting ahead of themselves.

In a wet game like Friday where the Warriors slowed down the play the ball and read all our plays really well Fainu would make little difference in the opening 20-25 mins as he rarely does much creative work out of dummy half in this period. (like most hookers but in varying degrees), if anything a fit Api with his crazy ducking under tacklers arms that sometimes works and sometimes is worthy of a hit to the head probably offered more chance of an opportunity under such conditions and he showed a glimpse in that game.

Both hookers passing from dummy half is not all that creative or crisp at all and not something that really opens up(meaning defences just can't expect short simple passes to the obvious short spaced leading runner) or second guesses defensive lines like a Cam Smith, Ballin, Buderus type.(referring to the quality and variety of passing they offer from dummy half as examples)

Des obviously feels the same way that Fainu is more dangerous after the opening exchanges and wants to save the more attacking hooker option for when it can shine more. On top of that Api's high work rate will ease the workload in defence of others in the middle along with staying switched on and closing up gaps.

The way fans here are giving "too much praise" for a hooker that really only excels in one department and is adequate to poor in defence is what i am addressing. If you think his weakness in defence and work rate are a myth you can have this view and i will have mine but you really don't back up your views other than showing stats at face value and not looking into them.

Api does more tackles per minute of game time than Fainu, and does so at greater intensity, even taking into account the faster opening exchanges offering an opportunity to pad up stats a little more compared to later in the game if Manly are dominating more in attack.

Looking at stats like tackle efficiency or missed tackles even tackles made and taking them on face value is really asking for trouble in the way you view a players qualities.

No point making 40 tackles a game of third man ins, not moving forward to chop down a player, no line speed to lead the defensive line, no sprinting out to put pressure on the hooker, not proactive on the inside and switching off, etc etc on top of forwards having to work harder in either supporting a weak defender or making more tackles in general.

You might create double the assists per season and nullify those gains with not being up to par in defence.

Take it this way i would take a lower assist/ low attacking output hooker with crisp ball delivery from dummy half that has variety with great defensive workload qualities and intensity over a high assist, high attacking output hooker with adequate to poor defence any day of the week.(even though speed around marker is required more these days than the not too distant past)

Now if the NRL (and i hope they don't go down this path) go down to six interchanges and focus on speeding up the play the ball then a hooker who can take advantage of touch football play the balls with adequate defence(more fatigue in forwards throughout the game will not expose weak defenders as often with lower impact tackles made) and a good motor to not put pressure on the interchange is required.

Shut up already TC
You rave
We know your cluey
Stop telling us already
That could have been the longest dribble I have wasted my time reading
I gave you an rating and won’t reply again

 

[Woodsie]

Scoreboard pressure I get, but in this case fatigue I don't. Api only played 37 minutes against the Warriors with around 25 of that coming in the first half. And most of the time he was on in the back half of the second half we were on the attack so its not like he had been making tackle after energy sapping tackle (he made 27 all game). Yes it was only his second game back from injury, but even in the conditions he shouldn't have been that fatigued.

Yes Jake overran him, but an experienced dummy half should not be throwing forward passes, especially not when its common knowledge that the refs have been cracking down on forward passes.

However, in no way known should Api be the blame for the loss. We made way too many mistakes and poor decisions throughout the game to pin the loss on one mistake with 2 minutes to go. Api's mistake was just the last in a long line of mistakes we made in Auckland. Remember, with 12 minutes to go we were 18-0 down. If we had won it would have been a miracle, and if truth be told a bit underserved. The Warriors out-played Manly, simple as that.

Agree with all you say .... it is the obligation of the runner to time his run ... and it is the duty of the dummy half to be aware ... however the focus of the dummy half is often very narrow and his directional compass comprimised ... for example. he is only looking at the ball players legs and feet, and if the ball player is not facing directly square, it is not unusual for the dummy half to be off in his judgement by a few degrees ...

All dummy halfs get pretty good at it with experience ... but you can quarantee all hookers will let a couple of line balls and more go this weekend ...

 

[XV-1]

The fact is Manly score most of our points when Api is off the field or not at hooker.

Last week was just another example of this. Its been going on all season.

Yep. Happened tonight.

 

[Kevinward777]

The fact is Manly score most of our points when Api is off the field or not at hooker.

Last week was just another example of this. Its been going on all season.

Fainu was exceptional tonight. Some stinging defence and superb with the ball. Special talent. His mate Suli was great as well.