Our Centre Dilemma - or is it ?

[BOZO]

We not the Chooks mate....

I realise we need a mix of lower capped players and lets be realistic, after DCE and Turbo Broz...add Marty and a decent chunk of $$$ is gone before we start.

Personally see plenty of valid points so far and though I reckon if we improve the engine room 20% in big games, these 2 may just be enough to get it done....though if Koula gets an opportunity and burst onto the scene in 2022 would be damn exciting, but until proven at NRL level, it's all based on the hope of a speedy youngster with plenty of potential...

This Koula Kid is a really exciting athlete / footy player feathered friend maxta
He turns 19 next season and he is ready to battle it out in the NRL

Perspective time Des Hasler
If 19 year are old soldiers are old enough to go to war and fight for their country
19 year old quality Manly players are old enough to fight in out for our club in the NRL

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

@jbb/james The only disagreement really is that our right side is a mess, this year with Harper (until the last month or so) and Haumole and Saab's finishing I thought our right edge was fantastic.

 

[jbb/james]

Oh oh demarcation dispute looming!

no dispute, im comfy with it. she is a keeper

beside looming is what she does in her past time. i like my undies hand made,

 

[jbb/james]

@jbb/james The only disagreement really is that our right side is a mess, this year with Harper (until the last month or so) and Haumole and Saab's finishing I thought our right edge was fantastic.

that is small sample size of the time frame i mentioned. although it was at its worst when **** got real at seasons end instead of when we beat the tigers or cows by 900. even the trainers went well then

it has moments pretty much inspired by tom. huamole best footy was when he was bash and barge and he could be a weapon with better ball or used a bit more like kikau. didnt happen

maybe a mess was a bit out there, but its pretty ordinary in attack and has been for some time

twice in the last month huamole had a last tackle option thrown at him last second with poor outcomes from his kick. the one in the melb game was costly just after walker made the break

he and croker also had DCE in position to take a kick on last a few metres out and at the last second, dce jumped out of the way and wrapped around the player to support the kick, both times kicked dead by frog and oka. a few weeks earlier , maybe canberra game.

if not messy , then what

 

[BOZO]

Witnessing Garrick have a break out year bigger than his debut season,
I think Harper might ‘train the house down’ in the off season and add some muscle while maintaining speed.
The reason he edges toward a better centre than hank for me is his service to Saab.
He’s often been applauded for his smart defensive reads (minus some shockers towards the end)
But not many centres know that many creative ways to feed their winger good early ball and well timed service.
I feel like a ‘better’ centre tries to dummy about half the passes that sent Saab streaking down the field or diving for the corner.
A centre like Suli never would of assisted that many tries.
Oh.. and morale..
Harpers morale and team vibe seems to be a big aspect to the closeness of this team. Hanks is a local junior but Harper seems to have a real bond with everyone.

In conclusion: if Des were to upgrade a centre or give Koula or tippy toes a run, I’d hope to see Harper keep his spot

Harper does have a bit of X factor skill set about him and can be nippy off the mark with good footwork and can get that impossible pass away to his winger . He has only one full season at NRL level and could improve especially in defence

 

[maxta]

This Koula Kid is a really exciting athlete / footy player feathered friend maxta
He turns 19 next season and he is ready to battle it out in the NRL

Perspective time Des Hasler
If 19 year are old soldiers are old enough to go to war and fight for their country
19 year old quality Manly players are old enough to fight in out for our club in the NRL

This is the hardest part from where I access things Bozo, as agree with where you 100% on the above post, which cannot be questioned.
But where I see things far different than most, is based on the dissappointing end to the season, as I have the forwards 80% responsible opposed to 20% the centres/ Tom being quiet ect.....I mean your car does not drive far without fuel and the middle men simply lacked the energy and control through the middle which in turn, puts chains on the backs and much more pressure than in more dominant forward performances during the season, where suddenly these centres were getting praise from Silvertails and every media news channel - they didn't suddenly become terrible players, though their flaws were certainly highlighted and there is no denying that.
Yes Harper imploded and had some horror moments and Parker is imo the slowest centre in the NRL, which I am not being blind to these facts...but their flaws were certainly exposed far more greatly due to their inside men and even more accomplished rep centres would have looked ordinary in Manly colours during the 2021 Finals campaign.
On the other note, an exciting speedster emerging would be welcome with open arms and I am really hoping the opportunity - pre season/trials can open some doors, as I have seen this flyer Koula in action first hand and he is more than just a speed demon, with vision and skill, also on his resume and for him to jump either of the current centres is not them being terrible, more a kid with huge ability and potential.

 

[BOZO]

This is the hardest part from where I access things Bozo, as agree with where you 100% on the above post, which cannot be questioned.
But where I see things far different than most, is based on the dissappointing end to the season, as I have the forwards 80% responsible opposed to 20% the centres/ Tom being quiet ect.....I mean your car does not drive far without fuel and the middle men simply lacked the energy and control through the middle which in turn, puts chains on the backs and much more pressure than in more dominant forward performances during the season, where suddenly these centres were getting praise from Silvertails and every media news channel - they didn't suddenly become terrible players, though their flaws were certainly highlighted and there is no denying that.
Yes Harper imploded and had some horror moments and Parker is imo the slowest centre in the NRL, which I am not being blind to these facts...but their flaws were certainly exposed far more greatly due to their inside men and even more accomplished rep centres would have looked ordinary in Manly colours during the 2021 Finals campaign.
On the other note, an exciting speedster emerging would be welcome with open arms and I am really hoping the opportunity - pre season/trials can open some doors, as I have seen this flyer Koula in action first hand and he is more than just a speed demon, with vision and skill, also on his resume and for him to jump either of the current centres is not them being terrible, more a kid with huge ability and potential.

I agree

We need to step up in the engine room

and we need centres that are capable of stepping up when Turbo is shut down

 

[Rocky]

I agree

We need to step up in the engine room

and we need centres that are capable of stepping up when Turbo is shut down

Seems like we aren't getting the gun centre/s you are looking for Bozo. As others have pointed out there aren't as many out there these days either. The fact we were sniffing around Momorovski shows you how much/little ammo is in our chequebook.

 

[Marto1970]

i am not saying we are blessed with strike centres but there effectiveness is based more on opportunities that skills

it seems strange that we set records with our wingers and fullback scoring but our centres were passengers or onlookers .

why, tom and DCE

as tom is the main playmaker he chimes in out a bit wider more often than not. this leaves our centres inside the play as tom has injected himself from behind them instead of a traditional half that would be in front of the centre

our right hand side has been a mess for years while dce fan club stick it to sirro as the problem but when we rearrange the deck chairs we get the same result. yes sirro has some habits but handing a ball of to sirro when you have options outside was always a choice

we had the same issue with brian kelly, then suli

foran does bring parker onto the ball but again forans opportunities are limited. this has also impacted schuster

our fullback centred game robs players inside of where he bobs up of opportunities

all centres need early ball to create and we saw how suli went outside of foran instead of outside cherry where he caught a cold for 2 years. yes he had some issues also.

the question isnt do we need strike centres, rather would we use them if we had them. As our attack structure is skewed to a different direction around the 1 instead of the 7

too often cherry gets the ball dummies, swerves , inside outs, pauses until he gets cornered and delivers a poor pass. this stifles the backrower who wants to run on to the ball and takes the centre out of the game as they are all standing next to each other with no momentum when a ball is finally swung there way

no doubt there are moments when a champion centre would help but put the coin elsewhere as the manly centres only perform part roles in the game mainly around defence

am i wrong

Players Chez 3rd try assists you are wrong

 

[mosto]

Agree with pretty much everything you said @maxta. I know Parker is not explosive but I think he's a tad underrated. One of the best defensive centres in the game and is serviceable in attack.

Despite his struggles in the finals, I thought Harper was brilliant defensively this year and, combined with Parker I think we have close to the best defensive centre pairing going around. In what is the hardest position to defend, that's a huge benefit. My main criticism of Harper this year is I thought he could of released Saab more. There were a few times throughout the season I thought he held or went himself when I thought there was an opportunity to put Saab away. That said, it's his first full year and he'll continue to improve.

 

[BOZO]

Seems like we aren't getting the gun centre/s you are looking for Bozo. As others have pointed out there aren't as many out there these days either. The fact we were sniffing around Momorovski shows you how much/little ammo is in our chequebook.

There are up and coming strike centres out there and we have one in Koula

I am sure Des is smart enough not to start a season with out depth in the centres

I am sure he has a plan B

Because If any one has no plan B

They plan for failure

 

[Go manly]

Players Chez 3rd try assists you are wrong

Agree
Our centres focus was defence as their main team role & Support attack when they could
Both did very good jobs in what they were asked to do and would have over performed on what was expected at season commencement

If you continue to sack everyone who makes a mistakes you will end up with no one in your organisation left

I hope they both remain at our club
Certainly popular within the team and both put their whole body on the line each time they take the field

 

[BOZO]

Agree
Our centres focus was defence as their main team role & Support attack when they could
Both did very good jobs in what they were asked to do and would have over performed on what was expected at season commencement

If you continue to sack everyone who makes a mistakes you will end up with no one in your organisation left

I hope they both remain at our club
Certainly popular within the team and both put their whole body on the line each time they take the field

Perception time ....

It is not about sacking

It is all about upgrading

And when you upgrade

The only way is up , up and away to another premiership feathered friend

The moral of the story ....
Evolve or dissolve

 

[The better Robbo]

I'm more concerned with centre depth. We have Harper and Parker who realistically should be better next year, especially Harper who has a lot of potential. We have a lack of depth at centre unless Tuipulotu and/or Koula can have a break out year. We have lost Funa and Suli who were both centres and have not replaced them. Maybe a Burbo or Schuster could play there if needed, maybe Bullemore could fill in.
There is a lot of maybe and hopefully with our depth at centre. Koula is the one with the most exciting potential, he seems an absolute star in the making, I just hope he can defend and has a decent footy IQ on him... If so, we will be in for something special. Imagine a backline with Turbo, Saab, Garrick and Koula. That would be the fastest backline ever assembled!

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Interesting that Silvertails judged Harper as one of Manly's most influential players in 2021. He was 6th overall out of the 30-odd players Manly used, according to our MVP ratings (thanks again to @mosto !)

By comparison, interesting that Parker didn't score a single MVP point despite being very steady and safe. Harper on the other hand was judged* to have played a very big role in several of our games (before some unfortunate moments at the end of the year).

I'm pretty confident Harper can be a big player for us next year, the experience he's gained should really help with his consistency.

*Disclaimer - yes I realise the MVP has limited weight because some Silvertailers [not mentioning any names] 🙂 clearly have no idea whatsoever!!!

MVP: - 2021 Silvertails MVP Final Tally

Firstly, apologies for not updating the last few weeks with who got the points in each round. Due to work and a few other factors I've only just gotten around to tallying points from Rd 23 onwards. Think of it akin to the Dally M votes going behind closed doors for the last few rounds I don't...

silvertails.net

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Interesting that Silvertails judged Harper as one of Manly's most influential players in 2021. He was 6th overall out of the 30-odd players Manly used, according to our MVP ratings (thanks again to @mosto !)

By comparison, interesting that Parker didn't score a single MVP point despite being very steady and safe. Harper on the other hand was judged* to have played a very big role in several of our games (before some unfortunate moments at the end of the year).

I'm pretty confident Harper can be a big player for us next year, the experience he's gained should really help with his consistency.

*Disclaimer - yes I realise the MVP has limited weight because some Silvertailers [not mentioning any names] 🙂 clearly have no idea whatsoever!!!

MVP: - 2021 Silvertails MVP Final Tally

Firstly, apologies for not updating the last few weeks with who got the points in each round. Due to work and a few other factors I've only just gotten around to tallying points from Rd 23 onwards. Think of it akin to the Dally M votes going behind closed doors for the last few rounds I don't...

silvertails.net

Interesting indeed.

Not surprised re Parker , he sort of just “ does a job “ and not much more.

Harper on the other hand did impress for much of the season.

If we had bought a strike centre ( we haven’t of course ) it would be Parker in my opinion with his head on the chopping block.

That said , you can trust him to do a job.

 

[BOZO]

Interesting indeed.

Not surprised re Parker , he sort of just “ does a job “ and not much more.

Harper on the other hand did impress for much of the season.

If we had bought a strike centre ( we haven’t of course ) it would be Parker in my opinion with his head on the chopping block.

That said , you can trust him to do a job.

I see what you see fathered friend

Parker has been playing NRL for 6 years since 2016 .

In six years a player would have progressed as far as he can and what we see from Red is what we get
and apart from the progress on his competence in defence he is pedestrian and predictable in attack.

On the other Hand Harper was only in his first full season in the NRL and he has shown some X factor about him and with more NRL experience we could see more from him

We need to be more than a one Man Tom strike team to be more of a threat to the top teams next season and we need more from our centres

I am sure Des has a plan B and I hope the talented and exhilaratingly super fast Kula is in his plans
to provide our 2022 team with some extra strike power

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

what we see from Red is what we get
and apart from the progress of his competence in defence he is pedestrian and predictable in attack.

I agree, we can safely predict that Parker will run correct lines and avoid crashing into defenders, resulting in crucial tries being disallowed.
(Unlike a certain other talented young centre who will now have to trot out for the dragons) 😉

 

[BOZO]

I agree, we can safely predict that Parker will run correct lines and avoid crashing into defenders, resulting in crucial tries being disallowed.
(Unlike a certain other talented young centre who will now have to trot out for the dragons) 😉

We all have different perceptions feathered friend

and from what I am used to from our Benchmark Great premiership winning centres is that none of them were as pedestrian and predictable as Parker.

Parker does run correct lines when he is set up by Turbo or DCE
But he does not have the agility and footwork to be a solo strike threat and beat defenders with a sharp step or a sudden swerve and have the ability to create breaks or create tries


I wish the Dragons all the best in waking up Suli the Monster from his regular Slumber 🙂

 

[Remy]

I'm more concerned with centre depth. We have Harper and Parker who realistically should be better next year, especially Harper who has a lot of potential. We have a lack of depth at centre unless Tuipulotu and/or Koula can have a break out year. We have lost Funa and Suli who were both centres and have not replaced them. Maybe a Burbo or Schuster could play there if needed, maybe Bullemore could fill in.
There is a lot of maybe and hopefully with our depth at centre. Koula is the one with the most exciting potential, he seems an absolute star in the making, I just hope he can defend and has a decent footy IQ on him... If so, we will be in for something special. Imagine a backline with Turbo, Saab, Garrick and Koula. That would be the fastest backline ever assembled!

Yea Kolau and Christian Tui, not experienced but are some exciting prospects to have as centre depth. Really hope Kolau gets a shot next year and proves himself because he is off contract end of 2022.