Parks n Harper - you have competition

[manly al]

I can't disagree with any of your points here mighty al....in fact we get another chance to see Koula Friday night against Canberra and trial or not - class is class , quality is quality and speed is.....ask Bozo ....if he shows enough, I really hope he gets a gig and though not as concerned about the limited abilities of current centres who can get the job done....this bloke can take us to another level and is such an excitement machine, would be a shame to not see him get an opportunity.

hope that it is not a wet track for the Raiders trial , would unfortunately limit some more open or expansive play and for guys like Koula to further impress . Would expect Des to go with Parker and Harper [ who looks to have bulked up a bit and should be better for it ] at least initially but hope that Koula can get every opportunity to try and establish himself as a i st choice centre quite soon or as early as possible . To replace Parker or Harper in that case , very speculative at the moment

 

[Tragic Eagle]

If Koula gets another run in the centers watch what he does to the outside defenders. His pace spooks them and they tend to be slow to slide in case he accelerates and that gives the winger a clear passage.

 

[Eagle 1]

Olam is just raw power really, with decent pace.
In other era's where there were O'Conner, Lyons, ,Renouf, Inglis ect he would have just been rated a tough - hard centre.....in fact he just runs "through" players and close to the line especially, has made half comitted defence including Manly's - look ordinary.
Olam is a Solid player who hits hard and usually defensively great like most at Storm, but have seen him have sloppy mits and not always great at getting his winger away....more a solo crashball runner, which is his most effective Trump card.
In the current game, there is only 1 who stands out to me like the dangerous centres who turned games on their own and that would be Staggs in the 3 games a season he plays, or Latrell Mitchell when picked at centre.
I think in general, centres these days the role is different.
Lets go back to 80's and 90's it was all about the sweeping ball movement to get to your strike centre who would use a step, fend, or pure speed to make the break.
Since 2000's the game has shifted far more prominantly to blowing up the ruck/middle and the backline shift works off this momentum to use that 2nd man play (usually involving a fullback) , to put away the winger.....the centre will sometimes be often used as a decoy/option runner, with the key goal to hit the unmarked winger....though the short play to the centre is still often used close to the line with defnce backpeddling or in 2 minds to crash over the try line...
This does not mean it's not a bonus to have a super flashy centre, as Koula showed the other night, gaves another dimension, as early ball he can basically run a line outside his centre and create the defensive winger inwards to provide his winger open spaces.
I just feel the games evolution has seen the "Star centre" almost extinct with the key roles of dummy half and fullback becoming far more important for the reasons above...
To see a Flying Koula in action does still add so much strike and I know 1 thing for sure, opposition will have him in their checklist as a man to watch in the future which will only help Tom and others create mayhem.

Maxta, did you know that Olams football idol in his early years growing up was...Steve Matai. Makes sense, he seems to have modelled his game on Stevie..lol.

 

[maxta]

Maxta, did you know that Olams football idol in his early years growing up was...Steve Matai. Makes sense, he seems to have modelled his game on Stevie..lol.

Had no idea mate, but some of these boys from that background learn the game with old school toughness....I mean Matai put on shots you could feel through the TV...Olam would run Thru a concrete wall and they both seem to have a mental toughness, even when carrying injury that would send 99% of players to the sideline...shrug it off and rip in again.
Very intimidating both in attack and defence...which creates dropped balls, uncertainty and fear into the opposition - these are winning qualities in any player, that only few have.

 

[maxta]

Interesting that Koula is starting at centre for Fridays trial - interesting times ahead - wish the young fella well

 

[Brookie Bob]

I just feel the games evolution has seen the "Star centre" almost extinct with the key roles of dummy half and fullback becoming far more important for the reasons above...

True - if anyone is in doubt, see where the money now goes by position for almost all teams. Centres are not stars now if you're looking at salary - 'the spine' is where it's at.

 

[Nordburg]

Interesting that Koula is starting at centre for Fridays trial - interesting times ahead - wish the young fella well

Interesting also that Harper is not named at all.Did he pick up an injury in the All Star game or does Des think a full game in a ridgy didge contest is enough for him?

 

[Disco]

Must have a little knock

 

[Will on the hill]

Interesting also that Harper is not named at all.Did he pick up an injury in the All Star game or does Des think a full game in a ridgy didge contest is enough for him?

Morgs received some attention for what looked like a shoulder injury. Didn't think anything of it at the time as he stayed on the field. Must've pulled up sore the next day. Doubt it's anything major.

 

[BOZO]

But he should throw Parker & Croker under the bus because you think they're slow & not dynamic.

Sometimes I wonder if you actually remember what you post.

Loyalty is not about throwing any player under the bus

It is all about giving every player a go and going with the most dynamic players that would make the most dynamic Manly team

 

[maxta]

Interesting also that Harper is not named at all.Did he pick up an injury in the All Star game or does Des think a full game in a ridgy didge contest is enough for him?

I know Harper copped a "slight" knock in the All Star game....but feel he could have made the field tomorrow night.
I think Des is giving Koula an opportunity against a good NRL side who will be near full strength for both experience and to see how he handles it.
On a personal note, I'm damn excited to see the kid in action and hopefully find some space...

 

[BOZO]

Interesting that Koula is starting at centre for Fridays trial - interesting times ahead - wish the young fella well

I am so excited about Koula .

He is the most exciting young back I have seen since Tom and Schuster

All those players had that raw speed and natural ability that seasoned players like Parker can only dream about .

Parker is a line runner and these guys are line breakers and game breakers in their own right

The acceleration , The Flair , the evasive skills and and tackle busting ability where half gaps and half breaks are turned into tries .

With Koula , Turbo , Saab and Garrick we have the fasters backs in the comp where speed Kills because no one can stop what they cannot catch

The NRL Comp is all about competing with the fastest and most dynamic players and each season each team tries to build a more dynamic roster to be superior and at Manly the super talented Koula is clearly an upgrade from Parker

 

[47MVEagle]

Loyalty is not about throwing any player under the bus

It is all about giving every player a go and going with the most dynamic players that would make the most dynamic Manly team

No kidding, loyalty is about NOT discarding established & reliable players for younger players because of a 2 minute YouTube clip of tries being scored in the under 16s.

 

[47MVEagle]

I am so excited about Koula .

He is the most exciting young back I have seen since Tom and Schuster

All those players had that raw speed and natural ability that seasoned players like Parker can only dream about .

Parker is a line runner and these guys are line breakers and game breakers in their own right

The acceleration , The Flair , the evasive skills and and tackle busting ability where half gaps and half breaks are turned into tries .

You saw all of that in 40 minutes of last week's trial? LOL

You do realise it was against a team of Tigers reserves?

 

[BOZO]

No kidding, loyalty is about NOT discarding established & reliable players for younger players because of a 2 minute YouTube clip of tries being scored in the under 16s.

Who said anything about under 16 players ?

There are no under 16 players in our 30 NRL squad

 

[BOZO]

You saw all of that in 40 minutes of last week's trial? LOL

You do realise it was against a team of Tigers reserves?

Yes I did and Koula showed he is too good to be in reserves

 

[47MVEagle]

Who said anything about under 16 players ?

There are no under 16 players in our 30 NRL squad

Mate, you're gushing about a player you've seen 40 minutes of in a trial against reserve grade opposition.

Oh hang on, you've also seen the clip of him running 100 metres in high school (speed kills, big mess, blah blah blah).

 

[47MVEagle]

Yes I did and Koula showed he is too good to be in reserves

Against a reserve grade Tigers team LOL.

 

[BOZO]

Mate, you're gushing about a player you've seen 40 minutes of in a trial against reserve grade opposition.

Oh hang on, you've also seen the clip of him running 100 metres in high school (speed kills, big mess, blah blah blah).

As said to you . He displayed all the skill and speed and potential and showed he is too good for reserve grade .

As for the 100 metre speed time at school level his school time would leave most NRL backs for dead

Because as I have told you before Speed Kills and the faster you go the bigger the slower mediocre mess you leave behind

 

[47MVEagle]

Yeah I thought it all seemed a bit familiar - gushing sbout a young unproven player sight unseen - I daresay it's more about your unbridled dislike for Parker than it is about your actual knowledge of your latest flavour of the week:

This guy has it all . A good role model , he has the looks the skill and the speed .
This kid is going to be a gun !!!

Good point . This is why Des let other players go and made Albert a priority . Many keen judges predict that Albert will be one of the greats . Tom Turbo and Albert in the same backline will give the opposition a head ache .
Trent and Des have different visions for our club . This is why we are seeing changes and more will come .
Des will keep fine tuning our playing roster all the way to us becoming a Dynamic force once again

The same judges that predicted Tom Turbo would be the next big thing are predicting the same for Albert . When your good enough you are old enough and that is why our coach has wasted no time in promoting the young and talented Hoppa in our NRL squad .

Hoppa has power and speed . Awesome !!

Hoppa and Garrick are backs with speed we did not have last season . The more speed a player has the more he can fck up the opposition
View attachment 10729

If your good enough then your old enough .
Plenty of 18 year old's made their debut not only in the centres but also in the halves and the forwards and never looked back .
Albert is known to bench press more than veteran forward Joel Thompson. Some people must think 18 year old athletes are made like sponge cakes .

Never hold back a champion ,
Good luck son !!!
View attachment 10735

The kid is a gun . We need to load him onto the field ASAP .

I have never seen him play in the flesh .
I base my case of him being ready for the big team on others who are better judges than me . Officials and players who have said he is strong enough and good enough to compete in the NRL .
The bottom line is , our coach also have faith in him and has selected him in the 30" MEN" nrl squad . Not in the junior teams , or the development squad and this clearly indicates that young Hoppa is ready to go !!!