Peta Hiku

[double hoops]

@BOZO How many players over 30 do we have in our back line? Your fine with the club cutting Ballin loose for Api because he 31. I can accept your logic. But now your fine with forcing out a 23 year old international just returned from playing for his country again. He can play every position in the back line and you think that's a good move.? You have lost me with your logic here. I wish the real Bozo would man up and make a tough call on one of the ready to retire squad. And stop pissing off our best young kids.

 

[Remi]

@BOZO How many players over 30 do we have in our back line? Your fine with the club cutting Ballin loose for Api because he 31. I can accept your logic. But now your fine with forcing out a 23 year old international just returned from playing for his country again. He can play every position in the back line and you think that's a good move.? You have lost me with your logic here. I wish the real Bozo would man up and make a tough call on one of the ready to retire squad. And stop pissing off our best young kids.

I agree Bozo and the club has lost me. The club should be looking after their juniors first and they are not. Bozo was brought in to see to this, rather its looking like giving jobs to his sons and mates. I feel sorry for Tooves, where were these New players for him ? A local junior himself, a club legend and coach who has done well and he gets shafted by a unknown wannabe. If Barrett was any good Gould would not have let him go

 

[NewwyEagle]

ffs we complain all year that hiku is overweight, **** defensively and argue over where he should be played. Now it seems likely we're trading him for a younger, better, specialist centre/five eight and we lose our minds.
Please don't get me wrong, I like hiku enough, very solid first grade player and still has room to grow, but walker is a special player. Ask any team in the league which player they'd take first and they'd all say walker.

 

[maxta]

Walker will play centre
Hiku's strength is also his weakness, though a good utility player, does not have a specialist position.
Suprised ppl made Hiku out as a super 5/8 after playing solid in a bash & barge style test in the 2nd match.
His distribution & kicking options were as bad in that 3rd game as they were good in the 2nd.
Personally think his best position is centre but compared to Walker, he is simply off the pace by a way.
I do understand ppl concerned with loyal Manly players getting chopped, but by mid season after being well up the ladder, all will be happy & the Walker signs will be with Marty & the other signings who will be well received at Brookvale.

 

[Ripper]

Ffs, it's simple. Walker is a better player than hiku. Everyone saying hiku can cover so many positions.... SO CAN WALKER! One year at 5/8, then into the centres next year if we get a BETTER 5/8. This year we have a running 5/8, which we want. And next year we have a centre to replace one of the guys IF they retire. He is 21, so we could have a 10 year player on our hands.

 

[All Hail King Lyon]

Hiku has always been a riddle to me that has been very difficult to solve. I like having him around because he truly can play pretty much any spot in the backline, but his best spot (imo) is fullback, but he's always behind Snake, and I do think Tommy Turbo is a much better option long term as well. So unfortunately this has meant (and will mean), Hiku never truly gets the spot he's best suited to.

So I do think this is one of those bite the bullet decisions which can be hard to take, but is probably in the best interest of both parties.

I agree however when Hiku did play fullback I felt like he lacked any spark. He worked hard and his returns were excellent however one of the many reasons I love snake is that he can change the dynamics of a game through one play! I think that while Hiku is a hard worker his position in the team can be covered, Whare was a similar case

 

[HoldenV8]

Yeah, in a full strength kiwi team he gets a gig on the wing. Big deal. So did jason nightingale, I'd have walker over him too.

Even though I still think fullback is his best position, Hiku is one of the Kiwis first choice centres now that RTS is their FB. In fact, he's never played a test on the wing and they don't see him as a winger. The only reason he got shifted to 5/8 for the England tests was because Johnson and Foran were injured and Kearney refused to pick Benji, otherwise Hiku would most likely have played all 3 tests in the centres. Unless others emerge in the next 3-4 years, Peta Hiku is going to be a mainstay of the NZ test team for at least the next 5 or so years.

Walker got into the Kangaroos 2014 Four Nations squad only because a number of 'regulars' were out with injury and because Souffs were dominant on their way to the premiership. I wouldn't expect him to be back in the green and gold anytime soon and with Laurie "I'll pick my team before the season starts" Daley as NSW coach, don't expect him to play for the Blues anytime soon either.

 

[Loobs]

Who are we going to blame now if teams score on the outside

Toovey

 

[robbiea]

Hiku may be able to cover many positions ,but Fullback is where he is best .
He is 3rd in line for fullback & a defensive liability out wide.
He has one good game out of six and was our whipping boy for the past couple of years.
I think we will only miss him come injury time.

 

[HoldenV8]

I am not convinced that Peta Hiku is a defensive liability out wide. In the centres he is very strong defensively, but I don't think our problems out wide are limited to Hiku. Everyone who's played on our right wing in the past few seasons has been crucified on here at one point or another for defensive lapses. Hiku, Blair, even Tommy. They've all copped a bagging for their defense, or lack of it.

I've lost count of the amount of times during our matches where we've conceded a try out wide with our winger facing a near on impossible task to stop it, yet on here we're (I have done this myself) bagging the crap out of the winger for poor defense. Yet when you look at the replays, quite often in those situations the opposition should have been stopped by those inside before they even got into a try scoring position. The wingers often cop the brunt of criticism when its those further infield not doing their job.

 

[Wombat64]

Souths also need to prepare for Inglis' move north so Hiku would make sense for them.

Wonder if the next club he goes to will keep him on the secret KFC diet he was on last season?

 

[Nordburg]

Even though I still think fullback is his best position, Hiku is one of the Kiwis first choice centres now that RTS is their FB. In fact, he's never played a test on the wing and they don't see him as a winger. The only reason he got shifted to 5/8 for the England tests was because Johnson and Foran were injured and Kearney refused to pick Benji, otherwise Hiku would most likely have played all 3 tests in the centres. Unless others emerge in the next 3-4 years, Peta Hiku is going to be a mainstay of the NZ test team for at least the next 5 or so years.

Walker got into the Kangaroos 2014 Four Nations squad only because a number of 'regulars' were out with injury and because Souffs were dominant on their way to the premiership. I wouldn't expect him to be back in the green and gold anytime soon and with Laurie "I'll pick my team before the season starts" Daley as NSW coach, don't expect him to play for the Blues anytime soon either.

Only problem with that is Bozo has too big an influence at origin as well so Walker may see himself there

 

[Ryan]

Peta hiku has not really nailed down a position. He is not the best fullback, center, or winger at the club. You could probably make an argument that he is a better winger than Jorge tafua but that's about it.

Taufua was pretty awesome last year. The year before he had that niggling shoulder complaint, and the year before that he was amazing again. I would say he's a better winger than Hiku, but Hiku is a better centre and fullback imo.

 

[Shoe1]

What time is Hiku meeting Baz?

 

[bones]

Only problem with that is Bozo has too big an influence at origin as well so Walker may see himself there

Hence all the success NSW has had over the last decade.

 

[eaglebuzz]

We need a 5/8, not a utility back.We picked up Moltzen dirt cheap for cover in the backs.

If we can't have both then I'd take Walker over Hiku.

 

[globaleagle]

The big issue to worry about is that if Hiku goes to another team....we lose @Jax24 as a forum poster!

Oh sure, he'll say he'll stick around, but you know...as time goes on and his new friends make him feel more and more awkward....his memories of all the good times with us will disappear like shadows in the noon day sun.

adieu mon ami, adieu!

 

[SeaEagle21]

It's a shame though. I thought when Hiku covered in the centres last season he was very good. Considering he has been a player filling in for most of his FG carrer so far he can't be blamed for not nailing a position. But think about this, there are very few players atm in the entire league that would displace Lyon, Matai or Snake. Hiku's best position is in one of those 3.

With Lyon, Matai and Snake all set to retire in the near future replacing them with quality will be hard as those 3 have been a large part of the success we have had in the last 10 years. However Lyon & Matai are an injury or two away from retirement and every time Snake gets tackled i hold my breath and release when he plays the ball.

Walker would be a great replacement for one of the centres but there is another centre we need also. We have that centre ready and waiting and willing to bide his time as he turned down other opportunities to play FB and stay with us.

In the end the powers will decide if he stays or goes but it would be a shame to lose a player of his quality when we have injury prone players in the backline on the wrong side of 30.

 

[Remi]

Hiku may be able to cover many positions ,but Fullback is where he is best .
He is 3rd in line for fullback & a defensive liability out wide.
He has one good game out of six and was our whipping boy for the past couple of years.
I think we will only miss him come injury time.

100% agree he is a fullback and that is where he plays best

 

[The Who]

100% agree he is a fullback and that is where he plays best

Very hard to be definitive about that when he's never played 5/8th for Manly.