Quick question- Hooker in 2023 ?

[BOZO]

The foundations are certainly there so what has stopped his development? Coaching? Team-mates? Confidence?We know he is a workhorse so it is not effort...

The fact is Stockesy

Des has done an incredible job with Froggy turning him into a makeshift hooker and turning his game to another level


The moral of the story is ....
We all have the capacity for improvement and and raise the bar to another level
But there will aways be more natural talented people than us in a particular field
Where their level of excellence will aways excel us

 

[Eagle thru 'n' thru]

How about the Jersey Flegg player's player choice.

 

[Shoe1]

 

[davohan123]

Why not play both next year!!

You never know what may happen

 

[Bearfax]

The kid is a young fullback that would be ridiculous.

Yeh but Des likes his players to play out of position

 

[robbiea]

View attachment 22214

And I thought Croker was a smaller guy !

 

[Cameron]

And I thought Croker was a smaller guy !

Apparently the kid is bloody good and a keeper. Would love to see croker start and this kid come off the bench and carve them.

 

[Damien2812]

The way the club's going no one but Croker to continue his formidable game changing form at 9. 😛

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

The way the club's going no one but Croker to continue his formidable game changing form at 9. 😛

Des played Ballin and LEstrange in tandem and was playing both API and Fainu, I don’t think he’s oblivious to the advantage of a couple of 9s who complement each other.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

When we have the cattle he’ll use them. Hopefully Gordie is ready to step up, but in fairness may need more time.

 

[Eagle 1]

The way the club's going no one but Croker to continue his formidable game changing form at 9. 😛

It'll be Croker with the Lawman riding shotgun, just to give it a western theme.

 

[Ryan]

The reason Des turned us around the first time, is because we weren't satisfied with decent players, and we slowly replaced them with marquee players.

As example, Steve Matai was one of our centres. The other was a mix of Chris Hicks, Terry Hill & Paul Stephenson (with Scott Donald, John Hopoate & at times Paul Stephenson) on the wings. While particularly Chris Hicks was decent, and everyone loved him, he wasn't top end.

So we acquired Steven Bell for the 2006 season.

Being an okay/decent player, particularly at Hooker isn't going to cut it against the GOOD teams in 2022. Why do people think The Chooks made a splash at Brandon Smith, and wooed him hard - they were in the same position as us when Verrills was injured, having to play Connor Watson at Hooker - and guess what - they were losing at the time, despite having a beastly team.

Of course no-one will get this or agree, but hooker is very much a reason we can't beat a top 4 (now top 8 team). Croker (and players like Z. Fulton) are a short term novel event. Any longer than that, we are farked.

Secondly GCKT is WAY too small to perform at the top level. He makes Tooves look like HighTower from Police Academy !

 

[Cameron]

Des played Ballin and LEstrange in tandem and was playing both API and Fainu, I don’t think he’s oblivious to the advantage of a couple of 9s who complement each other.

Exactly mate.
Croker is a ballin like player great defender and just a committed footballer.
Give him the first 25-30 mins to take the sting out of the game then bring the kid on to run amok.

I must say I miss faniu's stabbing runs out of dummy half

 

[Top End Eagle]

Look at the Raiders. Lost Hodgson. Everyone rated him second best in the comp or there abouts until he got injured. They have starling who is a gun but small and temperamental, sign Woolford, still have furmour mucking around in there system and they have Alex trevally man who was better than Nanai at school boy level, albeit he had a legitimate birth certificate and was a scrawny white hooker who WILL be the next Cameron Smith if anyone wants to throw some manasi money at someone stuck in reserve grade right now!!

 

[Damien2812]

Des played Ballin and LEstrange in tandem and was playing both API and Fainu, I don’t think he’s oblivious to the advantage of a couple of 9s who complement each other.

Club needs a running hooker and until that's found more mediocrity results against the top sides.

 

[Brisbane Tragic]

Yep weekes is 1 or 6

Weekes to me might be a very fine 6

 

[Brisbane Tragic]

Yep weekes is 1 or 6

In fact I think he will be 6 in 2023 in front of Schuster IF Schuster is at the club next year

 

[Seagles68]

In fact I think he will be 6 in 2023 in front of Schuster IF Schuster is at the club next year

Do you really?? Where do you think Schu will play then?

 

[Brisbane Tragic]

I honestly think he will ask for a release along with Aloiai. Just my hunch. Plus Schuster to me is not a shu in or shoe in (forgive the pun) as a number 6 next year. A Schuster/DCE halves pairing would be a complete disaster unless we turn over the forward roster and win the forward battle each week. Which one of those are going to game manage and lead us around the park? Certainly wont be Schuster and hasn't been DCE for a number of years. Both players play their best footy off the cuff so putting the two together will be a shambles. But yes I can see him moving on before 2023. In any case - I think Weekes will prove to be a high quality 6 and all being equal will beat him for the job. Schuster is living on ego and living on his past deeds. He was great last year but his unprofessionalism this year really was eye opening. The great Ian Martin would be horrified thinking a player that talented refuses to dig in and get fit and put in week in week out. Ian Martin would have had a tenth of Shusters ability but is 10 times the player and club man Schuster will be.

 

[winnyason]

I feel like Croker will start a 9, with CKT in the 14

Yeah seems the smart option tbh