Recruitment for 07 ....and beyond

[Ryan]

calling Matai diminutive is way off the mark as well!

Others in this thread have tried to likeably compare him to Creagh / Wiki and co. as they started out as centres. Matai would be one of the lightest back rowers going around, when we need metre munchers.

 

[clontaago]

As for Matai - it was written by a poster in the Wests Tigers official forum that he was asked to play more 2nd row with the release of Sam Harris, and this apparently warranted him asking for a release.

Ryan re: Matai, I pointed this out in a different thread.

Is it unfair that we play Watmough at 2nd row? 4cm and 1kg difference.

STEVEN MATAI
Position: Centre
DOB: Aug 5 1984
Height: 177 cm
Weight: 94 kg


ANTHONY WATMOUGH
Position: 2nd row
DOB: Jul 10 1983
Height: 181 cm
Weight: 95 kg

JAMAAL LOLESI
Position: Centre, Wing
DOB: Mar 20 1981
Height: 183 cm
Weight: 88 kg

 

[Ryan]

Yeah - probably fair call Doug, but do they seem like the same type of player to you? Matai seems like a finesse player, and Choc seems like a brick $#@!house so to speak.

Also, Matai doesn't look like a 94kg type player if you ask me???

I might be wrong, but Choc / Wiki / Creagh etc seem a very different build. Viusally if anything.

Don't get me wrong, I'd LOVE Matai to work, and work well @ Lock, but I also think that he'd be much better on the wing (could play like Melli) in the ESL. But for that to work, I would have liked to see us nab another back rower.

People are saying Phil Bailey might be coming back to Manly. I probably wouldn't knock that back.

 

[willstyles]

Matai a finesse player? Hahaha.

As for Creagh/Wiki/Sonny Bill. Creagh didn't play for very long as a winger. He was an 18 year old who was a f*cking athlete and the Dragons wanted to get him onto the field in anyway possible. At his age (and still growing) it wasn't a problem to put him on the wing, and even this year he shifted back to the centres for a few games. But he was always a forward playing in the backs, whereas Matai (to me) is a back playing in the backs.

Wiki spent quite a few years at centre, and has gradually moved from the centres, to the backrow, to the frontrow, as his body has changed. It was almost as if he changed position as a result of his body changing, whereas moving Matai and asking him to put on 10 kgs would be changing his body so that he could change position.

Sonny Bill is exactly the same sort of case as Creagh. A young forward playing in the backs so that you could get him onto the park - but always destined for a lifetime as a forward.

After all that, I think Matai could work in the backrow. If anything I'd want Willow to start and get more minutes, and have Matai come on as a relieving bench player who can replace Willow, and rip in off the bench. At least for his first season in the forwards. Something like that. I don't know. None of these options are ideal, so it'll make for interesting debate in the off-season and to see what Des finally settles on.

 

[Guest]

The great man Arko said that Mattai should go into the forwards as he reminded him of Randall (Terry not Chad) who started in the centres and moved to second row.

Arko was a pretty good judge of a player in his days.

 

[Ryan]

Arko USED to be a good coach. He's fallen out of pace on the game I reckon. I lean toward that attitude ever since he and Roach (while employed by the club) bagged & laughed at us after a match. You'd think fatso would be concerned for his job, rather than bagging and laughing at the players he coached to be that way.

 

[mellonhead]

Reckon I wouldn't mind Bailey coming to Manly, but when does his existing contract end? If Matai is moving to lock then that would explain why bananas are $12 a kilo....he's eating allthe stock!!!!

 

[Ryan]

Exactly - I thought I was the only one that thought Sonny Bill and Mason etc may have it over Matai. Imagine the poor bloke running at these guys all day !!!

 

[Disco]

Arko USED to be a good coach. He's fallen out of pace on the game I reckon. I lean toward that attitude ever since he and Roach (while employed by the club) bagged & laughed at us after a match. You'd think fatso would be concerned for his job, rather than bagging and laughing at the players he coached to be that way.

are you thinking of Fulton?????

 

[Nutzcraw]

Exactly - I thought I was the only one that thought Sonny Bill and Mason etc may have it over Matai. Imagine the poor bloke running at these guys all day !!!

*notes ryan mentions arguably the two biggest blokes in the NRL*

:lol:

 

[Canteen Worker]

I can assure Ryan that Arko was never laughing at us after a loss. He is mixed up with Bozo who was broadcasting with Blocker on the weekend of the record loss against Penrith.

Better to have once had some nouse about football sometime in the past than to have never had any - as indicated in this thread!!!!

 

[eagle_predator]

Faaaarrrrrrkkkk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doom and gloom and the season has only been over for a week.

Dessie hasn't even named our squad yet for next year so we don't even know what other players we have recruited.

Hopefully the rumours about us signing Charlie Tonga are true because I beleive that he would be a huge crowd favourite at brookie.

He is big and strong and we would finally have a player who can make an impact of the bench. Crusher is also looking in the UK for more forwards so don't be surprised if we announce more signings shortly.

How can you make a statement that our forwards are farked next year? We have the beaver, Kite, Rose and the world's best prop in Kingy. There would not be many packs better than ours next year.

Not to mention that we also have a couple of the best centres in the world in our team for next year.

Take a chill pill bro and sink a couple of dozen beers and watch this space for more signings soon.

Kingy rules.

Are you normal King is useless lol

 

[eagle_predator]

Im a mad Manly fan just like you guys and theres no other team as far as im concerned. No one knows how well we will go next year for sure of course we all hope we will win the comp in 07.But i think we should try a sign a hard hitting forward geez if our forward pack was so good than why did we get smashed against the puffs in semis thats my point we need somone like the great BK to lead our team. Lyon is a great signing but i think the problem is we dont have enough money to sign a top forward after the signing of Lyon i could be wrong.

 

[Guest]

Im a mad Manly fan just like you guys and theres no other team as far as im concerned. No one knows how well we will go next year for sure of course we all hope we will win the comp in 07.But i think we should try a sign a hard hitting forward geez if our forward pack was so good than why did we get smashed against the puffs in semis thats my point we need somone like the great BK to lead our team. Lyon is a great signing but i think the problem is we dont have enough money to sign a top forward after the signing of Lyon i could be wrong.

We must still have money left under the cap because we were chasing Creagh etc after we had already signed Lyon. The problem is that there are few suitable forwards available.

 

[Ryan]

Yep - sorry guys - Fulton and Blocker...and I thought it was Fulton pushing the Matai to Lock case...

 

[Disco]

[quote author=Ryan]
Exactly - I thought I was the only one that thought Sonny Bill and Mason etc may have it over Matai. Imagine the poor bloke running at these guys all day !!!

*notes ryan mentions arguably the two biggest blokes in the NRL*

:lol:

[/quote]
Alan Tongue had a great year at lock..........he weighs about 80kgs

 

[Ryan]

Disco - admittedly, he is the one exception to my theory.