Release Parcell and Api and get a real hooker?

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Woodsie

Feast yer eyes ..
Tipping Member
My problem with Parcell and Api is that whilst both possess talent, neither appear to be the full package. Similar threads have polarised posters with each of the opposing sides highlighting the shortcomings of the other.

The fact that this is so ... tells me neither is our future.

Watching Camscum, Pennis, Hodgson, Granville .. they all have one thing in common .... they all own the ruck through sheer strength of will, they dominate with their presence.

Apart from the skill set, do our blokes have the personality?
 
Let's not forget all of those mentioned have many many games of experience, the Pommy has played 150 games in the ESL and is in his second season in the NRL.

Parcell will be just like that in a year or two, have patience my friend!!

Agree with the skill set, unsure of the mongrel. Hope you're right.
 
Parcels greatest asset prior to getting signed was his speed and darts out of dummy half. Now whether it's confidence or whatever I don't think he exploited that ability as much as he could have this year. Tbh I'm not even sure if he's a hooker..I just don't know. Coupled with injury I'd give him a 6/10 for 2016. Needs to show a lot more in year 2 before I become a fan. Since our recruitment this year revolves around depth and not filling 17 actual first grade spots I would have thought an Isac de Gois type experienced hooker that's cheap would be a handy pickup too.
 
Parcels greatest asset prior to getting signed was his speed and darts out of dummy half. Now whether it's confidence or whatever I don't think he exploited that ability as much as he could have this year. Tbh I'm not even sure if he's a hooker..I just don't know. Coupled with injury I'd give him a 6/10 for 2016. Needs to show a lot more in year 2 before I become a fan. Since our recruitment this year revolves around depth and not filling 17 actual first grade spots I would have thought an Isac de Gois type experienced hooker that's cheap would be a handy pickup too.
Isaac De Gois????? You're kidding mate! Both Parcell & Api are better than he is! As for your summary of Parcell....the kid is young, only played a few games in 1st grade before joining Manly, played in a team that was rocked by injury, was required to deal with constant combination changes, a forward pack that was getting beaten week in week out, was out injured when our forward pack started to gel & get on top of other packs therefore denied the chance to show what he can do when the forwards do play well.....You think De Gois or Hodgson would have played any better? He & Api weren't any worse than most of the team this year. I'd have Parcell before many of the players you've mentioned! The kid did pretty well for his first year in grade! What we do need is someone to compliment DCE & get the backs working! Our go forward improved immensely in the latter part of the year!
 
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I used Isaac as an example not an option. Just a genuine experienced hooker as backup. Api, Hodges and Parcell are all inexperienced. That was my point. And I agree , not easy when the Narrabeen Under 12s pack would get more go forward than our lot this year. Looking forward to seeing the kid develop and hopefully supported by better functioning big boppers around him in 2017.
 
Hooker is arguably the most demanding position to play in rugby league. You have to be extremely fit as you are going to be at around 90% of the play the balls. You have to have very good passing skills to be able to get the ball away quickly and accurately (something that Parcell craps all over Api at), plus there are times when you are going to run the ball so you have to be tough enough to be tackled by forwards who usually outweigh the hooker by around 10-15 kilos. Plus the hooker usually defends in the middle of the park and more often than not tops the tackle count.

Some hookers even pack into the traditional position in the middle of the scrum.

Api may be a livewire and he's not short of heart, but as I mentioned Parcell craps all over him for dummy half service. He's also a better defender than Api (misses less tackles per game). We might not have seen a lot of Parcell's running game this year but its hard to be on the front foot when most of the time the pack is on the back foot.

Parcell's injury did coincide with our pack finding form, but there were other factors involved. Darcy Lussick and Martin Taupau's form improved markedly from mid-season, Myles got injured, Killer and Walker swapped positions making DCE's life a bit easier and Tom making metres from fullback often had the defence on the back foot which makes it easier for the forwards to also make ground against retreating defences. Unfortunately we had started to lose again by the time Parcell came back from injury, but for mine that was more to do with our mostly reserve grade quality backline than because our forwards were getting beat again. Plus over the last 4 rounds we played top 8 teams, including the Dogs, Storm and Raiders.

Personally, I'm happy to keep Matt Parcell as our #1 hooker for as long as we can. In time I believe he will succeed Scam Smith as Qld's hooker once Smith retires.
 
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Matt Parcell has a huge amount to offer. I remember Matty Ballin having his critics year one as well. Everyone agreed ballin had a fast, crisp pass, but complained about his dummy half running and speed / X-factor in attack, and that stayed with him his entire career.

I think Parcell looks like he will be something special.

Give him a 1, 6 & 7 that plays in those positions all year, and see how it goes. Also, having Buhrer in the team, means we could carry 4 forwards on the bench, making us tougher to play against.

He'll be great next season.
 
Parcell is a keeper & Api is a better quality utility than Brown imo.
Api misses a few tackles like Brown - but at least actually uses his shoulders not his hands & can cover halves on the odd occasion.
Parcell will be in Manly's top 3 players in 2017 if he stays injury free.
 
I'd get Robbie in, and keep parcell as the bench hooker to inject into the game. He'll come good with a bit more experience. I'm not a huge Robbie fan, but he would have got us into the finals no risk
Robbie Farah seems far too demanding for my liking, the Tigers halves were told what to do and only when he was gone could they play well.
 
I think its important to remember that both Parcell and Api are young and almost identical in age at 23. Good hookers often dont reach their peaks until their late 20s. That's when they have toughened up and asserted their influence over a game.

Both these guys have skills better than most, but they are still inexperienced. Like some I think Parcell will be a rep hooker. He's had a difficult first year with injury, and both he and Api have had the difficulty of a team not gelling until well into the year. Add to that team changes through injury consistently and its been a tough introduction to the Manly team.

Both will improve, and their respective skills will begin to shine when the team has settled into a stable line up and a few more tough forwards offering them a little more space to move.
 
Release the 2 most promising young hookers in the game? No hell no only if Ballin was coming home not Farah. In an ideal world Parcell to bench and Ballin back to 9. Won't happen so we should have Parcell at 9 and Koroisau as utility. There are 2 hookers in the game that control the ruck, Smith and Hodgson. Next level is Ennis and Issac Luke. Then the rest of the hookers are on about the same level. Parcell is a great young hooker but has one problem, he doesn't want to run the ball if he gets that right he will be a special player for manly. And he won't be playing for Queensland anytime soon, McCullough, Granville, Friend are next in line for Smith
 
I think we will see next year that Parcell x factor is his support play and chasing kicks in the attacking zone.
If we can get forwards to hold the ruck and get fast play the balls, and the odd line break or offload players like parcell and Walker will do well.
As we have learnt though if our forwards don't put in then we are toast yet again.
 
Parcel needs another season, that might as well be 2017 because we aren't going anywhere next year.
 
My problem with Parcell and Api is that whilst both possess talent, neither appear to be the full package. Similar threads have polarised posters with each of the opposing sides highlighting the shortcomings of the other.

The fact that this is so ... tells me neither is our future.

Watching Camscum, Pennis, Hodgson, Granville .. they all have one thing in common .... they all own the ruck through sheer strength of will, they dominate with their presence.

Apart from the skill set, do our blokes have the personality?
What those hookers have in common is that they are playing behind a dominant pack and a well structured and coached teams. If you put our hookers in those teams they will look better as well feathered friend .
 
Team P W L PD Pts
3 3 0 48 6
4 3 1 28 6
3 2 1 10 6
4 2 2 39 4
3 2 1 28 4
3 2 1 15 4
3 2 1 14 4
2 1 1 13 4
2 1 1 6 4
3 2 1 -3 4
3 1 2 0 2
3 1 2 -5 2
3 1 2 -15 2
3 1 2 -22 2
3 1 2 -36 2
2 0 2 -56 2
3 0 3 -64 0
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