Run Koula Run

[XV-1]

Seibold should pick Koula at fullback.

He uses that elusive speed to chime into the backline far better than the slower, less powerful Hoppa at this stage of his career.

 

[Brookie1973]

Seibold should pick Koula at fullback.

He uses that elusive speed to chime into the backline far better than the slower, less powerful Hoppa at this stage of his career.

Seibs is proud of everyone’s effort, so no changes required.

 

[Hibyemama]

I still maintain that Tolu is NOT a centre. I have always seen him as a winger in the Brian To'o mould. Lightning fast and strong. Lehi on the other hand should be his centre. Much more creative and smart (footy wise). Something I think Siebold should consider. Much better fit imo.

Ive been saying this for an eternity but some on here keep saying koula is a gun centre. he never makes a break in any games, and average defender and leaping for bombs.(except for that fantastic try in the dying minutes of the semi against the dogs.) he is too small to play centre. (as evident when he got steamrolled by JWH in the 2nd week semi)
1. hoppa
2. koula
3. talau
4. garrick
5 saab
6. turbo
7. fogarty/ brooks/ arthur
9. frog, simpkin
turbo is best playing fullback but a moot point, as he gets injured again and again.

 

[Brookie1973]

I’d swap 1 and 2. Koula offers more threat from the back, and lehi is a bigger body to help with early set carries out of our own end.

 

[manlyfan76]

Kick Koula Kick

Could make a good sign.

 

[Once Was Brissie Kid]

I worry Koula is not getting enough ball and may soon get frustrated. The guy is a superstar.

 

[manlyfan76]

I worry Koula is not getting enough ball and may soon get frustrated. The guy is a superstar.

He has started making it happen for himself now.
Signs of frustration?

 

[Once Was Brissie Kid]

He has started making it happen for himself now.
Signs of frustration?

He's not showing any frustration. I just worry in time it will come. And the ARU have tried before. Especially if Suaalii gets a lot of time during the upcoming British Lions tour.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

He's not showing any frustration. I just worry in time it will come. And the ARU have tried before. Especially if Suaalii gets a lot of time during the upcoming British Lions tour.

Plenty of time to worry about the future when Manly loses. Today... don't give it a thought!

 

[Carl]

He has started making it happen for himself now.
Signs of frustration?

I would say it's a sign of an improving player

 

[The Bandit]

I would say it's a sign of an improving player

For sure , looks a danger all the time. His speed of the mark really threatens defense. Saabs mighty quick but good defenders shut him down by getting all over him before he gets going.

 

[Rafferty]

Like a lot of other positions in the modern games things have changed, take the smaller more mobile middles, centres have gone the other way, big bodied physical types are becoming more common now, even using edge forwards to fill the role at times, backlines are no longer just attacking try scoring prospects, yardage carries have almost become a crucial component of a well balanced competitive team. Smaller framed centres and wingers are less effective at this aspect.

For mine Koula has FB potential all over him, think Grey, Sharpe (who should displace Pong) Tracey, Walsh, there all similar explosive running types, anyway Lehi is doing the job, the thing for me though is Koula at centre is being wasted, hitting it up like he does 80-90% of the time like a forward, how long can he keep doing that, I’d really like to see him given the freedom to play from the back, his also pretty handy under the high ball. I thought origin might be an opportunity to test it out with Lehi shifting into the halves instead of JA who sadly just is going to cut it as a half in firsts, further more Lehi might just surprise with his silky ball skills.

 

[Bearfax]

Like a lot of other positions in the modern games things have changed, take the smaller more mobile middles, centres have gone the other way, big bodied physical types are becoming more common now, even using edge forwards to fill the role at times, backlines are no longer just attacking try scoring prospects, yardage carries have almost become a crucial component of a well balanced competitive team. Smaller framed centres and wingers are less effective at this aspect.

For mine Koula has FB potential all over him, think Grey, Sharpe (who should displace Pong) Tracey, Walsh, there all similar explosive running types, anyway Lehi is doing the job, the thing for me though is Koula at centre is being wasted, hitting it up like he does 80-90% of the time like a forward, how long can he keep doing that, I’d really like to see given the freedom to play from the back, his also pretty handy under the high ball. I thought origin might be an opportunity to test it out with Lehi shifting into the halves instead of JA who sadly just is going to cut it as half in firsts, further more Lehi might just surprise with his silky ball skills.

The three quarter line depends enormously on two factors. The yardage gained by forwards, and most importantly, for specific plays, a half and 5/8 who are excellent ball players and who can create space for the outside backs. If you look back to 2021, Manly had DCE, Foran and Schuster inside the three quarters. They created space for the likes of Turbo, Garrick, Saab and even Parker was threatening. The game only changes if there is a limitation in certain areas that need to be covered for. While DCE was the sole play maker, it was easy for opposition teams to target him. Add to that one play maker is usually only heading in one direction. Much as I think Brooks is an improvement on what we were relying on at 5/8, I still think its one area that Manly needs a skilled play maker of the Alan Thompson, Cliff Lyons, Jamie Lyon type. As said before, Schuster had the skills required, but he lost his resolve. However, its that sort of player that is needed to give players like Koula room to move. I certainly hope all the hype about Large is justified and he meets that need.

 

[Ohgeez]

Like a lot of other positions in the modern games things have changed, take the smaller more mobile middles, centres have gone the other way, big bodied physical types are becoming more common now, even using edge forwards to fill the role at times, backlines are no longer just attacking try scoring prospects, yardage carries have almost become a crucial component of a well balanced competitive team. Smaller framed centres and wingers are less effective at this aspect.

For mine Koula has FB potential all over him, think Grey, Sharpe (who should displace Pong) Tracey, Walsh, there all similar explosive running types, anyway Lehi is doing the job, the thing for me though is Koula at centre is being wasted, hitting it up like he does 80-90% of the time like a forward, how long can he keep doing that, I’d really like to see given the freedom to play from the back, his also pretty handy under the high ball. I thought origin might be an opportunity to test it out with Lehi shifting into the halves instead of JA who sadly just is going to cut it as half in firsts, further more Lehi might just surprise with his silky ball skills.

He’s still only 22 & will continue to develop physically over the next few years which will help his defence. There is no point moving him around anymore, just leave him at centre & let him keep killing it.

Here’s some attacking stats for the year against 3 of the best centres in the comp + Garrick.

Koula: 11 games, 8 tries, 8 line breaks, 4 try assists, 134 run metres per game. (22 years old.)

Garrick: 12 games, 6 tries, 4 line breaks, 2 try assists, 116 run metres per game. (27 years old.)

Crichton: 10 games, 2 tries, 7 line breaks, 4 try assists, 100 run metres per game. (24 years old.)

Farnworth: 12 games, 7 tries, 6 line breaks, 5 try assists, 161 metres per game. (25 years old.)

Holmes: 11 games, 3 tries, 7 line breaks, 7 try assists, 155 metres per game. (29 years old.)

It’s fair to say he’s 1 of the most underrated centres in the game this year & is elite offensively. I’m not going to pretend he is as good defensively as a player like Critta but moving to fullback or wing isn’t going to help develop his reads & technique

 

[Phobia]

Perth could do a lot worse than him at fullback.

He has a player option for 2027, and no doubt we'll be up against the Bears to keep him. If they give him the sort of money Hammer was given to play fullback, there's no way we will win.

That said, Faalogo looks likely to go to the Bears too. If the proposition is centre in Manly, or centre in Perth on similar coin, he will certainly stay.

However, with Turbo likely moving into the centres, there's no guarantee he won't be demoted to the wing. How we manage Turbo and Hoppa for the next few years will have massive consequences for Talau, Garrick and Koula. If I was to guess, Hoppa will take over at fullback in 2027, coming off the World Cup, where he will likely be playing fullback for a strong Tongan outfit.

 

[Rafferty]

He’s still only 22 & will continue to develop physically over the next few years which will help his defence. There is no point moving him around anymore, just leave him at centre & let him keep killing it.

Here’s some attacking stats for the year against 3 of the best centres in the comp + Garrick.

Koula: 11 games, 8 tries, 8 line breaks, 4 try assists, 134 run metres per game. (22 years old.)

Garrick: 12 games, 6 tries, 4 line breaks, 2 try assists, 116 run metres per game. (27 years old.)

Crichton: 10 games, 2 tries, 7 line breaks, 4 try assists, 100 run metres per game. (24 years old.)

Farnworth: 12 games, 7 tries, 6 line breaks, 5 try assists, 161 metres per game. (25 years old.)

Holmes: 11 games, 3 tries, 7 line breaks, 7 try assists, 155 metres per game. (29 years old.)

It’s fair to say he’s 1 of the most underrated centres in the game this year & is elite offensively. I’m not going to pretend he is as good defensively as a player like Critta but moving to fullback or wing isn’t going to help develop his reads & technique

His stats definitely stack up and I’m already consigned to the fact he won’t be playing 1 with us, barring injuries, hopefully not.

I also agree that shifting him around won’t help his development moving forward, especially knowing his future with us means he’ll continue to wear the 3.

So I agree with everything you’ve said, still cant help thinking his game would have went next level as a 1 with his speed and the opportunities to run from the back, the idea of him as a 1 just keeps rolling around in my head, I guess I’ll just have to let go of that thought process, which seems easier said than done.

 

[Sea Eagle 4 Life]

Perth could do a lot worse than him at fullback.

He has a player option for 2027, and no doubt we'll be up against the Bears to keep him. If they give him the sort of money Hammer was given to play fullback, there's no way we will win.

That said, Faalogo looks likely to go to the Bears too. If the proposition is centre in Manly, or centre in Perth on similar coin, he will certainly stay.

Would follow in the footsteps of another Manly player to 'go west'.

 

[LeonardCohen]

I love a good analysis of RL, but everything is fine with Koula and our halves IMO. We don’t need surgery with our attack to afford Koula more ball or opportunities. We simply need a forward pack that decide to turn up (particularly in defence) each week. That’s the limitation. The reason is he proving more dangerous is a combination of experience and an injury free run (touch wood).

I think because of his well documented speed, people were anxious to see him fly every time he touched the ball. It ain’t gonna happen. He showed last year in the SF what an asset he is, which just have to temper our expectations a little; no centre is tearing is up everytime they get the ball.

 

[Brookie1973]

Would follow in the footsteps of another Manly player to 'go west'.

View attachment 30392View attachment 30393

Chris Ryan and Mick Potter?

 

[Disco]

People are obsessed with moving players about.

Koula has taken a big step forward as many players do in year 3-4 and he will continue to improve.

He will be an absolute gun for us at centre for hopefully many years to come.