ellakasmar
Reserve Grader
I’m not sure where we sit ranking among the youngest teams this season, but it is so easy to forget how young some of our boys are. As it stands the current ages of the players who have played first grade this year are:
20-years-old: Saab*, Schuster, Tuipulotu
21-years-old: Saddler*
22-years-old: Suli*, Cust*, Harper*, Olakau’atu*
23-years-old: Garrick*, Funa, Paseka*, Keppie
24-years-old: Parker, Croker*, Boyle*, T Trbojevic*
* - their 2021 birthdays are yet to come.
Alongside this, some of our most impressive talents this season are yet to have played a full season of first grade. After round 11, the amount of NRL games played by each individual were:
Cust - 25
Toff - 24
Saab - 18
Harper - 13
Olakau'atu - 13
Schuster 11
If we can keep the majority of these boys together, we are in for a real treat. Even just from the start of the season to now combinations like Harper and Saab, the skills of Olakau'atu and Schuster, and the impact off the bench from Toff - it just keeps getting better and better every week. Can you imagine what they're going to be like in 3 years time if they stay healthy?!
But back to the present, having this mix of true young talent and some incredible senior players like Chez, Foz, Marty, the Turbos - it is the perfect balance to be a premiership threat.
Obviously Penrith are just next level at the moment, and if they don't win this year - I don't know when they will! But on our day with a full team, we really can give them a red hot crack. Just look a few weeks ago, other than the Storm we have been one of the only sides in the comp to test them of late. And if we keep going the way we are, getting better every week, it would be verrryyy interesting to see how we would go against them at the business end of the season. We (and by we I mean Tommy lol) just need to stay healthy!
Anyways, the main reason I am posting this is to draw attention to how young some of these guys are. I was worried after finding out about the passing of the great Bozo how they would handle it - especially because he had such an influence on recruiting them and developing them in the junior grades. But all of them handled it with such emotional maturity, and they are all to be commended for that. They are doing us so proud!!!!!!
20-years-old: Saab*, Schuster, Tuipulotu
21-years-old: Saddler*
22-years-old: Suli*, Cust*, Harper*, Olakau’atu*
23-years-old: Garrick*, Funa, Paseka*, Keppie
24-years-old: Parker, Croker*, Boyle*, T Trbojevic*
* - their 2021 birthdays are yet to come.
Alongside this, some of our most impressive talents this season are yet to have played a full season of first grade. After round 11, the amount of NRL games played by each individual were:
Cust - 25
Toff - 24
Saab - 18
Harper - 13
Olakau'atu - 13
Schuster 11
If we can keep the majority of these boys together, we are in for a real treat. Even just from the start of the season to now combinations like Harper and Saab, the skills of Olakau'atu and Schuster, and the impact off the bench from Toff - it just keeps getting better and better every week. Can you imagine what they're going to be like in 3 years time if they stay healthy?!
But back to the present, having this mix of true young talent and some incredible senior players like Chez, Foz, Marty, the Turbos - it is the perfect balance to be a premiership threat.
Obviously Penrith are just next level at the moment, and if they don't win this year - I don't know when they will! But on our day with a full team, we really can give them a red hot crack. Just look a few weeks ago, other than the Storm we have been one of the only sides in the comp to test them of late. And if we keep going the way we are, getting better every week, it would be verrryyy interesting to see how we would go against them at the business end of the season. We (and by we I mean Tommy lol) just need to stay healthy!
Anyways, the main reason I am posting this is to draw attention to how young some of these guys are. I was worried after finding out about the passing of the great Bozo how they would handle it - especially because he had such an influence on recruiting them and developing them in the junior grades. But all of them handled it with such emotional maturity, and they are all to be commended for that. They are doing us so proud!!!!!!
