The Haumole Bible.

Noticed on that hit he put on the dogs player near the end that it was sailing close to the wind in that he kind of goes in lower around chest height but at the last second his shoulders come up so ends up just below the head. If the ball runner ducks his head Ola gunna be in trouble again
 
The only time I've seen him sprint into the line was when attacking someone from behind, in his civvies whilst sitting on the bench in origin. Put on a players jumper....... no nothing to see here.
My disappointment after last week's debacle was obvious in my post here. Credit where it's due. He had a great game last night. Happy to eat the humble pie on this one. Well done Ola.
 

‘Would be a dream to captain this club’: Look who has been elevated to Manly’s leadership group​


The man who famously joined the Origin III melee dressed in civilian clothing – and once taunted Wests Tigers fans before hurling a plastic chair in anger – has been elevated to Manly’s leadership group.

Haumole Olakau’atu is regarded as one of the most aggressive and physical backrowers in the game, but also a player who has worked overtime on his leadership skills, so much so that he says he is open to one day captaining the Sea Eagles.

Olakau’atu thought he was in trouble when he returned to pre-season training at the start of the month, and coach Anthony Seibold wanted a word.

Little did Olakau’atu know that Seibold had floated the idea of him joining captain Daly Cherry-Evans and his deputies, Jake and Tom Trbojevic, in the leadership group, and the trio were all for it. A conversation with Tongan coach Kristian Woolf after the Pacific Championships also assured Seibold he was making the right decision giving the enforcer extra responsibility.

Seibold said he was lucky to work with Greg Inglis, Sam Burgess and John Sutton when coaching South Sydney, just as he had been spoiled for choice with Cherry-Evans, the Trbojevics, and now Olakau’atu on the northern beaches.

“I’ve been around footy for a little while now, and I don’t know if I’ve seen a guy grow as much as Haumole has in that leadership space, on and off the field, like I’ve seen with him the past two seasons,” Seibold said.

“The biggest thing with leadership in my opinion is you know what you get from them; Haumole is reliable on the field and he’s reliable off it.”

Olakau’atu was banned two matches last year when he raced on to the sideline at Suncorp Stadium after spotting a couple of his NSW teammates surrounded by up to ten Queensland players. He was not even playing, and despite admitting at the time he was “helping a brother out”, later regretted not being available for his clubmates.

Seibold said Olakau’atu knew how to control his emotions, and that incident further enhanced his leadership qualities.

“He learned a lot from that experience because he hurt his teammates back here, he apologised for that, understood he needed to repay his teammates when he came to Manly, and I thought he did do that,” Seibold said.

“The back end of the season for him was outstanding. Part of the thing that makes him such a special player is he not only has great skill for a big man, but he has a presence about him. It’s one of his weapons, and we don’t want to take that away from him.

“He’s aggressive. Sam Burgess was aggressive, that was his weapon, and that’s Haumole’s weapon. We’re all about encouraging weapons here. We don’t try to take away what a player’s strengths are. [Even though he is a leader] we want him to continue to be that aggressive edge backrower.”

Olakau’atu credited his fiancee, Ana, for helping him through the tough times, and making sure “I stay in my lane”, while he was also confident his leadership role would help him keep a cool head under pressure.

“I got a lot of backlash from fans and media [after Origin III], and while I realised I’d get hate, I also got a lot of support, including from ‘Seibs’ [Seibold] and the boys,” he said.

“Nothing changes for me. It’s about playing consistent footy and having that same aggression, but also being a bit more aware now I’m a leader.

“When Seibs gave me the news, I was shocked at first, but once it sunk in, it was an honour. When Seibs told me he had mentioned it to ‘Chez’, Jake and Tom, and they were stoked about it, that only made me happier.”

Cherry-Evans is 35, Jake is 30 and Tom now 28, which leaves 26-year-old Olakau’atu arguably in the box seat to lead the club once they eventually depart. Manly have signed Olakau’atu until the end of 2031.


“It would be a dream to captain this club,” he said. “If I get the chance, I’ll try my best to perform the best I can – I won’t let the boys down, that’s for sure.”

Christian Nicolussi
 
I'd like to see Ola switch to Brooks side in attack a few times a game to catch them out. That short ball is dangerous AF just need someone who's strong enough to break through. Even Bullemor should get a crack he's a beast as well.
Agree on this one. We could bring a bench second rower onto his right flank at some stage through the match and move him to lock to roam either side a bit more. I’ve always felt haumole is a bit hindered by being outside dce at times. Not because dce isn’t a great player and doesn’t give him opportunities but because defences tend to rush on DCE as they know he’s been our main man in attack.
 
Ola needs to be given the ball early or when he is in space in full flight not when he is flat footed and then running straight into defenders. Part of that requires him to learn to be a good hole runner and the other part is for the man inside to offload quickly and put into holes.
 
Ola needs to be given the ball early or when he is in space in full flight not when he is flat footed and then running straight into defenders. Part of that requires him to learn to be a good hole runner and the other part is for the man inside to offload quickly and put into holes.
'Running on to the ball' seems to be a dying art in both RL and RU. Players are obviously coached to be 'flat'. Nothing better than seeing someone flash onto a pass and burn his opposition with pure speed.
Am I correct or just living in the past?
 

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