2016 Pre-Season

No I forgot he is 45 years old. He was the prima donna of modern fullbacks. Small, lightning fast and able to read his halves play.
 
Oh? But he does everything a modern day fullback does. He is another johns in the way fullback is now played.
 
This conversation is going to some odd places.
Mamo is bigger than Slater, bigger than Lockyer, bigger than Bowen, bigger than Tompkins, bigger than Kevin Locke.
Heaps of guys go OK at his size or even smaller.
He's only a tiny bit smaller than Gidley - who was our fullback 10 minutes ago.
Size, speed, footwork - none of those are an issue.

He doesn't have any ballplaying skills and his hands are pretty poor. Those are his issues.
He is working on them.
I look forward to seeing what progress he has made in the trial next week.
 
Me too :) I like Mamo over feeney if he improves those small parts of his game, hopefully brown can get the best out of him. If worse comes to worse he is a great winger :)
 
I think our Round 1 back-line will be:

1. Mamo
2. Chanel/Ross
3. Gagai
4. Ross/Chanel
5. Uate

I think our overall 2016 back-line will be:

1. Feeney
2. Mamo
3. Gagai
4. Sione
5. Uate
 
The only other guy who might have a shot is Pat Mat.
He finally looks injury free and fit (every time I've said that for the last 2 years he gets injured the next game).
Pat is the only genuine centre.
Ross and Chanel are both good wingers and struggle at centre.
 
Billy said:
The only other guy who might have a shot is Pat Mat.
He finally looks injury free and fit (every time I've said that for the last 2 years he gets injured the next game).
Pat is the only genuine centre.
Ross and Chanel are both good wingers and struggle at centre.
Click to expand...

Pat was rated a better prospect than Gagai in the juniors.
Do you think Pat will eventually take Gagai's centre spot forcing Gagai to the wing?
 
Joel said:
I don't know who told you that, but that is most definitely not the case.
Click to expand...
Depends on what age you are talking.
Pat was very highly rated up to under 18s level.
He was one of our best in our national title winning under 18s side, playing fullback. He also made most of the rep sides including Australian schoolboys.
I have no idea how Gagai went up till age 18. All I can see on the net is he played junior Union for Qld.
Gagai had a great under 20s career, while Pat hardly played because of injury in his first year and wasn't much better in his second.
Basically Pat has been in and out with injuries since he was 18, but before that he was nearly as highly rated as Sione.
 
Joel said:
I don't know who told you that, but that is most definitely not the case.
Click to expand...

Pat was gun fullback before all his injuries. Many judges rated him better prospect than Sione.
A bit disappointing Browny didn't train Pat at fullback during the preseason.
 
Billy said:
This conversation is going to some odd places.
Mamo is bigger than Slater, bigger than Lockyer, bigger than Bowen, bigger than Tompkins, bigger than Kevin Locke.
Heaps of guys go OK at his size or even smaller.
He's only a tiny bit smaller than Gidley - who was our fullback 10 minutes ago.
Size, speed, footwork - none of those are an issue.

He doesn't have any ballplaying skills and his hands are pretty poor. Those are his issues.
He is working on them.
I look forward to seeing what progress he has made in the trial next week.
Click to expand...

Slater is actually taller and weighs more than Mamo but as you said his hands are his biggest issue for the time being. Mamo performed well at the end of last season but for mine the team is stringer with Feeney back their he ticks more of the boxes than Mamo does especially with Feeney's kicking game taking some pressure off our halves. Round one is the pecfct time to debut Feeney at fullback up against a Titans side who his missing it's best half and will be looking to Roberts to lead the side around the park and we all know Roberts has a sub par kicking, it is a great opportunity for Feeney to feel comfortable at fullback in the NRL.
 
Ageless Smith excited by Knights

Mon 15 Feb, 2016, 7:00am
By Tony Webeck, Chief Queensland Correspondent, NRL.com

Only the return of Ali Lauiti'iti to the Warriors has denied him the title of the NRL's most senior statesman but Jeremy Smith says the young Knights squad is putting a spring in his step.

When the Knights turn out against the Titans in Round 1, Smith will be five weeks shy of his 36th birthday and a crucial figure in a Newcastle team that is the youngest in the NRL in 2016.

With his 12th NRL pre-season all but behind him now, Smith starts the new season without a contract beyond this year but says being around a Knights squad with 12 players under the age of 23 is all the motivation he needs to start the year strongly.

"I still enjoy going to training, we've got a lot of young kids and they keep me on my toes and I just like competing against them too," Smith told NRL.com.

"It's going to be an exciting season for us, we've got lots of young kids and I'm excited.

"The Saifiti boys have been training well, Jaelen Feeny has been going really well, Jake Mamo is always a standout, Tyler Randell, so there are a few boys there putting up their hands and it will be pretty tough for them come selection time."

With new coach Nathan Brown at the helm Smith concedes it may take a season or two before the young brigade find their feet in the top grade but says he has been encouraged by their attitude to training over the pre-season.

"When the going gets tough and you're under a bit of fatigue and you've got to do a bit of ballwork or contact, it's concentrating for that period of time," Smith said.

"I know your mind can slip a bit once they get a little bit tired and it makes it a little bit harder for them but everyone's been training well.

"Just see how they go when they get them under a bit of fatigue in games.

"'Browny' is helping the young kids come through and develop their skills and their reading of the game.

"Everyone's willing to learn and I think he'll be good for the club. He's done some good things so far with the young kids and it will be an exciting season for us.

"It will be a bit of time but the way they've picked up what Browny's been putting down at the moment I don't think it will be too long."

Twenty-four when he made his NRL debut for the Storm in 2004, Smith said he will wait until midway through the season before he makes a decision on whether to go around again in 2017.

"They're slowly wearing on me," Smith said of the gruelling pre-seasons.

"The club have been good, the staff that they've got have really looked after me and got me through and topped me up when I needed topping up.

"The body's feeling good at the moment but like you said, after five or 10 rounds it could be a different story."


http://www.nrl.com/ageless-smith-excited-by-knights/tabid/10874/newsid/92890/default.aspx
 
I made a call on pat based of a terrible NSW Cup performance against the Mounties 2 years ago. I was told I was a harsh judge. Quite prepared to concede I was wrong.....as soon as Pat steps up.
 
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