Current forward pack next year

It’s what cup is for, when he plays cup put him on the bench as a rotation prop with the aim for him to get used to the position and build stamina, and eventually he will be able to start and do 30 before being rotated which is about average for normal props anyway.

If you get a jumpstart on it now and get him to train it now and during the off and pre-season than by the start of next year he should be able to do it.

Stamina is 1000% a thing you can change and that’s really Manu’s only issue at the moment but even than he is already getting better at it.

McEwen and Lucas look to be our second rower partnership for the next 5+ years (knock on wood) so Manu needs to adapt because we have a lot of good second rowers coming through.

It’s either he changes or we will be forced to let him go
 
I love McEwen on the edge. Reminds me a bit of Finefuaki at the Phins. Insane leg speed, is a serious threat on a change of angle run. Has also shown some silky skills for a big boy ie. tip on passes and draw and pass. Always thought he was going to be better than KPP, when he isn't offloading he is far from an impactful player.
 
frankLauda said:
Manu seems like he could be gun second rower also. But according to there bios he is 110kg. McEwen is 106kg. ESL 100kg.

I really think we should have Manu in the 17. So to fit him in he plays in middle. Would have that nullify his impact as he has some speed for a big unit.
Click to expand...

We are blessed with 3 gun backrowers, Manu is almost a guilty pleasure will be way to good for NSW cup, wasted on bench and probably nullified as a middle, and McEwen and Lucas are just better than him and 80 minute players.

Just randomly Manu seems like a roided up version of Talaki right?
 
It’s sad about Manu because he would walk into a lot of teams starting 13s, I haven’t seen McEwen, Lucas or really most second rowers toy with defences like Manu has in cup, where he can just turn it on and win games.

I’d at least test him as a prop in cup before just getting rid of him because we aren’t sure if it will nullify him, I knew many that said the same about Frizell when he started playing prop and it hasn’t hurt him at all and now he is easily top 2 best props in the club

If I was Penrith I’d be looking to bring him home, but a lot of teams could do with a genetic freak like him.
 
Yes Manu Is good, is very good when he puts his mind to it but not as consistently good as Lucas and McEwen, hasn’t got that full 80min at this stage.
Like the idea of trialling him at Prop in Cup to see how he goes, think he will make a very handy bench next season especially covering 2nd row and Prop and of course injuries etc
 
Throwing passes and bamboozling defenders in Cup is great but it's a lot harder to 1: have the bottle to try it in the NRL and 2: deal with the scrutiny if and when it doesn't come off. That's where development and experience come into play. There is the athleticism and skill in Manu to be very good player for us but as always development, luck with injuries and heaps of hard work are still ahead.
 
BlackbuttOG said:
Throwing passes and bamboozling defenders in Cup is great but it's a lot harder to 1: have the bottle to try it in the NRL and 2: deal with the scrutiny if and when it doesn't come off. That's where development and experience come into play. There is the athleticism and skill in Manu to be very good player for us but as always development, luck with injuries and heaps of hard work are still ahead.
Click to expand...
Many has to be given bench time at least for the rest of the season. A big off season prep and confidence will ensure he has a big 2027 for us.
He has a high ceiling and is tough to go with it. We need him to make a big impact when he comes on in first grade going forward.
 
I was one that bought into the hype/doom that we’d be in trouble with our forwards if we had an injury or two.

But, I think Hopwood and Crouch have really rolled their sleeves up and while we obviously miss in form JSaf, it hasn’t been too noticeable.

While they may not be quite the finished product at the moment, they’ll be so much better for this little stint of games and while they may be finding their feet a little now, hopefully it pays off in the back end of this season and next. I can see Hopwood pushing for a starting spot soon if he keeps his current trajectory, (when we are full strength).

I like the intent from Crouch to get into Kolo and Smith the other week. While he may have come off 2nd best (there’s not too many in the comp that would dominate Kolo), the intent and aggression was there and with a few more games under his belt, I look forward to him picking some more battles, and asserting some dominance.

TBH, I was hoping to see more of that aggression from Mooney. I’ve kind of stopped paying too much attention to Mooney in the last few weeks, more interested in watching Hopwood and Crouch take the game on - so maybe I’ll be back on Mooney watch this week with Slots ;). I think he’s usually reasonably solid and I enjoy his support/off ball things, but especially the last few weeks without Saf, I think we need a big bopper running hard to get us some momentum.

Certainly helps that our Cup team is doing well. Both teams seem to have a positive and successful environment. Easy to go between both. As opposed to a struggling cup team trying to fill in FG. Think they deserve a bit of credit too for driving standards.
 
Mooney has been really good in the absence of J Saf, stood up big time, probably been our best middle in the last two games. I just think a lot of us are waiting for him to turn an absolute top top tier middle and I'm just not sure he is one. But I think he's already flirting with "above average" and he's going to look better and better the more the other young guys improve alongside him.

Overall I'm pleased with how every middle has played except Brodie who I thought looked like a guy who's decided he's going to pack it in after this season.

Like yes, they lose the ruck against better packs, pretty badly. But so do the young Dragons forwards who I'm constantly hearing are a scant 20 games or so from turning that team into a juggernaut. That's what happens with all but a select few of forwards when they're young.

Simplest way to put it is that they're losing the ruck, but not by as much everyone was guessing in every season preview where pundits would say a bunch of positive stuff about the roster but then you could literally see a dark cloud appear above their heard before they'd say: "Unfortunately, there is a weakness on this roster, and it's a pretty big one... the middle of the field." I would say they've done enough to give a reasonable platform for our elite backline as often as not and that's reflected on the ladder, and even when they're getting handled pretty savagely I wouldn't say they've been guilty of turning it up at any point this season which - ask any Tigers fan - is half the battle.
 
bremsstrahlung said:
so maybe I’ll be back on Mooney watch this week with Slots ;
Click to expand...

Had nothing to complain about since he realised he's a prop and not a centre. Probably since the first rabbits game I'd say.

HarVeeGee13 said:
But I think he's already flirting with "above average"
Click to expand...

Already there based on the last 2 months and looking like a good value contract.
 
HarVeeGee13 said:
Mooney has been really good in the absence of J Saf, stood up big time, probably been our best middle in the last two games. I just think a lot of us are waiting for him to turn an absolute top top tier middle and I'm just not sure he is one. But I think he's already flirting with "above average" and he's going to look better and better the more the other young guys improve alongside him.

Overall I'm pleased with how every middle has played except Brodie who I thought looked like a guy who's decided he's going to pack it in after this season.

Like yes, they lose the ruck against better packs, pretty badly. But so do the young Dragons forwards who I'm constantly hearing are a scant 20 games or so from turning that team into a juggernaut. That's what happens with all but a select few of forwards when they're young.

Simplest way to put it is that they're losing the ruck, but not by as much everyone was guessing in every season preview where pundits would say a bunch of positive stuff about the roster but then you could literally see a dark cloud appear above their heard before they'd say: "Unfortunately, there is a weakness on this roster, and it's a pretty big one... the middle of the field." I would say they've done enough to give a reasonable platform for our elite backline as often as not and that's reflected on the ladder, and even when they're getting handled pretty savagely I wouldn't say they've been guilty of turning it up at any point this season which - ask any Tigers fan - is half the battle.
Click to expand...

His 24 yrs old, plenty of time to become a top teir prop and i dont think he was signed on what he can give us this year, average prop now but his ceiling is top teir imo. I wouldnt say jsaf and mooney are losing the ruck all the time, its once we start rotating our middles that most teams are getting ontop of us.
Given the strike in our side maybe its as simple as playing a bigger running 13 to compliment our props instead of using croker as a link man.
 
Mooney showed his potential with 2 or 3 back to back games that were elite quality performances. He is capable of a lot. The question is whether he is capable of performing at that level consistently.
 
EASBay17 said:
His 24 yrs old, plenty of time to become a top teir prop and i dont think he was signed on what he can give us this year, average prop now but his ceiling is top teir imo. I wouldnt say jsaf and mooney are losing the ruck all the time, its once we start rotating our middles that most teams are getting ontop of us.
Given the strike in our side maybe its as simple as playing a bigger running 13 to compliment our props instead of using croker as a link man.
Click to expand...
Yeah it really depends who comes along. I don't know if this makes sense but if we had two of the best props in the game starting, I think Croker would be absolutely perfect just pouring energy into defence, linking play and only needing to run about 7-8 times a game. As it stands with J Saf, Mooney & Croker as the first choice starters it maybe feels like we're missing a bit of punch and physical dominance. Those three are good enough for half the sides in the comp, don't get me wrong, but against the real head crackers they'll just be a bit short.

But if Hopwood is an Origin calibre guy like a Tino, Carrigan etc level forward, which I think that's what the club thinks he'll be, that's a different kettle of fish.

I believe Crouch and Mooney have also both played a fair bit of lock, and I'm not sure whether Croker is starting or coming off the bench makes a big difference to the value he provides to a side (for me his best trait is he can bring a lot of work rate for a lot of minutes) so we do have options.
 
HarVeeGee13 said:
Yeah it really depends who comes along. I don't know if this makes sense but if we had two of the best props in the game starting, I think Croker would be absolutely perfect just pouring energy into defence, linking play and only needing to run about 7-8 times a game. As it stands with J Saf, Mooney & Croker as the first choice starters it maybe feels like we're missing a bit of punch and physical dominance. Those three are good enough for half the sides in the comp, don't get me wrong, but against the real head crackers they'll just be a bit short.

But if Hopwood is an Origin calibre guy like a Tino, Carrigan etc level forward, which I think that's what the club thinks he'll be, that's a different kettle of fish.

I believe Crouch and Mooney have also both played a fair bit of lock, and I'm not sure whether Croker is starting or coming off the bench makes a big difference to the value he provides to a side (for me his best trait is he can bring a lot of work rate for a lot of minutes) so we do have options.
Click to expand...
The way the game is officiated in the V'landys era with interpretations changing when the wind blows, plays a big role in the effectiveness of certain players. Players like Croker, certain styles of dummy halves and No14 types can look great in one version of the game but be less effective in another version.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top