KNIGHT IN FOCUS: Akuila Uate

Oh my bad, I never leave the knights discussion subthread, didn't even know that thread existed! Mods can move if they wish
 
I was thinking exactly the same thing today. He should mix it up! It's going to make him much more prone to injury just barging into people all day. But that hit on Watmough that injured him was a stunner.
 
On the topic, i disagree. When he runs it back it pumps the crowd up so much & he destroys the tacklers & more than often breaks the tackles for more to come over. When he sees a chance or a gap he does take it, there has been a few times where he has broken into open space by stepping & dodging players when returning the ball. And plenty of times you see him run around the defenders in his own 10 & run up the sideline gaining 20+ metres. If we saw him running more sideways when returning the ball he'd look like Vuna & Uate himself of 2008 when they always looked for chances & gained barely anything from it.
 
Josh Hill said:
On the topic, i disagree. When he runs it back it pumps the crowd up so much & he destroys the tacklers & more than often breaks the tackles for more to come over. When he sees a chance or a gap he does take it, there has been a few times where he has broken into open space by stepping & dodging players when returning the ball. And plenty of times you see him run around the defenders in his own 10 & run up the sideline gaining 20+ metres. If we saw him running more sideways when returning the ball he'd look like Vuna & Uate himself of 2008 when they always looked for chances & gained barely anything from it.
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I was thinking the same thing about the crowd getting pumped up when he returns the ball, shame Rick Stone didn't think the same......Roberts at fullback??? wtf :/
 
I'm not saying all the time, I enjoy his runs back at full speed, just feel sometimes he should do it, depending on how they cover the line from kicks.
 
Totally agree, he should be making a line break per match ... just gotta watch his try from the 06 Jersey Flegg GF to see he's got the footwork to do it.

He's too good to just be a battering ram.

Criticism has to go to the team for the type of ball he's getting as well, though ... we should have plays solely aimed at getting him in space, but it never happens. He has to go looking a lot. We could be using him so much better than we are.
 
As soon as he started running straight all the time, that was when he established himself as the best winger in the comp. Don't need him running sideways too much, a little bit wouldn't hurt but he is better running straighter. Shouldn't be solely his job to get into open space, as James said there is so many other ways we could be using him more effectively, the quality of ball he gets is terrible to be honest.
 
They had the oppurtunity to give Uate a long ball 15m out from the line, with only Robertson in front of him, with 20m of space to work in, and they chose to give Housten an inside ball and work it back to the left. 99 times out of 100, Uate scores 1on1 with that much room.
 
Joel said:
They used to bag him for running sideways too often!
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I use to bag him and now he looks much better running straight! However he should know when to make the decision to run sideways and step defenders.

I would really like to see him be given a go at Fullback! Ashame we wont get to see him play there with Boyd coming in next year and Gids/Pete at FB this year.
 
Definitely more of a team thing, but many, many times yesterday Aku had to come off his wing to take Croker. At least twice had Vidot got the ball/caught it they would have been over. The team needs to mark up better and slide. Some of it is Aku marking on the winger and shouting at Maddog to come out and the rest of the team shold follow.
 
Sammyyy said:
I use to bag him and now he looks much better running straight! However he should know when to make the decision to run sideways and step defenders.I would really like to see him be given a go at Fullback! Ashame we wont get to see him play there with Boyd coming in next year and Gids/Pete at FB this year.
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He would of made a brilliant fullback, once in a generation you get a player as naturally gifted as Aku. The key for him now is longevity in the sport. Could you imagine what he could be in 5 years?
 
Especially with Bennett coming in...its scary to think that he still hasn't reached his potential yet.
 
Adam MacDougall's answer: That’s a hard one at my club. Not too many metrosexuals at my club really. That’s a hard question. Probably Aku Uate, he calls himself Sexual Choclolate. He is probably the most gender complicated person in my team at the moment.
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Haha!
 
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