Don't expect this to be a popular opinion judging by most of our so-called fans; however:

I personally would be delighted if we extended his stay.

Why?

a) plays every game and never stops tackling.

b) with each passing game now he shows a few more world-class touches than the week before.

c) P Richards; M Gidley; S Donald et al all arrived with big reputations and had underwhelming first seasons - now they are among the best in the league.

He's a big strong lad and when he runs the ball in he's good. But he needs it in his contract that he must never kick a ball or tinks he's a stand off again.

Here we go, another ’so-called fan’ post. This man should never have been allowed to pull on a shirt never mind be considered for a new contract. He was practicing his kicking skills before the game where he kicked two into the crowd from 10 yards out, failed to pick up the ball twice when it was passed to him and lost possession twice while just jogging around. It must be true what they say about practice making perfect because he managed repeat almost everything during the game.

No

"so-called fans"

Because people have different opinions to you means they aren't proper fans?

'So called fan' seems rather over the top !

I personally haven't made my mind up on him yet, but a couple of other points to add to his 'positives'.

His enthusiasm. After Huddersfield had scored the killer try after 76 or so minutes, most of our players had thrown the towel in. Bad body language, heads down....and I'm talking about some of our fans favourites here. Sione ran across the back of the posts - when Hodgson was lining up the kick - trying to rouse the players, get them on their feet. This was something that stood out for me, types of players you want. Play for 80, not 'towel throwers'.

The guy plays 80 mins week in and week out. He doesn't get a rest. For a big man, he doesn't get some of the credit he deserves.

Yes.

How can you compare this guy to Richards Gidley and Donald they came with big reputations and have delivered but were at least consistent in year 1.

He did not come with a big reputation he came as his last chance to salvage his rugby league life.

He has failed without question. For a bloke his size he should be running it in like sarge and not throwing silly offloads.

As for him being a stand off. Not in a thousand years is he a stand off.
I am all for giving people a chance but he should be delivering by now with the game time he has had.

I also think he is also affecting Westys game as westy is not being able to run outwide down the right channel where he was so affective last year because sione is there.

Did you go to HKR recently?

My problem is not with people whom don't share the same opinion. Don't rate Sione? : Fine.

A few dozen singing about hoping he dies and a few hundred berating everything he does? : That's not.

I've nothing against Widders but there's a guy whom can't have been on the field for two full games in total; Whereas Sione is out there every match tackling non-stop and gets nothing but abuse.

I stand by "so called fans" terminology - can't get my head around abusing players that are clearly doing their best.

Some singing they hope he dies ?

thought the guy did ok,did more than westerman yesterday. was he on the field? made less mistakes than mcgoldrick {and didn't get sent off} made less mistakes than ferres who seems to throw an interception pass or bomb a try every week. he can only play the position matterson puts him in. if he is stupid enough to put him there, then he should get the abuse. he is the coach. by the way, remember sarge throwing a stupid offload straight to dorn ,which cost you the game against harlequins. everyone makes mistakes mate.

Faumuina, Clayton, Ferres and Higgins out at the end of the season for me.

Faumuina - Finally showed a bit of what he is capable of yesterday but there's better available next season then him, let him be another teams burden.

Clayton - Just not SL standard.

Ferres - Bombs a try at least once a game, makes a good 3-4 errors a game, greedy and doesn't give Shenton & Owen the service they deserve, ship him off to Celtic and replace him with a better back rower who's out of contract.

Higgins - Looks out of shape and makes zero impact when he's on the field, not the sort of player who should be in a team wanting to be in the top 4.

He tends to make wrong decisions at times but he's not a bad player. The problem is that he is one of the quota spots and with it dropping next season he's the main candidate to loose out. If he was a British player I'd be more than happy to keep him.

Everyone does make mistkae you are right and ferres and Mcg do make there fair share.

If you watch cas home and away every week like I do westerman destroyed wire at home last year and saints running and defending outwide. This year he been stuck in middle to accomadate sione. As for yesterday Westerman was playing as a makeshift hooker of bench. Yes I partly blame TM for this but sione has not helped the situation with his stupid offloads some important missed tackes and stupid offloads and lack of ability shown in kicking and going forward.

On that basis I would not offer Sione a new contract and would get joe back out wide. I feel there would be a better option available from australia or L gilmour and V anderson off contract in uk

He does not play 80mins week in week out, he has been subbed plenty, most often when he's made mistakes.

Physically gifted but doesn't have the strength of mind to do what TM is asking of. Sione is no stand off, he is no loose forward and he really needs to forget his kicking game



What I can't understand is why TM sticks with the tried, tested and failed combinations. What is he watching

I don't really rate him at all..
But i can't nock him for the Wire game, he played well.

Dont know what to thing about this guy

is TM giving him the wrong roll, as hes certainaly not a kicker or SO, we keep slcking him for his kicking but TM must be giving him that roll, he seems to be a liability at times, doesnt look were hes passing, but for some strange seems to have some ability even tho I havent seen any yet.
Id put him at loose forward, stop him from kicking and see how he goes, if he doesnt shine still, let him go.

He's only kicking because our main kicker is out, otherwise I would say there's no way he would be kicking, Sherwin would be doing the job and Chase would be his back up, even Hudson would be before Sione in the pecking order.
As I've said before, we really need to sign someone to fill in for Shifty, more so because we have no idea if he will even play again this season.

so if we are going at it like this then, why when McGoldrick was named as full back, was he not practicing catching the high ball like the rest, instead of putting the kicks up for the wingers. McGoldrick has always been suspect under the bomb, so surely practice would have been better for him.

I would rather have him play than that lard widders but nobody seems to notice the mistakes he makes when hes not injured of course

After an uninspiring start widders has really uped his game, he tackles hard, puts some good passes in doesnt throw silly off loads and despite his size has a good turn of pace, without him i dont think we would have won the bradford game.


As for sione, i'm undecided as yet, i think his biggest fault since he got over here has been trying to impress the fans to much (i dont know why the aussies bother with this, someone always slags them off, in the last few years i have heard people on the terraces say that sherwin, chase, mcgoldrick, nutley, manu and guttenbiel all werent good enough, meaning that they were watching a differant game to me or were biased against the aussie ((and kiwi etc.)) players), try to play real flash rugby and its not coming off, but if he does what is good at running the ball in hard and making big tackles in defence he's impressive (our top meter maker i believe). If tm could convince him to just do what he does best instead of trying to win the game every play, i think most people would think he was great. And for all the people who say he cant kick or pass (and at times i've been one of them) he can, he won mom awards in the nrl playing stand off, he just cant seem to replicate that over here, why i dont know maybe its the conditions, maybe he needs more time to adjust or maybe its because some of out supporters, prefer slagging off players to supporting them. I for one think theres a great player in sione, and hope we get to see that in a cas shirt.

Agree about clayton, shame really you cant fault his effort and his skills are good, but he just isnt big enough to be a super league forward.

Sione-undecided, see other post.

Ferres, he is a good player and has the potential to be one of the top second rowers in the comp in a few years, i agree with you he makes to many mistakes but over time i think he will improve (he is still relativley young). Needs to get his screwed on right, but over all i'm happy we have him for 3 years.

Higgins- couldnt disagree with you more, higgins works hard in defence and makes yards in the tackle, he's a prop thats what he supposed to do, ok he does nothing flash, but we have plenty (perhaps to many) people like that in our team anyway. A solid young english prop that gets better each season, two year deal for me.

Sound post - especially with regards to Higgins (don't see how anyone can have a problem with him).

With Faumina, and Goldy for that matter, you get bags of talent -even flashes of genius -but struggle to identify a position where the impact of their imperfections will be minimised. For that reason alone the thought of what percentage of our wage-bill is heading in their direction frightens me to death.

Frankly Sione appears to be so slow/stiff at times that he might be a candidate for the world's most gifted prop...but how often would he get over the advantage line? If he has a future with us I think it must be in the second row but I wonder if that role would be sufficiently pivotal to meet his more glamourous self-image. Certainly someone needs to disaffect him (and TM) of the notion that he can function in SL effectively/regularly at stand-off; if anyone Westy should have been given that opportunity. In fact I have this feeling we wont see the best of Joe alongside Faumina so my gut instinct would be not to renew Sione's contract.