Will Laukai play second row or prop for us?

depends what you are happy with. if your happy scrapping into the playoffs every year and maybe wining a game, than extend those contracts. if you want to challenge you need an upgrade. yes they all try hard (horne,whiting etc.) but do they posses the skill to take you to the next level.

That's our problem... too many average players that we build up to be something they aren't.

I get a feeling of de ja vu here...going back to our premiership win in early 90's and then the total inability to build and push on from there.....is the same happening now?

[uProps:[/u
8 Ewan Dowes2010
19 Paul King 2010
28 Epalahame (Hame) Lauaki 2011 Quota


[uOOC:[/u
10 Peter Cusack2009Quota (33 next season)
25 Dominic Maloney 2009
18 Jamie Thackray2009

Might keep Thackray on another 1 year deal. Cusack will go. No idea about Maloney other than he's yet to play.

It's not just that , He carries to much baggage off the field , King can carry his bags for him .

That team was made up of some very average players. Nolan brothers, Gay, Mackey, Marlow, Sharp even Eastwood & Harrison. Brian Smith came in though and turned them all into world beaters over night and installed a great amount of belief.

John Kear installed that belief into some average players for 5 games in 2005. Peter Sharp did the same for the end of 2006.
What we have now is avaerage coaches and average players. No sense of belief and little confidence.

Forget the first 5 games this season ( I can't be d to work this out) but what is Agars win %.?

Now the players.

I would say goodbye to

Motu ( I love the guy but he wants to play NRL and he is injury prone. Will he play again.? )
Yeaman. Way past his best and living on past glory for 24 months at least now.
G Horne ... average at best.
T Lee ... I just don't rate him, though I can't fault his effort this season.
Radders, Dowes, King, see Yeamo.
Thorman never rated him but was prepared to give him the benefit. 8 games in and he has done nothing to change my mind.
Byrne will be going home, possibly to retire, but not good enough for a quota spot, Cusack also not good enough for quota spot.

It time to tell these players the truth. They may well realise that as they are staring at the dole queue next season they have to perform to get a contract elsewhere. They may also say sod it I can't be d. Which given that there is no relegation and we have no chance of winning anything then there is no loss.

I'd keep Thorman, Whiting and Horne.

Good clubs need depth in the halves. Thorman may not be very consistant, but has shown that he CAN have a few decent games in him. He can also cover a few positions and is a good goal kicker.

Whiting can play everywhere and is very solid and always done the job for us.

Graeme Horne is starting to look good at centre, and can also cover back row.

Motu is too injury prone
Byrne is not good enough to fill a quota spot.

We DESPERATELY need a new FB and SH. I've been saying this since the end of 2007 now.

I think that particular accolade goes to Thorman, who was truly shocking.

Agreed, he has been well shown up now

No - I'll stick with it and say G Horne was marginally worse.

Tbh I expect our board to re sign all the OOC players tbh, and sign another back rower!



G. Horne, Byrne, Cusack (even though I rate him), Thorman and although he is my favourite player Tony should go too (too many injuries now).

Tommy Lee gets too much stick on here (I have gave him stick in the past too) but he is only one of a few of our players that players with passion and really does try every game.

Whiting would also keep for cover in just about every position from him.

So... Lee and Whiting back up.

Radders is a waste of time also in attack, offers nothing.

As for the props I think Dowes is enough for a work horse prop with maybe Maloney in the reserves. Don't see any point in having both Dowes and Cusack playing together.

Just look at Graham he puts in plenty of minutes, but will also break the line at will and offload.

Thackray I feel needs to put some more weight on, he may have bulked up in muscle. But can't help but think he is too light for prop now.

I'd keep G Horne and Whiting.

bring in a new 7 and a full back.

Move him to second row?

No.

But he plays with quality all around him and he's allowed to express himself as a player. Would be wasted in a percentage team.

As for Thackaray i'm sick of hearing about how good he is. He is a nothing player that constantly plays for himself, has no team ethic and his best years are well and truly behind him.. Get Maloney in now and give him a shot.

100% AGREE !!! None of those mentioned should be even considered for extensions apart from Whiting (who I thought looked pretty good yesterday considering his layoff)

We also need to find a way of offloading some of the players to whom this idiot and the last one have given contract extensions.

We will continue to plod on through mediocrity with the odd isolated decent display until we have a long overdue clearout, starting at the coach.

ABSOLUTELY SPOT ON !!!!!! Couldn't have put it better myself !!!

It won't happen though, because there are way too many mindless idiots who will follow the black and whites in any kind of weather and sit there applauding mediocrity. Season passes being snapped up like hot cakes and shirts flying out of the shops are all that the club cares about.

We are a business and we are run as a very successful one. The fans, the quality of the squad and coach, the on-field success and ultimately the chance of actual success are all way down the list of priorities.

Would love for us 2 throw alot of money at Josh Dugan who is out of contract as is going to be a superstar.

He the 1 at Celtic?

If im honest i would release all that are OOC, they havent impressed and / or are injured.

The only person that has done 'ok' this year is Greame Horne, but we need a very good centre a top full back and a top half back if we are to go anywhere.

i'm sure thats Tony Duggan

btw i'm in steve if your still reading this topic

He's been terrible in the last few games, cost us a few tries imo, missing a lot of tackles.

Nah thats Tony mate.

Josh Dugan has just burst onto the scene in the NRL with Canberra is only 19.

Cheers.....wouldnt mind him as well TBH.