Re: Solomona signs! : Fri Jan 10, 2014 12:26 pm  

Well this all sounds promising Solomona has played first grade NRL and Moore if he comes is a good player. Fingers crossed. Made my weekend anyway.

Re: Solomona signs! : Fri Jan 10, 2014 1:45 pm  

Snoopy wrote:

Solomona has played first grade NRL.

Sadly he hasn't played any 1st grade RL

Re: Solomona signs! : Fri Jan 10, 2014 1:52 pm  

We need to get the ball to the wingers- Thats the issue- get some props, centres and 2nd rowers, sod the wingers

Re: Solomona signs! : Fri Jan 10, 2014 2:14 pm  

I tend to trust Rea's recruitment - especially with young unknown players. I give Exhibit A, B and C from our Brentford days -

A - Mark McLinden
B - Luke Dorn
C - Tommy Leulaui

One things Rea is good at is spotting talent (and I don't mean bird watching)..

It's has tactics and game management that I'm iffy about... hopefully Longy can influence something on that side of things!

Welcome to London though Solomona.

Re: Solomona signs! : Fri Jan 10, 2014 2:37 pm  

Tommy was young but certainly not unkown. Marty was neither!

Re: Solomona signs! : Fri Jan 10, 2014 2:49 pm  

Hear Ye! wrote:

I tend to trust Rea's recruitment - especially with young unknown players. I give Exhibit A, B and C from our Brentford days -

A - Mark McLinden
B - Luke Dorn
C - Tommy Leulaui

One things Rea is good at is spotting talent (and I don't mean bird watching)..

It's has tactics and game management that I'm iffy about... hopefully Longy can influence something on that side of things!

Welcome to London though Solomona.

Having Longy on board has given me a sense of optimism. He was the best British half back ive seen. He can teach our backs a lot. Hope they sign a good partner for Bishay and some good props and we will win a few. Dollapi and Krasniqi always put a good shift in. Just need a big Polyinesian with some clout to lead the line.

Re: Solomona signs! : Fri Jan 10, 2014 3:12 pm  

nkpom wrote:

Tommy was young but certainly not unkown. Marty was neither!

Never sure why people suggest they were unknown. McLinden had played 165 NRL games before joining us!

Luke had played 38 and Tommy 21, which were not bad figures for guys who were 22 and 18 respectively. Tommy had also already been capped by the Kiwis.

Re: Solomona signs! : Fri Jan 10, 2014 3:25 pm  

Sarf Essex Taff wrote:

Never sure why people suggest they were unknown. McLinden had played 165 NRL games before joining us!

Luke had played 38 and Tommy 21, which were not bad figures for guys who were 22 and 18 respectively. Tommy had also already been capped by the Kiwis.

Wow those are some stats.... but my point still stands, none of them were with a team tearing up the scene in the NRL at the time - additionally none of them would have been "star" players at the respective clubs - as they wouldn't have come to SL if they were.

I remember McLinden had a reputation as a quality player at the time we signed him, but Dorn and Leulaui didn't. Also, at the time NZ weren't the same team as they are now - we were regularly beating them. So the one game Leulaui would have played at that level doesn't really mean much - we all know international RL is (sadly) next to pointless.

My point anyway is that Rea is good at finding young players that can do the business.... so hope Solomona is another example.

Re: Solomona signs! : Fri Jan 10, 2014 3:51 pm  

Hear Ye! wrote:

Wow those are some stats.... but my point still stands, none of them were with a team tearing up the scene in the NRL at the time - additionally none of them would have been "star" players at the respective clubs - as they wouldn't have come to SL if they were.

I remember McLinden had a reputation as a quality player at the time we signed him, but Dorn and Leulaui didn't. Also, at the time NZ weren't the same team as they are now - we were regularly beating them. So the one game Leulaui would have played at that level doesn't really mean much - we all know international RL is (sadly) next to pointless.

My point anyway is that Rea is good at finding young players that can do the business.... so hope Solomona is another example.

McLinden was 28 when we signed him. At that time that was a fairly normal age to come to the UK if you were not a rep player and he was clearly the sort of bloke who fancied the challenge. I recall he was often featured in the Australian Rugby league Week and was the face of Canberra while there. He and McFadden were seen as the successors to Stuart and Daley in the Raiders team but never reached those levels of success (which is hardly surprising).

Got to disagree with you about Leulaui too. He was on many team's radars. I recall he wanted to sign for Parramatta but the Warriors were not keen for him to go to a rival. He had been the youngest ever player to pull on a Warriors jersey. I can't agree with you about the Kiwis either. It was only a couple of years since they had trounced England 40-12 in a World Cup semi and were generally having the better of series from 1998 up until the 2007 Gary Kemble debacle.

Only Dorn could be suggested not to be well known as he spent all of the year before he joined us in reserve grade after a disastrous move to the Roosters. he had been a first grade regular with the Sea Eagles the two previous years though.

No one who is being mentioned as potential signings is anywhere near the quality of these three imo. More like Lucky Luisi I'm afraid.

Re: Solomona signs! : Fri Jan 10, 2014 4:30 pm  

I remember Tony Martin joining as an Academy player, who had heard of him? what playing record did he have, I sponsored him and glad I did, he did us proud and the game while he was here in the UK, lets hope Solomona is the same.