Re: Morgan Smithies : Thu Aug 22, 2019 10:11 pm  

Grimmy wrote:

Yep, Connor Farrell and Kyle Shelford were also given similar billings. It's exciting to have a young forward playing well at SL level, but I wouldn't heap expectation on him so soon. I think the second full season as a regular stater tends to be the most telling, once they have had a few knocks, there is more reliance/expectation on them, and the opposition knows about them. That tends to be where they make the leap from 'promising youngster' to 'reliable starter'.

The difference between Connor/Kyle and the current crop is that Smithies and the others have played for a fair percentage of games and have not looked out of place whereas Connor and Kyle and several others, including an U19s international captain, never played more than a bit part and did not really get the opportunity to show of they could bridge the gap.

Re: Morgan Smithies : Mon Aug 26, 2019 9:09 am  

More of a Harrison Hansen so far.

Who has the potential to be better.

Re: Morgan Smithies : Mon Aug 26, 2019 4:48 pm  

Last Son of Wigan wrote:

More of a Harrison Hansen so far.

Who has the potential to be better.

At the moment, this.

Re: Morgan Smithies : Tue Aug 27, 2019 12:25 am  

Last Son of Wigan wrote:

More of a Harrison Hansen so far.

Who has the potential to be better.

Quite a good call that.

Re: Morgan Smithies : Wed Aug 28, 2019 1:21 am  

Last Son of Wigan wrote:

More of a Harrison Hansen so far.

Who has the potential to be better.

I’d say this is quite a compliment. To be likened to HH as an 18 year old who hasn’t even had a preseason in the first team isn’t too shabby at all.

Re: Morgan Smithies : Wed Aug 28, 2019 8:53 am  

Like Harrison Hansen but with better hands(?).

Re: Morgan Smithies : Wed Aug 28, 2019 9:36 am  

Hope he has better shoulders. If so I’ll happily take another HH

Re: Morgan Smithies : Wed Aug 28, 2019 11:06 am  

I think Morgan is game, plays with real aggression and determination in defence, and carries the ball running very direct. Which for me are the same characteristics as HH.

Harrison was never a prolific line breaker (like a Faz/Bateman) or showcased great passing and link play like Lockers, but wasn't dubbed the 'hitman' for nothing, he, like Morgan, would tackle all game long.
Another player in the same vein was Dallas Johnson, another direct running tackling machine. Another would be Ashley Harrison, for anyone who's been watching Origin over the years they'll be familiar with how good and how vital Ashley was to the all dominate QLD team, the definition of a 'unsung hero'.

I feel Morgan could be a real star long term in the game. But his attributes and skillset (so far) are not the same as the likes of Bateman, Faz or indeed Lockers, so for me, it's hard to compare.

Either which way, I'm glad he's with us. Another promising talent of ours.

Re: Morgan Smithies : Wed Aug 28, 2019 12:02 pm  

Last Son of Wigan wrote:

I think Morgan is game, plays with real aggression and determination in defence, and carries the ball running very direct. Which for me are the same characteristics as HH.

Harrison was never a prolific line breaker (like a Faz/Bateman) or showcased great passing and link play like Lockers, but wasn't dubbed the 'hitman' for nothing, he, like Morgan, would tackle all game long.
Another player in the same vein was Dallas Johnson, another direct running tackling machine. Another would be Ashley Harrison, for anyone who's been watching Origin over the years they'll be familiar with how good and how vital Ashley was to the all dominate QLD team, the definition of a 'unsung hero'.

I feel Morgan could be a real star long term in the game. But his attributes and skillset (so far) are not the same as the likes of Bateman, Faz or indeed Lockers, so for me, it's hard to compare.

Either which way, I'm glad he's with us. Another promising talent of ours.

I'd made the point before that I thought the Lockers comparison was wide of the mark and, in some ways, unfair on Smithies. He has all the tools to be a great player in his own right and I think saddling him with the expectation of being the next O'Loughlin when hls own game has few similarities could actually hinder him or, at the very least, skew fan's expectations of him. In all honesty the same thing skewed many fans expectations of Lockers early on, largely because he wasn't a 'shouter' who 'gives out b0llockings behind the posts' as Farrell had done before him. In fact, there are still (admittedly few) who have never got beyond that view.

I referenced Bateman as a closer match, mainly because of his aggression, tenacity, workrate and very obvious will to win. However, I reckon your Hanson comparison is an even better fit and, as others have said, if he can go on to emulate H or maybe even eclipse him as he has the potential to do, he won't go far wrong!