Re: David Fifita : Thu Aug 25, 2022 9:23 am  

acko wrote:

If keeping injurie free Gale would be a good squad player and won't be on the money he use to be on at the other clubs, Remember he has a good kicking game and he has slaughtered us enough times in the past so if there's nobody else out and he's cheap enough then we should go for him.

Regarding big Dave and Andrew sign them both for they swansong year lets give them there fairy-tale ending i say.

Bugger

Re: David Fifita : Thu Aug 25, 2022 9:50 am  

It’s WP’s time to really sink or swim.

The aim of the club was to get some parity in the wage structure.

We now, like it or not, have offloaded the players who had waged inflated by the top 5 finish.

The big concern is that we are late to party due to the uncertainty around our SL status.

Leigh quite clearly are not coming up to make up the numbers so we have another hell of a job on our hands to survive next year.

I was at the start of the year of the opinion that the 22 & 23 seasons are huge for the club going forward and could dictate our ability to develop a truly competitive team who are not perennial strugglers or a club fighting for its existence in the lower divisions.

WP now has the opportunity to place his mark on the team and there can be no references to Chester’s influence next year.

Losing Batch is a blow no doubt he’s for me finally started to live up to the promise particularly in the last 4 months.

Losing Aydin I feel is another blow ok it’s not season defining but he is a Wakey lad who has shown he is comfortable at elite level as a junior. He still has a way to go and whilst I do t think he is ever going to be a top SL star I do think he could be a perfect long term replacement for T.

We have a major rebuilding exercise to do over this offseason and it could go either way.

I’m already anticipating 23 will be tough I just hope we all get behind the team.

A key signing will be who partners Lino. Chester sold us a dream that we had finally found the controlling half we desperately needed and hadn’t had since Finn. If you watched Lino in the NRL it was clear he wasn’t that type of half. Lino is a strike half, just like Milky.

The obvious one is Gale, and I wouldn’t be against it. He has the controlling style we need and he does have a certain arrogant swagger and aura around him that we need to take that shirt. Williams is another option and whilst I thought he was outstanding for us at times he lacked consistency.

If we get the Prop recruitment right (please no more middles) and that half signing right we may just be on to something.

Re: David Fifita : Thu Aug 25, 2022 10:12 am  

jonh wrote:

It’s WP’s time to really sink or swim.

The aim of the club was to get some parity in the wage structure.

We now, like it or not, have offloaded the players who had waged inflated by the top 5 finish.

The big concern is that we are late to party due to the uncertainty around our SL status.

Leigh quite clearly are not coming up to make up the numbers so we have another hell of a job on our hands to survive next year.

I was at the start of the year of the opinion that the 22 & 23 seasons are huge for the club going forward and could dictate our ability to develop a truly competitive team who are not perennial strugglers or a club fighting for its existence in the lower divisions.

WP now has the opportunity to place his mark on the team and there can be no references to Chester’s influence next year.

Losing Batch is a blow no doubt he’s for me finally started to live up to the promise particularly in the last 4 months.

Losing Aydin I feel is another blow ok it’s not season defining but he is a Wakey lad who has shown he is comfortable at elite level as a junior. He still has a way to go and whilst I do t think he is ever going to be a top SL star I do think he could be a perfect long term replacement for T.

We have a major rebuilding exercise to do over this offseason and it could go either way.

I’m already anticipating 23 will be tough I just hope we all get behind the team.

A key signing will be who partners Lino. Chester sold us a dream that we had finally found the controlling half we desperately needed and hadn’t had since Finn. If you watched Lino in the NRL it was clear he wasn’t that type of half. Lino is a strike half, just like Milky.

The obvious one is Gale, and I wouldn’t be against it. He has the controlling style we need and he does have a certain arrogant swagger and aura around him that we need to take that shirt. Williams is another option and whilst I thought he was outstanding for us at times he lacked consistency.

If we get the Prop recruitment right (please no more middles) and that half signing right we may just be on to something.

Is it certain Aydin is going?

I'm with you on Gale, I don't see what people don't see here.

Yes his pace is gone but then Finn never had any and he did great. It's his ability to read a game and as you say control it. When we played Hull Hale had very little opportunity but still created one maybe two tries from nothing.

Sure you're not getting the Gale of five years ago, I accept that, but the rest of the team is fairly young, if they follow Gale and goes where he points them then we will look far more organised. Gale is a string puller and we have missed that. Tim Smith was a lousy defender, didn't take on the line as often as he should and could be lazy but he was what made that team tick because he was surrounded by players who did all that stuff. Take the responsibility off Lino and he will be a real threat, where as now he can be a bit of a headless chicken at times.

Finally, big Dave, what a player he's been for us. Yet on the flip side he's a maverick and has done some pretty lame things through the years that have cost us dearly. If WP is a systems coach then an ageing Fifita is not a great fit, so his exit I get, it's sad but makes sense. He knows as we all should know is that the Smith/Chester team had run it's course and a radically new team needs to emerge.

It's definitely WP's make or break, he's not flush with players but he's not devoid of quality either so if he's any good he has a shot.

Re: David Fifita : Thu Aug 25, 2022 10:42 am  

Let’s hope we aren’t too late to the party and all the agents have got their players settled at clubs whilst we were still sweating on relegation . I’m positive Willie will have some irons in the fire on the recruiting front , and hopefully that will accelerate after a win tonight . On a final note , James Tamou anyone ? According to Phil Gould on his podcast, last game for Tigers n looking for a club overseas

Re: David Fifita : Thu Aug 25, 2022 10:49 am  

Kettykat wrote:

Let’s hope we aren’t too late to the party and all the agents have got their players settled at clubs whilst we were still sweating on relegation . I’m positive Willie will have some irons in the fire on the recruiting front , and hopefully that will accelerate after a win tonight . On a final note , James Tamou anyone ? According to Phil Gould on his podcast, last game for Tigers n looking for a club overseas

Obviously in the twilight of his career but Tamou would still do an amazing job. More so is his leadership and stature.

Re: David Fifita : Thu Aug 25, 2022 11:06 am  

vastman wrote:

You'll find with Belly that at the merest hint of a player leaving they suddenly gain god like status, From being a fringe player, which he is, Belly and a few others have now elevated him to Gareth Ellis status. It's ridiculous we know that, but thats what they do, when in truth he's just gone OK for his age.

I just about get it with Batch even if I don't think he's a superstar, but Aydin, seriously! I'd prefer we kept him and see how he goes but if he left I wouldn't lose a moments sleep. If he makes it big at HKR then good for him, but I don't see anything in him that makes that a certainty.

If you compare him to Eseh or Shaw he was not at their level at 18-19 and physically never will be. Eseh and Shaw may not have the game time yet but both have far more potential, especially physically and at prop thats the biggy for me.

If we have to let Aydin go to allow those two to stay then to me that looks a calculated risk worth taking.

Let's be right here, a club like Trinity can only really afford to run with two young and inexperienced props, I wish it were otherwise but its a juggling act as ever.

Despite this Aydin will join that non-existent team of future internationals who come back to never ever haunt us in any way whatsoever.

Pretty much how I see it. I’m expecting big things from Eseh and to a lesser degree Shaw but both seem to have the size and attributes. I watched an academy game a few weeks ago and a prop called Mukhalani looks like another big unit coming through.

As for NRL recruits we need a big enforcer prop. Martin Taupau is another NRL prop with huge experience who may be worth a punt for a year.

Re: David Fifita : Thu Aug 25, 2022 11:09 am  

Kettykat wrote:

Let’s hope we aren’t too late to the party and all the agents have got their players settled at clubs whilst we were still sweating on relegation . I’m positive Willie will have some irons in the fire on the recruiting front , and hopefully that will accelerate after a win tonight . On a final note , James Tamou anyone ? According to Phil Gould on his podcast, last game for Tigers n looking for a club overseas

Doesn't work like that.

Just in the same way it appears the Batch/Miller/Aydin stuff is tied up I'm sure WP will have his plans all in place and just awaiting the formalities (hopefully).

Re: David Fifita : Thu Aug 25, 2022 12:17 pm  

vastman wrote:

Doesn't work like that.

Just in the same way it appears the Batch/Miller/Aydin stuff is tied up I'm sure WP will have his plans all in place and just awaiting the formalities (hopefully).

Doesn’t work like that .. but then hopefully, so really you have no idea like the rest of us

Re: David Fifita : Thu Aug 25, 2022 1:01 pm  

Kettykat wrote:

Doesn’t work like that .. but then hopefully, so really you have no idea like the rest of us

Correct

Re: David Fifita : Thu Aug 25, 2022 1:31 pm  

WP interview today saying they will scour the earth for players to come to us. How I see it is look how quickly he got a quality replacement in like Taufua, albeit he crocked himself unfortunately in his 2nd game. If we win tonight I’ll be excited but also wary of he we start to announce.