Opinion Do we see Hayward in our 17

We probably still sign him, that 4 year deal is a massive wtf to me but we were obviously really keen on him for whatever reason.
Sitili is an international with insane skills.
Hayes has played 5 first grade games and is moderate.
You can’t actually be serious.
 
He definitely had some good moments and provided a spark and good link up at times but he was often left out there too long at or was making no metres on hitups. I think he has decent potential as a hooker. I'd like to see him play there in Reserves ahead of Turpin to start the season so he develops more in that position.

Hayward had our best line speed numbers of any of the forwards.
I encourage you to actually watch our games
 
It's just someone needs to convince Mahoney that...

Reed has been carrying the load left over from our forward pack for the last 2 years... We actually have a forward pack for 2025 and beyond so wouldn't be surprising If we start to see the more creative than defensive Mahoney. Would also expect him to get less fatigued.
 
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Hayward is tracking ok.

But, our expectations should be that he becomes a weapon within the 17, not just someone who maintains the status quo until the starters get back on the paddock.

At the moment he does these things well...
  • slick passes out the back for shape
  • great on the kick-chase
  • confrontational first up front line defender (but like Mahoney - gets steamrolled by bigger blokes sometimes).

However, he needs to improve these areas of his game.
  • He needs to become a legitimate ball running threat. (I mean really threaten the line, break it and get some meat pies)
  • He also needs to be able to put players into a hole ....direct run (Foz style) and then sweet service to a big forward running good angles/holes.
  • He must have a decent tactical kicking game (give us a plan C ...when it is inevitably required).
IF he develops these areas of his game, he could well become an outstanding #14.

At the moment, he's just an enthusiastic worker who has positional versatility as the ace up his sleeve.

The team requires more than that if we are gonna push for a premiership!
He plays lock forward. The areas you are asking to work on aren’t in his position.
 
Sitili is an international with insane skills.
Hayes has played 5 first grade games and is moderate.
You can’t actually be serious.
Bit of a stretch. He's an okay player that has a few issues in his game he has failed to address. 4 years is questionable for him.
 
Yeah, I sort of see him as a half/hooker in the Ben Hunt style (long way to go - but he has time on his side & seems to be of solid character).
He and Mann really are utility type players (#14) and in good teams, maybe you only need one of those types of players, not two.

Which leads to our problem at Lock.
Some great NRL locks at the moment are Yeo, Murray, Radley to name a few.
Locks ideally have classy distribution skills to complement strong running games and they can hit like sledgehammer.
Not sure who has the best distribution skills at CB...and that means both long & short passing games, plus an ability to straighten the attack.
Interested to hear who Kennellers think is most qualified.??
(note : list does not include Mann or Hayward).

Just to kick off the debate (this is a wild guess - I have no idea how good they are as all-round ball players)... Hopefully others here do know.
  1. Todd
  2. Amone
  3. Sitili
  4. Curran
  5. Hayes
  6. Salmon
Lock's the position with the most varied player type IMO. Some play like an extra prop, some are skillfull ball players, some are tireless in defence and attack, and some just tackle. Not many have it all. Yeo does, but that's rare, so I don't think there's a template really.

I don't see lock as a problem right now - I'm happy with Mann and Curren and hopefully someone with size and skill like Todd develops for the role. Hayes could be a possibility. He's got good balance and can get his hands free in tackles.

I actually think Preston would be a very good lock. Not sure about his ballplaying but he was pummelling blokes in defence last year, he's big, and we know he can run. He won't move there but I reckon he'd be as good as any we've got.
 
Been thinking about this myself. Yeo, Murray and Radley all play so straight with great deception as to whether they run or pass ... It adds SO much to an attack.

Of the players you mentioned i have seen Amone pop some nice short balls squaring up the defense .... no idea if his longer pass is of the required quality.

Todd has been mentioned in some circles, but he has exclusively been an out and out prop in his time at the club .... so again, i have no idea if his passing skills would be up to scratch although his running game with his big awkward style would be the most similar to Yeo. (that's for you @CrittaMagic69)

Curran ..... does he pass the ball ??

I had KO penciled in as the long term 13 but that's not looking too flash at the moment.

I will add Marshall to the list ... he CAN use the ball although the club seem to prefer him as a prop which is a little head scratching to me .... but they obviously have their reasons which i am not going to argue with.

Who would have of thought Kurt Mann would become one of our most valuable players when he was signed as a so-called utility.

Good post Rumdog .... TK would be a better place with more posts like this.

Thanks billy bean. Appreciate the feedback.
The way I see it, we're all passionate about our Dogs & we all just want the best.

Like your take on the debate. Playing straight is defs the key.

I also thought KO would be part of our long term #13 strategy. Looking unlikely.

Curran & Harry - do they (can they) pass the ball? Haven't seen it yet.
Salmon - we have seen and not fussed.

Marshall - interesting addition. Too small as an NRL prop - but as a Jim Dymock/Max Plath type #13 ....that could be exciting.

So .... Todd, Sitili or Amone?

or maybe none of the above & we stick with Mann & Hayward ?

I'd just like to see a bigger body being fast tracked as an alternative to the current Mann/Hayward/Salmon line of thinking.
 
Hayward had our best line speed numbers of any of the forwards.
I encourage you to actually watch our games

I encourage you to read my post before you make smartass comments and see that I gave him several compliments and didn't question his line speed at all.
 
You have no idea about football. I’m sorry to be the one breaking this to you but your posts are laughable.
Yes Tupouniua is an elite player, that's why he nailed down a spot in the backrow and definitely doesn't have flipper for hands or questionable defence. ZzZzZzZ
 
Reed has been carrying the load left over from our forward pack for the last 2 years... We actually have a forward pack for 2025 and beyond so wouldn't be surprising If we start to see the more creative than defensive Mahoney. Would also expect him to get less fatigued.
I agree, he also improved without the weight of the captaincy.
 
He plays lock forward. The areas you are asking to work on aren’t in his position.
I agree that tactical kicking is not a recognised part of a top NRL lock forward skillset? (more a backup 9/7 skillset).
Which other areas were you referring to?
 
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