Given his age if he came through Cronulla juniors(I am only going on your statement as I dont know his background) he would have emerged around the same time as the Brailey brothers who were earmarked as special from early on. This may have contributed to a blocked pathway at the gummies....dont know just speculating & putting 1 & 1 together..
Dietz played Aussie schoolboys in 2013 and J Brailey played in 2014 so there was definitely a log jam there. It just seems odd to me that he’s gone this long with out getting a shot at NRL. There’s the odd outlier like Cook but normally there is some kind of reason someone at 25 has been overlooked.
At least it proves he has pedigree if he was a schoolboy but he could also be a late bloomer who keeps improving. Look at the success of Cook, Cody Walker and Fogarty have had in recent years. Even Rhyse Martin there for a while.. All of them were mid twenties and older and all made an immediate impact in the NRL. Scouts and recruitment managers at every club get it wrong as often as they get it right. He could have easily been dismissed as too small or too old etc.
Sometimes the young guys just don't have the application required to be a first grader regardless of their skills.. some just want to enjoy their youth and struggle with the requirements of being a pro athlete.. then they get to their mid 20's and realize it's now or never and give it a real shot.. I'm pretty sure walker and fogarty fit that mould..
Definitely. Also sometimes these guys are given up on when they're 21 or 22 as clubs move on to the next big thing and then those players are often dismissed as damaged goods or not good enough. So players like Fogarty and Walker have to dominate Q Cup for a few seasons before they get another shot. Whereas a youngster might need one or two good games to get hyped up and then shortly after they might get written off themselves.
What's the go with his contract though?
We have spots available in the 30 plus we can exercise options, my view is he needs time to prove that he can play meaningful NRL quality minutes. I have seen him play a few times and like all of the part time players he looks to me like he would struggle with the pace and physicality of NRL for long minutes. If we take a risk with him it's not just that he gets paid enough to play fulltime he also gets access to the NRL level of training physio, recovery, dietician, etc. as well as the mental stuff that's essential these days.
I really dont think it is a risk, JMK has had a chance, Katoa and Deitz should get the chance now and hopefully Deitz will be what we are looking for.
1 wrist for Liverpool when Mbappe rejects us because we didn't qualify for Champions League, the other for the Bulldogs when Smith rejects us because we're not based in QLD.
