No thanks, you don't clog up big minutes with such an offensively ineffective forward these days. All the forwards in the NRL that play big minutes offer far more than just defence and average runs, that's just the way it is now.
Give you a break? The Roosters gave them both a break, into another team. Not wanted. Thats how good they were.
I don't know. A lot of people see RFM as a starter this year and while I think he has a lot of potential, I'm not sure he is mature enough for FG run on yet. Fualolo goes OK but he isn't something special. In fact I think Tualau is the pick of them based on this years efforts. He comes off the back fence and has plenty of leg speed and aggression. When in the right head space Eastwood is much better than all of them and that is the big question for next season. Will the newbies improve enough and will Eastwood come back hungry? Everyone seems to have written Elliott off and I think that would be unwise. He showed a fair bit this year and with another full off season he should improve significantly as well. So if he starts and JJ starts and both go for 80 then that only leaves the props and lock to rotate. That looks a lot like Tualau, Danny F and maybe RFM with a back on the bench.
Do you think Fualalo and Tualau could run the front row together? I think Tolman playing off the bench next to Tualau is a better option as you do need a smart front rower that still knows how to hit points under fatigue.
They've got woods and klemmer as mentors.
Dude you are dreaming if you think Tualau and Fualalo can run the front row alongside Lichaa..
They better than Tolman
I must have seen another Tolman play this year. The one I watched put his body on the line every game. His defence was solid, and with the absence of any attack plan, he took the ball and made ground up the middle every time. A couple of games he carried the forwards; he even backed up a length of the field try. Tolman is a solid workhorse who provides the shoulders for other to stand on. He will work well with Woods and Klemmer by taking some of the hard yards off them.
I think most people with some football knowledge will agree with you. Sadly a lot of posters on here just jump on the bandwagon and repeat what
I know a little bit about football and think Tolman would’ve been a great forward when I played.
Exactly, the game has changed. There's reduced interchange, defences are harder to break down, players are stronger and faster, etc. You don't need a bloke that's just going to be just a workhorse anymore, they need to be more than just that to justify big minutes.
Pay might pick him because he likes old school bartering rams but hopefully he realises we need to adapt & uses Tolman more appropriately than Des the stubborn fuckwit did
It would be good to have a dynamic hard running forward. But what if the player cant tackle? Players like Tolman cover for them.
Agreed but most teams have players that can do both so hopefully we will
If the player can't tackle?
If only it were that easy... him and Eastwood should have got the bump this year.
He should play second row and focus on making 40-50 tackles a game - his own tackles plus some of those of his second row buddy who should be more of a ball player and make many more hit-ups. This type of combination has always worked very well traditionally throughout rugby league history. You don't have to have players sticking to each side of the field only. Maybe someone like Pay (who was very effective at big hits himself as a player) could teach and encourage Tolman to be a little "mad" (quote Dean Pay) and hit a bit harder making him more effective in defense also. Tolman should only run the ball when the other forwards need a bit of a rest in attack. Josh Jackson does more than his fair share of tackles but we need to free up Lichaa a bit in defense and most of the other attacking forwards so we need at least one dedicated tackling machine in the pack.
Tolman ineffective? If you check his stats, he doesnt miss many, if any. And he usually makes about 50 tackles a game.
