Finucane is way past his best now but he was previously an elite forward - an origin rep. Very hard running and a hard hitter defensively. Also showed leadership abilities from an early age. I don’t see Twal as anywhere near the calibre of player Finucane used to be.@jedi-tiger what recent premiership winner had a Twal sort of player?
Right now I would suggest he is almost Finucane like.....(tackles his arse off, doesnt miss many and still makes 100m with some pace in the middle).
@avocadoontoast There are so many I haven't the time to list them all.!!!
I’ll settle with 1
I think you are being pretty silly on this comment. Whether or not you rate Twal personally, premiership clubs are always using players in the Twal mould - reliable defenders, make their metres, can play extra minutes.
But if you actually need names to be convinced that premiership winners NEVER have a player in their roster like Twal, well:
- Panthers with Eisenhuth the past 2 seasons; Hosking and Lindsay Smith are quite Twal-esque this year.
- Storm always have a bunch, guys like Matt Eisenhuth, Chris Lewis, Alec MacDonald, Tim Glasby, Slade Griffin, Brian Norrie etc.
- Roosters ran around with Mitch Aubusson during their best years; also Nat Butcher is a bit similar to Twal, bit stockier but has a similar no-frills style
- Cowboys won the comp with Scott Bolton, Ethan Lowe and Gavin Cooper in 2015; before that Steve Southern is Twal-like
- 2014 Rabbits loved to play Jason Clarke - you won't get a less frills bloke than him
etc.
You only wanted 1 but that's a decent chop of the last 10 years or so, and that's only the premiers, not the runners-up, minor premiers or semi-finalists.
@jedi-tiger We've had honest toilers for as long as I remember and they're just not good enough. Seyfarth isn't good enough. If he's even getting a look in for first grade, our recruitment has failed. We need players who can win the collision and have good footwork. Stef wins the collision, Pole has fantastic footwork and Klemmer is a consistently great front rower.
I was at the game today and really focused on watching the middle forwards. I wouldn't be re-signing Twal, Blore or Seyfarth.
On another note. Bula is absolute class.
Tough on Twal IMO. I think he has improved out of sight this year and developed much better footwork and makes good metres and some speed int eh middle of the field. Blore is an enigma wrapped in a riddle. Didnt get many minutes today for some reason. Seyfarth I think is improved this year and I said earlier that I would keep him, but only on the basis of a cheap Contract. You need one or two cheap middles.
Twal was very good yesterday.
Really good esp. in his opening stint. Good use of footwork and hole-running for his hit-ups and I can't quote his post-contact metres, but at the game it looked good.
Wait I can quote it, from NRL app: 68 minutes, 155 run metres (most in the team), 60 post-contact metres (from 13 hitups, that's 4.6 PCM per run), 3 tackle breaks, 1 offload, 44 tackles, 0 missed tackles.
If that's no good then I'll take that version of "bad" any week.
Even if i’m on my own with my Twal comments, if nothing else at least I’ve created what Lee would describe as ‘robust discussion’.
@jirskyr I don’t think having a different opinion to you is necessarily silly.
Yes he ran for 155m yesterday and I said he ran good metres. I just like my middle forwards to have a little more impact. Additionally if you don’t include Saturday’s game, he broke 100m once in his previous 8 games.
Steph is our impact prop, he needs to make more impact during his time on the field because when he fires up he can really knock through the line. Twal was doing a good job on the weekend making good meters and finding his front to play quick ball. Klemmer at his best this year was going well but one criticism for him is that he doesn’t get quick ball, he’s always held up by the defence. I’m still happy with both in the squad but I think twal has improved of the year but klemmer has gone backwards a touch.
Finucane is way past his best now but he was previously an elite forward - an origin rep. Very hard running and a hard hitter defensively. Also showed leadership abilities from an early age. I don’t see Twal as anywhere near the calibre of player Finucane used to be.@jedi-tiger what recent premiership winner had a Twal sort of player?
Right now I would suggest he is almost Finucane like.....(tackles his arse off, doesnt miss many and still makes 100m with some pace in the middle).
Totally agree with that...I mean now. Twal doesnt hit hard either side of the ball but is a great defender and effective with the ball gaining metres before and after contact. IMO particularly this year with some added footwork that wasnt there in previous years.
@avocadoontoast Yes they are and even on a bad day with a 200kph wind against them, they still know more than you (Neville).
Ps: What sort of name is Avocado On Toast?
The Frog
@avocadoontoast gotta disagree on this mate . I thought last year , he wasn’t pushing through contact , and wasn’t offering second phase either . it looked like he had plateaued as a player . But this year he has added a step before the line , and is pushing through contact , passing before the line , and looking to push an offload . I think his natural inclination is to not take the risk , so he doesn’t push it .
He’s developed considerably , and was our best player in the field on the weekend . His post contact metres alone was elite .
If he could trust his offload , he’d be really pushing towards elite now . His lack of creativity is really his only flaw IMO.
🇹🇰🇹🇼
@lestronge I think everybody disagrees with me on this and I’m ok with it lol
Sezer returns to NRL with Wests Tigers
Wests Tigers
Timestamp
Mon 21 Aug 2023, 03:40 PM
Wests Tigers is delighted to announce the signing of former Gold Coast Titans and Canberra Raiders halfback, Aidan Sezer, for the 2024 NRL season.
The 32-year-old will return to the NRL after four seasons in the UK Super League, where he is currently playing for Leeds Rhinos.
Before moving to England Sezer played 155 games across eight seasons in the NRL, including a Grand Final appearance for the Raiders in 2019.
Wests Tigers assistant coach Benji Marshall, who will move into the head coaching role next season, says Sezer will bring a wealth of experience to the club.
“We are very excited to have a player with Aidan’s experience and calibre to add to what we’re building for our future,” said Marshall.
He’s a very good person and we look forward to what he can bring to our club on and off the field.
Benji Marshall
“His experience will complement our youth and he’ll help mentor our younger players, particularly in our spine.”
Wests Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe is pleased to welcome Sezer to the club.
“It’s great that Aidan has decided to return to the NRL with us,” said Pascoe.
On behalf of the club, I welcome Aidan and his family to Wests Tigers.”
At least we have some halves for 2024 now compared to a few weeks ago ! I think Latu will be special !
I liked how he got salty with the journo the other dayBenjamin Quentin might be a rookie coach but he is no dummy. I am feeling optimistic.
