: Thu Aug 06, 2009 11:19 am  

Who cares if the NRL only consider him "Average"?

I seem to remember Andrew Dunemann not being well thought of when we bought him. It didn't stop him having a great effect on the team. Then in the previous generation we had people like Tony Currie; a little known centre we bought from Redcliffe who took the opportunity to show what he was capable of and ended up going back to Australia with both the Bulldogs and the Broncos.

Whilst its always nice to have a superstar in every position, Rugby League is a team game and you need players capable of gelling and playing well as a team. All of the best teams are those which are better than the sum of their parts. All too frequently in the 80's and 90's we went out and tried to fill every spot with superstars only to be left with teams that frequently performed less than their parts. Hopefully this is a lesson that the management have learnt, even if some of our fans haven't.

: Thu Aug 06, 2009 11:23 am  

Solid signing I hope.

If he can add a bit of defensive grit that got lost with Ellis + McKenna then that is good news.

I haven't seen much of him when I watch NRL, but he's always looked solid.

Solid seems to be under rated these days.

He will directly replace Smith not only in the 3 shirt but as a back goal kicker.

: Thu Aug 06, 2009 11:29 am  

I totally agree. Our league has been littered with "average" Aussies who have made a tremendous impact over here.

Who knows, his game may be more suited to SL. His try stats are poor, but as long as he puts his winger in for plenty of tries (like Keef S and Gidley at Saints) then he will do a good job.

Never took to Toopi, just didn't rate the bloke. It's also a shame that the management don't feel any of our reserve centres could step up to the plate, but they know better than me which is why we have to trust them that Delaney will cut it next season.

: Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:06 pm  

django wrote:

Then in the previous generation we had people like Tony Currie; a little known centre we bought from Redcliffe who took the opportunity to show what he was capable of and ended up going back to Australia with both the Bulldogs and the Broncos.

Bit difficult to compare across eras though, at that time the Queensland competition Currie was playing in was barely known in the UK where even the stronger NSWRL competition wasn't that well publicised (IIRC the only way you could get to see full games was on videos, there was a shop in Chapel Allerton used to import tapes of each week with one main game and some highlights on).

These days if a player is playing regularly in the NRL everyone is going to have seen something of him and will have formed an opinion, rightly or wrongly.

: Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:11 pm  

We used to watch the NSWRL tapes each week upstairs at the World's End public house in Pudsey, seedy lot we were.

Then we used to hire them from a video shop in Headingley.

: Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:14 pm  

Andy Gilder wrote:

the only way you could get to see full games was on videos, there was a shop in Chapel Allerton used to import tapes of each week with one main game and some highlights on).

ah the good old days I remember those tapes well!! Those tapes where a highlight of my childhood!! Barkers on garfoth main street got nswrl vids in and would have the weekly rounds highlights with a main game!! I remember seeing my first origin on those vids!! I remember when the broncs joined the comp too!! Happy happy days!!

: Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:16 pm  

sgtwilko wrote:

ah the good old day I remember those tapes well!! Those tapes where a highlight of my childhood!! Barkers on garfoth main street got nswrl vids in and would have the weekly rounds highlights with a main game!! I remember seeing my first origin on those vids!! I remember when the broncs joined the comp too!! Happy happy days!!

Think it might have been a Barkers in Chapel Allerton, can't remember.

Used to get the midweek Panasonic Cup games (the NSWRL equivalent of the old Floodlit Trophy) and some of the big junior and schools games on them too.

: Thu Aug 06, 2009 1:14 pm  

sgtwilko wrote:

ah the good old days I remember those tapes well!! Those tapes where a highlight of my childhood!! Barkers on garfoth main street got nswrl vids in and would have the weekly rounds highlights with a main game!! I remember seeing my first origin on those vids!! I remember when the broncs joined the comp too!! Happy happy days!!

Fellow Garforthian.... I knew Barkers well... right blast from the past that name..

: Thu Aug 06, 2009 1:15 pm  

django wrote:

Who cares if the NRL only consider him "Average"?

I seem to remember Andrew Dunemann not being well thought of when we bought him. It didn't stop him having a great effect on the team. Then in the previous generation we had people like Tony Currie; a little known centre we bought from Redcliffe who took the opportunity to show what he was capable of and ended up going back to Australia with both the Bulldogs and the Broncos.

Whilst its always nice to have a superstar in every position, Rugby League is a team game and you need players capable of gelling and playing well as a team. All of the best teams are those which are better than the sum of their parts. All too frequently in the 80's and 90's we went out and tried to fill every spot with superstars only to be left with teams that frequently performed less than their parts. Hopefully this is a lesson that the management have learnt, even if some of our fans haven't.

: Thu Aug 06, 2009 2:24 pm  

rpw wrote:

:CLAP:

It's worth remembering that in the year we signed Tony Currie we also signed Ricky Lulham and Wally Fullerton-Smith.