Re: Big Sam : Wed Aug 08, 2012 11:54 am  

Fantastic news. Well done to the club for securing a great talent for next year.

I'm looking forward to seeing young Sam prosper further over the coming 12 months.

Re: Big Sam : Wed Aug 08, 2012 5:01 pm  

Dare I say. Better than hilly at the same age.

Re: Big Sam : Thu Aug 09, 2012 9:33 pm  

Nah, I do think sam is a decent player, and that he potentially could go to superleague, but he still lacks a lot of composure. Hilly at that age was perhaps not as impressive in attack, but he was far more valuable in that he never put the ball down and didn't give penalties away. Not trying to put a dampner on sam at all, he breaks the line well, and is impressive in defence, but the next 18 months is going to determine whether he stays with us, ends up in superleague or ends up at a lower level club like meekin, cookson and other promising young forwards we've had.

Re: Big Sam : Thu Aug 09, 2012 10:05 pm  

renniethebear wrote:

Nah, I do think sam is a decent player, and that he potentially could go to superleague, but he still lacks a lot of composure. Hilly at that age was perhaps not as impressive in attack, but he was far more valuable in that he never put the ball down and didn't give penalties away. Not trying to put a dampner on sam at all, he breaks the line well, and is impressive in defence, but the next 18 months is going to determine whether he stays with us, ends up in superleague or ends up at a lower level club like meekin, cookson and other promising young forwards we've had.

I think you`re being very harsh on SH with your analysis. IMO he`ll be in the top flight within the next 3 or 4 years. Which would put him on a par with CH age wise on that score.

Re: Big Sam : Thu Aug 09, 2012 10:23 pm  

I don't think it's harsh, i fully acknowledge the talent he has, but it seems some folk are oblivious to his temperament. This is a part of the game that hilly never had to improve, as he's always been aggressive without being hotheaded. I'm not saying sam won't end up in superleague, i just think that it isn't as clear to see as it was with chris. I for one was shocked when cookson left at the time he did in the season where he was a quality impact player. With my reasonably limited rugby league knowledge, at that time, i thought he was a top prospect, and now he's a bit-part player with rochdale. Adam rudd, although he wasn't a prop, he was another player who seemed to have all the attributes to make something of himself, i wouldn't even hazard a guess as to where he is now. I just feel that as leigh fans we build our own up too quickly and in turn heap pressure on them. I feel i have offered a balanced opinion on sam, he is a talent, but undoubtedly these next 18 months are going to shape his career.

Re: Big Sam : Thu Aug 09, 2012 11:21 pm  

Can't believe someone has just mentioned Cookson and Meekin in the same breath as Hopkins.

Re: Big Sam : Fri Aug 10, 2012 3:09 am  

Leyther_till_death wrote:

Can't believe someone has just mentioned Cookson and Meekin in the same breath as Hopkins.

Yep , I have to agree with that

Hoppy has always shown SL potential , some SL teams coaches and chairmen and Basil , Alan Rowley and Arthur Thomas where like flies round a turd in Leigh East's club house fighting for Sam's autograph on a contract , and don't forget he turned us down once to sign for Salford then had a last minute change of heart to play for his home town team .

The lads got SL class written straight through him .

Re: Big Sam : Fri Aug 10, 2012 7:49 am  

Leyther_till_death wrote:

Can't believe someone has just mentioned Cookson and Meekin in the same breath as Hopkins.

Think thats a bit unfair on meekin, i helped coach them both between the ages of 16-18 and both where evenly matched ability wise unfortunately for meekin he bore the brunt of your former coaches darker side and as struggled to recover from it, hoppy got the breaks ( this is not sour grapse because i feel proud knowing i played a part in his playing career and i know hoppy really well )

Re: Big Sam : Fri Aug 10, 2012 7:55 am  

I disagree. As i've already stated, i don't doubt his talent whatsoever, the breaks he makes and the tackles he gets through are a big plus for us. I'm simply saying that we've had prospects like this before, and they have gone on to nothing. And as regards to is he better than hilly at this age, not a chance. Hilly looked like the complete package from a very early age, maybe not as much as an attacking threat as hoppy, but as a prop forward he was and is far more efficient, low handling errors, very few penalties and great yardage along with solid defence.

Re: Big Sam : Fri Aug 10, 2012 12:19 pm  

Well i have seen a few Leigh games and going against Fax next friday.I would have Hopkins at Widnes over Leuluai anyday.