General TOOPI (RUMOUR)

[Fobin_Hood_old]

I KNOW Toopi is going to St Helens. He has already bought a house, a Landrover, with a baby-seat, and a boat which is docked at a pictureque seaside port close by.

hmmmmm, heard it all before...

yes, i heard he does like to live beside the seaside,, he,s made enquiries to see if he can take some mussel spat and set up a mussel farm on the end of brighton pier.

Time to blood some new talent i reckon. Get rid of Guttenbiel hes deadweight and has been for the better part of the last 2-3 seasons. Martin also should be given the cut. So he can kick goals?? WOW! Dont really rate him and ive heard it from the mouths of his own 1st grade team mates. :wink: But yes Toopi's definately gone at the end of the season.

 

[Swanley_old]

it would read better if it said "straight swap between the Saints and the Warriors - Jamie L for Toopi"......

 

[Iafeta_old]

I KNOW Toopi is going to St Helens. He has already bought a house, a Landrover, with a baby-seat, and a boat which is docked at a pictureque seaside port close by.

hmmmmm, heard it all before...

yes, i heard he does like to live beside the seaside,, he,s made enquiries to see if he can take some mussel spat and set up a mussel farm on the end of brighton pier.

Time to blood some new talent i reckon. Get rid of Guttenbiel hes deadweight and has been for the better part of the last 2-3 seasons. Martin also should be given the cut. So he can kick goals?? WOW! Dont really rate him and ive heard it from the mouths of his own 1st grade team mates. :wink: But yes Toopi's definately gone at the end of the season.

Looking at it objectively, the club has to achieve under the constraints of the Salary Cap. Disregarding Awen Guttenbeil basically disregards the club's right to $100,000 exemption.

Now, in my opinion, that if anything assists the club in retaining younger players.

Martin, yes I agree with you. No dramas. Like the bloke, but hasn't done nearly enough. Just an average first grader. Much preferred Johnny Carlaw (I was thinking where is he the other day actually reminiscing), he was solid, no quarters given none asked for.

 

[Laner_old]

Don't know if you have ever been to St Helens, but he won't see much of the sea from here!!!

We have a lot of players who are at the end of their contract at the end of the season and so a chance to put some money in front of players. Lyon has already been offered possibly the biggest deal in RL anywhere in the world at present to stay and some of the other older players will not have their contracts renewed, like Talau, who by the way, has been fantastic for Saints. The Toopi rumour is gathering pace here and with Wigan looking like they will be relegated, he won't be going there.

 

[Iafeta_old]

Willie Talau wouldn't be a bad replacement...

 

[JonB_old]

Willie Talau wouldn't be a bad replacement...

I don't think we need a replacement. Jerome and Mannering could do the job nicely.

 

[Iafeta_old]

Jerome's lateral defence is poor, and Simon hasn't really made any glory plays yet. He might still be a year or two off being where people expect his potential to be. From what I saw of him, I also think he's a better chance to be a good lock.

 

[JonB_old]

I disagree I think mannering has made a fw pretty good plays, remember when he got the ball away to manu against the bronco's I think it was and in another game he made three good tackles in a row.

Maybe Jeromes lateral defence defacet could be solved by some coaching.... isn't that part of a coachs job, to cut the diamond so to speak.

 

[Iafeta_old]

Okay, by good plays I mean plays that crack a game open. Yes, three good tackles in a row is a solid play, but something any NRL player should in theory be able to achieve.

Yes, his first touch was a good putting Manu in, although in reality it was just a good catch and transfer play. Also, he made a good tackle a few minutes later bundling Hodges I believe over the touch line.

That aside, he hasn't broken any game open. He's looked tradesmanlike, solid, except in a game versus Parramatta where he was horribly out of position with Jerome Ropati. Jerome was slow to come across, Simon followed him into cover the whole, and at the end of the day it was like Grand Central with men getting outside of him with ease.

I look forward to him having a go in the backrow, but for the time being, I don't see the speed or footwork necessary to be a good attacking centre just yet. It might come still.

 

[JonB_old]

I only have two players on my list of centres that can crack a game wide open on my list in the NRL.

Toopi and Gasnier.

I think the best going around, Steve Bell plays off Matt Orffords brillaince rather than his own.