Joined: Mar 14 2003 Posts: 25930 Location: Back in Hull.
oooh Gravy! wrote:Disagree about the semi. He made a couple of errors which proved to be costly but you can't underestimate his work rate in returning the ball and getting us on the front foot with a quick play of the ball.
Will have to agree to disagree, love his energy, but his errors are proving very costly
A unknown superstar wrote:What did Radders say on the radio?
He said some players have played their way out of the team and made his decision easy. I don't think it was aimed at fonua, I assumed he meant Thompson and Turget although he didn't mention names.
Joined: Nov 30 2002 Posts: 3524 Location: North Hull
Fonua was bad tonight along with a lot more . I wouldn't have Thompson or Michaels anywhere near the first team . Both need to be released IMO.
HULL FC CHALLENGE CUP WINNERS 2005 GRAND FINALISTS 2006 CHALLENGE CUP FINALISTS 2008 CHALLENGE CUP FINALISTS 2013 CHALLENGE CUP WINNERS 2016 CHALLENGE CUP WINNERS 2017
HFC Boy wrote:Fonua was bad tonight along with a lot more . I wouldn't have Thompson or Michaels anywhere near the first team . Both need to be released IMO.
Rightttttt i'm not sure if i'm the person the OP was going on about - (I was criticizing Fonua all game, he has been a liability for the past 3 weeks without offering anything in attack any more).
He's a good player. I'd never doubt that. However; we have 4 other good players right now who can all play in that backline. Josh Griffin is faster than Mahe and a better finisher; I definitely feel like he's our future on the wing. Look at the finish he had today; quick, strong and instinctive, all great qualities that he has more of than Mahe. He gets so much stick from some fans for absolutely no reason; been our player of the year in the second half of the year for me.
Carlos Tuimavave has been one of our best players all year. He's creative, quick, elusive, he can change a game in a flash. Shoe-in at centre. He struggled at 6 but that's to be expected.
Jake Connor is another like Griffin who took a bit of time to settle in but since he has he's been a revelation. He's a good defender and has really good hands. A great centre. Another shoe in.
That leaves one spot left open to one of Mahe/Talanoa/Micheals. I've been critical of all 3 in the past. Mahe has the highest upside, he's strong and he knows his way to the tryline. The downsides, though, he struggles massively in the air, he's poor defensively and his confidence is the lowest of the low right now. I just couldn't trust him in a cup final.
Talanoa is a good finisher. He's not quicker than quick but against Wigan he wouldn't have to be. However, he struggles to hold his line in defence sometimes and that's something i'd be concerned that Williams could exploit with one of Wigan's instinctive finishers out on the wing. However, he does offer us a quick play the ball and a rest for the forwards in attack (far more so than Mahe can, IMO), and that could be crucial.
Michaels is the outsider; he's an okay player. Nothing flashy. I like him as a person but as a player? He's poor. He shouldn't have been offered the new deal under what I felt was odd fan pressure; Rawsthorne will take his role next year for me.
So, do you go with the kid who could change the game if he feels like he could, the winger who can relieve pressure, or the average one (who did play really well last year at Wembley)? For me it's Talanoa. He offers far more in terms of relieving pressure on the forwards and starting sets 'properly' 10 metres further down the pitch than we would've. Ever since teams have learnt to crowd the ruck to stop that happening, Mahe has struggled. Tuli hasn't and in a cup final there just isn't room for 'well he will make errors but he might make a break'.
As for 'we'll lose if he plays' that's not something I personally said; but I think Williams would have a lot of fun with his short kicking game and one of Gelling/Tomkins/Isa/Bateman getting the jump on him.
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