Player development

[yonathonjoung]

Who at our club has been developing well, and how have they actually developed?

Just wanted a bit of an appreciation place keeping track of actual progression within the playing group. Cobbo this year has people looking into our playing group and finally they have figured out that we can build players. People come here and they get better. Makes me excited for the likes of naufahu and pouniu who are young but experienced with our system and are already good players.

Also wanted to wrap the hammer. He is one of our superstars but he is a well rounded effective fullback these days. He can make highlights but everything else in his kit bag is getting better and I don't think this year he has gotten the praise he deserves, despite developing immensely in the things that don't make highlights but do win games.

 

[Josh]

Who at our club has been developing well, and how have they actually developed?

Just wanted a bit of an appreciation place keeping track of actual progression within the playing group. Cobbo this year has people looking into our playing group and finally they have figured out that we can build players. People come here and they get better. Makes me excited for the likes of naufahu and pouniu who are young but experienced with our system and are already good players.

Also wanted to wrap the hammer. He is one of our superstars but he is a well rounded effective fullback these days. He can make highlights but everything else in his kit bag is getting better and I don't think this year he has gotten the praise he deserves, despite developing immensely in the things that don't make highlights but do win games.

Herbie was a very good centre when he came. Now he's the best centre in the game. You would have to say by some margin.
Bostock obviously but he was so young so hard to say what he might have done elsewhere. Ditto Katoa.
JMK was unwanted by 2 257Matt's team. Now he's one of the best hookers. Just a bit injury prone to be the best.
Hammer was unwanted by the Ccowboys. But yeah, I'd agree he's a better centre than fullback anyway.
Lemuelu was a QLD Cup mainstay for the Cowboys, wasn't he? I'd never heard of him before he joined us.

 

[Liverbird with Phins up]

Story about a youth for you

 

[257Matt]

Herbie was a very good centre when he came. Now he's the best centre in the game. You would have to say by some margin.
Bostock obviously but he was so young so hard to say what he might have done elsewhere. Ditto Katoa.
JMK was unwanted by 2 257Matt's team. Now he's one of the best hookers. Just a bit injury prone to be the best.
Hammer was unwanted by the Ccowboys. But yeah, I'd agree he's a better centre than fullback anyway.
Lemuelu was a QLD Cup mainstay for the Cowboys, wasn't he? I'd never heard of him before he joined us.

Hi Josh on my personal page I've taken aim at Gould about JMK and Mahoney treatment. I'm a massive JMK supporter, I was in the less than 1% of Bulldogs fans who rated him and was so happy Dolphins signed him after Gould shafted him and got those pictures of the Chinese dinner with himself, Mahoney, Mahoney's manager, the coach of time and chairman of the time plastered in the papers. JMK true to the professional he is still won the Bulldogs Player of the Year in 2022 and been one of the most important players for the Dolphins. I'm glad Dolphins got him and no one else.

Same with Averillo I really liked him and wanted him to be fullback but they shafted him for Hayze Perham because he's a better communicator that's the buzz word of Gould and Ciraldo. When Potter moved him to fullback he was electric but shifted to centre after that. He served a purpose at Dolphins but with Bostock and Naufahu really emerging and Cobbo being such a great signing his value to Dolphins isn't the same anymore but was still good for the club. Most Bulldogs fans despise Averillo I was one of the very few that rated him and saw value in him. He should still be their fullback.

 

[yonathonjoung]

I actually didn't bring up Herbie because he was always a super star to me, but yeah he wasn't the indisputable best when we got him, not like he is now.

Lemuelu is a good shout too.

What about how players have come along? For example Herbie has just become an absolute specimen of an athlete with an unbeatable spirit where he was a strong and handy centre once upon a time.

People are also noticing Plath a lot more, especially since his story of coming through the halves to land as a workhorse middle with ball playing has come out more. Again he might have always been destined to be a handy ball playing middle, but this kind of relentless, tough, smart little player might never have happened if the Broncos had kept him on and squandered his skills.

 

[Red]

Who at our club has been developing well, and how have they actually developed?

Just wanted a bit of an appreciation place keeping track of actual progression within the playing group. Cobbo this year has people looking into our playing group and finally they have figured out that we can build players. People come here and they get better. Makes me excited for the likes of naufahu and pouniu who are young but experienced with our system and are already good players.

Also wanted to wrap the hammer. He is one of our superstars but he is a well rounded effective fullback these days. He can make highlights but everything else in his kit bag is getting better and I don't think this year he has gotten the praise he deserves, despite developing immensely in the things that don't make highlights but do win games.

Cobbo for sure but the biggest improvement not this year but from year 1 has been Isaako. I was very unenthusiastic about his signing a few years ago but apart from a couple of hiccups, I think it was the Roosters game last year I was blowing up about his defence, or lack of, he's been so consistently good.