Not sure on the love in with Ava , yes he improved when he eventually got fitter but for me he was just an average prop
Better than the average superleague prop in my opinion.Definitley came back from lockdown over weight but for me during his time at leeds overall he was our best prop. At 114kg he also had enough size and power to make an impact when he hit the line.
Totally disagree - thought Merrin was over-hyped and wasn’t the player we needed for team balance at the time. He’s quality but another one too slow for back row and not big enough for front row. He’s hardly torn up trees on return to NRL.
Ava was extremely consistent making yardage and WAS big enough for front row. Literally the only other player who could get close to 10m carries was Oledski.
Totally disagree - thought Merrin was over-hyped and wasn’t the player we needed for team balance at the time. He’s quality but another one too slow for back row and not big enough for front row. He’s hardly torn up trees on return to NRL.
Ava was extremely consistent making yardage and WAS big enough for front row. Literally the only other player who could get close to 10m carries was Oledski.
Prior without doubt is an upgrade - POTY for me last year. Ava had size but not fitness, only played 20-30 mins per game If that's all your front row can manage, then you need plenty of others to play long minutes. Hopefully Tet and King can manage longer.
Again before lockdown I don't remember ava be that unfit.For me 15 mins (ish) per half from a big prop isn't too bad,especially when you have other forward who can play longer minutes.
Don't get me wrong - I wish Ava was still here, but I wish Merrin was still here more. Imagine a pack with Tet, Ava, Mik, Tom, Merrin and Martin - then we could talk about challenging the top 2 !!!