hohaia...just going through the motions. : Mon May 28, 2012 12:50 pm  

the blokes come over for a holiday...gets a car..big wage..etc...then does NOTHING...he's just going through the motions like easmond did...seems he's more contented with just passing than trying to make a break....like some other poster said on here, one of the worst overseas players wev'e signed..(hope he proves me wrong in the long run) but i doubt it.

Re: hohaia...just going through the motions. : Mon May 28, 2012 3:10 pm  

I think we're all being a little unfair towards the guy. Consider the facts:

1. He's settling into an alien lifestyle on the other side of the world.
2. He's settling into a struggling, unsettled team.
3. The guy likely responsible for bringing him over and who he quite possibly based his decision on moving over was gone after just 8 games.
4. He's being forced to play a key, pivotal position that he has practically never played in his entire career.
5. He's being forced to try and run the entire team from that position, something else he's never had to do in his career.
6. He's being forced to be the team's main kicker, something else etc.
5. He's playing next to a kid at #7 who's inexperienced and as out of position playing there as he is.

He's a waste of a shirt right now, but under the circumstances how could he not be? He could be a very good player at Saints indeed playing #1 or #9 where he can actually play and has some experience of the position, but unfortunately Saints have an abundance of talent at those positions which is why he's being forced to play in the halves where we simply have no other experienced quality at all right now. He was the wrong signing for the wrong position, but that's not his fault at the end of the day. Maybe if a Brough comes in and he's allowed to play one of his natural roles in one of his natural positions then he might still actually become a good signing even.

If only we'd spent his money on Leon and his overseas spot on an actual #7 instead...

Re: hohaia...just going through the motions. : Mon May 28, 2012 3:45 pm  

I don't have a problem with his effort or him as a person.

I have a massive problem with him continuing to play at 6, a position he has little experience in and which he brings very little to in terms of the required attributes.

Should be playing 9 from the bench or fullback this season. Then we would be in a position to judge him.

Re: hohaia...just going through the motions. : Mon May 28, 2012 4:09 pm  

Hohia was just a strange signing all round. I cant say I have ever particularly rated him anyway but if you needed a 6 or 7 why not just sign a 6 or 7. To sign someone who has played mainly 1 or 9, when you have no intention of playing him there, just makes no sense. He seems to be a quota signing for the sake of making a quota signing because he was available, I really cant see any other reason.

Re: hohaia...just going through the motions. : Mon May 28, 2012 4:21 pm  

Famous wrote:

Hohia was just a strange signing all round. I cant say I have ever particularly rated him anyway but if you needed a 6 or 7 why not just sign a 6 or 7. To sign someone who has played mainly 1 or 9, when you have no intention of playing him there, just makes no sense. He seems to be a quota signing for the sake of making a quota signing because he was available, I really cant see any other reason.

It was a panic buy when the club found out Eastmond wasn't renewing his contract. We'd already been told Pryce was leaving so, with Gaskell and Lomax untried at that point, we effectively had no halfbacks. I think Hohaia's camp probably sold his availability and ability to play halfback to Saints and at the time we probably didn't have many alternatives.

Re: hohaia...just going through the motions. : Mon May 28, 2012 4:56 pm  

Saddened! wrote:

I don't have a problem with his effort or him as a person.

I have a massive problem with him continuing to play at 6, a position he has little experience in and which he brings very little to in terms of the required attributes.

Should be playing 9 from the bench or fullback this season. Then we would be in a position to judge him.

I agree, I can't fault his attitude and I like him as a person but is not working him playing #6 which IMO is totally Royce Simmons fault. I just can't believe his thinking behind it!

I don't like him at #9 either, he just basically passes and passes and passes with no variety to his play.

Play him fullback or don't pick him in the 17.

Re: hohaia...just going through the motions. : Mon May 28, 2012 6:33 pm  

St pete wrote:

I agree, I can't fault his attitude and I like him as a person but is not working him playing #6 which IMO is totally Royce Simmons fault. I just can't believe his thinking behind it!

I don't like him at #9 either, he just basically passes and passes and passes with no variety to his play.

Play him fullback or don't pick him in the 17.

Why is it Simmons fault that he's at 6? Simmons never played him in the position after one half of a friendly.

It suggests to me that Brown isn't the only one not to think he's a 6...

Re: hohaia...just going through the motions. : Mon May 28, 2012 7:01 pm  

Billinge_Lump wrote:

Why is it Simmons fault that he's at 6? Simmons never played him in the position after one half of a friendly.

It suggests to me that Brown isn't the only one not to think he's a 6...

When Simmons signed hohaia he said he's playing in the halves.

When Simmons signed him he gave him the #6 shirt which is the stand off postion.

When lance signed he said he's coming over to play stand off.

When I spoke to lance when he first arrived in this country, I asked him what postion he playing which he replied Royce wants him in the halves.

I think it's pretty clear he was signed by Royce to play stand off.

Re: hohaia...just going through the motions. : Mon May 28, 2012 7:02 pm  

Surely Gaskell has to be selected at 6 for your game at Hull FC?

Re: hohaia...just going through the motions. : Mon May 28, 2012 7:14 pm  

St pete wrote:

When Simmons signed hohaia he said he's playing in the halves.

When Simmons signed him he gave him the #6 shirt which is the stand off postion.

When lance signed he said he's coming over to play stand off.

When I spoke to lance when he first arrived in this country, I asked him what postion he playing which he replied Royce wants him in the halves.

I think it's pretty clear he was signed by Royce to play stand off.

But then he never played him there, preferring an inexperienced Gaskell, which says more to me than press interviews and what Hohaia had been told.

Maybe the intention was to play him there (and given the influence McManus has on recruitment are we sure he was actually a Simmons signing?), but then Simmons obviously didn't want him there once he'd seen him in training and in a match situation. The lesson had been learned and he'd seen what most of us see now, that his skill set is not to be an organising half back.

The fact that it's not working with him at 6 is completely down to the current coaching team who are persisting with the current set up, maybe in the hope that it will finally click and we'll kick on from that. The apparent removal of his kicking duties appears to me that the coaching team know it's not working, but for whatever reason, don't want to move him from the 6 position.