Re: Luke Walsh : Tue Apr 30, 2013 10:55 pm  

The Chair Maker wrote:

Re signing players from the championship to fill the halves.

I would be very wary of such a thing as in general there is a reason why they are lower division halves, and thats because they are not that good.

Jamie Ellis is a fine example. The ex Saints looked a superstar in the championship scoring 34 trys in 32 games for Leigh.

He was promptly signed by Hull and managed 10 games before being shipped out to Castleford were he has been pretty anonymous.

Interesting to note The Chiefs comments that Walsh plays on the right. This is the side of the pitch that Lomax vacated.
Having a genuine right sided player is something we have lacked, and its why in recent years i think our play has had a tendency to be moved to the left. Getting a more balanced left/right backline combination would make us far more threatening.

I couldn't agree with this more.

We are far better having a player stepping down from a higher level than stepping up from a very low one. Even a player coming from say Widnes or Castleford or Hull KR would be making a big step up.

Walsh is a very good bet. People on here are just sitting on the fence so if it doesn't work out they can slag off the club. They can then say whatever second/third/fourth rate player they wanted, that the club would never dream of signing, was a better option.

Some people just like to moan.

Re: Luke Walsh : Tue Apr 30, 2013 11:38 pm  

Noel Cleal wrote:

We are far better having a player stepping down from a higher level than stepping up from a very low one. Even a player coming from say Widnes or Castleford or Hull KR would be making a big step up.

Warmsley and Hill aren't turning out too badly.

I genuinely think Walsh is a dud waiting to happen. Nothing against NRL players who aren't Cronk or Thurston.
Just think a HB combo of Hohaia and Walsh (if he turns out to be a dud) would be catastrophic.

When you first watch other unknowns like dureau they make you sit up and excite you. This bloke
doesn't and there is a body of documented opinion in Oz that suggests he would be destined to be Lance Mark2.

Re: Luke Walsh : Wed May 01, 2013 6:38 am  

If he got player of the year for the Panthers in 2011, that suggests he's got soemthing about him. We're not gambling on him changing position like we did with Lance, although he would have to cope with moving around the world.

I'm not one for sucking off everything NRL, but when it comes to producing halfbacks, they're streets and streets ahead of us.

Re: Luke Walsh : Wed May 01, 2013 7:36 am  

Saddened! wrote:

I can say what I want Shenton is better than Turner. Better defensively, better with the ball, a better natural centre. There I said it.

i never said that you couldn't! All I said was that you couldn't say it with much conviction. - hey I even underlined it so you don't miss it this time!

FWIW, Shenton is not better with the ball - I don't want to turn this into a Turner v Shenton debate so I'll leave it there

Re: Luke Walsh : Wed May 01, 2013 7:40 am  

Gerry Mander wrote:

Warmsley and Hill aren't turning out too badly.

I genuinely think Walsh is a dud waiting to happen. Nothing against NRL players who aren't Cronk or Thurston.
Just think a HB combo of Hohaia and Walsh (if he turns out to be a dud) would be catastrophic.

When you first watch other unknowns like dureau they make you sit up and excite you. This bloke
doesn't and there is a body of documented opinion in Oz that suggests he would be destined to be Lance Mark2.

But Hill and Walmsley are both forwards. I think that says a lot about the differences between developing a HB and a forward.

Re: Luke Walsh : Wed May 01, 2013 8:14 am  

People are putting everything in place to hate Walsh if this signing does come off. IMO he's not world class but if he was anything other than half decent he wouldn't be leaving the NRL this kind of signing is the best we can hope for and at least he is a 7!

Re: Luke Walsh : Wed May 01, 2013 8:36 am  

I don't really get the misgivings.

We're crying out for a 7 and here is one plying his trade in the NRL and coming off the back of a match winning performance where he showed the sort of kicking and passing game we are lacking.

People on here make me laugh. We go from "we need to bring in any old half back" to "I've not heard of him so he's going to be like Lance" (who in case you hadn't noticed, isn't a half back whereas this guy categorically is).

I'd be happy with Walsh.

Re: Luke Walsh : Wed May 01, 2013 9:31 am  

FearTheVee wrote:

I don't really get the misgivings.

We're crying out for a 7 and here is one plying his trade in the NRL and coming off the back of a match winning performance where he showed the sort of kicking and passing game we are lacking.

People on here make me laugh. We go from "we need to bring in any old half back" to "I've not heard of him so he's going to be like Lance" (who in case you hadn't noticed, isn't a half back whereas this guy categorically is).

I'd be happy with Walsh.

Agreed (wholeheartedly).

Re: Luke Walsh : Wed May 01, 2013 9:33 am  

FearTheVee wrote:

I'd be happy with Walsh.

Me too.

I've long maintained that Dobson is a pretty average player, but he is put on a pedalstal because in england because, for the last 10 years, this type of player is very rare.
The standard of controlling half back produced in Aus is miles ahead of us, if he's half decent - which winning Penrith Player of the year in 2011 suggest he is, then he'll be a real tonic to us.
Throw in a revitalised set of props, a fit again Lomax and Roby and all of a sudden we've got a (more than) decent team again.

Lomax
Makinson
Percival
Turner
new winger need assumin gardner and meli go
Hohaia, pressured by Charnock, Swift, Wheeler and Wilkin
Walsh
Amor
Roby
Paea
Manu
Flanaghan
Jones

Walmsley, LMS, Greenwood/Thompson, Soliola
A team that in the majority is young, exciting and english.

Re: Luke Walsh : Wed May 01, 2013 9:40 am  

FearTheVee wrote:

I don't really get the misgivings.

We're crying out for a 7 and here is one plying his trade in the NRL and coming off the back of a match winning performance where he showed the sort of kicking and passing game we are lacking.

People on here make me laugh. We go from "we need to bring in any old half back" to "I've not heard of him so he's going to be like Lance" (who in case you hadn't noticed, isn't a half back whereas this guy categorically is).

I'd be happy with Walsh.

It depends on the situation. If we brought Walsh in on loan now till the end of the season, I don't think anyone would complain. If we went and gave him a four year contract, it would be a different matter entirely.

People are going off the reports on him. When the report starts with 'the much maligned playmaker' then criticises Penrith for giving him a contract then describes him as a 'sitting duck', what exactly do you expect people to think? We can youtube some decent bits from him, as St Pete showed, there is one very impressive flick pass for a try. But there is also tons of criticism of him on the internet, both from news outlets and on Penrith fan forums.

If he turns out to be terrible, people are entitled to criticise as it's very obvious that he's struggled in the NRL recently. Hopefully if we are in for him, they are letting Brown and the coaching staff review and decide, rather than just doing what they did with Lance and signing a player just because he's available.