: Thu Mar 12, 2009 3:37 pm
I don't really think this post is worth a response but it's riled me so i have to!!
Smithy68 - have you really been watching Salford since the 70s? or did you in fact start watching them about 3 weeks ago? Or are your posts just a really subtle form of satire aimed at those fans who say these kind of things and I'm too dim to pick it up???
Do you think that Leuleuai can play more than 40-50 minutes a game? By saying "he's too good for the bench" do you mean he should be on the pitch for the full 80 or do you just mean that he should be on for the first 20 or so before being replaced by one of the other props?
If you think he (or 90+% of props in the modern professional game) should play 80 minutes regularly you are certifiably insane, he is no way near fit enough (most props train to do short high intensity spells rather than long sustained spells) and he would have to pace himself a lot more thus reducing his impact. He plays superbly when he comes off the bench and is running into tiring players in more open game situations. That's
why he's used as he is. Start him from the beginning and he'll make no more impact than the current starting props.
If you think he should just be on for the first 20, do you think he would be too good for the bench when he is replaced by one of our "lesser props"? If so, what do we do then?
He has been in superb form this season and there is an argument that he should be one of our starting 2 but for me he is almost the walking definition of an impact player and is perfect for coming off the bench. He is on the pitch for pretty much as long as all the other props, just at different times
Presumably what Mcrae does is choose his mates to play the first 20 minutes cos that's the really easy bit when the other team are at their freshest and most fired up and then sends in the players he hates (like Big Phil) to do the really hard, unglamorous, unsung stuff