Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sun Jan 03, 2021 4:24 pm  

Pieman wrote:

thought FPN was good, hit the line hard and didnt miss a tackle

Frank Paul was VERY good in his initial run of games on the way to the Grand Final win in 2016. People forget this.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sun Jan 03, 2021 9:14 pm  

NSW wrote:

Frank Paul was VERY good in his initial run of games on the way to the Grand Final win in 2016. People forget this.

FPN was good in his first season off the back of not playing first grade for a while. I think a lot of fans including myself thought he’d kick on the following season and be one of the top props in the comp but it didn’t happen. I also think having a nickname of the wrecking ball bring a certain amount of expectation. In reality he was probably solid at best, good in defence and rarely injured at a time we had an awful season with injuries. Certainly not as bad as some make out.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sun Jan 03, 2021 9:47 pm  

He was very good for about 5 games or so during the middle 8s/play offs during his first season once he got settled. In his second season he was bloody awful. If they recorded stats for surrender tackles, then Nu'uasala would have topped them in his second season.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon Jan 04, 2021 7:10 pm  

Grimmy wrote:

He was very good for about 5 games or so during the middle 8s/play offs during his first season once he got settled. In his second season he was bloody awful. If they recorded stats for surrender tackles, then Nu'uasala would have topped them in his second season.

I don’t see how players can be criticised for playing to the coaches instructions. It is well documented that is exactly how Wane wanted his props to play.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon Jan 04, 2021 7:36 pm  

Trainman wrote:

I don’t see how players can be criticised for playing to the coaches instructions. It is well documented that is exactly how Wane wanted his props to play.

I’m really interested to see his England selections and how guys like Walmsley, Thompson, Tom Burgess and Daryl Clark play if they’re selected. Did he play to a certain game plan of getting players, in particular his props, to find their fronts quickly and having his hookers simply shift the ball on because of the personnel available to him? Or is that the only way he will have his teams play, regardless of him having giant props who eat up ground and carry bodies with them and hookers who love to run the ball available to him?

I think we’ll see he has more to him than that and can adapt to having different types of players at his disposal.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon Jan 04, 2021 8:40 pm  

Trainman wrote:

I don’t see how players can be criticised for playing to the coaches instructions. It is well documented that is exactly how Wane wanted his props to play.

Were Sutton, Flower and Tautai (he was great that year) ignoring those instructions? It wasn't well documented at all that he wanted his props to surrender. It was put forward on here as one potential explanation for why FPN was no longer a wrecking ball.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon Jan 04, 2021 11:14 pm  

Grimmy wrote:

Were Sutton, Flower and Tautai (he was great that year) ignoring those instructions? It wasn't well documented at all that he wanted his props to surrender. It was put forward on here as one potential explanation for why FPN was no longer a wrecking ball.

I don’t believe that is the case. I’m sure there were several reports from him and the players themselves that it was a tactic he employed.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon Jan 04, 2021 11:56 pm  

jonh wrote:

I don’t believe that is the case. I’m sure there were several reports from him and the players themselves that it was a tactic he employed.

Wasn't there a rumour on here at the time that Hamlin received a dressing down for breaking tackles/making too many yards on drives?

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Jan 05, 2021 8:10 am  

MattyB wrote:

Wasn't there a rumour on here at the time that Hamlin received a dressing down for breaking tackles/making too many yards on drives?

Think that was a direct quote from him in the media.

He was making post contact meters but not generating a quick PTB and that was one of the reasons he wasn’t picked.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Tue Jan 05, 2021 8:43 am  

Fair enough, maybe memory is failing. I recall it more as one or two people claiming it on here rather than anything anyone from the club actually said. All I can find now is FPN acknowledging he didn't play his best at Wigan, then later slamming the club's treatment of him.