Re: Was Clinton Toopi any good? : Wed Apr 21, 2021 7:39 pm  

DHM wrote:

I don't think he ever played in the back row? Under achievement probably had something to do with his knee reconstruction taking up a significant period of his contract with us.

Yeah he definitely played back row. I can't remember if he lost his place at centre due to injury or being dropped but he came back into the team in the second row and almost immediately looked a different player. I think in the end that was around when we had to start playing Abbo in the centres.

Re: Was Clinton Toopi any good? : Wed Apr 21, 2021 7:50 pm  

Exeter Rhino wrote:

He fizzed at centre but really started to look the part in the back row, despite injuries.

He was a stand-out performer in *that* 2008 play-off against Saints - one of our players who led the way in really smashing the Sts players up. Personally one of my favourite games of the SL era, even though we lost. The following fixture against them in the GF more than made up for the defeat. I don't think Jon Wilkin has managed to get over Sky showing Daniel Anderson losing the plot in the Saints dressing room at HT

Think *that* semi was 2007. Saints slaughtered us in the identical fixture the following year. Not that it did em any good, mind..

Re: Was Clinton Toopi any good? : Thu Apr 22, 2021 10:33 am  

Clearwing wrote:

Think *that* semi was 2007. Saints slaughtered us in the identical fixture the following year. Not that it did em any good, mind..

Yep - you're right. Happy times!

Re: Was Clinton Toopi any good? : Fri Apr 23, 2021 3:35 pm  

Exeter Rhino wrote:

Yep - you're right. Happy times!

Saints were massively overconfident in 2008 and the media were too (for a Saints win). We finished one point behind them on the league table and both league meetings had been close - 1 win a piece. We were hardly struggling for form either, we'd just put 50 on Wigan at the JJB.

I was on a plane to Japan when the match was being played and I remember landing at Tokyo airport and trying to download the result on my crappy Palm Treo using 0.5G (or whatever it was back then) while in the queue at immigration. It was like some 80's spy film where the picture of the villain downloads one line at a time on the hero's computer screen. First thing I saw was Kylie's massive fist in the air holding the trophy as the picture loaded. I may have made a few Japanese travelers jump when I realized we had won.
Once through customs I had to wait to be picked up by our sales manager and with a better connection was able to join in the massive p*** taking of Saints fans that was in full swing- led by the often divisive, but at times very funny, AP.

Re: Was Clinton Toopi any good? : Fri Apr 23, 2021 4:57 pm  

He was a brilliant defensive centre. He'd try to offload every time he had the ball though, regardless of how many men were on him or if there was anyone there to pass to. He also dropped the ball over the try line a few times, when all he had to do was fall down. I don't think we've ever had a more frustrating player.