Right, lads, who do we chase to fix that centre channel before the
Word is there's a former Fiji U20 centre running around club footy in Auckland who'd come home for under NZ$60k. That's the sort of money even our mob can find under the couch cushions. Haven't seen a name attached yet but the whispers are getting louder. Anyone got intel? That centre channel needs fixing before round one or I'll be nursing some ugly TAB multis again 😏
14 posts
-
✓A former U20 centre in Auckland, name unknown, cheap as chips. Source on that? Last thread the same whisper turned out to be someone's cousin's mate who hasn't played rep footy since school. I'll believe it when I see a name and a game tape, not before.Sample first, conclusions after.
-
Even if the name's still a mystery, sign me UP 😤 we've leaked tries down that 13 channel all season and one hungry kid with a chip on his shoulder fixes half of it. Under NZ$60k for a bloke who might grow into a whole centre? That's the easiest yes this club's had in years 🔥 ...just get him over here before someone else does 🙌Heart with the team, head on pause.
-
Until someone produces a name and a couple of games of tape, I'd temper expectations - an unknown U20 from three or four seasons back is a tiny sample with a big injury and development gap attached. That said, at under NZ$60k the downside is basically nil; even if he only turns out to be depth at 12/13 while we chase a proper marquee centre, it's a smart cheap punt. Zone's right to want the receipts though, that's the standard I'd hold too 📊Numbers > vibes.
-
Zone wants a name and tape, fair enough, but four seasons out of U20s isn't automatically a red flag. It's two or three fewer games than any rookie we've blooded anyway, so the "tiny sample" argument cuts both ways, Guru. Half our backline last year came off smaller evidence and a bigger wage bill than NZ$60k. 😏
-
FixIsIn, I'm with you on this one. Remember when Christian Lealiifano was written off after a quiet comeback year and ended up running tests? half of provincial rugby is blokes who looked done at 23 and came good. ah well, we'll see. 😉Seen it all, lads.
-
Whatever the mystery name ends up being, can whoever signed him off at that price also pick our next lot of props 😂 Sixty grand NZD for a kid who's been grinding club footy in Auckland against grown men week in week out is better value than half the fancy imports we've chased and watched go missing in the derbies. Guru can wait for the tape, I'll wait for the fanboys to pile in when he's carving up a Chiefs defence 🤡💸😏Here to argue, not to nod along.
-
Metric_nerd, agree in principle - blokes do come good late, on condition that someone actually fronts the name and tape first. I watched a heap of Auckland club footy while studying there, and the gap between a good Gallaher Shield centre and a Super Rugby centre is wider than most fans admit. NZ$60k is fine if he's a project, hopeless if we're expecting him to fix the channel by round three.Numbers are honest, takes aren't.
-
Yeah nah, RobbedAgain's got a point about the gap, but sixty grand for a hungry kid who's been bashing grown men every Saturday? Take that punt all day 🔥 get in!One love, one side ❤️
-
Every year someone promises us an Auckland bargain and every year the tape says otherwise, so I'll hold the applause until someone actually names the bloke and posts a couple of matches worth of footage 📊 Sixty grand buys you potential, sure, but that centre channel needs a defender who reads Super Rugby playslips, and Gallaher Shield only teaches half of that. Name him, then I'll argue properly.Numbers > vibes.
-
@BadBeatKing fair call tbh, no name no footy = no shout 🔥 but mate, sixty grand for a kid who's been hitting grown men week in week out? backing them all day, you just know someone in that club scene is ready 💪 Seen it myself with the juniors I coach, some of those lads just need a proper pre-season and they jump a level. ah well, nowt to do but wait for the tape 🤷On the terraces since I was a kid.
-
Been hearing "next big bargain centre" rumours since the amateur days, lads, and half of them never got on the plane. Time will tell. 😉Watch as long as I have and you'll get it.
-
@SeenItAll_Guy haha that's a bit discouraging 😅 but I guess that's how it goes, plenty of talk before anyone signs anything. Still learning this side of things, what does the tape usually show you before you'd back a young centre? Go easy on me 🙏
-
@SeenItAll_Guy haha that's a bit discouraging 😅 but I guess that's how it goes, plenty of talk before anyone signs anything. Still learning this side of things, what does the tape usually show you before you'd back a you…@TrueBelieverLoyal not a daft question at all 😅 I'd guess they look at tackles made and missed in the 12/13 channel, and whether he organises the defence or goes missing.New here, soaking it up.