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Matabele

Journey Man
Getting away from the D&D hi-jacked thread.  My memory was jogged today and I recalled a conversation had with vegas and sue ridgepipe at the Caxton Hotel in the lead up to the FNF game between us and the Broncos back in 2005 (we were flogged).  Wheel was with us and will probably remember this conversation.

Talk turned to Glenn Stewart who had probably played a handful of grade games at the time and looked a very long way from cementing a spot.  In fact it was to be a further 18 months before he did cement his spot and was at the time labouring under the assumption that the only reason he was at the club was as a minder for diabetic Brett.

Ridgepipe said that night that Cleal and the club had Glenn Stewart ear marked for a very big future.  The comment being that the talk was Glenn Stewart would play for Australia and be a superstar, but that he would be developed and bought on slowly.

I have to admit at the time I thought the talk was fanciful and in 2006 I was convinced it was rubbish as Glenn didn't look anywhere near first grade, let alone a Kangaroo jumper.......

Darren link said:
T Rex has been one of the most outstanding and dominant juniors coming thru in the past couple of years. If you remember two years ago in toyota?/. we were beating parra with 15 to go and then he absolutely demolished us with 2 cracker tries, kicked the winning goal as well. I remember thinking if we could get this kid and now he is here.

He did look out of sorts yesterday. He doesn't look match fit (no game in 6  months)  Bet his hammy was sore but Des needed him with so many players out. Des also said wait until later in the season for Tony to boom.

for Tony, he is at a new club, NRL premiers, he is 21!!! probably living on the North Shore away from family etc, he is a kid!!! Away from mates at the club he was at (Parra) wouldn't be easy, He is coming to terms about his role at the club, he has always been a back, now with his size he is realising that he is going to be a bench/forward, That's why Des got him for 3 years, so much potential but not until much later.

We have to remember Tony, Foran, Hargreaves, Cherry Evans, Hopoate, Hodkinson are all very young, Foran is only 18?? Young Hoppa is only 17!!!

Look at Penrith, rushed in Waddell, Graham and Coote:  both Waddell and Graham were junior superstars but now getting beaten around, injured etc and Coote got flattened again yesterday, Matt Elliot has to play them, we are lucky we have time up our side, remember that!!

In Hopoate, D and T Williams, both Stewarts, Foran, Hodkinson/Evans, Hargreaves, Watmough, we have 10 first grade players for next 6-10 years already in place!!!!
 
Super review Matas. I remember thinking around this time that Glenn Stewart was all heart, and had talent, but was sadly just too small for the Big League.  Yet even when they first signed for Manly the club were talking up both brothers, big time, predicting both kids could play for Australia.  One day, years later, seemingly all of a sudden, after BK retired, Gift started playing like he was several stones heavier, a star was born, and he hasn't looked back.

I have views on players and even I can recognise the club should trust Cleal's judgement over mine, every time, every day of the week. What a judge of football talent that man is!
 
Yep, he had one off season where he packed on about 5-10 kg of muscle and that was the turning point. He then had the size to go with the skills. He really was the ugly duckling who turned into a swan. He is old school ball playing backrower, reminds me of guys like Langmack and Dymock.
 
What a stuff up the Dragons made i could be wrong here ? but i think they wanted to sign Brett but not his brother Glenn and they both wanted to play at the one club together as a package deal so to speak.
 
Glen was badly effected when Brett had his recent incident.  It is no co-incidence that Glen had his best game of the year this week.
 
Credit also needs to be given to crusher for the players that he has recruited this year for our toyota cup team. 

They look the goods and will go close to winning the comp. 
 
The Toyota Cup is killing it so far this year.
Even I had doubts about Gift but it was the start to the next year after BK retired that he stood right up from the first game and hasn't looked back. I don't doubt that young T-Rex will come good. I'd love for him to stay in the centres for when he gets it together he will be a huge handful to stop.
 

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