Hiku

[GraEddie]

Brohman on 2GB telling everyone how good Peta is at fullback and that if anyone needs a fullback they should be targeting this guy Hiku because he is really really good.

Manly need to lock him in ASASP if the dogs have not already done so….will be such a shame to see him go, he is just too good a footballer….i would play him on the wing instead of Wolf.

 

[MWSE]

He is solid if unspectacular. Lacks the speed and ball play of Snake who is locked up long term, just need him to get rid of his niggling injuries and stay healthy.

I would definitely be playing him ahead of the Wolfman on the wing though.

 

[Eagles2nv]

He is solid if unspectacular. Lacks the speed and ball play of Snake who is locked up long term, just need him to get rid of his niggling injuries and stay healthy.

I would definitely be playing him ahead of the Wolfman on the wing though.

Yeah I would seriously consider swapping wolf for hiku and keeping wolfy as the utlity.

Hiku has been awesome and i havnt been impressed with wolf this year. You need to pick the best 17 and Hiku is doing better than wolf.

Not wanting to hate on wolf, but im thinking of the club's future and Hiku has 10 years left, wolfy 1 or 2 at best..

 

[dowdz]

Hiku does a great job filling in. Think he will make a better centre though. We need to keep him at the club if possible.

 

[sheridanstand78]

If you have to choose Wolf or Hiku, its a no a brainer now. We must retain Hiku at all costs as he can slot into full back wing or centre. He is younger too. We cant lose hm.

 

[StuBoot]

Thought I'd bump this as he's only one try behind the top tryscorers.

His first try yesterday was as good as any finisher in the game.

Not bad for a fill in eh?

 

[RiverEagle]

Yeah from the highlights I've seen (from yesterday) when Peta kicks into gear and isn't so laid back he really finishes the work of our gun inside guys perfectly.

He's going to be great for us for years, whether that's as a centre, winger or fullback (or all three) when needed.

Let's add top-tryscorer to our hit-list for the year then.

 

[HappilyManly]

He and Jesse just have to hold the ball close when they run. Even yesterday,with the huge Warriors Players, they ran at them with the ball swinging down in one hand :s

Works great for corner post tries, but asking for it to stripped in general attack

 

[HoldenV8]

I still can't understand why the Warriors hadn't locked Peta into a long term deal before we swooped in and signed him. And from what I've read, after yesterday that same question is being asked by a lot of Warriors fans.

For mine, while he is killing it playing out of position on the wing, I still think his best position is fullback. But with Snake there, and Gutherson coming through I think Peta is being groomed as a long-term centre replacement for either Killer or Skivy when they are no longer around. But while Snake, Killer and Skivy are all still playing, on the wing is where Peta best fits, especially with The Wolf's well documented troubles. He's proved that he was too good to be left in NSW Cup and that he not only deserves his place in our top 17.....he deserves his place in our starting 13.

The Warriors may have had Kevin Locke as their FB at the time we signed Peta. But other than Manu, at the time they could have done with a good centre or winger (they'd already lost Inu to the Scumdogs and Baloney to the Rorters). Peta is one that definitely got away and I am glad that its Manly who got his signature on a contract.

 

[HappilyManly]

Warriors went after a very expensive Wigan FB. Apparently they had to pay a transfer fee too.

Rumours are that Tomkins is homesick and may leave next year - so their Recruitment Committee got it wrong.

Locke is in the UK somewhere, another local Junior they let go

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

Warriors rated Fisiahi'i extremely highly as well but injuries have stuffed him

 

[HoldenV8]

From what I know Locke is now playing for Salford.

 

[RiverEagle]

Further kudos to our recruitment for identifying and getting Peta on board too.

As a youngster he wouldn't have stood out greatly (just does all the little things right without being spectacular).

But again, we recognized what our club and Peta could do for each other.

Having guys like Skivy, Foz, Ligi Sao etc. here already no doubt helped that view too.

 

[southsideeagle]

Very few of our players have come to Manly as stand outs that we paid top $ to get from other clubs eg G Stewart, DCE, Matai, Lawrence, Starling, Horo, Buhrer, Symonds plus another 10. The point is Manly system puts the "icing on the cake". Was Hiku going to be the same player for the Warriors?

For us Hiku is a gem and will only get brighter in years to come.

 

[The Indian]

Yep I agree that we have put the polish on Hiku - he's a great talent and will be a fixture for years to come for us - am a huge fan. But if he had of stayed at the Warriors who knows where he ends up. I reckon he'd be have been 50/50 to have a long career staying at the Warriors.

Some clubs have so much junior talent they don't know what to do with it and how to develop it - our junior talent is more of a slow trickle so we nurture the good ones we get and the results show. Our strike rate of turning a "next big thing" junior into something like the real deal is phenomenal in this last 10 years.

 

[Snake]

The thing that's impressed me about Hiku the last couple of weeks has been his efforts under the high ball. Sure, some of the finishes have been spectacular, but come finals time, it's going to be defusing bombs in pressure situations that are going to be crucial to a win or a loss.

 

[HoldenV8]

What I don't understand about the Warriors decision to let him go is that he was their NYC Player of the Year in 2012 and he was with us the next, so its not like they didn't have any indication that he was a talent.

Their loss is our gain.

---

The thing that's impressed me about Hiku the last couple of weeks has been his efforts under the high ball. Sure, some of the finishes have been spectacular, but come finals time, it's going to be defusing bombs in pressure situations that are going to be crucial to a win or a loss.

That's the benefit of having someone on the wing who is just as good (or better) at fullback. As a lot of commentators have said during our games, its a mystery why our opposition kick to him and not Jorge, who as we know is a bit suspect under the high ball.

 

[BOZO]

They don't kick at Jorge because he is a devastating runner

 

[Jerry1]

Hiku is a solid all rounder. A great asset than can be played all over the field. I too think center rather than a wingman.

If we had wolf back at full fitness and playing with the confidence of old I don't think Hiku would find a regular first grade spot other than the bench.

Not knocking him - great player.

 

[Bearfax]

I think Hiku is more talented than Wolfman. He's got more guns in his arsenal. Great defender, great under the high ball, brings the ball back well, scores top tries and seems to position himself very well. Think though in years to come, if the kids coming through are as good as they seem, Gutherson will inherit full back and Hiku and Tom Terrific will be the centres. The way Delroy is playing he could be on the wing opposite Taufua. But this is a few years hence.