Jason Saab

[manly al]

Still back the club"s decision to offer that long term contract for him ,
Not the ideal situation with a couple of injury issues this season affecting his form level a bit and some erratic form from the side in general definitely not aiding his overall game but the positives still seem in his favor
Safe under the high ball against the Dragons , not bad involvement , noticeable miss with that i st Dragons try but not the only one guilty with that break down in defence and managed other necessary and effective tackles
Haven 't seen a replay with that disallowed try , maybe he thought that the Dragons player following through as well , may have impeded his play at the ball if he tried to dive on it .
Sure if he scored , he would be getting credit for good anticipation and using his speed to advantage
Probably could criticize a whole heap of Manly outside backs over the season for less then ideal defence , Turbo , Garrick ,. Talau apparently had something like 4 misses the other day
Sure that he is not on big money, be surprised if he does not provide some good to quite good value for money and a net asset for his remaining contract time

 

[manly al]

Willett seems to be going well for a while now and no doubt will get an opportunity in the trials early nest year to see how he may go against top level opposition
Then the club has signed that Dogs winger Blake Wilson so unless they are anticipating Talau moving on or not intending at this stage to re sign him , does make the Wilson signing interesting in terms of wing depth ' Ray Ray may or looks like not being re signed so that could also be part of the equation
Maybe Willett could make a go of it as a full back but would think that Saab [ definitely ] ' and Wilson , strictly wingers
Can "t help but acknowledge Talau as nothing but a real good footy player , has had more then his share of injuries this season but would be a shame if he is lost to the club

 

[Super Coach Eagle]

I would move him on.

His not a winner or a player you want when the going gets tough his nowhere to be seen.

Defense is questionable.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

does make the Wilson signing interesting

Sure does. He's not a prop or hooker!!

 

[maxta]

Saab

Fastest player "clearly" in the NRL
Has improved in general as far as being bit tougher
Some of his tackling technique up with the worst in the NRL
The most poorly used tall timber in the game with "poor" service from the halves put us in poor in relation to cross field bombs when in attacking zone
Not in the Top "get out of trouble" outside backs to create momentum, due to his gangly frame tends to be held up and dominated by defences to start sets on the back foot.
At times has shown ordinary hands in important situations

Prognosis - Disappointing overall with the hope he could reach elite winger standards by now and still a "long" way from it, as the rough edges seem to outshine the good abilities ... truth be known, I feel those "moments" where he is in open field and gone, are so few and far between in comparison to the blunders, dropped balls and sketchy tackles.
I personally had high hope for the bloke, but all seems "hope" has almost faded
We will see him again in 26, so just hopinging these poor area's will be a bit better and truth be known, if we have a better "middle" in 2026, it may add that bit more space and time for "ALL" the outside backs to look better also, with Koula being the only player playing to potential currently.

 

[47MVEagle]

Funnily enough, apart from that first try that he missed the tackle on, I thought he had one of his better games (this season) against Saints. He was safe under the high ball & made a bit more impact when returning kicks, I thought. he also made a couple of good tackles in the immediate aftermath of that first try, so at least he was aware of his mistake & was trying to make up for it.

I agree with the sentiment though, he looks fearful & unsure of himself a lot of the time & isn't very agile for such an athlete. If he could develop a step & improve his footwork in defence then he'd be a bit more rounded a player.

 

[manlyfan76]

Funnily enough, apart from that first try that he missed the tackle on, I thought he had one of his better games (this season) against Saints. He was safe under the high ball & made a bit more impact when returning kicks, I thought. he also made a couple of good tackles in the immediate aftermath of that first try, so at least he was aware of his mistake & was trying to make up for it.

I agree with the sentiment though, he looks fearful & unsure of himself a lot of the time & isn't very agile for such an athlete. If he could develop a step & improve his footwork in defence then he'd be a bit more rounded a player.

He gets beaten a bit in defence I thought. A bit too much.
I'm not on the Saab train.

 

[manlyfan76]

 

[LeonardCohen]

He’s not up to it; move him on. I’d take Clayton F over Saab. How often will a winger be required to use their speed beyond a quick burst to the line? Rarely. The reality is acceleration over 10-30m trumps Saab’s ability to run quickly in a straight line after an initial period of winding up. I’d back a guy like Faulalo to get the ball down in the corner from 10m out with defence encroaching, than I would Saab.

 

[nightster]

Agree with it all. I was a big fan of his, and 'sorta' still am, but it's like owing a Ferrari and living at the end of a pot-holed gravel country road.

He just doesn't seem to want to get stuck in.

First try he arm grabbed at a guy like a T-rex trying to catch a marble. When one of our players was being pushed over the sideline...it was like he placed a pinkie finger on the manly players back, removed it and said 'oh well, I tried'.

for a guy that's so tall, his feet seemed glued to the ground.

The basketball bounce for that no try was just so lazy.

You look at turbo, Koula, and Hopoate and the difference is chalk 'n cheese.

We need a V8 bathurst animal that can take a knock, not a faster f1 that loses it's poop if they don't get a straight line to the try line.

Yeah that was really annoying the way he was slow to help and then the help was absolutely minimal.

Ray Ray would put in much more effort and we would reap the rewards Willett tries harder and is as tall as Jason, I was a big fan of his potential, but he doesn't put in the effort or is just not suited, disappointing.

 

[BirdMan4ever]

Saab has gone backwards IMO, the only thing that changed was his hairstyle...Next please

 

[Heckenberg]

He’s a luxury player that is amazing when you are beating up on also ran teams but can’t do the tough stuff that you need to compete with the top sides. I thought he had bulked up this year and looked stronger in his ball carries out of our end but there is no excuse for the arm grabbing dilly dally defence he tosses up every week. You can’t teach someone heart and you either have it or you don’t and this guy is a showboat athlete not a footy player.

 

[madmax]

Saab

Fastest player "clearly" in the NRL
Has improved in general as far as being bit tougher
Some of his tackling technique up with the worst in the NRL
The most poorly used tall timber in the game with "poor" service from the halves put us in poor in relation to cross field bombs when in attacking zone
Not in the Top "get out of trouble" outside backs to create momentum, due to his gangly frame tends to be held up and dominated by defences to start sets on the back foot.
At times has shown ordinary hands in important situations

Prognosis - Disappointing overall with the hope he could reach elite winger standards by now and still a "long" way from it, as the rough edges seem to outshine the good abilities ... truth be known, I feel those "moments" where he is in open field and gone, are so few and far between in comparison to the blunders, dropped balls and sketchy tackles.
I personally had high hope for the bloke, but all seems "hope" has almost faded
We will see him again in 26, so just hopinging these poor area's will be a bit better and truth be known, if we have a better "middle" in 2026, it may add that bit more space and time for "ALL" the outside backs to look better also, with Koula being the only player playing to potential currently.

I think Koula is nowhere near his potential yet. He’s still only 22 & I can see him fast becoming one of the best in the NRL. The guy is incredible….tough as teak, super quick, good defender. Manly’s best at this time by far!

 

[LeonardCohen]

I think Koula is nowhere near his potential yet. He’s still only 22 & I can see him fast becoming one of the best in the NRL. The guy is incredible….tough as teak, super quick, good defender. Manly’s best at this time by far!

I don’t get worked up about other people’s opinions on the forum very often or like to think of myself as superior in my analysis but one of the most dumbfounding and frustrating experiences I’ve had on this forum concerns Koula and Talau. How anyone could ever think Talau was a better option than Koula moving forward, made my blood boil. It was so obvious that Koula was a special and singular talent, yet he was often criticised for failing to score a length of the field try every time he touched the ball.

Even after scoring an absolutely bottler of a try in the semis last year, people weren’t convinced and wanted Talau in the centres; their ceilings are chalk and cheese. Young players need time to grow into FG and Koula is now in the top 10 of most exciting players in the game.

When you start hearing opposition supporters talking about fearing what Koula might do to them, you know you’re on a good thing 😎

 

[maxta]

I think Koula is nowhere near his potential yet. He’s still only 22 & I can see him fast becoming one of the best in the NRL. The guy is incredible….tough as teak, super quick, good defender. Manly’s best at this time by far!

I think he is right up near his potential, considering he is playing wide of a forward pack usually dominated and limited opportunities.....yes he will look far better when the team around him are capable of opening more doors and winning the middle, but his performances considering his opportunities currently should not be overlooked...put him in a Canberra or Melbourne for example and he becomes not just a dangerous player, but maybe the deadliest player in the NRL

 

[manlyfan76]

He’s a luxury player that is amazing when you are beating up on also ran teams but can’t do the tough stuff that you need to compete with the top sides. I thought he had bulked up this year and looked stronger in his ball carries out of our end but there is no excuse for the arm grabbing dilly dally defence he tosses up every week. You can’t teach someone heart and you either have it or you don’t and this guy is a showboat athlete not a footy player.

And he talked up his boxing.

Was he boxing kids?

 

[manlyfan76]

I think he is right up near his potential, considering he is playing wide of a forward pack usually dominated and limited opportunities.....yes he will look far better when the team around him are capable of opening more doors and winning the middle, but his performances considering his opportunities currently should not be overlooked...put him in a Canberra or Melbourne for example and he becomes not just a dangerous player, but maybe the deadliest player in the NRL

Then Garrick would be an immortal on the wing for those clubs.