Latu Fainu

[manlyfan76]

1) have natural talent
2) have good skills coaching that suit the individual
3) be lucky with injuries
4) have a good attitude
5) be happy off the field
6) be internally driven
7) be in a team where you can grow

If any of these parameters are not there the chance of success diminishes.

This is why so many junior starts don't become immortal

 

[Darren]

Aaron Groom had the BIGGEST wraps. In a team with others like Addison Demetriou. More players I pinned wrong haha. I thought these kids were going to be superstars.

I ate two lots of humble pie with Groom. What a superstar kid. Ended up at Asquith Bears at one stage.

 

[Tslog]

Latu has got a good running game and has got good instincts as a half, but he doesn’t have much of a passing or kicking game.

Has potential but fundamentals need to develop more.
Latu certainly Has better potential than Luke Brooks ever had, With Luke Brooks on the overall decline. This trade is a shambles.

 

[MW66]

Feel like he will be one we regret letting go + we lose Samuela as well who is going to be a FG for sure. May not really know until 2025. There must be a lot of bad blood behind the scenes for this to happen. However will also place pressure on Tigers recruitment. They have 5/6 very good HM/SG ball players coming through, two of which are halves.

 

[lsz]

Tiger are gambling on potential we are hoping there is more upside in Brooks.

It is a shift from the Bozo years which, to be fair apart from the a turbo inspired season, we have not really looked that threatening as a long term premiership force.

It also looks like an admission from the club that the direction that was taken was not what Mestrov was looking for

 

[bringbackbeaver]

Latu has got a good running game and has got good instincts as a half, but he doesn’t have much of a passing or kicking game.

Has potential but fundamentals need to develop more.
Latu certainly Has better potential than Luke Brooks ever had, With Luke Brooks on the overall decline. This trade is a shambles.

Andrew Johns said Luke Brooks was one of the best juniors he EVER saw. Goes to show that juniors doesnt always translate to 1st grade. 600k a year for Brooks is a steal of a deal. The 5/8 position has been a real issue for us since Foz left the first time. He came back and we looked better until jersey gate... This plugs a big hole for us

 

[LeonardCohen]

Latu has got a good running game and has got good instincts as a half, but he doesn’t have much of a passing or kicking game.

Has potential but fundamentals need to develop more.
Latu certainly Has better potential than Luke Brooks ever had, With Luke Brooks on the overall decline. This trade is a shambles.

I actually think he could be a 9 like Manase. He doesn’t play like a conventional 7, that’s for sure.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

Latu certainly Has better potential than Luke Brooks ever had

L O L

 

[Nordburg]

Andrew Johns said Luke Brooks was one of the best juniors he EVER saw. Goes to show that juniors doesnt always translate to 1st grade. 600k a year for Brooks is a steal of a deal. The 5/8 position has been a real issue for us since Foz left the first time. He came back and we looked better until jersey gate... This plugs a big hole for us

I’m actually intrigued to see how Brooks goes in a slightly less dysfunctional club where he’s not the main playmaker and he gets a fresh start

 

[frank stokes]

1) have natural talent
2) have good skills coaching that suit the individual
3) be lucky with injuries
4) have a good attitude
5) be happy off the field
6) be internally driven
7) be in a team where you can grow

If any of these parameters are not there the chance of success diminishes.

This is why so many junior starts don't become immortal

4 and 6 are massively underrated… Terry Lamey was one of the most gifted kids I saw play but his career never really got out of first gear in NRL…
Craig Fitzgibbon played alongside him in juniors and ended up being one of the highest achieving forwards in our game…

 

[delz]

Latu has got a good running game and has got good instincts as a half, but he doesn’t have much of a passing or kicking game.

Has potential but fundamentals need to develop more.
Latu certainly Has better potential than Luke Brooks ever had, With Luke Brooks on the overall decline. This trade is a shambles.

Disagree entirely. Potential doesn't mean he will make it. I for one like Brooks and believe a change of clubs will be a godsend. Look at Moses after he left the Tigers.

 

[Eagle 1]

Not a lot of loyalty shown from Pacifica players in general. They go where the wind takes them.

 

[manlyfan76]

4 and 6 are massively underrated… Terry Lamey was one of the most gifted kids I saw play but his career never really got out of first gear in NRL…
Craig Fitzgibbon played alongside him in juniors and ended up being one of the highest achieving forwards in our game…

I'd say Turbo has most covered easily but his luck with injuries has short changed his career.
You really need everything going your way.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Not a lot of loyalty shown from Pacifica players in general. They go where the wind takes them.

Why not stick to specific examples to make your point instead of racist stereotyping? (because I can think of plenty of Pacifika players who've been loyal and just as many white Anglo types who have not)

 

[HK_Eagle]

There are a lot of people on here getting salty around Latu leaving. I get it. I like to get salty too when I see a good chance to hook into some "injustice" narrative. As much as I would like to have kept the kid and cheer on his development at Manly, there are so many hurdles he will have to overcome to truly reach great heights in FG. He apparently has one of the key attributes.... an abundance of natural talent. However, as some have pointed out (including a good post just above from @manlyfan76), there are many more factors that will determine how his career unfolds. We just have to look at two players currently struggling in FG, Schu and Turbo, to appreciate the complexity of success, even with outstanding potential... let alone the plethora of other outstanding junior talents that never made it.

Now, I don't know what is going on in the background. I'm sure there are other reasons in this trade, more than simply gambling on the return of Brooks over the longer term of Latu. Whether this is a power play over the degree of influence certain outside agents have over the club, whether it is perceived wrong-doings against other parties involved, or whether it's even a simple case of better opportunity offered elsewhere... I don't know. I feel OK with the deal, and I'm excited to see what change Brooks will bring to our spine (assuming he plays there), and also intrigued to see how Schu responds to this.

Ranting and raving that this is the dumbest move in Manly trade history is over-simplified and melodramatic hysterics. Building a successful team always involves understanding capabilities and experience balanced against educated guesses around potential. Latu may well go on to reach great heights and I wish him all the best. More importantly, I'm happy to see the club taking significant actions to disrupt the pathway we have been on over the last decade. We can only hope that the changes bring us closer to success in the near, and longer term, future. I'm willing to have some faith in Mestrov and give him a chance to do his thing. That needs time.

 

[Disco]

Not a lot of loyalty shown from Pacifica players in general. They go where the wind takes them.

Massive generalisation.

Josh Papali'i, Taumalolo, Tupou, Kaufusi (till near his twilight), plenty of younger guys one club players thus far.

Then plenty of Maloneys, Blake Greens, Momirovskis around.

Such a strange comment

 

[JenEagle]

I am thinking it is doubtful that Samuela Fainu will go to the Tigers. They have Bateman, Ipap, big stef, klemmer and are looking at signing Frizell. If he goes there he will play nsw cup for Wests.

He is more chance of playing first grade at Manly

 

[Nordburg]

A rumour going around that Latu is off to the Titans.

 

[Kalvin]

A rumour going around that Latu is off to the Titans.

Interesting as I thought he arrived at Tigers hq only yesterday

 

[Tragic Eagle]

It seems to me the Tigers are in as much of a mess as we are. They have Doueihi coming back next year from another ICL rehab, Wakeham coming off contract and Brooks coming to us. So they are in need of experienced quality halves. A little like a game of chess at present. It would be a huge gamble for them to tie up a large chunk of their salary cap on Latu and Josh and I'm not sure they can afford to offer Samuela much either in view of their forward signings this year. So interesting times ahead. Whilst some are angling the moves it appears that some within the Tigers are not convinced.