Olakau'Atu

[Disco]

Remember , it’s an opinion.

You can throw stats at me all day long but in my opinion I thought , compared to the previous year he was average.

I can hardly remember him being talked about , or winning many votes on the player of the day that we do. I’m not saying no votes , but he was far from top of the tree each week.

Opinions of course and I'm just debating views.

As Will on the hill pointed out Olakau'atu won Silvertails MVP last year. So he did indeed win many votes.

Also in the Dally M he secured 6 votes, the equal most for any edge backrower in the league. (Equal with Nanai).

2022 Points Leaderboard

2022 Dally M total points tally and standings.

www.nrl.com

Also here are two articles I searched in 2 min talking him up for Origin last year.

Sea Eagles enforcer on Fittler's radar

True Blue Paul Sironen believes Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues coach Brad Fittler would be keeping a close eye on Haumole Olakau’atu following the Many Warringah Sea Eagles back-rower’s strong start to the season.

www.nswrl.com.au

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/crawley-files-worrying-stat-that-could-turn-nrl-finals-hopes-into-a-battle-for-the-wooden-spoon/news-story/715aa9d4a58d5208f627ee19812d3dad%3famp

 

[Bearfax]

Seems some here have very short memories. The DCE issue with Olakau'atu was no where near as bad as is being represented in 2022. As has been pointed out Ola still was the most potent second rower in our side and was being serviced by DCE. I recall the year before that he and DCE were exceptional in the number of set ups by kicking and s passing between the two. 8 tries in 2021, 10 in 2022. He's getting set up somewhere. We would have been cellar dwellers without DCE in the side last year. He has his faults...all players do...amd one is he tries too hard and wants to overplay his hand because the side was a mess. That's the coach's responsibility as well as injury tolls not the half back or captain. One man doesnt make a team. I suspect DCE and Schuster will be dynamite this year.

 

[jbb/james]

Seems some here have very short memories. The DCE issue with Olakau'atu was no where near as bad as is being represented in 2022. As has been pointed out Ola still was the most potent second rower in our side and was being serviced by DCE. I recall the year before that he and DCE were exceptional in the number of set ups by kicking and s passing between the two. 8 tries in 2021, 10 in 2022. He's getting set up somewhere. We would have been cellar dwellers without DCE in the side last year. He has his faults...all players do...amd one is he tries too hard and wants to overplay his hand because the side was a mess. That's the coach's responsibility as well as injury tolls not the half back or captain. One man doesnt make a team. I suspect DCE and Schuster will be dynamite this year.

fair enough mate, but this is my memory. Feel free to correct me as im going off grey matter and am on holidays so my dce stat books are at home but

Sure there are stats. But from watching the season 21 , it seemed as though we scored 50 every week so try assists were plentiful. Our season was off the back of tom with dce a much more subdued role until the eagles are up by 24. Thats when dce ups his game, no defence. He is then pretty darn good.

dce has mega skills and a decent player but fact/ stat remains he needs others to smash down the door first And thats about playmakers and not forwards. All playmakers need that. If others dont do the hard work DCE is average and so are his numbers

try assists in the 58th minute when your up by 30 are not the same thing in terms of game defining as a try assist in the 20 th when its nil all. And thats why stats can be crapola. Dce pads the stats once the horse has bolted and IMO plays for stats rather than game outcomes

i just think plenty have seen this for years . He is gifted but i think our team with another 1.3 or 1.5 mill would improve due to the spasmodic use of those gifts and the need for cherry to be at least second up if not 3rd in guiding the side

i suppose as this thread is about oku then you are pretty happy with how dce sends the ball right, to oku, koula ,or historically sirro, suli.

oku is just too good, but our right sude is like the old parra, where you end your career. Back inside sirro , as there is no more room, and suli was another . Council worker all year, gets switched to the left for one game and foran turned him into a wrecking ball

anyway. Gooood morning from me . Not trying to wind you up, just chewin the fat

 

[jbb/james]

DCE was third in halfbacks behind Hughes and Hynes for run metres in 2022 (4th if you count Hastings but he played mostly lock and 5/8)

If you talk RM per game then he was 4th behind Hynes, Hughes and Cleary. (5th if counting Hastings)

Another stat would be cleary , hynes and hughes ran there teams into finals.

mentioning hastings makes you wonder if we kept the wrong half considering the $$$$$$ difference . might be a toss pot , but dce isnt seen as a man the gels the team or squad despite being a great trainer.

 

[Disco]

Another stat would be cleary , hynes and hughes ran there teams into finals.

mentioning hastings makes you wonder if we kept the wrong half considering the $$$$$$ difference . might be a toss pot , but dce isnt seen as a man the gels the team or squad despite being a great trainer.

My point simply is that running has never been DCEs issue.

Game management is.

 

[jbb/james]

My point simply is that running has never been DCEs issue.

Game management is.

Fair enough,agree with that . Good clarify

 

[Bearfax]

fair enough mate, but this is my memory. Feel free to correct me as im going off grey matter and am on holidays so my dce stat books are at home but

Sure there are stats. But from watching the season 21 , it seemed as though we scored 50 every week so try assists were plentiful. Our season was off the back of tom with dce a much more subdued role until the eagles are up by 24. Thats when dce ups his game, no defence. He is then pretty darn good.

dce has mega skills and a decent player but fact/ stat remains he needs others to smash down the door first And thats about playmakers and not forwards. All playmakers need that. If others dont do the hard work DCE is average and so are his numbers

try assists in the 58th minute when your up by 30 are not the same thing in terms of game defining as a try assist in the 20 th when its nil all. And thats why stats can be crapola. Dce pads the stats once the horse has bolted and IMO plays for stats rather than game outcomes

i just think plenty have seen this for years . He is gifted but i think our team with another 1.3 or 1.5 mill would improve due to the spasmodic use of those gifts and the need for cherry to be at least second up if not 3rd in guiding the side

i suppose as this thread is about oku then you are pretty happy with how dce sends the ball right, to oku, koula ,or historically sirro, suli.

oku is just too good, but our right sude is like the old parra, where you end your career. Back inside sirro , as there is no more room, and suli was another . Council worker all year, gets switched to the left for one game and foran turned him into a wrecking ball

anyway. Gooood morning from me . Not trying to wind you up, just chewin the fat

You're not winding me up and I appreciate your comments. You debate well and I enjoy that. I think the key phrase though is 'this is my memory'. As you're probably aware, memories are selective and depend much upon preconditioned thoughts. That is we all tend to see what we subconsciously want to see, things that justify our original position and overlook, or at least diminish those things that don't. Its hard to break free from that. That's why stats are so important because they are more substantive. We are all locked into how we perceive, and that is not reality, just reality to us.

Sorry I'm getting into psych stuff, residues of a past life. We all cherry pick (excuse the pun there) anecdotal examples to reinforce what we think. But its like when I talk with a friend who is Russian and reads primarily Russian media. He sees the Western perspective as biased and argues quite succinctly as to why Putin is justified in his actions. He truly believes what he says. I often suggest to others when he approaches to recall the old Basil Fawlty plea 'Dont mention the war'. That guy is a nice fellow, kind, friendly. He is just preconditioned to a certain perspective. We all are and that's why I value stats over my perspective.

ps and please dont assume that I am suggesting your perspective is like that Russian friend. That's an extreme case. Your comments are quite valid, just selective, like mine tend to be

 

[Tragic Eagle]

I don't think people intentionally cherry pick. I know from my line of work that different people remember different things from the same incident they observe. So in respect of watching games of football the same applies. We focus on different things and on different players and some times we blame the wrong players for things that go wrong. The game is fast and there is a lot happening across the field. So it follows that we retain that information and it doesn't always dove tail with the memory of other observers. Statistics have value but it is not wise to rely solely open those in isolation to other factors. I am interested in other peoples observations and views. Sometimes I don't agree with them and they even irk me but hey that's life so I don't even respond. We all think we are experts in our own minds. However more often than not what I read on here sits well with my thoughts on football matters.

 

[jbb/james]

You're not winding me up and I appreciate your comments. You debate well and I enjoy that. I think the key phrase though is 'this is my memory'. As you're probably aware, memories are selective and depend much upon preconditioned thoughts. That is we all tend to see what we subconsciously want to see, things that justify our original position and overlook, or at least diminish those things that don't. Its hard to break free from that. That's why stats are so important because they are more substantive. We are all locked into how we perceive, and that is not reality, just reality to us.

Sorry I'm getting into psych stuff, residues of a past life. We all cherry pick (excuse the pun there) anecdotal examples to reinforce what we think. But its like when I talk with a friend who is Russian and reads primarily Russian media. He sees the Western perspective as biased and argues quite succinctly as to why Putin is justified in his actions. He truly believes what he says. I often suggest to others when he approaches to recall the old Basil Fawlty plea 'Dont mention the war'. That guy is a nice fellow, kind, friendly. He is just preconditioned to a certain perspective. We all are and that's why I value stats over my perspective.

ps and please dont assume that I am suggesting your perspective is like that Russian friend. That's an extreme case. Your comments are quite valid, just selective, like mine tend to be

cool bear. I know i grate people with my opinion so i try to ensure im being constructive ………mostly. I do throw a few out there to annoy those that get agro with me. its a mental health thing for me
I love the psych stuff, i agree with perspective of course , as with expectations .

im primarily a role man in this debate.
that is james expectation.

some roles you pay handsomely for, like the role cleary plays as an example. its more about the team than an individual approach. In my view cherry has the skills to play that role but it bores him

DCE doesnt tick enough of the KEY role boxes for me and lacks the proven qualities that win big games

but back to the psyc stuff. Do you consider that an 8 year contract may have made him too comfortable . with no suitors looking to match his salary over the years id assume most clubs have decided he doesnt offer enough either. But that i can not be certain of, but never heard whispers ever of a DCE poaching attempt . Even Redcliffe, a local , his dad played for them, seems weird the roosters never wanted him IMO


As for the russian thing. I like hats, and them furry ones are on my list,
also no offence taken, your always calm and respectful.

 

[Bearfax]

cool bear. I know i grate people with my opinion so i try to ensure im being constructive ………mostly. I do throw a few out there to annoy those that get agro with me. its a mental health thing for me
I love the psych stuff, i agree with perspective of course , as with expectations .

im primarily a role man in this debate.
that is james expectation.

some roles you pay handsomely for, like the role cleary plays as an example. its more about the team than an individual approach. In my view cherry has the skills to play that role but it bores him

DCE doesnt tick enough of the KEY role boxes for me and lacks the proven qualities that win big games

but back to the psyc stuff. Do you consider that an 8 year contract may have made him too comfortable . with no suitors looking to match his salary over the years id assume most clubs have decided he doesnt offer enough either. But that i can not be certain of, but never heard whispers ever of a DCE poaching attempt . Even Redcliffe, a local , his dad played for them, seems weird the roosters never wanted him IMO


As for the russian thing. I like hats, and them furry ones are on my list,
also no offence taken, your always calm and respectful.

Hey it wasnt criticism and you're not grating in expressing an opinion. Yours is just as valid as mine. I was only suggesting perspective is always tainted.

In answer to your question about the length of DCEs contract, no doubt one could become a little complacent knowing your future is secure. Depends I guess on the individual's aims/goals. Not sure that DCE's personality would allow him to rest on his laurels. He seems to me one who pushes himself. Why else would he choose to be chair of the Players Association. Further, I read an article recently that stated he is the fittest in the club which could explain at his age part of why he has suffered so few major injuries. What I perceive of him on the field is someone who gives his all, a jack in the box, but he has limitation. Yes sometimes he runs about like a headless chook but I don't think that's because he's not giving it his all. He seems on the go continually as demonstrated by his high tackle count. He obviously rubs some the wrong way but then he's somewhat smarter than most footballers and being captain, he has confidence in how he presents himself. He obviously seeks to improve himself as shown by his kicking range and defensive technique. And though I try to avoid being influenced by what happens off the field, he obviously has a stbale family life and personality. Not everyone likes him it sees but then anyone with a strong personaility is going to have that. With good players around him,like in the SOO he's a stand out because he isnt having to cover for the deficiencies in the side. Point is he's top tier in my opinion and we don't want conventional, hard working, steady. We want someone who makes things happen, even though inevitably that results in a higher mistake rate.

To me I'm glad we have him and I dont blame him for the salary issue caused by the club's short sightedness years ago. To me he's a top competitor and obviously loyal to the club. But he's far from perfect and needs certain types of players around him to give him the freedom to do what comes more naturally to him, like was shown with Turbo in the side in 2021. Maybe a new coach will have him playing a different style and I'm hoping Schuster flowers into what I think he can become, because DCE is not a great ball player and needs a clever five eighth outside him, like he had with Munster in the SOO

But that is all my opinion, though I think the stats seem to support some of what I've suggested

 

[rmd]

Okay guys, I am completely confused. I thought this was an Olakau'atu discussion and somehow, it quickly derailed to a DCE discussion.

It's nice that you guys get on together and banter, and it's all a good read, with all your comments and thoughts, however, can we please try and stay on topic. If not, just start a new blog or add to another DCE blog.

To be honest, it doesn't really worry me when posters go off topic, as invariably occurs, and discussions do the same in a pub, or wherever, however, it would be great, if we could stay on the topic.

 

[Bearfax]

Okay guys, I am completely confused. I thought this was an Olakau'atu discussion and somehow, it quickly derailed to a DCE discussion.

It's nice that you guys get on together and banter, and it's all a good read, with all your comments and thoughts, however, can we please try and stay on topic. If not, just start a new blog or add to another DCE blog.

To be honest, it doesn't really worry me when posters go off topic, as invariably occurs, and discussions do the same in a pub, or wherever, however, it would be great, if we could stay on the topic.

Look rmd, I try to be good. But the demons in me keep leading me astray.

 

[jbb/james]

Okay guys, I am completely confused. I thought this was an Olakau'atu discussion and somehow, it quickly derailed to a DCE discussion.

It's nice that you guys get on together and banter, and it's all a good read, with all your comments and thoughts, however, can we please try and stay on topic. If not, just start a new blog or add to another DCE blog.

To be honest, it doesn't really worry me when posters go off topic, as invariably occurs, and discussions do the same in a pub, or wherever, however, it would be great, if we could stay on the topic.

wow i thought it was a foran thread.

just mucking, but i hear ya .

 

[jbb/james]

Hey it wasnt criticism and you're not grating in expressing an opinion. Yours is just as valid as mine. I was only suggesting perspective is always tainted.

In answer to your question about the length of DCEs contract, no doubt one could become a little complacent knowing your future is secure. Depends I guess on the individual's aims/goals. Not sure that DCE's personality would allow him to rest on his laurels. He seems to me one who pushes himself. Why else would he choose to be chair of the Players Association. Further, I read an article recently that stated he is the fittest in the club which could explain at his age part of why he has suffered so few major injuries. What I perceive of him on the field is someone who gives his all, a jack in the box, but he has limitation. Yes sometimes he runs about like a headless chook but I don't think that's because he's not giving it his all. He seems on the go continually as demonstrated by his high tackle count. He obviously rubs some the wrong way but then he's somewhat smarter than most footballers and being captain, he has confidence in how he presents himself. He obviously seeks to improve himself as shown by his kicking range and defensive technique. And though I try to avoid being influenced by what happens off the field, he obviously has a stbale family life and personality. Not everyone likes him it sees but then anyone with a strong personaility is going to have that. With good players around him,like in the SOO he's a stand out because he isnt having to cover for the deficiencies in the side. Point is he's top tier in my opinion and we don't want conventional, hard working, steady. We want someone who makes things happen, even though inevitably that results in a higher mistake rate.

To me I'm glad we have him and I dont blame him for the salary issue caused by the club's short sightedness years ago. To me he's a top competitor and obviously loyal to the club. But he's far from perfect and needs certain types of players around him to give him the freedom to do what comes more naturally to him, like was shown with Turbo in the side in 2021. Maybe a new coach will have him playing a different style and I'm hoping Schuster flowers into what I think he can become, because DCE is not a great ball player and needs a clever five eighth outside him, like he had with Munster in the SOO

But that is all my opinion, though I think the stats seem to support some of what I've suggested

Never took it as criticism at all, i also dont blame him for his salary but with big bucks comes big expectations


But @rmd starting from now as ididnt want to ignore @Bearfax

a very big oku fan, he is origin ready IMO. I think he and cleary could emulate the cleary kikau partnership. possibly better. He just has mongrel and we are still to see his best.

 

[cc eagle]

Horse named Olakauátu running in the Country Championship tomorrow, Race 8 Coffs harbour

 

[Brookie Bob]

Horse named Olakauátu running in the Country Championship tomorrow, Race 8 Coffs harbour

It will probably run over the top of the others in a dominant display.

 

[Disco]

Looks a decent shout too

 

[Woodsie]

Wearing the #7 and paying about $9

OLAKAU'ATU​

Olakau'atu is a thoroughbred horse born in Australia in 2019. Race horse Olakau'atu is by Sebring (AUS) out of Divine Nature (AUS) , trained by Brett Dodson. Olakau'atu form is available here. Owned by G J Galvin, A I Dutton, D Neilson, Mrs L Neilson, B T Wright & Mrs J H Wright.

Pedigree​

Sire	Sebring (AUS) 2005
Dam	Divine Nature (AUS) 2013 [By Casino Prince (AUS) 2003]

About the horse​

Foal Date	15 Oct 2019
Description	3yo BR Gelding
Trainer	Brett Dodson
Owner	G J Galvin, A I Dutton, D Neilson, Mrs L Neilson, B T Wright & Mrs J H Wright
Total PM	AUD $54,200
Career	3 Wins (50%) - No Places (50%) - 6 starts
Wins	1300m (1), 1313m (1), 1400m (1)

 

[cc eagle]

Wearing the #7 and paying about $9

OLAKAU'ATU​

Olakau'atu is a thoroughbred horse born in Australia in 2019. Race horse Olakau'atu is by Sebring (AUS) out of Divine Nature (AUS) , trained by Brett Dodson. Olakau'atu form is available here. Owned by G J Galvin, A I Dutton, D Neilson, Mrs L Neilson, B T Wright & Mrs J H Wright.

Pedigree​

Sire	Sebring (AUS) 2005
Dam	Divine Nature (AUS) 2013 [By Casino Prince (AUS) 2003]

About the horse​

Foal Date	15 Oct 2019
Description	3yo BR Gelding
Trainer	Brett Dodson
Owner	G J Galvin, A I Dutton, D Neilson, Mrs L Neilson, B T Wright & Mrs J H Wright
Total PM	AUD $54,200
Career	3 Wins (50%) - No Places (50%) - 6 starts
Wins	1300m (1), 1313m (1), 1400m (1)

So which of the owners supports the Sea eagles ?

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

So which of the owners supports the Sea eagles ?

Must be one !!