Player Ratings - Round 19

[HoldenV8]

GAME. OF. THE. YEAR. What more can be said? Read on

Tom Trbojevic 9/10 - Faultless at the back, especially when taking pressure bombs, and his usual class in attack. The only reason he's not the NSW and Kangaroos fullback is because he can play centre or wing and Tedesco isn't as versatile.

Jorge Taufua 8/10 - Jorge is back in form in a big way, though I get the feeling he only knows the tune of the team song and not the words.

Moses Suli 8/10 - Another strong performance from the big boy. He's finally showing that potential.

Brad Parker 8/10 - Made some crucial tackles and was Johnny on the spot for DCE's cross field kick that led to Thommo's try.

Reuben Garrick 7/10 - A tough ask up against the fastest player and arguably the best winger in the game. I thought he held his own against The Fox. Faultless goal kicking was a big bonus.

Dylan Walker 8/10 - Getting his hands on the ball a lot more seems to have been just the tonic for his confidence. I said in 2016, if his running game could be used right he could be a very good running 5/8. We saw that running 5/8 in Melbourne. But what impressed me most on Saturday night was his defence. 18 tackles....and none missed. The jury is still out on him in the halves, but its working right now.

Daly Cherry-Evans 9/10 - The Golden Point King. DCE didn't run a lot, but he controlled the game with his kicks and passing and like Walker made 18 tackles without a miss. An NRL record 6 times he has now kicked Manly to a win in Golden Point, 3 more than any other current player (Pearce).

Addin Fonua-Blake 8/10 - Again proving himself to be one of the best props in the game. Made a massive 42 tackles for a front rower.

Manase Fainu 9/10 - Absolutely brilliant game from Fainu. With 94 metres, 42 tackles and 5 offloads he definitely got the points over sCam on the night. The past met the future and the future won.

Martin Taupau 8/10 - His offloads open up a lot of space for Fainu and Turbo to weave their magic up the middle.

Joel Thompson 8/10 - Once again was rock solid on the left and picked up a well deserved try.

Curtis Sironen 9/10 - Robbed of a try by the BS obstruction rule. Siro is one of the form back rowers in the NRL right now. Saved a try out of nowhere because had he not been there, they score

Jake Trbojevic 8/10 - 67 or 69 tackles, what more can you say? Over 25 more than any other player on the park. I do think he's lucky to be free to play this week though.

Lachlan Croker N/A

Corey Waddell 5/10 - Only a 5 because he didn't get much game time, but was still OK.

Morgan Boyle 8/10 - Easily his best game so far for Manly. Des put him on early and he showed what he is capable of. Lets hope its the start of good things to come from him. Very good effort to be there in support to send Thommo over for a try.

Taniela Paseka 7/10 - He's coming along nicely, though this week he was overshadowed by Boyle.

Most of us said that Saturday night would show where we are currently at as a team. Well, we showed that we're contenders in 2019, not pretenders. We hung tough with the benchmark team in the competition and we won which will be an enormous boost to the teams confidence. And it wasn't a come from behind win, we were in control on the scoreboard for most of the game.

The best thing about the win though was our defence. Kevin Walters on Fox was banging on all night about how wonderful Melbourne's defence was (while ignoring them being offside, and our efforts), yet even Craig Bellamy gave credit to us and said that especially our goal line defence was as good as it gets.

I'm not saying just yet that we will, but this Manly team is very capable of winning the 2019 NRL Premiership, and a win against Newcastle will all but book a spot in the Finals.

 

[Simonmyers11]

good summary, have to agree with all of the above

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

For 67 ( or 69) tackles , and minus half a point for one of them Jakey deserves a 9.5!!

Otherwise all good.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Great analysis @HoldenV8 although I would probably give Marty an extra point, I thought he was fantastic and really takes his forward leader role seriously for us these days.
Poor old Jake, with the blood and the bandaging and the stone cold humourless demeanour, was looking a bit reminiscent of Terry Randall back in the day!

 

[The Wheel]

Great analysis @HoldenV8 although I would probably give Marty an extra point, I thought he was fantastic and really takes his forward leader role seriously for us these days.
Poor old Jake, with the blood and the bandaging and the stone cold humourless demeanour, was looking a bit reminiscent of Terry Randall back in the day!

For the youngsters on here that didn’t have the pleasure of seeing Randall in action you just have to watch Jake and you get a sense of what Igor was all about.

Igor was probably more aggressive and vicious in defense in a 1970s sense but their ability to smash ball runners is similar.

Jake has more ball skills, Igor stronger ball carrier but the passion and will to win and not take a backward step are almost identical

 

[BOZO]

GAME. OF. THE. YEAR. What more can be said? Read on

Tom Trbojevic 9/10 - Faultless at the back, especially when taking pressure bombs, and his usual class in attack. The only reason he's not the NSW and Kangaroos fullback is because he can play centre or wing and Tedesco isn't as versatile.

Jorge Taufua 8/10 - Jorge is back in form in a big way, though I get the feeling he only knows the tune of the team song and not the words.

Moses Suli 8/10 - Another strong performance from the big boy. He's finally showing that potential.

Brad Parker 8/10 - Made some crucial tackles and was Johnny on the spot for DCE's cross field kick that led to Thommo's try.

Reuben Garrick 7/10 - A tough ask up against the fastest player and arguably the best winger in the game. I thought he held his own against The Fox. Faultless goal kicking was a big bonus.

Dylan Walker 8/10 - Getting his hands on the ball a lot more seems to have been just the tonic for his confidence. I said in 2016, if his running game could be used right he could be a very good running 5/8. We saw that running 5/8 in Melbourne. But what impressed me most on Saturday night was his defence. 18 tackles....and none missed. The jury is still out on him in the halves, but its working right now.

Daly Cherry-Evans 9/10 - The Golden Point King. DCE didn't run a lot, but he controlled the game with his kicks and passing and like Walker made 18 tackles without a miss. An NRL record 6 times he has now kicked Manly to a win in Golden Point, 3 more than any other current player (Pearce).

Addin Fonua-Blake 8/10 - Again proving himself to be one of the best props in the game. Made a massive 42 tackles for a front rower.

Manase Fainu 9/10 - Absolutely brilliant game from Fainu. With 94 metres, 42 tackles and 5 offloads he definitely got the points over sCam on the night. The past met the future and the future won.

Martin Taupau 8/10 - His offloads open up a lot of space for Fainu and Turbo to weave their magic up the middle.

Joel Thompson 8/10 - Once again was rock solid on the left and picked up a well deserved try.

Curtis Sironen 9/10 - Robbed of a try by the BS obstruction rule. Siro is one of the form back rowers in the NRL right now. Saved a try out of nowhere because had he not been there, they score

Jake Trbojevic 8/10 - 67 or 69 tackles, what more can you say? Over 25 more than any other player on the park. I do think he's lucky to be free to play this week though.

Lachlan Croker N/A

Corey Waddell 5/10 - Only a 5 because he didn't get much game time, but was still OK.

Morgan Boyle 8/10 - Easily his best game so far for Manly. Des put him on early and he showed what he is capable of. Lets hope its the start of good things to come from him. Very good effort to be there in support to send Thommo over for a try.

Taniela Paseka 7/10 - He's coming along nicely, though this week he was overshadowed by Boyle.

Most of us said that Saturday night would show where we are currently at as a team. Well, we showed that we're contenders in 2019, not pretenders. We hung tough with the benchmark team in the competition and we won which will be an enormous boost to the teams confidence. And it wasn't a come from behind win, we were in control on the scoreboard for most of the game.

The best thing about the win though was our defence. Kevin Walters on Fox was banging on all night about how wonderful Melbourne's defence was (while ignoring them being offside, and our efforts), yet even Craig Bellamy gave credit to us and said that especially our goal line defence was as good as it gets.

I'm not saying just yet that we will, but this Manly team is very capable of winning the 2019 NRL Premiership, and a win against Newcastle will all but book a spot in the Finals.

Another great player ratings post @HoldenV8....... 9/10 ratings for you

 

[bigswifty]

GAME. OF. THE. YEAR. What more can be said? Read on

<SNIP>
Jorge Taufua 8/10 - Jorge is back in form in a big way, though I get the feeling he only knows the tune of the team song and not the words.
<SNIP>

You're kidding, right? How many grubbers does Jorge have to mess up (sometimes for tries) before he drops to a 7/10. He's running hard, working hard and tackling like a brute, but I cower every time a grubber goes behind him. Anyone can be made to look silly by an awkward bounce but IMO Jorge has looked kinda complaisant chasing grubbers and has let in some terrible tries recently.

 

[Briza]

GAME. OF. THE. YEAR. What more can be said? Read on

Tom Trbojevic 9/10 - Faultless at the back, especially when taking pressure bombs, and his usual class in attack. The only reason he's not the NSW and Kangaroos fullback is because he can play centre or wing and Tedesco isn't as versatile.

Jorge Taufua 8/10 - Jorge is back in form in a big way, though I get the feeling he only knows the tune of the team song and not the words.

Moses Suli 8/10 - Another strong performance from the big boy. He's finally showing that potential.

Brad Parker 8/10 - Made some crucial tackles and was Johnny on the spot for DCE's cross field kick that led to Thommo's try.

Reuben Garrick 7/10 - A tough ask up against the fastest player and arguably the best winger in the game. I thought he held his own against The Fox. Faultless goal kicking was a big bonus.

Dylan Walker 8/10 - Getting his hands on the ball a lot more seems to have been just the tonic for his confidence. I said in 2016, if his running game could be used right he could be a very good running 5/8. We saw that running 5/8 in Melbourne. But what impressed me most on Saturday night was his defence. 18 tackles....and none missed. The jury is still out on him in the halves, but its working right now.

Daly Cherry-Evans 9/10 - The Golden Point King. DCE didn't run a lot, but he controlled the game with his kicks and passing and like Walker made 18 tackles without a miss. An NRL record 6 times he has now kicked Manly to a win in Golden Point, 3 more than any other current player (Pearce).

Addin Fonua-Blake 8/10 - Again proving himself to be one of the best props in the game. Made a massive 42 tackles for a front rower.

Manase Fainu 9/10 - Absolutely brilliant game from Fainu. With 94 metres, 42 tackles and 5 offloads he definitely got the points over sCam on the night. The past met the future and the future won.

Martin Taupau 8/10 - His offloads open up a lot of space for Fainu and Turbo to weave their magic up the middle.

Joel Thompson 8/10 - Once again was rock solid on the left and picked up a well deserved try.

Curtis Sironen 9/10 - Robbed of a try by the BS obstruction rule. Siro is one of the form back rowers in the NRL right now. Saved a try out of nowhere because had he not been there, they score

Jake Trbojevic 8/10 - 67 or 69 tackles, what more can you say? Over 25 more than any other player on the park. I do think he's lucky to be free to play this week though.

Lachlan Croker N/A

Corey Waddell 5/10 - Only a 5 because he didn't get much game time, but was still OK.

Morgan Boyle 8/10 - Easily his best game so far for Manly. Des put him on early and he showed what he is capable of. Lets hope its the start of good things to come from him. Very good effort to be there in support to send Thommo over for a try.

Taniela Paseka 7/10 - He's coming along nicely, though this week he was overshadowed by Boyle.

Most of us said that Saturday night would show where we are currently at as a team. Well, we showed that we're contenders in 2019, not pretenders. We hung tough with the benchmark team in the competition and we won which will be an enormous boost to the teams confidence. And it wasn't a come from behind win, we were in control on the scoreboard for most of the game.

The best thing about the win though was our defence. Kevin Walters on Fox was banging on all night about how wonderful Melbourne's defence was (while ignoring them being offside, and our efforts), yet even Craig Bellamy gave credit to us and said that especially our goal line defence was as good as it gets.

I'm not saying just yet that we will, but this Manly team is very capable of winning the 2019 NRL Premiership, and a win against Newcastle will all but book a spot in the Finals.

Cheers for that, just got back from the scrub and missed the game.
Sounds like a great team effort defensively like the decade of dominance.

 

[globaleagle]

For the youngsters on here that didn’t have the pleasure of seeing Randall in action you just have to watch Jake and you get a sense of what Igor was all about.

Igor was probably more aggressive and vicious in defense in a 1970s sense but their ability to smash ball runners is similar.

Jake has more ball skills but the passion and will to win and not take a backward step are almost identical

I loved how Jake didn't let up. The first tackle after that penalty and 'wham' cut some storm pretender right in half.

Thanks @HoldenV8 for the effort!

Now...change them all to 1's so we stay under the radar. lol

 

[HoldenV8]

You're kidding, right? How many grubbers does Jorge have to mess up (sometimes for tries) before he drops to a 7/10. He's running hard, working hard and tackling like a brute, but I cower every time a grubber goes behind him. Anyone can be made to look silly by an awkward bounce but IMO Jorge has looked kinda complaisant chasing grubbers and has let in some terrible tries recently.

I won't argue that Jorge's biggest issue is his lack of speed for a winger, and part of that is his turn and chase. Doesn't-matta exploited it twice and Will Chambers exploited it on Saturday night. But other than that (which has always been a problem for him, not just this year), his form is hard to fault right now.

Jorge used to be good for at least one, maybe two, dropped balls per game be it dropping a high kick or knocking on when running the ball and getting tackled. To my recollection he hasn't dropped a single ball since the loss to St Merge in Wollongong.

I stand by giving him an 8 this week.

 

[HoldenV8]

Cheers for that, just got back from the scrub and missed the game.
Sounds like a great team effort defensively like the decade of dominance.

Even Craig Bellamy gave credit where it was due about our defence, especially the goal line defence. And coming from the coach who's club sides (regardless what you think of him or them) have been consistently the bechmark of the past dozen or so years, that is a compliment.

 

[Pittwater Legend]

I won't argue that Jorge's biggest issue is his lack of speed for a winger, and part of that is his turn and chase. Doesn't-matta exploited it twice and Will Chambers exploited it on Saturday night. But other than that (which has always been a problem for him, not just this year), his form is hard to fault right now.

Jorge used to be good for at least one, maybe two, dropped balls per game be it dropping a high kick or knocking on when running the ball and getting tackled. To my recollection he hasn't dropped a single ball since the loss to St Merge in Wollongong.

I stand by giving him an 8 this week.

With regards to Jorge defending kicks against Parra. He actually got to the 1st kick but gambled in not knocking it over the dead ball line. I must admit that from seeing the kick from the hill, it did look like the ball was going dead until it sat up. The 2nd kick was placed somewhere between Jorge and Tommy Turbo but a Parra player got to it first.

The kick against Melbourne was a horrible miss though. Hopefully there aren’t too many more like that.

 

[HoldenV8]

With regards to Jorge defending kicks against Parra. He actually got to the 1st kick but gambled in not knocking it over the dead ball line. I must admit that from seeing the kick on the hill, it did look like the ball was going dead until it sat up. The 2nd kick was placed somewhere between Jorge and Tommy Turbo but a Parra player got to it first.

The kick against Melbourne was a horrible miss though. Hopefully there aren’t too many more like that.

Other than Jorge's miss, the biggest issue with the Chambers try was that there was no marker in place which allowed him to go from dummy half and put in the kick virtually uncontested.

 

[Pittwater Legend]

Other than Jorge's miss, the biggest issue with the Chambers try was that there was no marker in place which allowed him to go from dummy half and put in the kick virtually uncontested.

Yeah that is correct. Having no markers was the first thing I mentioned in the game day thread when the try was scored and it’s fair to let Jorge off the hook for that try in that instance.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

For the youngsters on here that didn’t have the pleasure of seeing Randall in action you just have to watch Jake and you get a sense of what Igor was all about.

Igor was probably more aggressive and vicious in defense in a 1970s sense but their ability to smash ball runners is similar.

Jake has more ball skills, Igor stronger ball carrier but the passion and will to win and not take a backward step are almost identical

My absolute favourite Manly player, a smidge ahead of Wombat, and two smidges ahead of Cliffy.

Man oh man couldn’t he tackle, and went full bore from minute 1 to minute 80.

 

[HoldenV8]

Yeah that is correct. Having no markers was the first thing I mentioned in the game day thread when the try was scored and it’s fair to let Jorge off the hook for that try in that instance.

The problem was that the whole play required scrambling defence. Hughes put Papenhuysen away which saw Tom have to chase and our left edge had to turn and chase. Unfortunately while Tom caught Papenhuysen fairly easily (so much for his speed.....), he was still able to get the ball away which Melbourne managed to get to first. But everyone then went to set up the line and we forgot to have at least one marker which then allowed Chambers to do what he did.

If Tom had wrapped up the ball or if we'd had someone at marker, maybe there wouldn't have been a try. But as it was, because the line was still being set when Chambers kicked, it was left to Jorge to turn and chase and unfortunately he dived for it too early and had an air swing.

The saving grace was actually Chambers deciding to go the blind side and score in the corner. Had he passed it back infield they might have scored closer to or even under the posts giving Smith an easier conversion that he'd be less likely to miss. As it was, sCam missing the kick from the sideline actually proved crucial because it meant that Brandon Smith's later try and sCam's conversion only saw them tie the score and didn't give Melbourne the lead.

 

[Woodsie]

You're kidding, right? How many grubbers does Jorge have to mess up (sometimes for tries) before he drops to a 7/10. He's running hard, working hard and tackling like a brute, but I cower every time a grubber goes behind him. Anyone can be made to look silly by an awkward bounce but IMO Jorge has looked kinda complaisant chasing grubbers and has let in some terrible tries recently.

Give yourself an uppercut .... he was stationary facing a moving opponent and still managed to turn and beat him .. got his body in front of the chaser and missed the ball by 2 inchs ... he did exceptional ....

 

[HoldenV8]

Give yourself an uppercut .... he was stationary facing a moving opponent and still managed to turn and beat him .. got his body in front of the chaser and missed the ball by 2 inchs ... he did exceptional ....

Exceptional would have been knocking it dead before Chambers could get to it. But I can't fault the effort or desire from Jorge. Other than Thommo trying to bump Chambers just after he kicked it, Jorge was the only one to turn and chase the ball into the in-goal. Tom was out of position as he had tackled Papenhuysen over the sideline, while unfortunately both Walker and Parker virtually watched Chambers run past them which was about the only bad thing either did all night. Jorge was the only defender to put in an effort to get to the ball.

 

[nightster]

For the youngsters on here that didn’t have the pleasure of seeing Randall in action you just have to watch Jake and you get a sense of what Igor was all about.

Igor was probably more aggressive and vicious in defense in a 1970s sense but their ability to smash ball runners is similar.

Jake has more ball skills, Igor stronger ball carrier but the passion and will to win and not take a backward step are almost identical