[Resurrected] Tom Wright, the enigma

[The Who]

I've now watched this kid play live about six times, and he must be the most rocks-and-diamonds player in our club. Against Easts today his first half was shocking. Mistake after mistake. Most of his teammates were nearly as poor, and we trailed 28-nil at half time.
His second half, however, was brilliant. He scored two long distance tries and showed me - again - that he has a wealth of talent. I 'm sure Twenty and Bozo are working on him to calm down, and play a more controlled style. This kid could be our future 5/8, but he is a frustrating work-in-progress.
Now onto Tent.
What a disappointment. I reckon he touched the ball about four times, and had minimal impact. Why his teammates aren't giving him the ball is a mystery. He seems to be just there as a decoy. I'm stumped.
I hope Manly still employs a psychologist because these two guys have some much more to offer.
On the plus side, Jade Anderson has a ton of pace and looks to me to be a budding First Grade winger.

 

[Deleted member 26876]

I really don't trust this Tom Wright to be our future 5/8, maybe depth although out of the times I've seen him he's been poor and only has shown some glimpses of effort

 

[manly al]

Wright seems to have the physical attributes and footwork to maybe be able to cut it at a higher level but still no doubt needs continued improvement and development in his overall game . Should have a reasonable kicking game coming from a union background and if he can further develop the important requirements necessary at a higher level such as good pass selection , solid defence and directing play in a capable way , he may be able to give it a good shot. Still contracted for another season for the club and too old for twenties next year i think , so most likely will start the year plying his trade at Blacktown and ideally the more structured play at that level may improve and develop his playing ability in a positive way . If anyone is interested in commenting , how did Funa and Bainbridge go yesterday ? The previous time against the Roosters this season , the Manly twenties were smashed so looks like they are a better side now and have improved .

 

[CliffyIsGod]

Who was that live wire back we had in the lower grade 5-8 years ago? Jordan something?

 

[The Indian]

Indeed his highlight reels will look great - can do things only the special ones can....but wow it comes at a price.

I know we got him from Union and he plays a bit like that - all or nothing plays because as a back you only get to touch it once every 15 minutes if your lucky. I think he'll end up back in Union myself. Where you can be like a Quaid Cooper...make stacks of mistakes & drift in and out of the game and based on the odds freakish thing still pocket huge $$$$ in teams that underperform.


No doubt he has some talent though.

 

[jbb/james]

Future 5/8 is a big issue. Greeny wont last forever but talent alone is not what manly needs down the track. Cherry is there for donkeys yonks and we will need someone to compensate his skills but also his lack of patience and control.

Never watched the wright fella but silvertail reports of his freakish talents and lack of presence worries me that in a couple of years he wont be our man due to balance

Cherry will improve but i just dont ever see him pulling the strings

Cronk has shown teams can always succeed with game management but players like cherry rarely take teams to the top without a game manager as well

This is all based on now and he may improve that. His kicking game was better yesteday but im sure trent told him to use the breeze.

 

[Woodsie]

Future 5/8 is a big issue. Greeny wont last forever but talent alone is not what manly needs down the track. Cherry is there for donkeys yonks and we will need someone to compensate his skills but also his lack of patience and control.

Never watched the wright fella but silvertail reports of his freakish talents and lack of presence worries me that in a couple of years he wont be our man due to balance

Cherry will improve but i just dont ever see him pulling the strings

Cronk has shown teams can always succeed with game management but players like cherry rarely take teams to the top without a game manager as well

This is all based on now and he may improve that. His kicking game was better yesteday but im sure trent told him to use the breeze.

Your comments about the need for a "game manager" to compliment DCE is very informative and thought provoking. I hadn't assessed our future 5/8 requirements in that light.

Does put a question mark over the some of the candidates. Maybe this is what Baz has Hastings working towards in reggies.

 

[Bearfax]

I concur with you regarding your comments about Tom Wright and Anderson, and I've mentioned same before.

Tom Wright reminds me a little in general terms of Phil Blake and Johnnie Gibbs. They were outstanding talents and could take a game by the throat in a couple of amazing displays of talent. And yet for at least half the game you couldnt seem to find them on the field. Tom Wright is of the same ilk. Outstanding talents that changes a game in an instant. But he goes to sleep for lengthy periods and fumbles around like a school kid. If only Barrett and Fulton were able to get some mongrel and drive into the kid. He's a serious contender, but will he remain thus?

As for Anderson I've mentioned before that this kid is already first grade standard. He's tough, quite fast, good defender,is potentially a tough version of Menzies if they use him in the forwards. And unlike Wright, he's always involving himself. He's one Dessie let slip from his grasp at the kennel. Should be looked at for firsts next year.

 

[sheridanstand78]

I would persevere with young Tommy, at the moment he is a bit rocks and diamonds and he needs to find consistency in his game. He is a match winner and the raw skills he has means we need to keep him and let him develop. I think by 2019 he will be ready for the first team. The boy kicks goals too it is worth allowing him to develop. Remeber the 20s team are just kids, I watched the full game yesterday and they got caught cold and were behind in a blink and they showed a lot of pluck to come back and get level, what they lacked was composure when they got level and that ultimately cost them the game. The team overall has done really well this season.

 

[smithy]

Tom had one of those games, it was a game of two very contrasting halves, the first, nothing went right and the second everything clicked. His stats show it only too well:

2 tries, 12 runs, 249 metres, 2 line breaks, 1 offload, 13 tackles, 2 missed, 9 tackle busts and 3 errors.

The 249 metres was the second most for any player over the weekend and as a 6 that speaks volumes, so does the 3 errors obviously.

In this day and age with defences so structured a player like wright who can break a game open is valuable. Yes, he needs to work on the inconsistency although there is huge upside and with a full season next year in the top squad I hope we see the best of him, which could be very exciting.

 

[The Who]

Tom had one of those games, it was a game of two very contrasting halves, the first, nothing went right and the second everything clicked. His stats show it only too well:

2 tries, 12 runs, 249 metres, 2 line breaks, 1 offload, 13 tackles, 2 missed, 9 tackle busts and 3 errors.

The 249 metres was the second most for any player over the weekend and as a 6 that speaks volumes, so does the 3 errors obviously.

On this day and age with defences so structured a player like wright who can break a game open is valuable. Yes, he needs to work on the inconsistency although there is huge upside and with a full season next year in the top squad I hope we see the best of him, which could be very exciting.

Thanks for the stats on Wright.
Do you have the stats on Tent? I'm astonished at how little impact he's had in the matches I've seen him play live?

 

[TokyoEagle]

Thanks for the stats on Wright.
Do you have the stats on Tent? I'm astonished at how little impact he's had in the matches I've seen him play live?

It sounds like he was staked down for most of the match.

 

[EOL now nesting on the GC]

the biggest point to take on Wright is that he's still a kid playing in the under 20's.
if you showed those stats to anyone else not invested in the eagles they would fall over themselves to sign him.
huge talent. huge potential. Just needs time and the right guidance.
compare him to Tommy turbo for insurance. absolute superstar but he's a fullback who can just from the back when he sees the options open in front of him. Wright is a 5/8 who by design is a lynchpin and if he's off the team will struggle. as a fullback you can have an off day and it's neither here nor there.

as Kevin Costner once sort of said ' if you build it he will come'.

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[Haliaeetus]

hard for your backs and ball players to break games open consistently when your forwards aren't winning the battle either. maybe has something to do with it.

 

[smithy]

Thanks for the stats on Wright.
Do you have the stats on Tent? I'm astonished at how little impact he's had in the matches I've seen him play live?

yeah, they are all on nrl.com. hard to see on a mobile device easy on a computer. Here is paseka

http://www.nrl.com/telstrapremiersh...id/105/playerid/7446/seasonid/45/default.aspx

 

[The Who]

yeah, they are all on nrl.com. hard to see on a mobile device easy on a computer. Here is paseka

http://www.nrl.com/telstrapremiersh...id/105/playerid/7446/seasonid/45/default.aspx

Thanks. It bears out what I saw.
Played for 50 minutes, made five runs for 46 metres. Made 12 tackles but missed six.
That is not enough work from the biggest kid in the comp!

 

[smithy]

Wright seems to have the physical attributes and footwork to maybe be able to cut it at a higher level but still no doubt needs continued improvement and development in his overall game . Should have a reasonable kicking game coming from a union background and if he can further develop the important requirements necessary at a higher level such as good pass selection , solid defence and directing play in a capable way , he may be able to give it a good shot. Still contracted for another season for the club and too old for twenties next year i think , so most likely will start the year plying his trade at Blacktown and ideally the more structured play at that level may improve and develop his playing ability in a positive way . If anyone is interested in commenting , how did Funa and Bainbridge go yesterday ? The previous time against the Roosters this season , the Manly twenties were smashed so looks like they are a better side now and have improved .

Sorry Al just saw your post. Bainbridge didnt play as he is still injured. Funa has struggled to re-discover his form since returning from injury, to say his defence on Sunday was poor would be an understatement, his stats of 9 tackles made and 7 missed were the worst in a team total of 45 missed tackles.

 

[Gambit]

Let's be honest about Paseka, for his size and money he has been very ordinary, and that's being nice. stats since being at manly show this. Gets the majority of game time over the other props yet all the other props seem to produce more work with half the time. When he is on the field it's like playing with a man down because he basically produces nothing. Can score a try close to the line and has shown a bit with a shot or hard hit up hear or there and you think wow he's improving but then he just seems to sit back and watch the game go by for the rest of it. Lazy! Fatui has been the best prop all year, And yes Paseka is the starting prop and metres are tougher at the start when the sting is in the game then when fatui comes on at first change but that doesn't excuse his lack of input after the first 20 mins. The other starting prop Tarrant did the same amount of work in 20mins as Paseka did for 50mins. Maybe get him off the bench as an impact player because he has no impact starting. No way near ready to partner Marty Tapau let alone a bench spot in the NRL.

Paseka (prop): 50mins, 5 runs for 46m, 12 tackles for 6 missed.

Tarrant (prop): 26mins, 4 runs for 40m, 14 tackles for 2 missed.

Fatui (interchange): 54mims, 11 runs for 103m, 18 tackles for 1 missed.

Tuivati (interchange): 30mins, 7 runs for 77m, 13 tackles for 0 missed

 

[Gambit]

Sorry Al just saw your post. Bainbridge didnt play as he is still injured. Funa has struggled to re-discover his form since returning from injury, to say his defence on Sunday was poor would be an understatement, his stats of 9 tackles made and 7 missed were the worst in a team total of 45 missed tackles.

Only second game back from a long lay off, give him time. Hopefully he improves to what he was at the start of the year. Does anyone know when Bainbridge will be fit and back?

 

[Gambit]

hard for your backs and ball players to break games open consistently when your forwards aren't winning the battle either. maybe has something to do with it.

Also hard for your forwards to win the battle in the middle when there defending on their line set after set because the halves can't find touch from a penalty or produce a simple kicking game at the end of a set as happened in the first half on the weekend.