Tom Wright: Where do you put him?

[Smokin Joe]

The more I see him play,the more I think he is a centre and potentially a special one.Doesn't seem to possess the ability to see the whole area and what is going on defensively from the opposition but maybe more time in RL will help.What he does seem to possess is great awareness to see what is directly in front of him and with that speed and quick step and ability to jink/hop left/right and with good hands would make a really good centre in the Matt Gidley/Mick O'Connor type mode.Gidley used to be a master at it and I think it was either McDougall or Tahu used to get a bag of tries each year,Mick used to be good at it too(another ex rugby guy).Don't think he has the ability to see all in front of him and then make good decisions as to who should get the pass etc...6 and 1 it sort of helps to have that ability but that more one on one attacking style would suit being a centre.Just needs to work on defense but goes ok and seems a quick thinker.

 

[Phil Blake]

Wright and Anderson are the future wingers of the club. Wright may develop into our 5/8 but for now bring him on slowly on the wing. He and Anderson will be a sensation.

I actually prefer Smalley to Anderson, but they are all talented. Very talented 20's side, surprised they only finished 8th in the regular season.

Agree with you volley, I'm Tom Wrights biggest fan but think he is far too inconsistent at this stage... he needs more time...
Anderson is a real live wire and has potential

 

[Sheikheagle]

I agree re Wright wing or centre initially. Would like Anderson to put on a few kgs in off season he does look a prospect.

 

[manly al]

I still would not discount Tom Wright"s capability to develop into a Ist grade 5 / 8 . Some of his pass selections yesterday were quite skillful and when under pressure , especially some inside passes [ not easy ] to Anderson and also for Andrews important try just after half time . Did't have much of a platform to work off yesterday with the aggressive Eels defence but still made some strong runs and was trying some things . In the short term and from what Barrett has intimated , it seems that he will be mainly considered as a centre prospect and even guys like Matt Gidley and even Foran occasionally alternated between 5 / 8 and centre early in their careers. Tom is just a naturally gifted footballer with his acceleration , elusiveness and good speed , and again with the right tutoring and coaching and encouragement , ideally can be a long term back line top performer for Manly and of course next year will provide more of an indication if he is up to it . Anderson was good yesterday , another good natural footballer who i think can also make it to the top level soon and hopefully for the Sea Eagles .

 

[cherry_poppins]

He was total garbage on sunday

 

[Bradza]

He was total garbage on sunday

Always uplifting having you around cp!

 

[cherry_poppins]

Always uplifting having you around cp!

Oh sorry for not accepting his man meat in my mouth because he wears a lower grade manly jersey

He was **** in the grand final

 

[eagerbeaver]

Oh sorry for not accepting his man meat in my mouth because he wears a lower grade manly jersey

He was **** in the grand final

You got nfi. Just cause he didn't score a hat trick - doesn't mean he was sh*t.
He had some classy touches and didn't overplay his hand.. was heavily marked and often took 2 or 3 players to bring him down.
This created more room for the players around him..

 

[NLSeaEagle]

You got nfi. Just cause he didn't score a hat trick - doesn't mean he was sh*t.
He had some classy touches and didn't overplay his hand.. was heavily marked and often took 2 or 3 players to bring him down.
This created more room for the players around him..

I thought he was intimidated by the size of the Parra pack....................was very reluctant to run at the line like he had done in previous weeks. That could have been because he was heavily marked but was disappointing he still didn't take it on.

 

[cherry_poppins]

You got nfi. Just cause he didn't score a hat trick - doesn't mean he was sh*t.
He had some classy touches and didn't overplay his hand.. was heavily marked and often took 2 or 3 players to bring him down.
This created more room for the players around him..

Lol he got in the way and he **** the bed, it's lucky he had someone who could handle the brighter lights of the grand final

Yes it took 3 men to take him down but he did nothing at all with it

#7 was the reason we won without being the MVP

 

[double hoops]

Centre. Anderson wing.

 

[Bearfax]

At the moment Wright needs space. He's not entirely comfortable at 5/8 even though he played union there. But they have more space to move in Union because the forwards are tied up more regularly in rucks. He's a gifted young footballer, and has the skills to be a class 5/8 but not yet. I'd put him on the wing or centre for a few years. He's a free running player of the Blake type and the more space he has the better. Even Cliffy Lyons started out as a centre for Norths. And I remember he was not greatly thought of when we bought him (Mitchell Cox was the big signing from the Bears that year), but I remember the silky skills and how much time Lyons had at Norths and said then he will be much better than Cox. Wright is in the same bag. He's got the skills big time, just needs the development.

 

[Fluffy]

You got nfi. Just cause he didn't score a hat trick - doesn't mean he was sh*t.
He had some classy touches and didn't overplay his hand.. was heavily marked and often took 2 or 3 players to bring him down.
This created more room for the players around him..

Solid game all round.

His outside man Andrews refused to run in the first half and was just woeful (missed a few simple tackles as well). Finally had a run 2 minutes into the second and Wright put him in a hole to score.

Whilst Wright made a few errors later in the game his cross field kicks were very good and kept the pressure on as well, he chipped in when required but was definitely a marked man.

We also went left a lot as Parras right side defence was the weaker side.

 

[EOL now nesting on the GC]

with friends like!

no wonder they are scrapping the 20's comp with such well rounded and constructive comments from some directed at boys. pressure is everything these days.

I wonder how many of the true greats of the game would have still come thru in the current 'tear them apart' and comment from the sofa world we live in?

I'm going to try something new. comment yes but don't judge and belittle something that I wouldn't even be able to get close to doing myself.

On this board I haven't been the biggest fan of of some players such Api or Brown but while they play for manly they will now have my support.

who am I to say they are or are not crap.

Wright is just a kid who in my opinion will be something special if allowed to develop without pressure and hype.

imagine the crap that would have come the way of Titmus if he had of dropped that ball while pretending to be a bird in the GF. make or break a career that hasn't even really started.









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[eaglebuzz]

Wright played alright in the GF, he had a nice touch for a try assist in the first half and some of his kicks were ok.

The problem he really had was that after his first double-pump pass to set up the try, he was basically telegraphing all of his attacking decisions. It was obvious when he was going to run, it was obvious when he was going to pass, it was obvious when he was going to kick. All they had to do was mark him heavily and he died with the ball just about every time he touched it. But he had that classic "danger man" presence on the field, and so received extra attention from the defence which meant that Cust was able to do more. It meant that he looked like he had a crap game, but I think that was because he was the player that the Eels were most worried about.

 

[Chip and Chase]

Well all these 20's players should be able to develop in relative anonymity next season seeing as the NYC is being scrapped and they won't be on the TV each week. I suspect that will be good for some and not so good for others, some like the bright lights and the small taste of "fame", others will be prepared to keep focused on the bigger prize away from weekly scrutiny of the Foxtel viewing public. Not sure where our 20's will end up - I don't know what the youth comp structure is for next season. Do they play for Blacktown based side now ??

Will be interesting to see which of these so called "stars" is prepared to keep chipping away and bide their time. I can't see any of that NYC team getting a crack at first grade next year unless we have some serious injury problems. There is some potential among them for sure - but none NRL ready IMO.

 

[maxta]

The truth is - a big part of Manly winning the 2017 Premiership was the flood marking on Wright....especially when he individually dismantled the minor premiership Sharks with a 5 Star performance.
The past 2 games, every time Wright touches the ball there is 5-6 players in a 10m area up and in to minimise his freakish attacking ability....this leaves 60m for the 6 players to defend and gives his mates plenty of space and time.....it has often been the hooker Fiuna often playing 1st reciever with Cust who have really benefited from the heat Wright has attracted.
Make no mistake - the game was well and truly in Eels control through the middle 3rd for most of that GF and ANY half at ANY level will do it tough under those conditions.
The coaching staff obviously had a backup game plan with Tom a marked man....he is not an Andrew Johns/Lockyer type who controls a game and guides a team around the ground....more creates things from the roll on his team has provided and on Sunday...especiallythe 1st half , this was minimal.
Fact is - as already mentioned by other posters....he is a run 1st, pass 2nd type of player....this is his strength and should not be altered to be a player he is not....always play to your strengths....the other area's will improve in time....give him space and time in the centres and watch him burn them 1 on 1.

 

[Kevinward777]

It stood out like teets on a bull that Parra were marking up on Wright big time. As has been already posted by others, that intense focus they put into one player created opportunities wider out. The kid has talent, it’s obvious, and like many before him that displayed that kind of potential, I believe he will have a very good career. No doubt Baz and Bozo will be all over this with meticulous planning on creating the very best pathway to make that happen. They would also be well aware that at some point in the not only too dostant future, the Roosters, Storm, Eels or Broncos are going to lob up on his doorstep with lots of brown paper bags containing lots of money. Trent has already shown his hand by telling the kid he might get a start at centre. Look for him to play a big part in pre season trials. And if he kills it, I won’t be the least bit surprised if he’s named somewhere in the seventeen next season. Or at least be first cab off the rank when someone goes down.

 

[Spartan Eagle]

He didn't save his best game for the GF but showed some deft passing and some good kicks. From what I've seen am really excited about his potential and raw talent. He's solid and hard to tackle with defenders hanging off him. He'll only get stronger. He'll definitely develop and learn from our firsts even by training with them. The things he'll pick up will be invaluable. There's enough evidence there to suggest that he's going to make his mark in fg.

 

[The Who]

Let's hope we don't put all that work into him and fail to lock him up for a few more seasons, at least.
I hope we learnt our lesson with JWH.