Like most Eels fans I watched us struggle through this season. One of the hardest things for me to witness has been the decline of our back row over the past few seasons. Whilst poor has played a part.. the losses of Niukore, Papali'i and Stone haven't helped.
However the worst part of all this is that BA lost quality players in Reed and Papali'i and Niukore (plus more) and replaced them with reserve graders like Kelma Tuilagi and Josh Hodgson who was ready for retirement... many fans seen this!
Let's look at this bloke...
- Couldn't get a consistent start in the worst Tigers team of all time...
- Couldn't get consistent game time in the Manly 17 and often had trouble running off DCE!!! He couldn't look good from DCE feeding him.
- Can't catch too well... puts plenty of ball down
- Has a slow play the ball
- Can't play 80 minutes and look good doing it
- Slow out of marker and a lazy defender...
Do I need to go on? Are people here going to wake up? The bloke is hopeless. I Would take Ray Stone back ahead of Kelma in a heartbeat... I'm ashamed he's contracted for 2025 (Kelma).
We have Charlie Guymer coming through and he has already played some 1st grade (and asked for a release) he would be the kid I'd give the starting jersey to, not Kelma. Not never.
We also have Matterson, Cartwright and Lane... all 3 may be out of form now but I'd take all 3 players on their worst day above Kelma Tuilagi.. add in Jack Williams to make 4, Id take him above Kelma as well.
He will not and should not be in the 17 for round 1. People need to wake up.
And to be extremely controversial I'd actually have MATT DOOREY, who's played almost no 1st grade for us above Kelma on potential.
Replies
At the back end of the year he was one of our better players
Tbh our team wasn't that good at the end of the year and the quality of player included Dan Keir. Don't hate the bloke, I just think he's an out an out NSW cup player.
This may rival BEM's love for Simonsson🤣🤣🤣
The big difference is, Simonsson has had several years at Parra to prove how shit he is on the wing.
I haven't said he is a shit player, just a shit winger.
Many times I have said he is a better centre than he is a winger but don't let that get in the way of your story champ.
Is this opinion of yours worse than you realise? Yes
I like playing this game. Asking a question and answering it yourself.
Jk. I mean no harm but I respectfully disagree.
Kelma is basically a reserve grader that you can call upon to play NRL from time to time - at best. He tries hard, but to be brutally honest, just doesn't have the skills to make a great NRL player. If we want to be premiership threats, we can't afford to have any weak links in the top 17. I think as you say, Gymer would be the pick here, and would send a message to him that the club sees him as the future in the back row.
At the most he's a bench player for us. He should never, ever be a starter!
Just so slow and horrible.
Like did people not see the last few games of the year where he was probably our best forward over that period. Feel like people are judging him on memories where he had to fill in at centre and got burned by outside backs. The fact that he could do even the job he did at centre shows he is definitely not slow for a 2nd rower. Like Papilii used to do for us he gives you a middle style hit up when you've got backs against the wall or injuries require you to play an extra middle. He is almost certainly on a moderate salary and probably one of the best value players in the squad.
He is somewhere in between neither as bad as people say but not as good as others think.
He is a squad depth player if you call on him for more than 5 games a season chances are you haven't had a good season if he plays less then 5 your in the 8.
Unfortunately our recruitment has been diabolical so he had played more than he should.
I didn't watch to many games but if lane and matterson did better he is a disgrace
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