Taka- not a forward, not a back.

Oi 1eyed amigos, I was stoked to get to watch the live stream today from Rio. Bring on 2018!

BA, IMO needs to make the hard calls for the better of the team and discard the loyalty card which has bitten him on the ass in the past. My only gripe with him as a coach to date.

Taka Is lost in bass strait...too slow laterally for the backs anymore and does not offer enough to be a starting backrower ahead of others we have in the squad. Bench spot at best, but I still think there are better options to have a balanced 17.

An all to predictable skip and right foot step & occasional off-load does not warrant a starting spot. Don’t get me wrong, Taka has some skills, evident of his 40/20 tonight when the game was done and dusted, but if BA wants the very best 17 on the park come round one, Taka is running out at Ring Rose Park.

I hope BA doesn’t suffer with the “Kaysa, Toutai, Kelly...etc” Syndrome again, where it takes 10 rounds and some avoidable losses to swollow his pride and make the right call.

"I can live with it and I don't think Pezet will be a lemon.The only thing that'll hold him back is injury.I have a sneaking suspicion he'll go well and the only real concern I have is the rinse wash repeat cycle we have going in 27 around the…"

"A family friend played against him in a touch footy competition. His coach mentioned Brett Kenny, a local kid that has been signed by Parramatta is playing against them and to watch him, family friend say "oh please, I worry about myself they have…"

"Kurupt…there’s a great article in the magazine below about the Eels and Rabbits getting down and dirty. Final score 31-20, however, I won’t spoil who dominated who."

Replies

Gucci Flip Flops February 25, 2018 at 1:23am

He kind of reminds me of the sharks second rowers and could see him pulling off those inside balls to the fullback
BK February 25, 2018 at 1:29am

I’m with you Bert, I just don’t see it in him. Talent is pushing through and he has done a great service but I thought he was one of the liabilities at Parra last year. Not enough to offer to warrant how lacking he is in almost all departments.
Alan Hunt February 25, 2018 at 2:37am

Hey Bert good to hear from you champion, i agree Taka if he can't get a spot in the centres should be at Wenty. But Sadly he is a BA favourite and will be in the 17 somewhere.
Kramerica February 25, 2018 at 5:57am

Agree Bert, Taka's a great bloke and a great team man but I can't see him pushing out our back rowers, or centres, or bench forwards. Still think he has a spot in the top 25 though and will be handy should injuries happen. Reckon he's well past his best but still has alot to offer in the right circumstances.

Cheers mate - hope all is well over in Rio :)
Tin Tim February 25, 2018 at 6:23am

He very skilful player, great with the ball in his hands. But he now shifted to the forwards, is he the best option? No I think, our forwards were very good. Mannah, Alvaro played well from what I saw, some great runs. My concern is, goal kicking, who going to take over because Moses was terrible last night.
- Camo73 > Tin Tim February 25, 2018 at 7:50am
  
  It would have been nice to see Mitch kick them all but he wasn’t far away with each of his misses.
- Billy Bob > Tin Tim February 25, 2018 at 7:56am
  
  I'm not worried in the slightest. Moses is the best goal kicker we've had since Luke Burt. He could even be better then Burt
- Tin Tim > Tin Tim February 25, 2018 at 9:28am
  
  Could be? He missed a few, Como starts in 2 weeks, he should be nailing them by now.
SEQld Eel (formely NZ Eel) February 25, 2018 at 7:01am

I think he’ll make the transition and be a great success in the forewArds. He played largely like a forward last year and his strong runs and late footwork will see him a success. He is also a great defender. The only Shame is that young Tepai may miss out because of it but injuries may see him back as a starter. Bert I think you’ll find BAs loyalty is a big reason the players love playing for him. It should always be harder to get in then get out of the side. Here’s to a great season.
Muttman February 25, 2018 at 7:29am

I’m not sure what game you guys were watching. Taka did some very good stuff in his first outing. Defensively he worked hard from the inside and shut down a lot of inside balls the Knights tried. He made solid front on contact.

He made good metres and a quick play the ball.

And when required he played 5/8 with poise and control.

He’s a quality footballer, a big body and will only get better in the back row.