Hugo is our key half

[Bates]

Toby Rodwell is a special player,and if you get a chance to watch him in the lower grades you will see what all the hype is about..

Currently he is playing in the NSW Cup against other first graders and dare I say he has already stood out in a few games..
He has it all,great organiser and runner of the ball with a deadly step,as well as a crisp passing game..Also a good kicker in general play and goalkicker..He is only 19 years old,and their is a reason the Club have signed him up until the end of 2028.

My intentions were not to discredit Sam Walker in any way,as he’s also a very special talent and the both together in our halves long term would be the envy of all other Clubs..

I only made a point that if we needed to choose between the two players long term (which I hope never happens)I would go with Rodwell based on composure alone..

Both are freak footballers,but Rodwell has a calmness to his game which is a real stand out to me.

Toby's step is very Fittler-esque.

[A Country Member]

Toby's step is very Fittler-esque.

Now that you’re a believer, you should get those plates

[A Country Member]

i'd like to know more about savala. we know bryan fletcher was a late bloomer cos he gave the game away and then met gus gould at a late night kebab place but what's hugo's story? how come the club didn't have him as a priority? how come he's only now really showing the goods?

Probably a few reasons.

• Halves take time to read the speed of first grade
• His role within the team is simpler than usual
• He’s not fancy or shiny
• Robbo didn’t rate long kicks as highly as he should’ve

Personally, I think he suits Trents style better than Sam as he seems to play structure better as a role player

[Bates]

Probably a few reasons.

• Halves take time to read the speed of first grade
• His role within the team is simpler than usual
• He’s not fancy or shiny
• Robbo didn’t rate long kicks as highly as he should’ve

Personally, I think he suits Trents style better than Sam as he seems to play structure better as a role player

Tend to agree that Hugo suits Robbo’s style and that the team would benefit from a 7 who plays more systematically. There’s also his long kicking game and he’s no speed hump in defence.

Imo Sammy’s challenge is greater as he’s played most of his footy on the right side and only knows heads up style of footy.

With that said there’s the potential for a great halves partnership if Sammy refines his game and becomes more selective with his playmaking.

[caz]

Probably a few reasons.

• Halves take time to read the speed of first grade
• His role within the team is simpler than usual
• He’s not fancy or shiny
• Robbo didn’t rate long kicks as highly as he should’ve

Personally, I think he suits Trents style better than Sam as he seems to play structure better as a role player

fair points. interesting we'd had sandon ahead of him even though hugo's older. looks like hugo has a good hard-nosed head on his shoulders

[Bansai Pipeline]

Sammy had a blinder let’s be honest.

But HS may have helped.

I watched the game on a screen at a pub so only got the gist of it.

[SupermanSupportsEasts4Eva]

Hugo should definitely be in the halves next year IMO. Long term (and this is a few years away) I'm wondering if he puts on some bulk and becomes a ball playing lock by the end of his twenties.

13. Hugo
7. Rodwell
6. Sammy

Whatever happens I hope we keep him. I'm loving the Hugo-Sammy combo atm.

[caz]

his big boot was helpful into the wind in the first half

[Vasco]

He probably needs to start running a little more often.

[HunchoRooster]

Toby Rodwell is a special player,and if you get a chance to watch him in the lower grades you will see what all the hype is about..

Currently he is playing in the NSW Cup against other first graders and dare I say he has already stood out in a few games..
He has it all,great organiser and runner of the ball with a deadly step,as well as a crisp passing game..Also a good kicker in general play and goalkicker..He is only 19 years old,and their is a reason the Club have signed him up until the end of 2028.

My intentions were not to discredit Sam Walker in any way,as he’s also a very special talent and the both together in our halves long term would be the envy of all other Clubs..

I only made a point that if we needed to choose between the two players long term (which I hope never happens)I would go with Rodwell based on composure alone..

Both are freak footballers,but Rodwell has a calmness to his game which is a real stand out to me.

Fair enough. Well explained. I look forward to seeing in first grade. I’ve seen bits and pieces in ressies and also saw him in the Origin game earlier in the year and he looked great in that.

[Lydon]

He probably needs to start running a little more often.

Totally agree mate,his running game is non existent at the
moment..

[ccfc bondi]

Our best footy this year was due to Savala in the pocket.

Calm, composed, long kicks, grinding teams down, completely unflappable. And 19 or something ridiculous.

We've been poor since he went down.

He's a born decision maker and completely ice cold in the clutch.

Those kind of players are very, very, very rare.

I'd keep him over Walker.

Been amazing for us, and has the big kicking game we’ve lacked for years. Where does DCE fit in next year?…..Friggin’ NOWHERE!

[bondi.boy]

Our best footy this year was due to Savala in the pocket.

Calm, composed, long kicks, grinding teams down, completely unflappable. And 19 or something ridiculous.

We've been poor since he went down.

He's a born decision maker and completely ice cold in the clutch.

Those kind of players are very, very, very rare.

I'd keep him over Walker.

Players like Walker are also very rare.
They both have different talents.
We must, simply must, if we are even the slightest bit serious about winning a premiership, keep them both.
Whatever it takes! (within wise reason of course).

[HunchoRooster]

What is everyone’s consensus on Walker in terms of premiership success?

Make no mistake I absolutely love the bloke and I think he has an amazing and unique skill set that almost no other half in the comp possesses. He will win many many games on his own throughout his career from his adlib style of footy and vision.

I think he does lack that judgement on when to pull the trigger at the moment, noting he’s only very young. I think we’ve seen some very skilful halves come and go though who have great moments and win games on their own but premierships and sustained success don’t follow. A prime example that comes to me is Shaun Johnson. I think on his day, the best player in the comp but didn’t have that extra element to his game that made him a good playmaker and general for his side.

I would love to keep Sammy for life but whenever I hear that tiresome and lazy narrative of him going to the Broncos, I don’t actually worry one bit. I think Sam needs us as much as we need him and we should be the perfect complement to each other which is where Hugo or Rodwell will come in long term.

If Sam went to Brisbane, heaven forbid, I could never see a spine of Walsh, Mam and Walker ever have sustained success or win a comp. They’d win some games and look good doing it but there is no organising there and no defensive steel. Would be like a touch footy side.

This is why I think Hughes is an amazing player. When Munster was left on his own with no Cronk, he struggled. Game managers like Croft and others couldn’t get him in the game, yet Hughes who was not a natural halfback was able to do it. That’s what we need with Sam. Not sure if DCE can do it, but I think he’s better placed than Hugo right now to do it. Whether that means premiership success or not is another thing. I think if we were to win a comp with DCE in the side, it would be because Walker has played career best footy and would be the standout player in the comp, with DCE giving him the freedom to pick his spots and take the organisational duties off him ala Cronk and Keary. We love Cronk but it was Keary who did most of the damage in attack that won us those big games.

[bondi.boy]

Probably a few reasons.

• Halves take time to read the speed of first grade
• His role within the team is simpler than usual
• He’s not fancy or shiny
• Robbo didn’t rate long kicks as highly as he should’ve

Personally, I think he suits Trents style better than Sam as he seems to play structure better as a role player

Structure is easily beaten by oppositions.
Sam has the element of surprise.