Wing or Centre

[Rooster36]

Centre has always been seen as the superior position and historically they have earnt more then their counterparts. However in recent years i believe it’s become obvious that wing is a more important and valuable position.

A lot of people seem pretty keen on Sualli in the centres but do we think in the modern game he is better utilised out wide? We saw last year his aerial capabilities and his kick returns were great which are something this team has excelled at in recent years with Bmoz, Toupos and Fergo. My preference is that he plays on the wing..

this isn’t a knee jerk after one game I’ve been thinking of this since it was first flagged he could be moved

Thoughts?

[Noosa Rooster]

FWIW, I also think he is better suited to wing from a team perspective and would also be a smoother transition to fullback eventually.

That's not to say he won't make it as a centre and once Young arrives he'd probably play there anyway, so a year earlier is fine and give him some time to adapt.

[Freddy]

Good post. I agree on both points..
Wing position has become more important than centre especially with kick returns and try scoring ability from high kicks, both areas in which Suaalii excels in. I believe wing is his position.

[Carlos Parra]

Wing for me.

[King Salvo]

Suaalii has a few things to work on if he plays centre or wing

Defence - the rushing up and in is all well and good when you make the tackle but it is a low percentage play as it also pulls the winger in and leaves open field for the opposing winger.- He was defending the same way when playing wing.

That running style - the knees up / leading with the knees into the defensive line is thwart with danger - already been warned over it plus fined for it vs Souths in the finals and another warning during the world cup - Looking at a lengthy suspension if he continues with it - a jaw breaker/facial fractures if a player cops a knee.

[Bondicigar]

A big body , brutal in defence and tackle busting ability , its centre all day long.
he can still ba a target for high kicks one in from the wing

[Thirteen]

I just want to see him make a break and show the opposition a clean set of heels.

He doesn’t need to be on the wing to be a target for the kickers.

[Rooster36]

I just want to see him make a break and show the opposition a clean set of heels.

He doesn’t need to be on the wing to be a target for the kickers.

Fair point… I’m thinking more kick returns??

[Johnny Brass]

I reckon wing would be a better position to play in the modern game as you're more involved. Target for kicks, finish off attacking raids to score and make more hit ups off your end. The days of a centre being a glamorous position has been surpassed to an extent as the edge backrower running crash lines has diminished the amount of ball you receive.

[Vasco]

I think at the moment he is better value for the team on the wing. With so many injuries we need as much strike power as possible.

[Rooster36]

Suaalii has a few things to work on if he plays centre or wing

Defence - the rushing up and in is all well and good when you make the tackle but it is a low percentage play as it also pulls the winger in and leaves open field for the opposing winger.- He was defending the same way when playing wing.

That running style - the knees up / leading with the knees into the defensive line is thwart with danger - already been warned over it plus fined for it vs Souths in the finals and another warning during the world cup - Looking at a lengthy suspension if he continues with it - a jaw breaker/facial fractures if a player cops a knee.

yea prob need to give him some time defensively given the awful decisions made inside him.. eg we were compressed because our ruck was so fragile

[A Country Member]

I think Keary can drift too far across and crowd his centre limiting the space for them to work on. It happened with Latrell too. If they can set up on the right with a speedy Nat Butcher play the ball and quickly shift to deep hard running Joe in space.

Then repeat on the other side for Manu

[Random Rooster]

Centre has always been seen as the superior position and historically they have earnt more then their counterparts. However in recent years i believe it’s become obvious that wing is a more important and valuable position.

A lot of people seem pretty keen on Sualli in the centres but do we think in the modern game he is better utilised out wide? We saw last year his aerial capabilities and his kick returns were great which are something this team has excelled at in recent years with Bmoz, Toupos and Fergo. My preference is that he plays on the wing..

this isn’t a knee jerk after one game I’ve been thinking of this since it was first flagged he could be moved

Thoughts?

Great post. I didn't think of it that way but you're probably right. Seems like wingers are more in the game than centres these days

[horrie hastings]

Wing at the moment is Suaalii best position but considering how light on we are in the centres apart from Manu i would persist with playing Suaalii there. Billy Smith is still a long way off from coming back from his ACL injury and not guaranteed of lasting more than handful of games before being injured again, that leaves Momo or Corey Allan as the other centre possibilities so i would persist with Suaalii at centre for a while, remember it took a while for Joey Manu to settle into being a centre after playing on the wing.

[ism22]

Like GI... you play him at centre because he can make Darius Boyd look like a world class winger outside him.

I openly don't know my footy like some on here. However that's the simplest analogy I can make and it's similar to how we'll be playing him...

1. He is a MASSIVE TARGET! You play him in the centre because as soon as the opposition commit 2-3 players to tackling a 196cm athlete who farking throbs everybody, there's gonna be a gaping hole for somebody to exploit. Whereas on the wing he's not making overlaps the whole time.

2. His ball skills and footwork do a lot more good as a centre. Somebody who's played enough footy to know the tricks...etc can probably explain it better than me, but being further in-field means he'll be slotting in as a playmaker on a regular basis (we've already seen Teddy intentionally reduce his metres!) I see him floating around with Rads, Cheese Teddy...etc (plus our front rowers) and flooding the middle with absolute chaos as a centre. Whereas on the wing, he's standing outside his centre watching them do all that. He's a specialist for THAT job!

3. Above all, playing him on the wing would be a demotion. He's the incumbent Samoan FB (plays best at FB, like any alpha outside back) and didn't sign with us to play outside the Hutchenator while learning the trade from him. He's a marquee outside back who will play centre whether you like it or not, so get used to it.