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Author Topic: Elia signs new contract  (Read 1141 times)

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honkytonk

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Re: Elia signs new contract
« Reply #15 on: Monday 28-Jan-2019, 20:41* »
But that is where we are going.  Ward out.  Keep Crumpton who can throw, A new hooker who I expect can throw and then Ellia who is your project (Learning to play hooker).  Yep he is 23 but in hooker terms he is still very young. 

RodneyRegis

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Re: Elia signs new contract
« Reply #16 on: Monday 28-Jan-2019, 20:51* »
And that's great  - as long as he learns to throw. He certainly wouldn't be the first not to do so. Hence I can't get excited about the signing.

Quinky

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Re: Elia signs new contract
« Reply #17 on: Tuesday 29-Jan-2019, 09:24* »
How was his throwing on Saturday?

deadlyfrom5yardsout

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Re: Elia signs new contract
« Reply #18 on: Tuesday 29-Jan-2019, 10:15* »
I'm not sure I know to what it refers!  ???

Its his nickname as used by Gustard in the OP.

T-Bone

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Re: Elia signs new contract
« Reply #19 on: Tuesday 29-Jan-2019, 11:58* »
I think people need to slightly move on from the theory that props and hookers in the early to mid 20s are still babies in front row terms. The days when a prop wouldn't get into the first team until he was 25 and kept getting better until his late 30s as he master the dark arts have gone. Ovviously players will keep developing throughout their career and hopefully keep improving, but 23 is no longer young for a rugby player, whether in front row terms or not.

I am pleased with his re-signing, but his throwing, after a strong start, did suffer. If Ward is going to be criticised for it, and rightly so, then so should Elia. If he improves though, then happy days. No guarantee though - look at Youngs


honkytonk

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Re: Elia signs new contract
« Reply #20 on: Tuesday 29-Jan-2019, 12:04* »
But in terms of how long he has been a hooker, he is a baby.  If he had been playing hooker all the way up from a kid I would agree.  He has only been playing hooker for about 2 years (ish). He doesnt have the "experience" that other players will have from playing there over time (even as a kid).  When things work its great, when they dont he does not have anything to fall back on.  With that I can accept that he will have a wobble in his development.  Ward is not developing, he should be able to throw now.
« Last Edit: Tuesday 29-Jan-2019, 12:12* by honkytonk »

poorfour

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Re: Elia signs new contract
« Reply #21 on: Tuesday 29-Jan-2019, 12:33* »
Elia converted aged 20, by the sound of things, so he's had two seasons as a hooker. Ward converted, IIRC, in his mid-20s, and his accuracy is not dissimilar to Tom Youngs'. It's clearly not an overnight thing to learn, and I suspect a lot of the difficulty is in learning to time the throw to match the jump.

One of the big issues for Quins is that we've gone from a long period when we had the same two or three hookers having half a game each week to throw to George "Danger" "GOATman" Robson, Esq. to rarely having two weeks in a row with the same hooker/lock combo. Over the last 3-4 years we've rarely had the same hooker fit for more than a week or two at a time, and a bit of a revolving door of lock options. It shouldn't be surprising that we have an erratic lineout.
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DOK

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Re: Elia signs new contract
« Reply #22 on: Tuesday 29-Jan-2019, 12:38* »
I seem to remember Keith Wood could be pretty off target on some days. It's the hooker gets blamed if the throw is off, but its also down to the jumpers and their team to not only jump at the right time, in the right way to the right height, but also ensure the opposition can't snaffle the ball. Many a slip 'tween cup and lip!

Brown Bottle

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Re: Elia signs new contract
« Reply #23 on: Tuesday 29-Jan-2019, 13:00* »
Quote from: poorfour
...Ward converted, IIRC, in his mid-20s, and his accuracy is not dissimilar to Tom Youngs'...

I don't know about recently but IIRC Youngs' record for England was always far worse than for Leicester

The Quin Meister

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Re: Elia signs new contract
« Reply #24 on: Wednesday 30-Jan-2019, 18:59* »
I have to say I am loving reading Gussy's assessments of these re-signings. Insightful and very uplifting for both player and the fans. With Elia it sounds like Gussy had clocked him as a kid with real potential even before he'd joined us in the summer. I also like the way Gussy recognises the role of the coaches to get the best out of the player. That's the role of a quality coach. And he clearly wants only those players who are truly committed to improving and maximising their potential. Sounds like Elia scrapes through with his laid back Pacific vibe!

It reminds me of reading about my boyhood hero Bobby Charlton. He said he used to practice kicking with his left foot day after day, week after week so that he had the ability to shoot with both feet. It sounds so obvious, but some players do it, some don't. He wanted to improve himself and he rose to the top of the pile... a truly world class footballer who played a key role in England winning the World Cup. Remember that?!... :)

Quinten Poulsen

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Re: Elia signs new contract
« Reply #25 on: Wednesday 30-Jan-2019, 19:14* »
How was his throwing on Saturday?

It didn't matter much as Sarries hardly ever contested our lineout, but it's not as though our jumpers had to stretch to reach them!

Gone

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Re: Elia signs new contract
« Reply #26 on: Thursday 31-Jan-2019, 08:28* »
And another reminder that he's been 23 for 7 days.

So shall we give him until this time next year before we decide that he should be better by age 23?

 

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