[DaveO]

Re: Sammy Kibula : Wed Dec 20, 2017 11:16 am  

Andy Farrell won a challenge cup medal a month before his 18th birthday and made his International debut at age 18 v NZ. If you are good enough, you're old enough.

Re: Sammy Kibula : Wed Dec 20, 2017 11:19 am  

Wigg'n wrote:

Stu Fielden did 80 minute games consistently for about 12 years and retired at 34.

That's a bit of a stretch. 5 or 6 years maybe but it cost him dearly later in his career. He finished up a shadow of his former self, racking up 11 appearances in his last three years as a pro before retiring at 33. Aside from that, Fielden and Farrell were freaks, I'm struggling to see the benefit of comparisons with Sammy Kibula, he's a good academy player.

Re: Sammy Kibula : Wed Dec 20, 2017 11:22 am  

DaveO wrote:

Andy Farrell won a challenge cup medal a month before his 18th birthday and made his International debut at age 18 v NZ. If you are good enough, you're old enough.

Farrell was playing in an all conquering Wigan team, and wasn't playing prop, but was an outstanding player and a giant for his age. How many times have you seen Kibula or the other lads play? On my viewing I don't think any of them are ready for regular 1st team level yet.

[DaveO]

Re: Sammy Kibula : Wed Dec 20, 2017 11:35 am  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

Farrell was playing in an all conquering Wigan team, and wasn't playing prop, but was an outstanding player and a giant for his age. How many times have you seen Kibula or the other lads play? On my viewing I don't think any of them are ready for regular 1st team level yet.

Well Kibula looks like a giant to me so seems physically mature enough to play 1st team so the point I was making was just because Kibula is 18 is no reason to think he dare not be given a run in the 1st team if the club think he is good enough to do so as they did with Farrell back then (as Faz wasn't picked to be passenger looked after by Wigan and GB players just for the hell of it but because he was good enough).

Re: Sammy Kibula : Wed Dec 20, 2017 4:08 pm  

DaveO wrote:

Well Kibula looks like a giant to me so seems physically mature enough to play 1st team so the point I was making was just because Kibula is 18 is no reason to think he dare not be given a run in the 1st team if the club think he is good enough to do so as they did with Farrell back then (as Faz wasn't picked to be passenger looked after by Wigan and GB players just for the hell of it but because he was good enough).

Today I was speaking to someone who is on the coaching staff of a Superleague club and we got around to Kibula. His opinion is that "He would get eaten alive at 1st team level" and needs two or even three years before he will be "ready" if ever!!

Re: Sammy Kibula : Wed Dec 20, 2017 4:33 pm  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

Today I was speaking to someone who is on the coaching staff of a Superleague club and we got around to Kibula. His opinion is that "He would get eaten alive at 1st team level" and needs two or even three years before he will be "ready" if ever!!

I agree. If he goes too soon he will suffer later on in his career. Most who do that do. Faz and Fielden both suffered bad injuries.

Re: Sammy Kibula : Wed Dec 20, 2017 8:57 pm  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

Today I was speaking to someone who is on the coaching staff of a Superleague club and we got around to Kibula. His opinion is that "He would get eaten alive at 1st team level" and needs two or even three years before he will be "ready" if ever!!

Kibula might be physically more capable of dealing with the power and aggression of Super League props than most players at the same age, but in all the games I've seen him play at academy level I've barely seen him worked properly defensively and that's going to be the biggest test. The pace of Super League would be far too much for him at the moment in my opinion. In the U19's some games he's hardly had to make a tackle. Nobody runs at him and it's not hard to see why. He'd smash some of the players into next month. So they just move the ball around him. In a winning side it doesn't take too much out of him, but stick him in the first team and they'd definitely target him, make him move around the field to make tackles and then he'd be vulnerable defensively. A Rob Burrow type player would have a field day right now.

On the subject of our young props though, I really like what I've seen of Caine Barnes. He's the same age as Kibula but looks closer to being ready for first team rugby for me. Callum Field looks pretty good too.

Re: Sammy Kibula : Wed Dec 20, 2017 11:42 pm  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

Today I was speaking to someone who is on the coaching staff of a Superleague club and we got around to Kibula. His opinion is that "He would get eaten alive at 1st team level" and needs two or even three years before he will be "ready" if ever!!

My original point was more about how the club should handle his development. Several young lads got a run out last season and none of the forwards looked ready yet but often showed enough potential to be worth persisting with. I look forward to the pre season games to see how they have come on.

Re: Sammy Kibula : Thu Dec 21, 2017 11:23 pm  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

Farrell was playing in an all conquering Wigan team, and wasn't playing prop, but was an outstanding player and a giant for his age. How many times have you seen Kibula or the other lads play? On my viewing I don't think any of them are ready for regular 1st team level yet.

Agreed,

For me Sammy is a long way off being ready for the first team, just because he's big he's suddenly seen as a viable prospect, ready for the step up.

Sat behind me at the U19's final a couple of Cas fans certainly had him in their sights and where at the start genuinely excited at seeing him play,by matches end one of them proclaimed he was Cas's best player..which if im honest was a little unfair.

Comparing him with other players of different era doesn't help anyone he is what he is, i really hope he makes it but at the moment he should be left to mature at his own pace.

[DaveO]

Re: Sammy Kibula : Thu Dec 21, 2017 11:43 pm  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

Today I was speaking to someone who is on the coaching staff of a Superleague club and we got around to Kibula. His opinion is that "He would get eaten alive at 1st team level" and needs two or even three years before he will be "ready" if ever!!

Of another SL club? Seems very well informed! That would make him 21 before a first team debut.