Widnes sign St George/Illawarra forward Will Matthews

[Old Frightful]

On a two year deal.

Is he any good? 

http://widnesvikings.co.uk/article/53161/widnes-vikings-sign-will-matthews

 

[DavidM]

Squad player there but he'll do a better job that Buchanan

[Futtocks]

Second row or loose forward, according to his Wikipedia entry. Don't know much about him, but Wiki says he was at the Titans before, and an Australian Schoolboys team member in 2006.

[Bomb Jack]

1 hour ago, DavidM said:

but he'll do a better job that Buchanan

Let's hope so for our sake!

[Allora]

As mentioned above Squad player.

93 NRL games in 10 years.

[Jill Halfpenny fan]

1 hour ago, DavidM said:

Squad player there but he'll do a better job that Buchanan

Setting the bar a bit high there.

[DoubleD]

2 hours ago, DavidM said:

Squad player there but he'll do a better job that Buchanan

Is he a replacement for Buchanan?

NRL props rarely cut it at SL level, although Widnes need some grunt up front

[DavidM]

9 minutes ago, DoubleD said:

Is he a replacement for Buchanan?

NRL props rarely cut it at SL level, although Widnes need some grunt up front

Don't know , but obviously it's an aim to remedy the latter

[DoubleD]

55 minutes ago, DavidM said:

Don't know , but obviously it's an aim to remedy the latter

I thought when I first saw Buchanan play that it was Terry Campese playing prop. He'd probably do a better job to be fair. 

Thinking about it, Matthews might be a replacement for Manuakafoa

[The Future is League]

4 hours ago, Old Frightful said:

On a two year deal.

Is he any good? 

http://widnesvikings.co.uk/article/53161/widnes-vikings-sign-will-matthews

 

What happens if they get relegated?

[DavidM]

9 minutes ago, The Future is League said:

What happens if they get relegated?

He looks better than if they didn't 

[Saint Toppy]

In the few games I can remember him playing in I think he played in the back row rather than at prop ?

Not really a stand out in the NRL but you never know what you'll get with guys like this - could come and give it his absolute all and turn out to be a good buy, be be just another plodder

[Scubby]

It is often styles of play which ensure whether a player from down under is a hit or not. It doesn't necessarily have to be a big name or a stack of NRL games. Plenty down the years like Vievers, Demitriou, Poaching and Hanbury have been a perfect fit for the UK game. Good luck to the lad.

[JonM]

Works both ways. Can't imagine too many Widnes fans imagined that when Frank Winterstein left to go to Bradford at the end of 2013 that he would be playing in an NRL finals series in 2017, for example.

[DoubleD]

2 hours ago, Scubby said:

It is often styles of play which ensure whether a player from down under is a hit or not. It doesn't necessarily have to be a big name or a stack of NRL games. Plenty down the years like Vievers, Demitriou, Poaching and Hanbury have been a perfect fit for the UK game. Good luck to the lad.

Hanbury still hasn't learned how to defend though

[Scubby]

21 minutes ago, DoubleD said:

Hanbury still hasn't learned how to defend though

As I said, a perfect fit for the UK game  

[Spidey]

42 minutes ago, DoubleD said:

Hanbury still hasn't learned how to defend though

He does enough on attack to counteract that. We look beyond clueless when he doesn't play when in the opposition half

[jenson]

9 hours ago, Old Frightful said:

Is he any good? 

 

Should be a regular first-team man in super league, even if that's consistently from the bench. If they get relegated and he stays, definitely a starter. 

Can't say he really stood out in attack in the games I've seen, but seems fairly mobile. Defensively has a very sound technique. After a strong Dragons tackle, you'd often see him or De Belin (another with a great technique) at the bottom of it.

[chuffer]

sounds like we're going to need him if rumours are true that whitley's heading to a neighbouring team who play in red and white

[Allora]

He has mainly been a Bench player.

When he has got game time its been mainly as a Second rower, occasional Lock and even Centre, only a few games at Prop.

[goldcoaster]

Cumon guys, you can't expect too much out of guys like Matthews, Buchannan or Manuakafoa. They are rubbish wherever they go.

It's just unfortunate that guys like this prove any garbage Aussie player can get a game in England. Widnes would be better off buying in young English players

[chuffer]

9 hours ago, goldcoaster said:

Cumon guys, you can't expect too much out of guys like Matthews, Buchannan or Manuakafoa. They are rubbish wherever they go.

It's just unfortunate that guys like this prove any garbage Aussie player can get a game in England. Widnes would be better off buying in young English players

if they are as "rubbish" as you say then yes, id agree, we'd be better off looking at local amateur teams for the next big thing rather than buying an A.N. Other plodder from abroad

[Colly]

Easy and fashionable to say. Ok then which young English SR would you sign...who would slot straight into the team ,particularly if by some miracle we stay up. Not many out there are there?

[chuffer]

1 hour ago, Colly said:

Easy and fashionable to say. Ok then which young English SR would you sign...who would slot straight into the team ,particularly if by some miracle we stay up. Not many out there are there?

cant give you any names but reckon there's a back rower amongst the local amateur teams (simmies, are they still going?, maries, tigers, west bank etc) who could we worth a punt over an overseas fringe player