Joey Leilua to Fev

[Smudger06]

49 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

I'm not as sure that Leilua is going to destroy Championship defenses next year as some on here.

When you watch Super League teams take on Championship sides it isn't size that is the main physical difference, it is speed, power and fitness that comes from full time conditioning that is the biggest difference.

If the Joey Leilua at his peak conditioning from the NRL were playing week in week out in the Championship then that would be one thing but with all due respect he will not be at the physical levels of the NRL.  This is a player who has had a tendency to put on weight his whole career and if he 'relaxes' in his new environment then this is simply bound to happen.

Just because he is a big unit, it doesn't mean he is simply going to walk through the Championship defenses.  For comparison, Konrad Hurrell had a better try to game ratio in the NRL than Leilua and would we have expected him to score 6 tries a game in the Championship last year?

Good points but if you look at his NRL footage he does have all those qualities as well as his sheer size, just Need to get him motivated and in the right frame of mind. 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

Hopefully Featherstone aren’t overstretching themselves, I believe they are on £180k in central funding this year, they don’t have a big Super League parachute payment as Leigh do. Joey Leiula must be taking up about half of their central funding on his own and they are reportedly chasing an NRL half back.

Under Cambell  FEV never over stretch themselves and only spend what the'ave got and despite rumours don't pay silly money on player contracts so your thoughts on joey is another one of your silly assumptions

  Unlike our near neighbours FEV have made a profit every year under his steward ship further more would think with the 2 million grant from the council the money earmarked for the foundation and community work for this year is still in the bank

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, Smudger06 said:

Good points but if you look at his NRL footage he does have all those qualities as well as his sheer size, just Need to get him motivated and in the right frame of mind. 

I think he will be motivated say's he's come over to prove to people back home he's not the person they think he is 

[Davo5]

38 minutes ago, Smudger06 said:

Good points but if you look at his NRL footage he does have all those qualities as well as his sheer size, just Need to get him motivated and in the right frame of mind. 

And fit,something he’s struggled with lately & that’s with NRL preseasons.

Big ask for Fev to get the best out of him,something the Raiders & Tigers couldn’t manage oner the last few seasons,but there is a cracking player in there.

[bigbaldnmad]

11 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

And fit,something he’s struggled with lately & that’s with NRL preseasons.

Big ask for Fev to get the best out of him,something the Raiders & Tigers couldn’t manage oner the last few seasons,but there is a cracking player in there.

He trained hard for his fight just prior to Christmas, from interviews it seems like he was in good shape as he had a point to prove about people calling him fat.

I think he is playing for a SL contract for next year... hopefully with Fev

[Davo5]

17 minutes ago, bigbaldnmad said:

He trained hard for his fight just prior to Christmas, from interviews it seems like he was in good shape as he had a point to prove about people calling him fat.

I think he is playing for a SL contract for next year... hopefully with Fev

“Fight” he had a 4 round hugathon with a 39 yr old retired RL player who looked in far better shape but we’ll soon be able to see what his fitness level is & going against part time players will certainly help.

[bigbaldnmad]

Joey Leilua has defeated Chris Heighington by unanimous decision and in the process silenced his critics in a big way while a strange call-out from John Hopoate caused drama.

“For all those haters that f***ing said I can’t last four rounds, thanks mate,” Leilua said post-fight.

“You gave me the inspiration tonight. I knew I could fight, I just wanted to f***ing show the whole world that I could f***ing last four rounds.

“You stare on top of me being fat and can’t last four rounds, you know what? F*** yourselves, there you go.”

 

That told me he was wound up and trained hard. Rugby and boxing are different levels of fitness, but he hasn't just been sat on his butt waiting to come over.

[Damien]

51 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

And fit,something he’s struggled with lately & that’s with NRL preseasons.

Big ask for Fev to get the best out of him,something the Raiders & Tigers couldn’t manage oner the last few seasons,but there is a cracking player in there.

They don't need to. If they can keep in interested and in reasonable shape then he will be a heck of a threat at that level.

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

I hope we forfeit our games against Fev this year. Any of our centres who comes up against him will be out for 6 months 

[Davo5]

17 minutes ago, Damien said:

They don't need to. If they can keep in interested and in reasonable shape then he will be a heck of a threat at that level.

Against the part time teams your right,but him & others will still be on significant contracts to gain promotion & to do that they will need to beat a Leigh side built on another large budget & Fev will need him to be somewhere near his best to do so.

[DavidM]

5 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

Against the part time teams your right,but him & others will still be on significant contracts to gain promotion & to do that they will need to beat a Leigh side built on another large budget & Fev will need him to be somewhere near his best to do so.

Yes , these  supercharged squads have basically been put together to beat each other . A few of the rest of us are just playing against each other and targeting games to get enough points 

[Davo5]

3 minutes ago, DavidM said:

Yes , these  supercharged squads have basically been put together to beat each other . A few of the rest of us are just playing against each other and targeting games to get enough points 

Yeah, both Leigh & Fev are a country mile ahead of the other Championship teams but they are operating on near Superleague budgets & it will be interesting to see what happens to the one who misses out on promotion.

[Lowdesert]

44 minutes ago, Damien said:

They don't need to. If they can keep in interested and in reasonable shape then he will be a heck of a threat at that level.

I think so too.  

Watching Fev v Wakey, they didn’t create much space out wide.  If they can do that, especially in the last third, Leulia will do well.  

 

[Lowdesert]

13 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

Yeah, both Leigh & Fev are a country mile ahead of the other Championship teams but they are operating on near Superleague budgets & it will be interesting to see what happens to the one who misses out on promotion.

Indeed.  

The key to promotion will probably be who can manage their DR merry go round the best.

[DoubleD]

They've signed Cuthbertson and Jacks now. Ryley Jacks will do a good solid job, but don't expect him to pull up any trees even in Championship. He'll be very competent though. Cuthbertson is a strange one at this time of his career but McDermott does like a ball playing loose forward

[Guest]

38 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

Yeah, both Leigh & Fev are a country mile ahead of the other Championship teams but they are operating on near Superleague budgets & it will be interesting to see what happens to the one who misses out on promotion.

Can't speak for tuther side but FEV will just go again for it in 23

[Tommygilf]

2 minutes ago, DoubleD said:

They've signed Cuthbertson and Jacks now. Ryley Jacks will do a good solid job, but don't expect him to pull up any trees even in Championship. He'll be very competent though. Cuthbertson is a strange one at this time of his career but McDermott does like a ball playing loose forward

Coaches like having "their men" in the squad sometimes, even if only to set the atmosphere.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Tommygilf said:

Coaches like having "their men" in the squad sometimes, even if only to set the atmosphere.

T adam's come as player/ coach

[Tommygilf]

3 minutes ago, POR said:

T adam's come as player/ coach

That furthers the point even more then, as he will be part of directing the culture.

[Davo5]

7 minutes ago, POR said:

Can't speak for tuther side but FEV will just go again for it in 23

Probably but on a smaller budget maybe as I doubt this years level of expenditure is sustainable long term in the Championship.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

Probably but on a smaller budget maybe as I doubt this years level of expenditure is sustainable long term in the Championship.

Not really D The management at Fev have commented over and over again about the hard work that has been done to increase income streams and the fact that the club is now self-sufficient

And it  was stated at this morning's press conference that the club had lost £180k from central funding this year but had already made up that shortfall through revenue streams,  So it sounds like financially the club is in an ok situation.

[Jughead]

Are Fev full-time or are these lads being “employed” as community coaches and the like as well as playing? 

Jacks should rip up a part-time league, much like Leilua. 

[Tex Evans Thigh]

Folk might want to watch the press conference from today which talks about the different revenue streams the club has developed. MC has always been shrewd with signings and income.

Still can’t fathom how some people still think a 30 year old 2 time dally m centre of the year won’t be effective in the championship. Mind boggling.

[Tex Evans Thigh]

3 minutes ago, Jughead said:

Are Fev full-time or are these lads being “employed” as community coaches and the like as well as playing? 

Jacks should rip up a part-time league, much like Leilua. 

They have a kind of hybrid model with some FT but majority PT. 

[Davo5]

4 minutes ago, POR said:

Not really D The management at Fev have commented over and over again about the hard work that has been done to increase income streams and the fact that the club is now self-sufficient

And it  was stated at this morning's press conference that the club had lost £180k from central funding this year but had already made up that shortfall through revenue streams,  So it sounds like financially the club is in an ok situation.

I’m not doubting your club has been self sufficient and If they have made up the shortfall in central funding this year that’s great but the spending on this years squad must be massively higher than previous levels which may be manageable for a short period but I doubt it is long term.