Rumour - Issac Luke to Brisbane

[Mr Fourex]

I think like most hookers, Luke gets a hand from dodgy plays and interfering with the marker but he is still a genuinely dangerous player.

Agreed......he's an opportunist and he does it better than most.

It's a pity he has so many deficiencies in the rest of his game.

 

[Morkel]

I think like most hookers, Luke gets a hand from dodgy plays and interfering with the marker but he is still a genuinely dangerous player. he is elusive and surprisingly strong for a man of his size. even if the NRL cracked on all those things he'd still be one of the most dangerous dummy-half runners in the game.

and apart from that, when we're talking about his quality as a player why does it matter that he succeeds because he exploits the status quo? that is like complaining that Smith is only a superb defender because referees don't crack down on wrestling in the ruck and therefore let him get away with a variety of tactics that he is famous for. It doesn't really change how good they are. It is just complaining because those players have managed to adapt better to the way the game is played.

every hooker in the NRL tries to take advantage of illegal tactics in the play-the-ball and various ways of interfering with the marker. It isn't like all the other hookers in the NRL are trying to play the game in the right spirit and Luke is just being a dodgy ****. they all do it and Luke is just particularly adept at it. Good players and winners learn how to take advantage of the situation, while losers just whinge about how its not fair.

My point was that he won't have the same luxury at the Broncos.

 

[KingWebcke]

My point was that he won't have the same luxury at the Broncos.

it doesn't seem to bother him when he plays for the Kiwis. and it doesn't seem to bother him for all those years he played at Souths before the Burgii arrived. he has played in teams where they didn't illegally target the markers and he was still incredibly dangerous.

 

[Porthoz]

Agreed......he's an opportunist and he does it better than most.

It's a pity he has so many deficiencies in the rest of his game.

Which is why I would have him as a bench hooker, to take advantage of tiring forwards and be less exposed in defence, which is clearly is worst attribute imo.

 

[KingWebcke]

Which is why I would have him as a bench hooker, to take advantage of tiring forwards and be less exposed in defence, which is clearly is worst attribute imo.

having him on the bench would be great but it would never happen. rightly or wrongly, on the open market Luke would command a salary behind only Farah and Smith and you couldn't pay that sort of money for a hooker who you're only going to use for 50 minutes and who is going to start on the bench.

 

[Porthoz]

Let's remember he's moving to Brissy to follow his wife and kids, which automatically drastically reduces his ability to demand big bucks. If the Titans are willing to pay more than us, fine, otherwise offer him 250K a year, which is a fairly small chunk of the cap...

 

[Morkel]

it doesn't seem to bother him when he plays for the Kiwis. and it doesn't seem to bother him for all those years he played at Souths before the Burgii arrived. he has played in teams where they didn't illegally target the markers and he was still incredibly dangerous.

Even for the Kiwis he's played behind Blair, JWH, etc, clearly not the 'play fair' type. I understand why people rate him, I just don't agree. He's the Kiwi version of Ennis when he was at his best.

 

[Dexter]

Just another player using us to bump up his contract.

 

[pagey]

Don't want him don't need him

 

[KingWebcke]

Even for the Kiwis he's played behind Blair, JWH, etc, clearly not the 'play fair' type.

yeah but JWH and Blair are grubby players who hit high etc not because they are always walking off the mark or interfering with the markers. if you're trying to claim that they also systematically target markers signficantly more than other players in the comp (thereby giving Luke an advantage) then I think you're talking nonsense.

 

[Morkel]

yeah but JWH and Blair are grubby players who hit high etc not because they are always walking off the mark or interfering with the markers. if you're trying to claim that they also systematically target markers signficantly more than other players in the comp (thereby giving Luke an advantage) then I think you're talking nonsense.

I'm suggesting that if they were encouraged to play foul by their coach, they wouldn't have a moral conundrum.

 

[broncos4life]

Let's remember he's moving to Brissy to follow his wife and kids, which automatically drastically reduces his ability to demand big bucks. If the Titans are willing to pay more than us, fine, otherwise offer him 250K a year, which is a fairly small chunk of the cap...

You also have to remember that his bargaining power would be reduced by the fact we already have a decent hooker. In the land of fan forums macca is the anti-Christ for some reason, but that doesn't transfer to real life where he really is a lot better than the credit he gets on here

 

[pagey]

Yeah can't understand all the hate for macca , I mean yeah consistency is his problem but good halves would help him out . A couple of games he has won for us almost single handedly so he has the ability, just hasn't had the back up of late.

 

[Sproj]

Agreed, 250-300k is good for a test rep. Might fire Macca up to perform at worst.

 

[Kimlo]

Yeah can't understand all the hate for macca , I mean yeah consistency is his problem but good halves would help him out . A couple of games he has won for us almost single handedly so he has the ability, just hasn't had the back up of late.

What are these games? I can't say I remember many games where I've thought Macca was the reason we won.

 

[broncos4life]

What are these games? I can't say I remember many games where I've thought Macca was the reason we won.

There has been quite a few IMO. Most of the ones where he has got MOM he has well and truly dominated IMHO.

In any case lets not start this debate again, there is pages of it in the macca enigma thread. Every has their opinion about him which will never change. I shouldn't of bought it up tbh

 

[Sproj]

My biggest and only problem with Macca is his slow pass speed and the fact he regularly passes behind players thus slowing down play and stopping the depth attack as it puts players motion off. Not many problems tha he has but for a hooker, those are big problems indeed. His game was made to look much better by the fact Wallace was even slower and worse.

 

[Financeguy]

Yeah can't understand all the hate for macca , I mean yeah consistency is his problem but good halves would help him out . A couple of games he has won for us almost single handedly so he has the ability, just hasn't had the back up of late.

I don't hate McCullough, i just don't think he is a great player. To me he is a lower to mid tier hooker and for the posters on here that think i under rate him due to a few good games in his 120 odd that he has played i think the contrary, i think there are a few posters on here that over rate him. but hey, thats just my opinion and what the forum is all about.

I talk and deal with a lot of non bronco fans at games and my general social life so get a lot of non bronco biased opinion and i cant think of anyone i know who i consider to have decent league knowledge that really rates to guy. Hell, maybe that has rubbed off on me and i am missing something.

As for Luke, he doesnt strike me as the kind of player that would ever play for the Broncos. I can't specify why, just a gut feeling, just wouldnt look right in our jersey but I do think he is currently a better hooker than what we have.