Te Maire Martin

[Wolfie]

Made Morgan look good most of the time. Didn’t get the credit he deserved for that Cowboys run they had

I dont think you have that right at all. 2017 was when Morgan was playing like the best player in the world and i dont think that was down to Martin, and 2018 Morgan was always injured, he played more alongside JT or at fullback. JT and Morgan were always their first choice half combination.

I just have never seen any consitency in his game at all. I dont think he will do much at all here but i hope i'm wrong. As i said, he has shown glimpses, but i've never seen a great deal in him.

 

[Wolfie]

How much of that was green?

May have been knowing Green, but i think JT and Morgan in his 2 full years there were basically running that team from the outside looking in. As soon as Green didnt have those 2 firing, he couldnt coach for toffee.

 

[Big Pete]

I dont think you have that right at all. 2017 was when Morgan was playing like the best player in the world and i dont think that was down to Martin, and 2018 Morgan was always injured, he played more alongside JT or at fullback. JT and Morgan were always their first choice half combination.

I just have never seen any consitency in his game at all. I dont think he will do much at all here but i hope i'm wrong. As i said, he has shown glimpses, but i've never seen a great deal in him.

That's how I remember it as well. Morgan stepped up as the lead kicker in the team with Coote deputising allowing Martin to pick and choose his moments. Martin came up with some good plays like that incisive run against the Roosters but he largely kept out of the way.

Then the next year the Cowboys started the year without Coote and Morgan and got off to a slow start. Martin struggled early and instead of letting him find form in QCup Green had him play as a utility until Morgan got injured.

May have been knowing Green, but i think JT and Morgan in his 2 full years there were basically running that team from the outside looking in. As soon as Green didnt have those 2 firing, he couldnt coach for toffee.

I'd say he was more like a Michael Maguire who initially came in with some great ideas and brought in a slew of players that really enhanced the Cowboys style of play. Under Green they became a more structured team that controlled the ball wonderfully and always had a trick or two up their sleeve.

However like Madge when players started getting on there was no Plan B or long term vision. The players that should have come through all found success at other clubs and Green couldn't get one back.

 

[Mr Fourex]

I dont think you have that right at all. 2017 was when Morgan was playing like the best player in the world and i dont think that was down to Martin, and 2018 Morgan was always injured, he played more alongside JT or at fullback. JT and Morgan were always their first choice half combination.

I just have never seen any consitency in his game at all. I dont think he will do much at all here but i hope i'm wrong. As i said, he has shown glimpses, but i've never seen a great deal in him.

A few glimpses of real class is all I can recall of Te Marie Martin. Saw it a few times at the Panthers.....less at the Cowboys.

If cheap enough, he's a good buy. Its not like we're overflowing in the halves (or fullback) talent pool outside of Reynolds.

 

[WASSHHH]

I’d never even thought of it, but after reading this thread all I will ever be able to think of when I see his name is:

 

[Sproj]

I’d never even thought of it, but after reading this thread all I will ever be able to think of when I see his name is:
View attachment 16437

Good drink that

 

[holdzy]

Good drink that

Works in a pinch for a white russian if there is no Kahlua around.

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

This is not going to be popular opinion I think but Morgan was meh for me.
He played well for 10 games with other teams not expecting much and lolo trampling the advantage line in 2017 but Morgan was extremely over rated his entire career in my eyes. Shane perry did a job next to lockyer, morgan had the same luxuries yet was lauded as the 2nd or 3rd best half at the time. Insane. Origin exposed this.
It was easy for Morgan to sit back and pick a 10 second moment in a game with Thurston running the show. He was almost non-existent for the other 79 minutes 50 seconds for 20 other games a year.
He would have made a better centre or lock if he put on the muscle, fullback if he got his fitness up and learnt to hover the play.

 

[ettybay]

Works in a pinch for a white russian if there is no Kahlua around.

Ahh white Russian. Haven't had one of those since Jesus played halfback for Jerusalem.

 

[Wolfie]

This is not going to be popular opinion I think but Morgan was meh for me.
He played well for 10 games with other teams not expecting much and lolo trampling the advantage line in 2017 but Morgan was extremely over rated his entire career in my eyes. Shane perry did a job next to lockyer, morgan had the same luxuries yet was lauded as the 2nd or 3rd best half at the time. Insane. Origin exposed this.
It was easy for Morgan to sit back and pick a 10 second moment in a game with Thurston running the show. He was almost non-existent for the other 79 minutes 50 seconds for 20 other games a year.
He would have made a better centre or lock if he put on the muscle, fullback if he got his fitness up and learnt to hover the play.

I think he was pretty decent tbh until those shoulder and concussion issues kicked in with him. Once he had those string of concussions he was never the same player. He seemed really fearful of contact and thats no good for a player in this game. He was a good 14 for QLD, never thought he had the game though to be a dominant half though.

 

[Big Pete]

This is not going to be popular opinion I think but Morgan was meh for me.
He played well for 10 games with other teams not expecting much and lolo trampling the advantage line in 2017 but Morgan was extremely over rated his entire career in my eyes. Shane perry did a job next to lockyer, morgan had the same luxuries yet was lauded as the 2nd or 3rd best half at the time. Insane. Origin exposed this.
It was easy for Morgan to sit back and pick a 10 second moment in a game with Thurston running the show. He was almost non-existent for the other 79 minutes 50 seconds for 20 other games a year.
He would have made a better centre or lock if he put on the muscle, fullback if he got his fitness up and learnt to hover the play.

I can't say Morgan was ever rated until he got picked on the bench for Queensland as the utility. It was pretty rough on Ben Hunt at the time but Morgan was the more versatile player and he suited the make-up of the Queensland team better.

I understand the Perry comparison, but I don't think it paints an accurate picture either. Perry did a lot of the hands-on grunt work while Lockyer would orchestrate set-plays in the background. Morgan on the other hand was the ace up the Cowboys sleeve who'd they turn to when they needed a try and they'd work some kind of set-play for and he'd usually come up trumps. Like Feldt, he had a forgettable 78+ minutes, but who cares when the final two wins the game?

He was right up there as one of the best five-eighths in the competition and his game was becoming more well-rounded until his shoulders went.

I don't think he's really going to remembered outside of North Queensland circles but I can't see an argument that he had four really good years in the NRL (2014-17).

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

I can't say Morgan was ever rated until he got picked on the bench for Queensland as the utility. It was pretty rough on Ben Hunt at the time but Morgan was the more versatile player and he suited the make-up of the Queensland team better.

I understand the Perry comparison, but I don't think it paints an accurate picture either. Perry did a lot of the hands-on grunt work while Lockyer would orchestrate set-plays in the background. Morgan on the other hand was the ace up the Cowboys sleeve who'd they turn to when they needed a try and they'd work some kind of set-play for and he'd usually come up trumps. Like Feldt, he had a forgettable 78+ minutes, but who cares when the final two wins the game?

He was right up there as one of the best five-eighths in the competition and his game was becoming more well-rounded until his shoulders went.

I don't think he's really going to remembered outside of North Queensland circles but I can't see an argument that he had four really good years in the NRL (2014-17).

I agree with the top half of the convo. The perry comparison wasn't so much like for like, rather an example of a player being able to do a simplified and much easier role to look better with a once in a generation player beside them.

I knew the gf would be brought up, but 9/10 that play doesn't happen and then the 78 minutes that he didnt turn up matter. I'm a man of percentages, give me the half who is a constant threat and is in the game for at least 50% of it over a player who MAY come up with a play when all the cards fall their way. The description you've given of him to say he was a good half sounds a hell of a lot more like a strike centre to me, that could have just as easily have been a james Roberts making that play...

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

I think he was pretty decent tbh until those shoulder and concussion issues kicked in with him. Once he had those string of concussions he was never the same player. He seemed really fearful of contact and thats no good for a player in this game. He was a good 14 for QLD, never thought he had the game though to be a dominant half though.

I agree with what you have said except the good 14 part. Ben hunt had shown what a good 14 is since he's taken over. Morgan had near zero impact in origin, the 14s role IS to impact the game

 

[Big Pete]

I agree with the top half of the convo. The perry comparison wasn't so much like for like, rather an example of a player being able to do a simplified and much easier role to look better with a once in a generation player beside them.

I knew the gf would be brought up, but 9/10 that play doesn't happen and then the 78 minutes that he didnt turn up matter. I'm a man of percentages, give me the half who is a constant threat and is in the game for at least 50% of it over a player who MAY come up with a play when all the cards fall their way. The description you've given of him to say he was a good half sounds a hell of a lot more like a strike centre to me, that could have just as easily have been a james Roberts making that play...

I thought the 79:50 comment was a direct reference to the GF.

Roberts never had the skill-set Morgan did which made Morgan so effective at five-eighth. Roberts never had the passing or kicking game Morgan did.

 

[Wolfie]

I agree with what you have said except the good 14 part. Ben hunt had shown what a good 14 is since he's taken over. Morgan had near zero impact in origin, the 14s role IS to impact the game

Benny has done well as a 14 for Qld. Morgan has as well tbf. I can remember him coming off the bench and having good impact for QLD. The game that springs to mind is the one where Chambers got injured and he set up Gagai for the try that ultimately lead to us winning the game. I think his first 3 years in Origin were pretty effective, but his final couple of years were pretty disappointing. Think that game he played at fullback was very ordinary.

 

[Big Pete]

The main reason why I responded wasn't to rush to Morgan's honour, but to actually try to gauge where he's actually rated.

Is he rated as one of the GOATs? Absolutely not.

The best five-eighth of his generation?

He's behind James Maloney, Cameron Munster and Luke Keary. Both Jarome Luai and Cody Walker are making strong cases for why they should be ahead of him as well. Then you have players like Kieran Foran and Gareth Widdop who arguably have strong cases as well.

You could even stretch and say Jamie Soward and Benji Marshall but I feel they were from a prior generation.

Can we say he's ahead of players like Josh Reynolds, Jack Wighton, Anthony Milford, Corey Norman, Mitchell Moses, Matt Moylan, Blake Green and Blake Austin? Is that fair enough as it currently stands?

Because I feel like that's where he's currently held and that seems reasonable to me.

 

[Mr Fourex]

Can we say he's ahead of players like Josh Reynolds, Jack Wighton, Anthony Milford, Corey Norman, Mitchell Moses, Matt Moylan, Blake Green and Blake Austin? Is that fair enough as it currently stands?

Because I feel like that's where he's currently held and that seems reasonable to me.

Close enough.......

 

[theshed]

On a side note, most my memories of Joey were from childhood so I don’t remember what he was actually like week to week other than the mythology around him (apart from old games Ive gone back and watched) but **** he must have been special if peak Thurston being as good or better than him is barely even entertained seriously - those few years when Thurston was ta his prime was crazy to watch, I’ve never seen a player be so involved in the output of their team. Felt like he touched the ball almost every play and his pass and kick selection and variety was without peer.

Cleary is the closest thing I’ve seen to replicating it.