Karl Olaupu

[Sproj]

He may end up a great player but right now, he isn’t even close to ready for first grade.

 

[Santa]

Lol and to think this kid thought he was going to be playing in the number 6 (in 2023 no less).

Mam is killing it!

 

[Broncapz]

More like Karl Olapau-who

 

[McHunt]

He got smoked by Nicho here. 2 minutes in:

Sharks v Bulldogs

The Cronulla Sutherland Sharks and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs face off in Round 16 of the 2023 NRL Telstra Premiership

www.nrl.com

 

[1910]

He' s done some good things like his tackle on Foran and his set up for Burton to score.

I think he will be Qld 6.

 

[theshed]

Yeah a bit of denial happening in here. The kid has been very impressive.

 

[broncos4life]

Yeah a bit of denial happening in here. The kid has been very impressive.

Really? I think he has been ok, but doesn’t look ready to me or anything more than a decent 6 or lock as his ceiling.

I must be watching different games to you but would love to know exactly what you have found very impressive about his game.

 

[ZTop]

Really? I think he has been ok, but doesn’t look ready to me or anything more than a decent 6 or lock as his ceiling.

I must be watching different games to you but would love to know exactly what you have found very impressive about his game.

He is so clearly not ready for first grade.

 

[McHunt]

He is so clearly not ready for first grade.

Neither is Sam Walker, and he's had 3 years practice.

 

[1910]

Yeah a bit of denial happening in here. The kid has been very impressive.

He's done impressive things at times but overall, I think he's been ok.

But yeah I still expect him to be in the Queensland team at 6 in July.

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

Neither is Sam Walker, and he's had 3 years practice.

You're both right here.

The thing with putting them in before they are ready is its a gamble. It can absolutely destroy their career or it can make their career.
What walters and co were probably trying to tell the young chicken sandwhich enthusiast is that it has destroyed far more careers then it's made. Far more! The team their in have to be flying or at the very least on the up to cover up their inconsistent games and rookie errors, otherwise the pressure mounts internally and externally, and they inevitably lose confidence which often snowballs if they don't have the right support around them (which they don't, otherwise they would have been told to be patient or earn their chance).

People knock Walters, myself included, for changing winning teams to bring in rookies and young players but I think it's for the above reasons and pays off in the long term.

Also, people saying he is going to move past Ezra mam (2 years older) and dearden (5 years older) to the qld number 6 jersey haha. What? Not in that team he isn't. They are already dropping him to the bench and moving him into lock, they keep losing (highly likely given their recruitment stratergy lately (dickhead policy)) there is no way he develops like he should have. I am also yet to see anywhere near the skills of Ezra mam, or the determination of dearden.

 

[McHunt]

You're both right here.

The thing with putting them in before they are ready is its a gamble. It can absolutely destroy their career or it can make their career.
What walters and co were probably trying to tell the young chicken sandwhich enthusiast is that it has destroyed far more careers then it's made. Far more! The team their in have to be flying or at the very least on the up to cover up their inconsistent games and rookie errors, otherwise the pressure mounts internally and externally, and they inevitably lose confidence which often snowballs if they don't have the right support around them (which they don't, otherwise they would have been told to be patient or earn their chance).

People knock Walters, myself included, for changing winning teams to bring in rookies and young players but I think it's for the above reasons and pays off in the long term.

Also, people saying he is going to move past Ezra mam (2 years older) and dearden (5 years older) to the qld number 6 jersey haha. What? Not in that team he isn't. They are already dropping him to the bench and moving him into lock, they keep losing (highly likely given their recruitment stratergy lately (dickhead policy)) there is no way he develops like he should have. I am also yet to see anywhere near the skills of Ezra mam, or the determination of dearden.

Yes, and I would put Kalyn Ponga ahead of both of them at 6. He might be better at 1, but hard to leave out Walsh. Don't know about halfback but that's likely to be vacant next year.

 

[theshed]

Really? I think he has been ok, but doesn’t look ready to me or anything more than a decent 6 or lock as his ceiling.

I must be watching different games to you but would love to know exactly what you have found very impressive about his game.

His defence is great for his age. Hits hard and doesn’t fear contact. He’s monstered men 7 years his senior at times in both attack and defence.

He is 18 years old. We may not see him be a complete NRL player for another 5 years but he has all the attributes to be really solid.

It also doesn’t help that he is in a terrible team with no halfback

 

[TimWhatley]

His defence is great for his age. Hits hard and doesn’t fear contact. He’s monstered men 7 years his senior at times in both attack and defence.

He is 18 years old. We may not see him be a complete NRL player for another 5 years but he has all the attributes to be really solid.

It also doesn’t help that he is in a terrible team with no halfback

Yeah he's really strong for a kid and that's what stood out to me in his junior highlights video. Unfortunately he is slow as f**k which is unfortunate because speed is a prerequisite to play 5/8 in the nrl. I can see him losing that spot at the dogs as soon as they get a real 6.

 

[Morkel]

There were two really lazy efforts on the goal-line yesterday. He had the opportunity to put his body on the line, but decided to just hang an arm out lazily. I get that he is young and not ready (which is 50:50 blame on him and the club for him playing NRL right now), but even a pea-heart like Corey Norman would put in effort in his rookie years.

 

[Sproj]

Yeah he's really strong for a kid and that's what stood out to me in his junior highlights video. Unfortunately he is slow as f**k which is unfortunate because speed is a prerequisite to play 5/8 in the nrl. I can see him losing that spot at the dogs as soon as they get a real 6.

Him trying to chase Nicho down was like watching grandpa chase the turtle and the turtle was pulling away.

Chicken sandwich might be able to pull off a big hit but so could Sandow and Milford and look how they’ve turned out.

He has definitely not been impressive so far and this is why he is now starting to be shuffled around in a cellar dweller team. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him back out of first grade before the year is out.

None of this is a comment on what he will become, clearly he’s got talent, hence teams climbing over themselves to get to him but as of right now, he is also clearly not ready for first grade. Right now, for every big hit he pulls off, he misses another ten tackles and every one decent play he pulls off, he stuffs up 5.

 

[Renegade]

He's done some nice things but nothing at this stage that makes you go damn can't believe we lost him.

Lots to work on.

 

[broncos4life]

His defence is great for his age. Hits hard and doesn’t fear contact. He’s monstered men 7 years his senior at times in both attack and defence.

He is 18 years old. We may not see him be a complete NRL player for another 5 years but he has all the attributes to be really solid.

It also doesn’t help that he is in a terrible team with no halfback

So hard hits? Definitely what I look for in a halves player.