COMPLETE Where's Isaako

[Huge]

Yes, you could definitely say that.

I actually amended my post before posting something rather inciting, as I’d used a less than diplomatic way of saying the same thing.

I feel like I’m finally growing as a person

Don't need to worry too much as you've never shown the capacity for balanced viewpoints.

 

[lynx000]

Don't think anyone has put the cart before the horse in this thread. The only claim made is that Isaako will stink it up. I think Isaako will be quickly dropped if he concedes tries for two weeks straight, like Uni did in week 2 and week 3. Shockingly poor performances so far.

I wish him well, but I will not be surprised if the same issues appear at the Titans and the Dolphins.

 

[lynx000]

I wish him well, but I will not be surprised if the same issues appear at the Titans and the Dolphins.

Just adding I think he is a thorougly decent bloke, but he just seems to lack some football nous or awareness at crucial times.

 

[Huge]

Just adding I think he is a thorougly decent bloke, but he just seems to lack some football nous or awareness at crucial times.

Nothing wrong with that take and I kind of agree. I just think the mob mentality made mountains out of molehills and his actual failings were no more no less than many others. However, every time a try was scored against the Broncos it was somehow Isaako's fault even when he wasn't playing!!! Anyway, he's not a Bronco any more so I don't care much. I however do think he will continue to improve and be successful both this year and under WB.

 

[theshed]

Don't think anyone has put the cart before the horse in this thread. The only claim made is that Isaako will stink it up. I think Isaako will be quickly dropped if he concedes tries for two weeks straight, like Uni did in week 2 and week 3. Shockingly poor performances so far.

Your fighting a pointless fight on this one, everyone hates Niu too

 

[WASSHHH]

Don't need to worry too much as you've never shown the capacity for balanced viewpoints.

Oh the irony.

 

[BroncosFever]

Your fighting a pointless fight on this one, everyone hates Niu too

It's funny in a weird way, when Isaako was running out we all wanted Tesi to be out there but in the couple of games so far from Tesi.. I for one am starting to wish we had another option.

 

[Mr Fourex]

Isaako will stink it up there too man.

Either that or @Huge will win the internet......

That puts a lot of pressure on Jamayne

Idroppo hasn't handled pressure well ....in the past.

 

[Locky888]

I reckon the Broncs are trying to extend Cobbo's contract on winger's money before shifting him to FB.

 

[Huge]

It's funny in a weird way, when Isaako was running out we all wanted Tesi to be out there but in the couple of games so far from Tesi.. I for one am starting to wish we had another option.

I'm the first to cut a player a bit of slack and I admit I have no idea what's going on in Uni's life behind the scenes because it can affect a player's performance. All the same though I just couldn't see what others saw last year that made him the nuts in their eyes. KW clearly liked him ( and James too) and he's closer to the action and KW is a better judge than I.

In the two games so far Uni's mistakes have lead directly to two tries and he has generally been poor under the high ball but all the same I want him to succeed. I don't understand letting JI walk but again I am not privy to all the facts but o the surface at least I just can't understand why he wasn't kept as backup considering our no1 fullback was underwhelming.

 

[Allo]

I'm the first to cut a player a bit of slack and I admit I have no idea what's going on in Uni's life behind the scenes because it can affect a player's performance. All the same though I just couldn't see what others saw last year that made him the nuts in their eyes. KW clearly liked him ( and James too) and he's closer to the action and KW is a better judge than I.

In the two games so far Uni's mistakes have lead directly to two tries and he has generally been poor under the high ball but all the same I want him to succeed. I don't understand letting JI walk but again I am not privy to all the facts but o the surface at least I just can't understand why he wasn't kept as backup considering our no1 fullback was underwhelming.

Personal life has mirrored Jamayne in a way with his old man passing early this year.

 

[theshed]

I'm the first to cut a player a bit of slack and I admit I have no idea what's going on in Uni's life behind the scenes because it can affect a player's performance. All the same though I just couldn't see what others saw last year that made him the nuts in their eyes. KW clearly liked him ( and James too) and he's closer to the action and KW is a better judge than I.

In the two games so far Uni's mistakes have lead directly to two tries and he has generally been poor under the high ball but all the same I want him to succeed. I don't understand letting JI walk but again I am not privy to all the facts but o the surface at least I just can't understand why he wasn't kept as backup considering our no1 fullback was underwhelming.

Completely agree. I never rated Niu, no idea what people saw in him. It was even more clear when he went back to cup and still looked out of his depth. To me it was clear we needed to go to market for a fullback as much as we needed a 7, concerning that Ikin doesn’t seem to think so because I don’t see a good option at the club. I was optimistic Cobbo would step up but that isn’t looking likely any time soon.

 

[Old Mate]

If only we played Walsh from the get go, the guy that looked the best out there during the trials.

 

[Cult]

Teams first choice Fullback gets injured, teams second choice Fullback gets named.

I simply cannot believe it.

Are we at all surprised our friend Huge is yet to reply to this?

 

[lynx000]

Are we at all surprised our friend Huge is yet to reply to this?

Baiting is not cool.

 

[Big Pete]

One of the key reasons why the club and the fans went off of Jamayne is because he sat down with the Wests Tigers before he was off contract. It's no surprise that both him and Pangai were on the outer from that point on.

I was really excited for the Isaako signing when it happened. He was a genuine prospect out at Cronulla and it was nice to see the Broncos actually examine the lay of the land and bring in players who were playing good footy at a higher level. I was so used to them just sticking solid with what they had even though they'd clearly peaked or hinging on players wanting to move home like David Hala or Joe Ofahengaue.

My first impression of Jamayne in a Broncos jersey was lousy. It was an Auckland 9s game against Manly where Matt Parcell ran around Isaako who showed no urgency to get to a loose kick. I wasn't going to write him off because of that moment but it was clear that Bennett was going to have to get his hooks into him. He wasn't just a natural talent, there were aspects that needed fixing.

I watched him play for the 20s who were going through a rebuild. He was largely playing down the right-hand side and had really good agility that would often see him beat his opposite one on one. He could really trouble the opposition and while he couldn't quite put the pieces together, if the Broncos could string another play together and go for a second-man shift to Allan they'd usually score. Unfortunately for Jamayne his defence was shocking, he could just never get his timing right and if he got his target down he rarely met them with a strong tackle.

I think this was magnified when he made the step up to QCup where he was shocking. It appeared that he had hit his ceiling until he went to fullback. That took the defence out of the equation and since he was allowed to run more and use his foot-work he was able to make a positive difference. There were definitely weeks there where it seemed like Darius had his work cut out for him. However, there were positional issues he wasn't quite aware of and unless things went his way he could really be found wanting.

Still it seemed like his spot and it wasn't surprising at all to see Bennett give him a chance later that year against Newcastle.

Now I was never really convinced that Jamayne was a winger. His biggest asset was his foot-work which is difficult to implement when you're up against the sideline. His work under the high ball never filled me with confidence either but I knew that Bennett would find a way to get it to work. By this point, Isaako had three seasons under his belt, it was now or never and that incident that occurred in Auckland wasn't going to resurface.

Sure enough, Jamayne was one of the Broncos better players and while he clearly wasn't a natural winger he had just enough talent to compensate for it. Of course it wasn't all smooth sailing and I still remember his first real shocker against the Titans on Easter Sunday. Brisbane were coming off two really big morale boosting games against a wayward Titans outfit and the Broncos just couldn't get out of their own end. Sure there was plenty of blame to go around that night, but after the heroics the week before against the Tigers it was a reality check for Jamayne.

Still Jamayne bounced back and while he really struggled with the high kicks there was a footy player there. With Boyd really starting to show signs of slowing down, it seemed like Isaako really deserved an opportunity at 1. He actually denied his former club victory with the toe of his boot in a game there and was one of the Broncos best in the three weeks he played. However the Broncos really didn't have the depth to compensate for the move, Darius struggled in the centres and Kahu had an absolute shocker against the Bulldogs. I'd like to think he was haunted by the corresponding game last year where he came up with a mistake during a critical time...

Anyways, Jamayne went back to the wing for the benefit of the team but long-term it appeared 1 would be his role.

I still remember the trial game that year where Boyd was having an unhappy night and the Titans were well on top. Then as soon as they put Isaako to 1, suddenly the complexion of the Broncos sets began to change and Brisbane managed to pull off a sweet victory. It seemed pretty clear that Isaako ought to be the 1 sooner than later but it just never happened. He just languished on the right wing while the players around him were departing the club. Su'A, Nikorima, Roberts etc. the players he spent the bulk of 2018 all gone. Isaako rarely saw many opportunities until Staggs started to find his feet, but it was pretty clear a year that should have gone into developing him as a 1 was completely lost.

So 2020 Seibold decides to give Isaako his shot at fullback. Better later than never, would have been nice if we made the move when he was playing good footy and he had a better team around him but maybe they can salvage something...

...mid-way through pre-season Seibold opts to go with Jack Bird coming back from an ACL. Now Jack is a great talent, a natural footballer who could play well in any jersey you give him when fit. That was a ridiculous move in hindsight, especially given Bird would suffer another injury before the season proper that effectively ended his time at the club.

Isaako gets it by default and what do you know, he's actually among the Broncos best players and is a marked improvement over Boyd. Brisbane go 2-0 against all odds before the season shuts down, different clubs are given completely different impressions about the resumption and rule changes are brought in at the behest of broadcasters. The draw is also rewritten and Brisbane being a marquee town get all the tough teams and the team gets beaten into a pulp. Seibold is looking for answers, he's like a BHQ user, he's dropped everyone but somehow the team isn't performing. Who knew the job of a coach is actually to get players to perform, not just make team list changes.

Of all the players to get dropped Isaako was the least deserving but whatever he got sent to the sin-bin after Ponga milked a penalty. They decide to rush in Tesi Niu who was actually being transitioned into the centres before the pandemic hit. Tesi was a potential blue chip player but he was so early into his development and sure enough, he's making all sorts of mistakes under the high ball, blowing easy draw and passes and the entire team just falls apart. Jamayne really starts to drop off around this time with the Wests Tigers game just being really hard to watch. He was playing poorly, he wanted to make his dad proud before he passed on but no one can help him and no one believes in him.

2021 Kev returns and gives him a shot and he does OK. In the two wins the Broncos enjoy he's among the best on the park but the team is still struggling and Kev is like a BHQ poster, he's great at dropping players but really can't get the replacements to step up for more than one game. He takes a meeting with his NZ coach to see what he has to say while they meet with Pangai Jr. The club isn't impressed and Isaako makes one of the worst mistakes of his career - the dreaded Auckland 9s mistake against the Dragons and that's him finished as the first choice fullback for the Broncos.

The best thing to happen to Isaako in a long time was the admittance of the Dolphins. With so little talent available, he's valuable signing for Bennett and somebody he knows who gets the program and will do his best. At that point the writing was on the wall and despite putting in another solid effort during the trials and the season opener Isaako was free to leave. I thought he'd end up at the Eels who have a tendency to get the best out of struggling players but he's opted for the Titans. I genuinely wish him well tonight, I think he's a Holbrook type of signing like an Esan Marsters, Paul Turner, Will Smith, Corey Thompson type who have some impressive skills but don't seem to have any real ego. Low maintenance players who just want to give their best.

 

[Allo]

Great post @Big Pete and I agree with everything right up until the very last bit about him not having an ego.

Although he hasn’t really displayed it publicly via the media or any specific incident (the Tigers meeting could be one perhaps), I do think Jamayne has a massive ego and thinks he’s hot shit, at least on the field.

It’s an ego built on delusions of how good he actually is as a player, not just his specific skills. He’s a guy that doesn’t seem to own up to his errors, and never learns from them, because he keeps making them and acts surprised or confused when he does.

 

[Jedhead]

One of the key reasons why the club and the fans went off of Jamayne is because he sat down with the Wests Tigers before he was off contract. It's no surprise that both him and Pangai were on the outer from that point on.

I was really excited for the Isaako signing when it happened. He was a genuine prospect out at Cronulla and it was nice to see the Broncos actually examine the lay of the land and bring in players who were playing good footy at a higher level. I was so used to them just sticking solid with what they had even though they'd clearly peaked or hinging on players wanting to move home like David Hala or Joe Ofahengaue.

My first impression of Jamayne in a Broncos jersey was lousy. It was an Auckland 9s game against Manly where Matt Parcell ran around Isaako who showed no urgency to get to a loose kick. I wasn't going to write him off because of that moment but it was clear that Bennett was going to have to get his hooks into him. He wasn't just a natural talent, there were aspects that needed fixing.

I watched him play for the 20s who were going through a rebuild. He was largely playing down the right-hand side and had really good agility that would often see him beat his opposite one on one. He could really trouble the opposition and while he couldn't quite put the pieces together, if the Broncos could string another play together and go for a second-man shift to Allan they'd usually score. Unfortunately for Jamayne his defence was shocking, he could just never get his timing right and if he got his target down he rarely met them with a strong tackle.

I think this was magnified when he made the step up to QCup where he was shocking. It appeared that he had hit his ceiling until he went to fullback. That took the defence out of the equation and since he was allowed to run more and use his foot-work he was able to make a positive difference. There were definitely weeks there where it seemed like Darius had his work cut out for him. However, there were positional issues he wasn't quite aware of and unless things went his way he could really be found wanting.

Still it seemed like his spot and it wasn't surprising at all to see Bennett give him a chance later that year against Newcastle.

Now I was never really convinced that Jamayne was a winger. His biggest asset was his foot-work which is difficult to implement when you're up against the sideline. His work under the high ball never filled me with confidence either but I knew that Bennett would find a way to get it to work. By this point, Isaako had three seasons under his belt, it was now or never and that incident that occurred in Auckland wasn't going to resurface.

Sure enough, Jamayne was one of the Broncos better players and while he clearly wasn't a natural winger he had just enough talent to compensate for it. Of course it wasn't all smooth sailing and I still remember his first real shocker against the Titans on Easter Sunday. Brisbane were coming off two really big morale boosting games against a wayward Titans outfit and the Broncos just couldn't get out of their own end. Sure there was plenty of blame to go around that night, but after the heroics the week before against the Tigers it was a reality check for Jamayne.

Still Jamayne bounced back and while he really struggled with the high kicks there was a footy player there. With Boyd really starting to show signs of slowing down, it seemed like Isaako really deserved an opportunity at 1. He actually denied his former club victory with the toe of his boot in a game there and was one of the Broncos best in the three weeks he played. However the Broncos really didn't have the depth to compensate for the move, Darius struggled in the centres and Kahu had an absolute shocker against the Bulldogs. I'd like to think he was haunted by the corresponding game last year where he came up with a mistake during a critical time...

Anyways, Jamayne went back to the wing for the benefit of the team but long-term it appeared 1 would be his role.

I still remember the trial game that year where Boyd was having an unhappy night and the Titans were well on top. Then as soon as they put Isaako to 1, suddenly the complexion of the Broncos sets began to change and Brisbane managed to pull off a sweet victory. It seemed pretty clear that Isaako ought to be the 1 sooner than later but it just never happened. He just languished on the right wing while the players around him were departing the club. Su'A, Nikorima, Roberts etc. the players he spent the bulk of 2018 all gone. Isaako rarely saw many opportunities until Staggs started to find his feet, but it was pretty clear a year that should have gone into developing him as a 1 was completely lost.

So 2020 Seibold decides to give Isaako his shot at fullback. Better later than never, would have been nice if we made the move when he was playing good footy and he had a better team around him but maybe they can salvage something...

...mid-way through pre-season Seibold opts to go with Jack Bird coming back from an ACL. Now Jack is a great talent, a natural footballer who could play well in any jersey you give him when fit. That was a ridiculous move in hindsight, especially given Bird would suffer another injury before the season proper that effectively ended his time at the club.

Isaako gets it by default and what do you know, he's actually among the Broncos best players and is a marked improvement over Boyd. Brisbane go 2-0 against all odds before the season shuts down, different clubs are given completely different impressions about the resumption and rule changes are brought in at the behest of broadcasters. The draw is also rewritten and Brisbane being a marquee town get all the tough teams and the team gets beaten into a pulp. Seibold is looking for answers, he's like a BHQ user, he's dropped everyone but somehow the team isn't performing. Who knew the job of a coach is actually to get players to perform, not just make team list changes.

Of all the players to get dropped Isaako was the least deserving but whatever he got sent to the sin-bin after Ponga milked a penalty. They decide to rush in Tesi Niu who was actually being transitioned into the centres before the pandemic hit. Tesi was a potential blue chip player but he was so early into his development and sure enough, he's making all sorts of mistakes under the high ball, blowing easy draw and passes and the entire team just falls apart. Jamayne really starts to drop off around this time with the Wests Tigers game just being really hard to watch. He was playing poorly, he wanted to make his dad proud before he passed on but no one can help him and no one believes in him.

2021 Kev returns and gives him a shot and he does OK. In the two wins the Broncos enjoy he's among the best on the park but the team is still struggling and Kev is like a BHQ poster, he's great at dropping players but really can't get the replacements to step up for more than one game. He takes a meeting with his NZ coach to see what he has to say while they meet with Pangai Jr. The club isn't impressed and Isaako makes one of the worst mistakes of his career - the dreaded Auckland 9s mistake against the Dragons and that's him finished as the first choice fullback for the Broncos.

The best thing to happen to Isaako in a long time was the admittance of the Dolphins. With so little talent available, he's valuable signing for Bennett and somebody he knows who gets the program and will do his best. At that point the writing was on the wall and despite putting in another solid effort during the trials and the season opener Isaako was free to leave. I thought he'd end up at the Eels who have a tendency to get the best out of struggling players but he's opted for the Titans. I genuinely wish him well tonight, I think he's a Holbrook type of signing like an Esan Marsters, Paul Turner, Will Smith, Corey Thompson type who have some impressive skills but don't seem to have any real ego. Low maintenance players who just want to give their best.

Brilliant summary, great read. Well done.