Player Ali Leiataua

[ndp26]

Leiataua: Confident in what I can do and bring to the team

Ail Leiataua reflects on his development as he prepares for season opener in Las Vegas.

www.warriors.kiwi

Let's eat!

 

[Makasene]

Man he has the game to be anything he wants to be.

- can he stay injury free?
- can he limit his defensive lapses?
- can he channel his confidence in the right way?

Shades of Clinton Toopi who found his way to greatness.
- 1999 (2 games)
- 2000 (4 games)
- 2001 (24) and never looked back.

The crowds be chanting "Ali, Ali, Ali" again is my tip.

 

[SouthernWorrier]

He'd be the player I'm most excited abut this year, huge talent but I'm concerned he's going to get over hyped with some cracker highlight reels - he's going to have to keep putting the work in and not rely on steamrolling everyone he comes up against - as he's a rookie teams will be looking for weaknesses, and if he has TT outside him he's going to have a role minimising TT being ragdolled and out jumped. As long as he keeps learning and striving he could be world class.

So freakin hopeful about this guy!

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

He'd be the player I'm most excited abut this year, huge talent but I'm concerned he's going to get over hyped with some cracker highlight reels - he's going to have to keep putting the work in and not rely on steamrolling everyone he comes up against - as he's a rookie teams will be looking for weaknesses, and if he has TT outside him he's going to have a role minimising TT being ragdolled and out jumped. As long as he keeps learning and striving he could be world class.

So freakin hopeful about this guy!

He sounds like a kid who works his arse off! A little bit to live up to as well when you have one of the warriors greats in your family, sounds humble though.

The sky is the limit!

 

[sup42]

He is in a defensive position. So the path to greatness for him is not rocket surgery. He has to be a better defender than his role model uncle was.
If his uncle was a top defensive forward he would have been the greatest forward to ever play the game.

This is not hard or complicated, Ali has to become a top defensive center as of priority because the attack part of the game for him comes naturally. No one is born a natural defender, it takes work and it takes study at center to read NRL plays.

This fellah has to go to school and learn what top NRL attacking coaches know.

Do that and he will be in the top three all time Warriors centers and therefore the first picked in the backline.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

Man he has the game to be anything he wants to be.

- can he stay injury free?
- can he limit his defensive lapses?
- can he channel his confidence in the right way?

Shades of Clinton Toopi who found his way to greatness.
- 1999 (2 games)
- 2000 (4 games)
- 2001 (24) and never looked back.

The crowds be chanting "Ali, Ali, Ali" again is my tip.

That or "Ali Bomaye" Would be awesome.

 

[Beastmode]

It’s not just his physical attributes that impress me.

It’s the two inches upstairs and Ali has it all.

I still remember his debut against Canberra in 2023.

Huge occasion with Crockers 200th, at GIO stadium, at night and he was marking Crocker.

Absolutely cool and calm under pressure. Took a high ball with ease. No problem containing Crocker and made decent metres. A very calm head for a young man. He wasn’t the least bit nervous on the occasion.

This dude does not have the choke gene.

Also a memorable performance against Penrith last year playing with one leg. Some players love to play the injured card to gain sympathy whenever the opportunity arrives. Not Ali.

Love this kid.
He is our future.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

He is in a defensive position. So the path to greatness for him is not rocket surgery. He has to be a better defender than his role model uncle was.
If his uncle was a top defensive forward he would have been the greatest forward to ever play the game.

This is not hard or complicated, Ali has to become a top defensive center as of priority because the attack part of the game for him comes naturally. No one is born a natural defender, it takes work and it takes study at center to read NRL plays.

This fellah has to go to school and learn what top NRL attacking coaches know.

Do that and he will be in the top three all time Warriors centers and therefore the first picked in the backline.

I am picturing a rocket getting surgery

 

[Boats n Hoes]

Certainly an impressive specimen.

Ball in hand showed a nice couple of subtle touches in the trials which i was actually quite relieved about as it showed there's more to his game than just the obvious physicality.

As Sup stated tho defence will be the ongoing work on. He did get exposed on D a couple of times last season (which is normal) mostly on positioning and connecting with his edge. With experience and an attitude to want to learn (which he appears to have) this will only improve so yeah.....its all ahead of him.

 

[Noitall]

'Shackles off': Warriors royalty Ali Leiataua poised for breakout NRL season

As the nephew of a club legend, the 22-year-old can make 2025 his year.

www.nzherald.co.nz

Interesting quote in there from Webster about the respect for the person Leiataua was training against that he perhaps wasn’t hitting the heights possible and now the shackles are off. You’d assume that was RTS that he was showing respect to? And hope he follows his ethic. Love it how he says Webster and the boys around him make him the person he is. There seems to be a real tightness between the squad this year and Leiataua seems like the good person along with good player that the the club has a fondness for