Player Awen Guttenbeil

[warriorfaithful*_old]

Yeah as i said i would defintley have guttenbiel signed ahead of lauki. But as jesbass said lauki was in good form and a good player and he is stillyoung and has plenty of years left in him.
My vote still goes to awen though!

 

[-Dr.J-_old]

Can't comment on Luaki other than to say he was lazy in the pre season games. I'd prefer to go with the one I'm seeing more recent form on, so a default vote for Gutts.

 

[Esoj_old]

guttenbiel. been dynamic off the bench last few weeks. also very experinced which is what we need next year. also because he will be a 10 year player get 100,000 off his contract that doesn't count towards the cap.

lauaki unfortuantely looks like he will be gone from the warriors. hopefully he can find a home somewhere and get in good shape and have better luck with injuries

 

[STRIDER_old]

The Warriors wont let Hame go, He has way to much talent

 

[JonB_old]

Hame, Im a huge fan of Guttenbeil however I think the best choice for the long term future of the warriors is Lauki.
He has hue potentail, more potentail than any warriors player that I have seen on our team apart from, Rovelli and Manu.
f we keep Guttenbeil, the average age of our forward pack will be to high.
Sione, Koopu, Luck are all in there mid twentys which isn't always that young league wise and then we have some freaks in Price and Wiki who are at the very end of there careers.

 

[sebastian_old]

I won't really mind either way, but Gutts will end up taking less off our cap than Hame(if Hame gets more than 100,000). So the logical answer is Awen Guttenbiel. He has been on fire lately as well, that certianly won't help Hame's cause. Also if Wiki's going till 2008 why can't Gutts go on for 2 years more??

 

[Iafeta_old]

If youth dictates everything, an argument could be found that Stacey Jones should have been moved on years ago for Thomas Leuluai and they should never have signed Steve Price in the hope of retaining Matt Jobson!

Young players come, some don't make it, and then more young players come along. The bloke reminds me a lot of Clinton Toopi really, hella frustrating because you can see its there but just doesn't know how to produce it consistently at NRL level. Awen on the other hand, is busting defences, popping offloads, and making young players around him look good.

Definitely Guttenbeil, infact not just by the length of the Manawatu Gorge but by the sheer size of the Sahara Desert.

 

[JonB_old]

Matt Jobsons potentail is alot further from what Lauki's is, I don't think that is at all a fair comparison.
If youth dictated everything the warriors would be knocking at my door not, Gutts or Hame's im younger than both of them.
There is more risk in taking Hame for sure but Preirships are not won without them.
Sione I believe is developing into a leader, and im sure luck will along with Koopu will be able to help fill the void left by Awen.
We need more variation in our backrowers at the moment if we are to have a crisp attack, Luck Louis Koopu Awen are all very similar.

 

[Iafeta_old]

I understand where you're coming from JonB, but second row we tend to develop strongly from anyway.

We've still got young Sonny Fai coming through, and a list of players in the development squad also to bring on. They'll all gain more being around Awen Guttenbeil, a proven performer at club and international level who's been around for 11 first grade seasons, than from the knowledge and experience Hame Lauaki has acquired. Awen knows how to win, he knows how to get through a game, Hame doesn't.

So, in my opinion, its better for the youth of the Warriors to be around Price, Wiki, Guttenbeil than not to be around them. They don't hinder them, they inspire them, they educate them, they motivate them. While Hame showed talent at the beginning of his career he did not sustain it or grow on from it. It's a cut throat business and you can't hold passengers - there'll be more second rowers coming through in due course.

 

[sebastian_old]

Whats happened to sonny fai?? Apperently he isn't going so well.

 

[JonB_old]

Whats happened to sonny fai?? Apperently he isn't going so well.

I have heard he has had a shoulder reconstruction, aswell as a knee reconstruction, one of the members of this forum knows more than me I can't remember who.

Iafeta - I can not further my pint other than I don't want Hame to be another, Vinnie, Hape, Whatura, Ali or Latu or your namesake Iafeta.
If he leaves the warriors I believe he will be.

 

[Iafeta_old]

Just on the games you nominated

Vinnie: That was apparently obvious to all except Warriors management and their lack of ethics
Hape: Again, a big shame, but reportedly offered massive money by Bradford and at that stage coming off an horrific injury, got to stay within the salary cap restraints
Whatuira: Always looked a consistent player who did his job well
Ali: Debateable as to whether he's really improved a great deal since 2004, be interested to see how he'd go back in the NRL where defences tend to be a bit more solid
Latu: His career is now over, so its pointless debating it
Paleaaesina: I've watched him a bit at Wigan, he has struggled a bit in my eyes. The thing with Paleaaesina is he'll never reach his potential unless he learns to play a lot of minutes, and he was never going to get that opportunity here behind Price and Wiki. Unfortunately, its not happening at Wigan either.

There's also the obvious counter arguments of the likes of Thomas Leuluai, Cliff Beverley, Zane Clarke, Kane Ferris, Peter Lewis, Jason Mackie and co who the club did not perservere with and who really have not turned out to be anything more of what the club expected of them when they were allowed to leave. In regards to Hame, he's played 24 first grade games, and I have not been overly impressed by what I have seen - woeful lateral D, for a big bloke he has no sting in defence either and gets bumped off more than a guy his size should, takes a long time to build up a head of steam, seemingly only lasts a short while, and never really delivered on all the ball playing propaganda we were spoon fed by Daniel Anderson. He might come good - in my eyes, it's more of a risk to lose a proven performer and inspiration to younger players in Awen Guttenbeil than to lose a one in ten chance of turning their career around in Hame Lauaki.

 

[sebastian_old]

Just on the games you nominated

Vinnie: That was apparently obvious to all except Warriors management and their lack of ethics
Hape: Again, a big shame, but reportedly offered massive money by Bradford and at that stage coming off an horrific injury, got to stay within the salary cap restraints
Whatuira: Always looked a consistent player who did his job well
Ali: Debateable as to whether he's really improved a great deal since 2004, be interested to see how he'd go back in the NRL where defences tend to be a bit more solid
Latu: His career is now over, so its pointless debating it
Paleaaesina: I've watched him a bit at Wigan, he has struggled a bit in my eyes. The thing with Paleaaesina is he'll never reach his potential unless he learns to play a lot of minutes, and he was never going to get that opportunity here behind Price and Wiki. Unfortunately, its not happening at Wigan either.

There's also the obvious counter arguments of the likes of Thomas Leuluai, Cliff Beverley, Zane Clarke, Kane Ferris, Peter Lewis, Jason Mackie and co who the club did not perservere with and who really have not turned out to be anything more of what the club expected of them when they were allowed to leave. In regards to Hame, he's played 24 first grade games, and I have not been overly impressed by what I have seen - woeful lateral D, for a big bloke he has no sting in defence either and gets bumped off more than a guy his size should, takes a long time to build up a head of steam, seemingly only lasts a short while, and never really delivered on all the ball playing propaganda we were spoon fed by Daniel Anderson. He might come good - in my eyes, it's more of a risk to lose a proven performer and inspiration to younger players in Awen Guttenbeil than to lose a one in ten chance of turning their career around in Hame Lauaki.

Gee thats a pity about how Iafeta's going, i thought he'd end up a star.

 

[2big2strong_old]

Probably Awen due to his leadership capabilities.

Agreed, he has had an awesome season as of late.

The problem with signing Awen is that it will only be for one year, if Hame leaves then we could have lost a talent forever.

I would like to see Hame drop a few kilos like Manu did.

i think Manu needs to go back to Jenny Craig for a few weeks, he's piling on the pounds and starting to look less slick and more of a plump prop. As a winger he looks like he's finding it harder to move unless he's arleady at full tilt, maybe a switch to the front or second row is on the cards very shortly. hes still growing.

 

[Wiki_old]

i think Manu needs to go back to Jenny Craig for a few weeks, he's piling on the pounds and starting to look less slick and more of a plump prop. As a winger he looks like he's finding it harder to move unless he's arleady at full tilt, maybe a switch to the front or second row is on the cards very shortly. hes still growing.

Hmm yeah. It was his injury that did that. He came from injury a few kilos heavier.

It shouldn't be too hard to fix and I am actually surprised that the Warriors management haven't got onto it. Well they might have. I guess its up to the discipline that Manu has.

 

[JonB_old]

I was at the game (down here in chch) in which Hame got injured, he was on the verge of exploding, he had one great run, down the flank and most of the time it looked like the tigers only just contained him, if it wasn't for that game I don't think I would be sticking up for him now.
In that game George Gattis was the best league player on the field that day.
If Mr Lauki had few more kilso of muscle and a few less of fat he would of had 200 metres off 15 Hit-ups.

 

[Samoan Souljah_old]

For Me i would sign Lauaki if he could drop abit of weight and fire like his bro does for the chiefs or abs .. but if loyalty was a big thing in the nrl id be signing Guttenbiel .. but if we are trying to build a future keep Lauaki ..

 

[Kiwi League_old]

Let them fight each other to decide who stays.
Deathmatch.

Or off-load both & sign Ben Vaeau. And Harrison Hanson.

 

[patty_old]

loose them both and you bring fai into the picture. i reckon he is the one who is going to replace gutts. good runner and can play second row/front row

 

[Jesbass_old]

From www.warriors.co.nz:

Veteran Vodafone Warrior Awen Guttenbeil is one of the guests on Sky's 'Deaker on Sport' tonight.

In his testimonial season, Guttenbeil (30) will be interviewed about his 161-match career as a Vodafone Warrior.

Guttenbeil marks his testimonial season with a special lunch at Ellerslie Convention Centre on July 20.

Tickets are on sale now. Phone Shandall on 09 267 4185 (extension 5) or phone The side Mad Butcher on 021 936 105.