Player Roger Tuivasa-Sheck

[run_it_str8_again]

I am too new to league to have any sage observations about whether Roger is best suited to centre and if so left centre vs right centre, or if he should go to the wing. I do have a question though = what does a good centre look like skill set wise and how close is Roger to matching that ?
Who are and who have have been the great warriors centres and how close is Roger to their skill set?

Toopi for attack. Tate for all round. Vagana as well.

Sure there have been more but the centres who have made the most impact have either been Carlaw type mid range but dependable or Hurrell type who can destroy four defenders and score.

I think Roger needs fine tuning. I'd like him to defend well and organise the left edge. I'd like him to distribute and link with his winger better.

I'd like him to find his role in the pecking order as a former club and country captain. As a former dally M this and that and embody his current Warriors identity.

That should get him close

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

RTS 83% tackle success rate 2024
Pompey 95%
Berry 94%

RTS defensive skills have not transferred to centre yet…

RTS 9 errors in 7 games
Pompey 2 errors in 3 games
Berry 4 errors in 7 games.

Trying to hard? He needs to improve fast.

 

[Wrighty]

Ultimately the contingency plan after round 12 if it is not working out is to put him on Montoya's wing.
A back three of DWZ, CNK, RTS is elite.

 

[hornbybrown]

Ultimately the contingency plan after round 12 if it is not working out is to put him on Montoya's wing.
A back three of DWZ, CNK, RTS is elite.

Why after round 12? I want to do that now.
Montoya has been pretty bad all year

 

[Wrighty]

Why after round 12? I want to do that now.
Montoya has been pretty bad all year

I think reading the mind of the collective unconscious of the coaches who make these decisions - there is something about Roger that says he is best fits at centre because he has such strong tackling skills. I think this lead union coaches to put him at 12 rather than on the wing. I just can't, Hornby Brown, see them triggering this decision to put him at wing instead of centre without a decent run at the centre position and that means until round 12.

 

[John Nick]

I think reading the mind of the collective unconscious of the coaches who make these decisions - there is something about Roger that says he is best fits at centre because he has such strong tackling skills. I think this lead union coaches to put him at 12 rather than on the wing. I just can't, Hornby Brown, see them triggering this decision to put him at wing instead of centre without a decent run at the centre position and that means until round 12.

Webster is knowledgeable enough to know it was never going to be a easy transition.
I mentioned it many times and if I knew it I am sure Webster would know.
Swapping him around will only be worse.
Tmm is struggling to keep up and that's not helping.
Metcalf and RTS were actually developing until the injury to Metcalf but that's footy

 

[Christchurch_Warrior]

Why after round 12? I want to do that now.
Montoya has been pretty bad all year

Perhaps Montoya will come right if he has Pompey inside of him?

Roger to me looks like he is playing like a Roosters FB. Playing for themself. I would like to see him replaced by Pompey but our biggest issue atm is our backrowers. Not sure we can afford to continue with this experiment. Have him as a winger/back up FB not Centre. I would love to be proven wrong though.

 

[John Nick]

Perhaps Montoya will come right if he has Pompey inside of him?

Roger to me looks like he is playing like a Roosters FB. Playing for themself. I would like to see him replaced by Pompey but our biggest issue atm is our backrowers. Not sure we can afford to continue with this experiment. Have him as a winger/back up FB not Centre. I would love to be proven wrong though.

Montoya is trying hard with his carry/returns.
Our left edge is nonexistent and he's not getting any good ball.
We have bigger issues than Montoya.
Guess everyone needs a scapegoat

 

[JustLikeStartingOver]

stop making errors would be a good start, in attack in dont think it would matter if we had staggs or chricton or whoever the big time left centers are, since metcalf got injured shaun and wayde only come out that way to hit ford with a short ball - thats it. Pass to his winger? why so he can get chucked into touch instead, its not like there's overlaps gone begging.

there is an argument to play pompey if all that position is going to do is tackle and hit it up, but considering how weakened the forwards are they won't be subtracting 176 running meters a game out of the side.

 

[Wrighty]

stop making errors would be a good start, in attack in dont think it would matter if we had staggs or chricton or whoever the big time left centers are, since metcalf got injured shaun and wayde only come out that way to hit ford with a short ball - thats it. Pass to his winger? why so he can get chucked into touch instead, its not like there's overlaps gone begging.

there is an argument to play pompey if all that position is going to do is tackle and hit it up, but considering how weakened the forwards are they won't be subtracting 176 running meters a game out of the side.

Notwithstanding the 176 running metres I would put Pompey in for Montoya now. Wil save us at least one try every game.

 

[kos]

Toopi for attack. Tate for all round. Vagana as well.

Sure there have been more but the centres who have made the most impact have either been Carlaw type mid range but dependable or Hurrell type who can destroy four defenders and score.

I think Roger needs fine tuning. I'd like him to defend well and organise the left edge. I'd like him to distribute and link with his winger better.

I'd like him to find his role in the pecking order as a former club and country captain. As a former dally M this and that and embody his current Warriors identity.

That should get him close

Dean Bell and Jerome Ropati add to best centres

 

[John Nick]

I am too new to league to have any sage observations about whether Roger is best suited to centre and if so left centre vs right centre, or if he should go to the wing. I do have a question though = what does a good centre look like skill set wise and how close is Roger to matching that ?
Who are and who have have been the great warriors centres and how close is Roger to their skill set?

The best centre I have ever seen and played against was also a Roger.
Played for Ponsonby before the Warriors were born.
Roger Bailey was a great player and if you were a winger outside him you would normally be the highest try scorer for the year. Great defense and awesome on attack.

The best centres for the Warriors imo were.
Defencively:Brent Tate who was a genius at setting the defense line and barked orders to set the line.

Attacking: Toopi by a long way.
Ropati a good second

 

[WarriorsForever]

A bit of a deep dive into how RTS compare's to other top centers in the league through 7 rounds:
2nd in run meters to Lomax who has predominantly played on the wing @186m
Similar tackle efficiency to Joey Manu and Kotoni Staggs @83%, and higher than Critta and Holmes, while also averaging more tackles per game overall.
Averages 1 error per game which is less than Tago, Holmes and Manu.

So far through 7 rounds, RTS blows Pompey out of the park in the majority of stat categories from last season.

Could the problem be a lack of confidence and connection with his outside man (Montoya) which is seeing our left edge struggle to fire? Because statistically, RTS is up there with the top 5 centers in the league.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Ultimately the contingency plan after round 12 if it is not working out is to put him on Montoya's wing.
A back three of DWZ, CNK, RTS is elite.

Still drop Montoya for pompey on the wing.

 

[MrFrankWhite]

A bit of a deep dive into how RTS compare's to other top centers in the league through 7 rounds:
2nd in run meters to Lomax who has predominantly played on the wing @186m
Similar tackle efficiency to Joey Manu and Kotoni Staggs @83%, and higher than Critta and Holmes, while also averaging more tackles per game overall.
Averages 1 error per game which is less than Tago, Holmes and Manu.

So far through 7 rounds, RTS blows Pompey out of the park in the majority of stat categories from last season.

Could the problem be a lack of confidence and connection with his outside man (Montoya) which is seeing our left edge struggle to fire? Because statistically, RTS is up there with the top 5 centers in the league.

Thats good to point out, makes me reflect

 

[BabylonPink]

Having our starting forwards play 50-60+ minutes is what's fucking us up.
Sheck will look better when he's got a better platform.
The fact he is RTS bring more scrutiny. The fact Pompey was lambasted last year for being average says a lot when sheck is better but not winning us games.

 

[Makasene]

Still drop Montoya for pompey on the wing.

I'd like to see it.

Montoya is all effort but just seems off the pace.

I can't think of a single feature about his game that demands his inclusion.

Problem with only having effort as an asset is that in a better team, you don't need the effort guy as much. Especially on the wing, you want a guy that might do something.

Montoya has had some good games at centre but can't see them moving Rog.

 

[ShaunJohnson7]

A bit of a deep dive into how RTS compare's to other top centers in the league through 7 rounds:
2nd in run meters to Lomax who has predominantly played on the wing @186m
Similar tackle efficiency to Joey Manu and Kotoni Staggs @83%, and higher than Critta and Holmes, while also averaging more tackles per game overall.
Averages 1 error per game which is less than Tago, Holmes and Manu.

So far through 7 rounds, RTS blows Pompey out of the park in the majority of stat categories from last season.

Could the problem be a lack of confidence and connection with his outside man (Montoya) which is seeing our left edge struggle to fire? Because statistically, RTS is up there with the top 5 centers in the league.

Run metres for RTS have also been helped by 1.5 games at fullback and 1 at wing to be fair. But I want to see him continue at centre, he needs time.

I really do hope he can work on getting the ball to his outside man more but at the same time hasn't been given a lot of quality ball himself. Shifting around positions has done him no favours in getting familiar with a new position either.

 

[Boats n Hoes]

Tbh im not sure why Roger seems to be bearing the brunt for the lack of link play on the left.

Got to look at how he's receiving the ball. My initial concern with Roger at centre was he would only get the ball from either hit ups, or they would throw it to him when nothing else was on......and unfortunately the latter seems to be the only way he does get it when it goes through the hands.

Where's the shape? Where's the lead runner holding the D from drifting straight out? Or even 2 lead runners with Roger being the 2nd the same as we see Berry often used on the right (and tbh why wouldnt u use Roger in that capacity as he's a far more explosive and stronger runner than Rocco). Where's the fullback sweeping around providing a hint of a decoy in which the D may over read? The way he's receiving it with no movement off the ball around him leaves his choices limited to either trying to beat his man on the outside (which if he cant just runs his winger out of space) or that left foot step to beat his player on the inside (which even if successful is covered by the defence drifting across). Feeding his winger was always going to be a work on for Rog, but with no shapes, decoys, movement off the ball, theres no overlaps or space created, most from what ive seen when he's been criticised for not passing to his winger, their covered anyway, probably get bundled out into touch.

We know that he's special in that he can beat players 1 on 1 either with footwork or busting the line, but for christ sake, he'd be even more dangerous with a little bit more space that some shape would throw up. Surely that's on the left edge halfback to organize that. Against the Dragons there was none whatsoever, the few times they did get it, it was just straight hands.......worryingly enough the only time their seems to be a hint of shape is when SJ sweeps round which seems to start everyone moving.

Connection and timing on that left was always going to be a work in progress, especially when Metcalf was running that edge..... but damn it seems to be totally non existant of late....and that's not just on Rog.

 

[Inruin]

Tbh im not sure why Roger seems to be bearing the brunt for the lack of link play on the left.

Got to look at how he's receiving the ball. My initial concern with Roger at centre was he would only get the ball from either hit ups, or they would throw it to him when nothing else was on......and unfortunately the latter seems to be the only way he does get it when it goes through the hands.

Where's the shape? Where's the lead runner holding the D from drifting straight out? Or even 2 lead runners with Roger being the 2nd the same as we see Berry often used on the right (and tbh why wouldnt u use Roger in that capacity as he's a far more explosive and stronger runner than Rocco). Where's the fullback sweeping around providing a hint of a decoy in which the D may over read? The way he's receiving it with no movement off the ball around him leaves his choices limited to either trying to beat his man on the outside (which if he cant just runs his winger out of space) or that left foot step to beat his player on the inside (which even if successful is covered by the defence drifting across). Feeding his winger was always going to be a work on for Rog, but with no shapes, decoys, movement off the ball, theres no overlaps or space created, most from what ive seen when he's been criticised for not passing to his winger, their covered anyway, probably get bundled out into touch.

We know that he's special in that he can beat players 1 on 1 either with footwork or busting the line, but for christ sake, he'd be even more dangerous with a little bit more space that some shape would throw up. Surely that's on the left edge halfback to organize that. Against the Dragons there was none whatsoever, the few times they did get it, it was just straight hands.......worryingly enough the only time their seems to be a hint of shape is when SJ sweeps round which seems to start everyone moving.

Connection and timing on that left was always going to be a work in progress, especially when Metcalf was running that edge..... but damn it seems to be totally non existant of late....and that's not just on Rog.

Agree, be interesting to see if AW changes anything in terms of tactics there. Our left edge last season had the lowest % of tries created in the league and we are very similar again this season so far. We are very much a right side dominant attacking team including CNK hitting that edge. Against St George, both edges were being nullified fairly easily on the weekend. Two back rowers not doing much on the attacking side and a lack of input from not using our bench doesn't help. Against South's we looked much better and showed some very good signs (that was with Pompey at centre though)

I think many underestimate that link play that Walker does for us. Looking forward to him being named. Titans game will be interesting. They are a fast team across the park. Our attack and defence need to be switched on or it could be a messy result for us.