Rep Squads and Awards

[Mattpoet]

So I believe he is our 4th International Captain:

Kearney and J.Bromwich - NZ
Cam Smith - Aus
Tui - Fiji

Plus, if you count ex-Storm players after they left the club:

Wilshere - PNG
Sheedy - Phillipines
Manu - Tonga

Nikau captained NZ Maori

I have a vague feeling that Adam Blair may have captained NZ in a one off situation but I'm not sure and was Inglis named Australia captain but never played after being named or am I misremembering?

[Mattpoet]

https://www.nrl.com/news/2023/10/09/nrl ... s-a-squad/

Chan, Howarth and Warbrick in the 15 man squad for NZ A (I assume 2 more will be added?) to play Tonga A on Oct 21

[ALX22]

Really disappointing to see Howarth named after previously representing QLD and Australian Schoolboys. The same goes for Te Kura.

[Mattpoet]

Storm players named this week:

Australia
Munster (five eighth) Grant (Interchange)

Samoa
Fa'alogo (Fullback) Tonunaipea (Centre)

PNG
Olam (reserve in jumper 21, probably unlikely to play)

[sallymay]

Olam hasn’t been in squad the last few days as he had a death in the family apparently

[blazza18]

Very cool to see Sua get the start against Australia.

[Mattpoet]

https://www.nrl.com/news/2023/10/14/its ... moa-debut/

Samoan coach speaking really highly about Sua

[Papenhuyzen23]

Sua has been phenomenal, easily Samoa’s best and almost best on ground honestly, CB has some explaining to do holding this kid back all year when he was exactly what we needed.

[sallymay]

Sua has been phenomenal, easily Samoa’s best and almost best on ground honestly, CB has some explaining to do holding this kid back all year when he was exactly what we needed.

He did the same with Harry and Cam Munster …he isn’t stupid …Sua was only 19 at the start of the year he wasn’t ready…he grew during the year trained under Billy and then with paps and learnt a lot …mid and back end of the year he was ready got his chance and run with it…we are lucky

[Shuttlesworth99]

Sua has been phenomenal, easily Samoa’s best and almost best on ground honestly, CB has some explaining to do holding this kid back all year when he was exactly what we needed.

He did the same with Harry and Cam Munster …he isn’t stupid …Sua was only 19 at the start of the year he wasn’t ready…he grew during the year trained under Billy and then with paps and learnt a lot …mid and back end of the year he was ready got his chance and run with it…we are lucky

I think it is fair to say we were all keen on seeing Sua play first grade, but it wouldn’t have changed our 2023 result (if he played more that is).

[Papenhuyzen23]

Sua was the best in ground in our preseason trial vs the roosters, won our best player feeder team award, scored with his first touch in first grade and scored our try of the year in a 40 minute cameo.

He then made his international debut and is best on ground and made the best players in the world look second rate, some people are just stars and if you are good enough you are old enough, he looks a mix of prime Milford crossed with Reece Walsh and a bit of Benji footwork, if you think he wouldn’t have added to our attack and made us a better strike team across the park you are crazy.

Meaney was ok but never created any doubt in the defensive line, guys like Sua, Paps and Slater before him are so dangerous because they demand the defenders attention, with Meaney no one really had to worry about him so the guys outside him never got any space or opportunities, that was the biggest issue with Meaney IMO.

Sua would have started for all other NRL clubs this year let’s be real here, meanwhile we spluttered with a misfiring backline most of the year and left him in reserves until round 27, very strange to me.

I saw a star being born last night, he looks great in the 1 jumper I'm not against him being our starting fullback in round 1 next season even if Paps is fit honestly, we have a genuine superstar on our hands here I hope we don’t mess it up.

[Mstorm1999]

No excuse next year for him not to be in the team, his playing on the big stage against a star studded Australian team and performing well. If his not in the team we don’t deserve to keep him and I hope he finds another home cause he deserves a spot in first grade and any team would be happy to take him. I hope we don’t mess this up and lose a future star like we did with Tino and Tohu.

Also serious question marks should be over Bellamy if he isn’t in the team next year.

And I agree with paps still young only 26 next year, how is this going to unfold.. sua isn’t going to stick around behind paps for the next 5-6 years. A club will come knocking and offer a big deal and a full time fullback role.

I think this will simply come down to paps or sua as our long term fullback.

All I’m going to say is, we better not mess this up.

[blazza18]

You wish Sua was a bit bigger so you could play him on the wing and figure it out with him and Paps coming off his injuries but if Sua keeps progressing a big decision will need to be made.

[Bullucked]

You wish Sua was a bit bigger so you could play him on the wing and figure it out with him and Paps coming off his injuries but if Sua keeps progressing a big decision will need to be made.

Could Paps play 5/8? Just askin!

[Papenhuyzen23]

Cat is well and truly out of the bag now, social media is flooded with articles about Sua, every club fan is raving about him and all the fans want him in their colours, we have him for 2024 and just triggered the CO for 2025 but after that, who knows. He seems like a loyal kid who loves the club so I hope we do right by him, but there can’t be any doubt now, he must be playing first grade from here on out, no more reserve grade, we simply have to find a spot in the top squad for him now or risk losing him.

The more I watch his game the more impressed I am, what he did against the Kangaroos was genuinely mind blowing he could be anything, I know a lot of people within the club have been hyping him for a long time, but the Fa’alogo train has left the station! Jump on board.