Steep

[HDTONE]

No bagging the kid but do t think he's get up to 1st grade standard. Be has a crack but can't really bend the defence

Contrast I think Losalu did a great job and hoping hejust gets better under Whyte.

We showed last night we really need forward strength not to lose that battle and lay a platform.

[Chook2]

So much for boys cordner vibes
small and not much grunt

can just see an Egan or Nat butcher 2.0

[Rooster_6]

So much for boys cordner vibes
small and not much grunt

can just see an Egan or Nat butcher 2.0

He's half a dozen games into his first grade career and 19yo.

Come on...

[Easts75]

He's half a dozen games into his first grade career and 19yo.

Come on...

Do you think he has the leg speed or size to bend the line at all moving forward? What would you rate his best position?

[Rooster_6]

No bagging the kid but do t think he's get up to 1st grade standard. Be has a crack but can't really bend the defence

Contrast I think Losalu did a great job and hoping hejust gets better under Whyte.

We showed last night we really need forward strength not to lose that battle and lay a platform.

Steep's work off the ball and defence has been exceptional for a 19yo just starting off his first grade career.

If it was reversed and Steep was as good in attack as he has been in defence everyone would be raving about him and his deficiencies in defence would be overlooked or put down to something that could be worked through.

Appreciate the sentiment but as it stands I think Steep offers us good balance off the bench. He will build his game in attack over the next few years but until we have more bodies available I suspect Steep will continue to be selected especially now Nat has gone down. This is the attack bias we can all be guilty of even though we all know statistics show defence wins premierships.

At 19yo Whyte was a second rower in the NSW Cup struggling in contact. Last night he was the most powerful ball carrier on the field.

The latter not so much directed at you as I appreciate your post is not putting a cap on his development and you've been proportionate in your critique but I can see where this thread is going to go..

[Lydon]

I like Steep,just needs time to develop his game in the top grade..

[Rooster_6]

Do you think he has the leg speed or size to bend the line at all moving forward? What would you rate his best position?

Right now he's a lock who should be taking 3rd and 4th play carries as he has brillaint footwork, a good swerve and decent offloading ability. His value to the team currently though is his workrate in defence and the quality of that work. If we want to bring Leniu and Losalu/Va'a/Seve off the bench then you've got to balance that with some workrate in defence.

Long term you've got Radley, Foketi and Steep all competing for the lock position so depending on how Steep grows into his body he may end up in the front row.

[Steggles]

Steep's work off the ball and defence has been exceptional for a 19yo just starting off his first grade career.

If it was reversed and Steep was as good in attack as he has been in defence everyone would be raving about him and his deficiencies in defence would be overlooked or put down to something that could be worked through.

Appreciate the sentiment but as it stands I think Steep offers us good balance off the bench. He will build his game in attack over the next few years but until we have more bodies available I suspect Steep will continue to be selected especially now Nat has gone down. This is the attack bias we can all be guilty of even though we all know statistics show defence wins premierships.

At 19yo Whyte was a second rower in the NSW Cup struggling in contact. Last night he was the most powerful ball carrier on the field.

The latter not so much directed at you as I appreciate your post is not putting a cap on his development and you've been proportionate in your critique but I can see where this thread is going to go..

Yep, good point. Steep needs time to build his game in FG; he’s going alright for a 19 year old. Let’s see how he’s going in a couple of years.

[roosterproud]

Boyd was crap at 19. Blake will be our future once he works out what his true role is.

[HDTONE]

Steep's work off the ball and defence has been exceptional for a 19yo just starting off his first grade career.

If it was reversed and Steep was as good in attack as he has been in defence everyone would be raving about him and his deficiencies in defence would be overlooked or put down to something that could be worked through.

Appreciate the sentiment but as it stands I think Steep offers us good balance off the bench. He will build his game in attack over the next few years but until we have more bodies available I suspect Steep will continue to be selected especially now Nat has gone down. This is the attack bias we can all be guilty of even though we all know statistics show defence wins premierships.

At 19yo Whyte was a second rower in the NSW Cup struggling in contact. Last night he was the most powerful ball carrier on the field.

The latter not so much directed at you as I appreciate your post is not putting a cap on his development and you've been proportionate in your critique but I can see where this thread is going to go..

Not dissing him but at this stage of his journey I don't see him as 1st grade quality.

That'ts now because yes he's 19 and getting exposure. At this point we need impact players and I think he's underdone atm.but hey I'm not NRL coach and it's just my observation

[Thirteen]

I like him. He needs time. Way too early to think he hasn’t got what it takes.

[Bates]

Boyd was crap at 19. Blake will be our future once he works out what his true role is.

I was thinking along the same lines.

Boyd was average at 19 and ended up being one of the best edge forwards in the comp if not the best.

[Roosterfarian]

Still too young. Needs more time to build his body up.

Having said that, Foketi has overtaken him having already hit the ground running in first grade.

[SamKerrSimp]

There's way too many guys at the pointy end of the salary cap that are under performing for us to be worried about Blake Steep

[Rooster_6]

Still too young. Needs more time to build his body up.

Having said that, Foketi has overtaken him having already hit the ground running in first grade.

Foketi graduated SG ball in 2023, Steep in 2024.

Despite some injuries last year Foketi got a full season of training in the full time squad and played 15 games in NSW cup last year.

You'd expect him to be slightly further on in his development.