Sifa is a poor defender with zero lateral ability.
I think this has always been the case, even when people were raving about him last year.
Even at Newtown he really struggled defensively when he played in the centres.
It's just my opinion. I wouldn't pick him for Newtown.
As a second rower on the right side at that level he was very good.
He can't hold the ball in contact.
Has definitely had issues this season with errors from yardage runs. You can't blame the dropped passes on him though. Trindall has given him two shockers.
He can't make a break unless he plays against Morgan Harper.
There is zero reason to keep him in the team either as a centre or a back rower.
I can see a few reasons to keep him in the team until the end of this season.
1) His work on yardage carries is generally very good (when he holds the ball)
2) His ability to position his winger is above average, and possibly top 5 in the NRL
3) His errors in shifts in the last two weeks have clearly been a result of playing with a new half. The timing has been off.
4) Currently there isn't a replacement available we could reasonably expect to be better defensively that Sifa
* When Tracey has played left centre he has been as bad or worse defensively
* Hiroti has been great for the Jets in general, but has been pretty ordinary defending at left centre
* Iro is not good defensively at NSW Cup level (and hasn't been at any level)
For 2024, I can definitely see the Sharks bringing in a new left centre and moving Sifa to move back to the bench and becoming the "low minute" guy. He has definitely shown in the past that as a low minute middle he can have an impact, and his versatility would make him a handy option as the fourth forward.
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