Round 13 Vs The Bulldogs

[OldPanther]

If Cronulla can go from getting completely belted by Melbourne one week to beating them in the GF just a few weeks later, we shouldn't be ruled out of contention.

The whole top four can only win the comp argument is based off the basic principle that the top four are the best four teams.If we play up to our potential heading into the finals, we will beat anyone.Even if we finish 5th-8th.

Absolutely.

You can argue all you want about the team should have looking like this before, but please don't act like this season is over.It isn't close to being finished.

I don't think anyone is saying that it's over. We can still end up top 4 if we win enough games.

 

[mxlegend99]

Didn't Reynolds play in the 2012 and 2013 Prelim Final?
Isaac Luke still played a part in getting them to the finals

Souths experience on Grand Final day. Including games where they played other positions... which Inglis, Keary and Korisau had a great deal of their experience in other jerseys also.

1. Inglis - 200 NRL games
6. Keary - 21 NRL matches
7. Reynolds - 78 NRL matches
9. Korisau - 13 NRL games

If we made it to Round 26 without injuries, this would be the experience we had for Week 1 of finals, or 2018 NRL season:
1. Edwards - 16 NRL games
6. Moylan - 94 NRL games
7. Cleary - 39 NRL games
9. Wallace - 234 NRL games

Keary, Reynolds and Korisau = 115 NRL games
Moylan, Cleary and Edwards = 149 NRL games (after Round 26, not including finals if we made it)

Greg Inglis and Peter Wallace are the old heads in the team with a shitload more experience than the rest combined.

That said, I think you're massively overrating experience. Experience is different for every player. Some players with 100 NRL games are clearly only average players and will be nothing more. Some players hit the ground running better than that 100 game player could ever dream of being.

Nathan Cleary last year is a good example from our spine. He has a maturity well beyond his age or experience as an NRL player. 1 NRL match with him in the team and Griffin was convinced we could drop Soward and pair him with a second rower. This kid is well and truly above average.

Matt Moylan is another experience of how different experience can still count. He is only 2 NRL games at 6... but he has 81 NRL games at fullback where a HUGE part of his job as playing like a 6 anyway. His first 2 games at 6 have been his best games all season... because that jersey allows him more opportunity to focus on his strengths. Getting the ball earlier and having more options with it. The more options Moylan has, the more dangerous he is.

He is obviously alot better prepared than 99% of halves are when starting an NRL career at 6 or 7. If you watched all the tries he has been involved with in a highlights package, you would think you were watching a half not a fullback.

 

[maple_69]

We have 5 games against bottom 8 sides, 5 spread amongst Manly, Cows and the Dragons and 1 against Raiders. We go into the finals untested by top sides certainly but 32-34 points and 4th/5th is very achievable with that run.

 

[Pomoz]

Well MX, you may think experience is overrated but the facts seem to show that it is a huge factor. I can't fault your analysis of the South Sydney spine. However, having a future immortal in Inglis in the side and a forward pack led by the best forward in the world at the time (did you see him in the world cup? Burgess was brilliant) is a long way from having a geezer who played 5/8th once, a kid who needs ID to get served a beer and another kid who has played a whopping 28 games in a side not playing well. We do not have one single player in our team who is in their class. Not even close. That South's forward pack crushed everything in its path that year. Keary had a great time behind the red and green wall.

Contrast our powder puffs being monstered and wrestled by sides like the Storm and a player like Thurston would cope with it a lot better.

It is also important to have plenty of other players in the team with experience. Here is just the games played for some of our roster.

CHN 5
Akauola 19
Cleary 28
Latu 43
Edwards 4
Blake 51
RCG 57
Cartwright 60
Yeo 69
Kikau 8
JFH 28
Katoa 1

League experts like Gus reckon you need 50 games to be considered an NRL player. We have a few who have only just ticked over that milestone.

We are green. It matters when the whips are cracking. Not just because of mistakes but also because of the ability of the body to handle the constant bashing of the body. As the season draws on the inexperienced players start to fatigue. After 50 games Gus reckons they are battle hardened and start to become consistent.

If it didn't matter the average age of an NRL player would be 18 or 19, not 25+. Also the age on debut would not be 21.

 

[TheEroticGamer]

Absolutely.



I don't think anyone is saying that it's over. We can still end up top 4 if we win enough games.

I just had a feeling that is what some Penrith fans are thinking, so to those people I just wanted them to have more optimism despite us getting the seemingly winning set-up 13 weeks later than which we would have wanted.

 

[billypilgrimnz]

If Cronulla can go from getting completely belted by Melbourne one week to beating them in the GF just a few weeks later, we shouldn't be ruled out of contention.

The whole top four can only win the comp argument is based off the basic principle that the top four are the best four teams.If we play up to our potential heading into the finals, we will beat anyone.Even if we finish 5th-8th.

You can argue all you want about the team should have looking like this before, but please don't act like this season is over.It isn't close to being finished.

Cronulla at the moment beats us 9 times out of 10. They are well-coached, have self-belief, and tough as nails.

 

[GongPanther]

How the hell is this in a bumped V Dogs thread?

 

[OldPanther]

How the hell is this in a bumped V Dogs thread?

I think the conversation naturally evolved and not much point starting a new thread.

 

[Fangs]

We will see over the full season. Come round 26 Moylan would of made 200 odd tackles more then usual so might be stuffed to think straight. I hope not but it all part of what goes into being a half these days

I am waiting to see this as well.

But its obvious we have a very special player in Matt Moylan. He is potentially the best half to come out of Penrith since Craig Gower. He has shown as much in his two games in the 6 IMO. I think he will meet the challenge.