Gareth67
First Grade
- Messages
- 8,411
He has no intention of going anywhere as his wife is expecting another child in the new year .
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This is a really good point. Manly lost Koroisau, and without Fainu they’re starting the year without a recognised hooker. Pretty important position these days. Could be a massive issue for them.
He’s actually a good centre he just lacks speed. He has all the skills.
Funny, a lot of us had Manly in top 4, finishes in bottom 4.
Latrell will have a big year, Jack will add a lot too. Their forward pack is fine and a bit tough on Cook.
If Latrell stays on the field he will always provide impact. The issue is he isn't fit enough to play at fullback and is hence always injured. I've held the opinion Cook is finished for the last two seasons, he just isn't as good as people make him out to be in my view. When you look at their forwards, they genuinely aren't fine. Sean Keppie is a chance to start in the front row, Tom Burgess being busted. They've got enough talent through Tallis Duncan and Burgess off the bench for example to be competitive in the middle, but they won't dominate. Again, with Graham injured it's going to be Munro and Johnston on the wings. Neither of those two are good at doing the tough stuff out of their end, which is why the game plan is simple against them: kick early, pin those guys in the corners and make their sub-par forward pack turn around and tire them out, leading to even less impact from them. Cook's only strength is then nullified if his team is on the back foot. They're a mid-table side for me, somewhere between 7th-11th.
Manly still have a good enough side to beat anyone on their day, but can they string a bunch of wins together? Parra and Souths in the same boat. Storm to decline, but then I say that every year. Knights and Warriors to revert to type and fall down the ladder. Dolphins & Dragons to improve but not top 8. Cowboys, Manly and either Eels or Souths to sneak into the 8.
The biggest issues with Souths is they aren’t fit enough. Doesn’t just cause injuries, but if you stay in the wrestle and tire them, they get frustrated and beat themselves. Does JD have enough gravitas to flog them this pre-season, or do the inmates run the asylum. I think it is the latter and look forward to the first week of the season with Latrell running out with cigarette in hand and his belly rolling down over his shorts, and Mick Ennis drooling about ‘he looks fit and primed for a big year’…
Not many had a lot of confidence in Penrith at that stage (Penrith fans included!!).
