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ouryears

Bench
Messages
3,195
Remember the hype surrounding McInnes as SOO hooker?
Same BS as with Aitkin.
McInnes is back doing what he was doing last year - just a tackling robot. Running game no longer a factor.
Watching Cook and Souths tonight puts our team into perspective.
Not often you see Cameron Smith dominated by the opposition dummy half...
its the coach, I reckon if McInnes was playing for Souths, he would be running the ball and slicing them up as well. However, you can see Cooks beach sprint running background, runs so much faster than he looks. Very smart footballer, great coach, great combination.

Funny to see Cam Smith walk off with still 10 /15 minutes to go last night, injured or just sooking?
 

SEAT 1A

Bench
Messages
3,089
It was a delight watching the Storm get their arses handed to them.

Same here This Year?

I don't go for conspiracy theories however, look how they were traveling "pre crackdown" out of the eight to now "post crackdown" top four.

Again Klein did his best to keep them in it. Cam the octopus was at it again, penalty in front of the sticks and one of the Souths blokes goes to the HIA after copping it flush on the chin and more "crickets" a penalty would have put Souths eight ahead.
 
Messages
568
If Rein is ‘playing better’ (which is arguable, but I guess it was a pretty low bar to start with) it’s because he’s found his true place - that is, reserve grade quality player who can play back up to a real first grader in small doses. The fact that some in our club thought he was captain, future blues or 150+ gamer material shows how bad things have been through the dark years. And it’s insane that those people willingly let Cook go.
We let him go not once, but twice. To Panthers first time, then he came back before we let him go to Dogs.

Fool me once, shame on you.......fool me twice, shame on me.
 

Saint_JimmyG

First Grade
Messages
5,067
It was actually Price that let him walk at the end of 2013. Been told an interesting story about Ben Harlan seeing the news that he’d signed with the Dogs while he was on end-of-season holidays, came back in shock because he knew Cookie had a big future. But Young (I think) and Price wanted to put their eggs into the Mitch Rein basket. I’m trying to think of a dumber retention/release decision the club has made in the NRL era, but I can’t!

Agree on the second part though. Cook is a notch above every other hooker not named Cameron Smith. He’d be in the running for Dally M medal I’d say. If he keeps this up over a few year, he could change the position overall...

Error noted and rectified. I could’ve have sworn it was 2011...how times flies by. Cook’s versatility counted against him in the end (Dragons logic 101).

At least Price had the nous not to install a tackle-shy Josh Drinkwater at halfback.
 

Saint_JimmyG

First Grade
Messages
5,067
Remember the hype surrounding McInnes as SOO hooker?
Same BS as with Aitkin.
McInnes is back doing what he was doing last year - just a tackling robot. Running game no longer a factor.
Watching Cook and Souths tonight puts our team into perspective.
Not often you see Cameron Smith dominated by the opposition dummy half...

You’ll only upset the natives with insight such as this.

If I critiqued McInnes’a biggest flaw, it is the absence of a running game on a regular basis.

Insert ‘flogging a dead horse’ mere here.
 

giboz71

First Grade
Messages
8,895
You’ll only upset the natives with insight such as this.

If I critiqued McInnes’a biggest flaw, it is the absence of a running game on a regular basis.

Insert ‘flogging a dead horse’ mere here.

The problem with Cam’s game is that he doesn’t possess the smarts to know when to run. Unlike Cook who picks and chooses wisely. Cam snipes and runs quite often but they don’t lead to anything. He rarely links with others as well.

Still rate him as our hooker but he’s not a weapon, unlike Cook, Luke and co. Even Farah and Friend despite being veterans are more effective at hooker.

As I’ve said, Cook is changing the hooker position. It’s why Hunt played most of Origin 3 at hooker instead of McCullough. It’s not enough to have a pedestrian hooker these days who does nothing but pass and tackle.

I still think there is value slotting Hunt at hooker late in games to provide a bit of thrust from dummy half. We get nothing from Cam late in games, especially when we’re chasing points.
 

BennyV

Referee
Messages
22,441
I still think there is value slotting Hunt at hooker late in games to provide a bit of thrust from dummy half. We get nothing from Cam late in games, especially when we’re chasing points.
Ahhh this old drum! How I’ve missed it!!!

So now that we’ve seen Nicholls is not up to first grade standard, who is going to come in to play halfback when you push Hunt to hooker?

If we are spelling McInnes, we should be bringing Robson on for energy - he’s quick, he’s smart and he’s an actual hooker! Leave Hunt where he should be!
 

Saint_JimmyG

First Grade
Messages
5,067
It was actually Price that let him walk at the end of 2013. Been told an interesting story about Ben Harlan seeing the news that he’d signed with the Dogs while he was on end-of-season holidays, came back in shock because he knew Cookie had a big future. But Young (I think) and Price wanted to put their eggs into the Mitch Rein basket. I’m trying to think of a dumber retention/release decision the club has made in the NRL era, but I can’t!

Agree on the second part though. Cook is a notch above every other hooker not named Cameron Smith. He’d be in the running for Dally M medal I’d say. If he keeps this up over a few year, he could change the position overall...

The retention/release of Jason Ryles would have to be a close second, wouldn’t you agree?
 

Saint_JimmyG

First Grade
Messages
5,067
The problem with Cam’s game is that he doesn’t possess the smarts to know when to run. Unlike Cook who picks and chooses wisely. Cam snipes and runs quite often but they don’t lead to anything. He rarely links with others as well.

Still rate him as our hooker but he’s not a weapon, unlike Cook, Luke and co. Even Farah and Friend despite being veterans are more effective at hooker.

As I’ve said, Cook is changing the hooker position. It’s why Hunt played most of Origin 3 at hooker instead of McCullough. It’s not enough to have a pedestrian hooker these days who does nothing but pass and tackle.

I still think there is value slotting Hunt at hooker late in games to provide a bit of thrust from dummy half. We get nothing from Cam late in games, especially when we’re chasing points.

Can I point out that, unlike his predecessor, McInnes isn’t particularly quick without offending anyone?
 

Saint_JimmyG

First Grade
Messages
5,067
It makes you wonder that once McInness was thought to be better then Cook leading up to SOO. He is no where near Cook as a hooker.
For those who think Dufty is weak in defence how many times did Slater get beaten.
Souths are the team to beat. Their attack is something to see

This will probably not make any sense, but Cook is like a hybrid hooker-halfback in the way he plays.

He is seriously good and leaves McInnes well behind in several areas.
 

giboz71

First Grade
Messages
8,895
Not against Robson slotting in. Haven’t really seen enough of him to make a call.

As for who slots in to half if Hunt goes into hooker, the only options would be Mann or Field playing that 17 role.

I know most on here don’t rate Field, but we need to offer something different to finish off the season.

Based on last nights game, we are just way too pedestrian in the key positions (especially hooker) to be anywhere near competitive. Melbourne and Souths will tear us apart.
 

giboz71

First Grade
Messages
8,895
This will probably not make any sense, but Cook is like a hybrid hooker-halfback in the way he plays.

He is seriously good and leaves McInnes well behind in several areas.

Correct.

The best hookers have a half pedigree. Smith, Hunt and Cook being prime examples.

They can even play a first receiver role if needed. Smith slots in there all the time. And having that half background means they can initiate attacking plays from dummy half.

I’m betting the best hookers going forward will be converted halfbacks, the same way that Johns and Toovey were.
 

Brutalitops

Juniors
Messages
2,333
You know, if there's one thing going our way, it's that Sharks, Panthers, Broncos and Warriors have matched a form slump along with us over the last month.

Might be what saves us
 

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