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Round 14 Vs Sharks

franklin2323

Immortal
Messages
33,546
Not i

Hoping for Broncos and Tigers upsets in a 7 game multi mostly featuring favourites.

Can see both being able to beat struggling teams that are better

Staines has no chance outside Monirovski. Every touch Momirovski gets it's like he thinks he is the winger. He runs until there is no space before he even considers passing it to Staines. A good centre creates space. He uses it himself.

Full strength IMO:

1. Edwards (needs to find form or I re-evaluate)
2. To'o
3. Burton
4. Crichton
5. Staines
6. Luai
7. Cleary
8. Leota
9. Api
10. Fish
11. Martin
12. Capewell
13. Yeo

14. Kenny
15. Leniu I guess but he's horribly out of form too. Form dropped off after missing 2 weeks of footy in Ivsns plan to get him more minutes.
16. Kikau
17. Tago

Hopefully now people can see our front row rotation is massively overrated. So many plodders in the pack being carried by a few beasts.

We only have 3x NRL quality front rowers and one of them is out of form and out of favour. This bench balance is wrong but i look at Sorensen, Hopgood, Eisenhuth etc. And just see reserve graders who can only plod along if we're already dominating. Honestly i don't know what our best bench is. Hell so pissed off at even Kikau it's tempting to drop him to be honest.

Kenny destroys May for mine. Only easy decision

Kikau to come on for Leota at first interchange and either he or Martin drops in to front row. With Kikaus form maybe being a battering ram in the middle might make use of his size finally

Leniu doesnt deserve it. But hes the only forward left with the speed and intensity needed for us to be our best. Eisenhuth is slow, we saw with Sorensen, Hopgood etc. They are slow and teams smash out metres through these guys being slow in defence and not being able to get defenders on back foot

Tago i nearly dropped Crichton to fit in... And considered dropping Edwards to put Crichton at fullback to fit in. But i think once everyone is back into their best position with Nathan and Jarome these guys will look better.

There's no doubt our form will suffer with these games. The resting of Origin players will have an effect on the confidence of these guys now realising they have been carried by our rep ppayers

Staines needs a stint in NSW Cup. So off the pace in most facets of the game.

Martin needs to be a middle even off the bench although Kikau is going to miss a few weeks. So not sure we have the option this week.

Not sure about Kenny as a running forward. NSW played Luai there. Might be better doing the same

Hopgood
Martin
Tago
Leinu

Would be my bench
 

hindy111

Post Whore
Messages
59,433
Word is Aarron Woods is available. Still an NRL level forward. Wouldn't cost a lot. He would be tremendous for you guys if can knick him for the rest of the season. Word is will only cost 200-300k and he is worth that amount.
 

WestyLife

First Grade
Messages
6,280
Staines needs a stint in NSW Cup. So off the pace in most facets of the game.

Martin needs to be a middle even off the bench although Kikau is going to miss a few weeks. So not sure we have the option this week.

Not sure about Kenny as a running forward. NSW played Luai there. Might be better doing the same

Hopgood
Martin
Tago
Leinu

Would be my bench

NSW played Luai where? Certainly not a running forward as your sentence structure says.
 

mxlegend99

Referee
Messages
23,060
Staines needs a stint in NSW Cup. So off the pace in most facets of the game.

Martin needs to be a middle even off the bench although Kikau is going to miss a few weeks. So not sure we have the option this week.

Not sure about Kenny as a running forward. NSW played Luai there. Might be better doing the same

Hopgood
Martin
Tago
Leinu

Would be my bench
Staines needs a centre who doesnt use up all the space. Momirovski leaves Staines with no room to move before dumping a hospital pass onto him with no space. Crichton is a bit better at creating space... But honestly he doesn't pass that often either. Staines had more passes as a winger than both centres had combined. Momirovski had 3 passes and 1 offload all dumped onto players who were in a worse position than him nearly... He sees space and goes himself.

I cant fault a winger for not offering much when he isn't being given a chance to do anything. That said if his centre wont create space it is useless having him in the team. Might aswell throw a battering ram winger in if they're the only touches available
 

BossleyPanther

Juniors
Messages
2,234
Word is Aarron Woods is available. Still an NRL level forward. Wouldn't cost a lot. He would be tremendous for you guys if can knick him for the rest of the season. Word is will only cost 200-300k and he is worth that amount.
Parra seem to be in the hunt. At $200K it's a bargain
 

hindy111

Post Whore
Messages
59,433
Staines needs a centre who doesnt use up all the space. Momirovski leaves Staines with no room to move before dumping a hospital pass onto him with no space. Crichton is a bit better at creating space... But honestly he doesn't pass that often either. Staines had more passes as a winger than both centres had combined. Momirovski had 3 passes and 1 offload all dumped onto players who were in a worse position than him nearly... He sees space and goes himself.

I cant fault a winger for not offering much when he isn't being given a chance to do anything. That said if his centre wont create space it is useless having him in the team. Might aswell throw a battering ram winger in if they're the only touches available


Good point. Look how South and Storm utilise there speedy winger. They are the focal point of most of their attacking raids.
f**k knows what Ivan is doing with Staines. But if he isn't going to use his speed he has no purpose in side.
 

franklin2323

Immortal
Messages
33,546
I would of been tempted to put Api in the halves and Kenny at hooker while leaving Maynat 14.....

Why? NSW Cup are very dominate. Use one of their halves.

May would of been perfect filling the Yeo role of being the link man before the halves get it

Gus said it perfectly last night. We played the style that works with Luai and Cleary and didn't suit the running halves

Ivan said post game he was always going to rest the SOO guys last night. Just wasn't expecting so many

So my question to that is why name them on Tuesday? There was little option but to run with the same halves that struggled the week before. Just to play mind games with Sharks.

A rookie caretaker coach. Outcoached a 300 gamer
 

mxlegend99

Referee
Messages
23,060
Word is Aarron Woods is available. Still an NRL level forward. Wouldn't cost a lot. He would be tremendous for you guys if can knick him for the rest of the season. Word is will only cost 200-300k and he is worth that amount.
He's too slow for the style of play we need to be effective. We need high speed players with explosive energy. The more plodder workhorse style players we get in our back, the more we are moving away from what works for us.

We need to get off the line and make heavy contact in defence. Quickly reset and do it again. We need hard running forwards that scatter the defence a bit. Get a quick play the ball to play off the back of that against a defensive line that doesnt have time to reset.

Woods doesnt offer what we need.
 

hindy111

Post Whore
Messages
59,433
I reckon Ivan expected more from Burton. His last two games he played about 30 good mins and the rest boredline garbage.
Hard to blame Ivan.
 

franklin2323

Immortal
Messages
33,546
Staines needs a centre who doesnt use up all the space. Momirovski leaves Staines with no room to move before dumping a hospital pass onto him with no space. Crichton is a bit better at creating space... But honestly he doesn't pass that often either. Staines had more passes as a winger than both centres had combined. Momirovski had 3 passes and 1 offload all dumped onto players who were in a worse position than him nearly... He sees space and goes himself.

I cant fault a winger for not offering much when he isn't being given a chance to do anything. That said if his centre wont create space it is useless having him in the team. Might aswell throw a battering ram winger in if they're the only touches available

No reason he has to stay on his wing though. Smaller speedy wingers like Thompson, Johnston and JAC come looking for it.

A stint playing fullback down there will get that instinct and confidence back. More to do with how well Jennings is going atm though
 

mxlegend99

Referee
Messages
23,060
.
.

A rookie caretaker coach. Outcoached a 300 gamer
Or veteran halves with great instincts outplayed rookie halves. The coaches influence was mainly selecting a poorly balanced roster. But without our rep players that was inevitable.

The difference between reserve grade and NRL is massive. While some players at reserve grade level are good enough waiting for an opportunity. Most are not. The ones that are likely need to be part of a strong experienced side to make that jump aswell.

Yes our reserve grade team has largely been flying this year. But not to the point where you can throw them into the NRL and expect them to keep flying. Alit of the better players are failed/fringe NRL players who go back and do well because of how much easier it is having played NRL.
 
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