Rd22: EELS v Storms GAME DAY THREAD @ Marvel Stadium 28/7/23

[the phantom menace]

Given you need 4 in the first choice 17, then you'd probably expect 7-8 in a top 30?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Gaz rightly listed 'locks' among middle forwards so there are at least five in the top 17.

 

[Bandwagon]

The Joffa deal was "now" because we were short on middles at that time through injury and SOO, For sure you could question the quality, but not the quantity.

What gets me is how we can still be short on outside backs, but again we probably have enough, but we don't have near enough quality.

 

[the phantom menace]

Gaz rightly listed 'locks' among middle forwards so there are at least five in the top 17.

Ok then... 5 in the first choice 17 makes 9 in the top 30. But surely some of them can also be "utilities"?

And 9 is a lot less than the 12 listed.

 

[lingard]

How much cap would we have in middles I wonder. We seem to want to warehouse 8s and 10s at the expense of other positions. Add to that we've run short of a top 30 all year. The recruitment of Joffa was a mystery at the time and remains so.
Paulo, Reg, Emu, Matto, Hoppy, Moretti, Ogden, Joffa, Rodwell, Makka, Murchie, Momoisea.
BA loves him middles.

When it was quite clear we needed a winger.

 

[Gazzamatta]

When it was quite clear we needed a winger.

Yep Ivor. Its things like this that keep happening that makes it difficult to keep the faith.
The thing is the game has changed considerably over the past 10 years. Big boppers that are slow and only contribute in attack are being found out. Its why middles like Cotter and Hopgood are so successful. Recruiting slow middles to play alongside each other appears to be for days gone by. Yes they have a place. An important place, but they must be supported by the newer more mobile middles. Smart clubs are dumping them and we're reeling them in.
So far as backs are concerned, Penrith have shown all clubs the blueprint. Most other clubs are trying to follow this yet we put little stock in the importance of having meter eater wings.
A complete rethink is needed. Our style hasnt proved sustainable.

 

[Gazzamatta]

It should be an interesting off season from a recruitment, retention perspective.

 

[Gazzamatta]

We also put no stock in ensuring the 9 jumper was covered. Rheed went and we got Hodgson. BA was never going to play Rein preferring Yates in the trials. As happens with young blokes Yates couldnt sustain his pre season promise and was dumped accordingly. We then have as our only 9, Hodgson, who everyone but our brains trust was predicting would end in tears. Enter Brendan Hands. Thank God. This kid rarely played 9 in the 2s. Its was generally in the 6. Its a pretty big convince to claim he was always an option. We got lucky. Absolutely kissed on the di*k. Then theres Asi. We've had no back up halfs except for Jake for a few years. We let him go " for his mental well being" while we play Asi at 1 in the 2s. You cant make this sh*t up. Dont even start the absolute incompetence re standby 1s through 5s.
The Dolphins managed to secure players without notice. Why not us.
And the the clincher, we bring back our favourite son Cayless to guide all these superstar juniors into eventual NRL players. A guy that has had more clubs than Tiger Woods and failed at everyone of them.
Sometimes I think we win and have periods of success in spite of ourselves.
Rant over.

 

[Gary Gutful]

Yep Ivor. Its things like this that keep happening that makes it difficult to keep the faith.
The thing is the game has changed considerably over the past 10 years. Big boppers that are slow and only contribute in attack are being found out. Its why middles like Cotter and Hopgood are so successful. Recruiting slow middles to play alongside each other appears to be for days gone by. Yes they have a place. An important place, but they must be supported by the newer more mobile middles. Smart clubs are dumping them and we're reeling them in.
So far as backs are concerned, Penrith have shown all clubs the blueprint. Most other clubs are trying to follow this yet we put little stock in the importance of having meter eater wings.
A complete rethink is needed. Our style hasnt proved sustainable.

It absolutely shits me that Sivo isn’t a metre eater. He should be carving up from the back.

 

[the phantom menace]

It's clear the plan for replacing Reed (who was I guess could be described as a late defection in the scheme of things) with an injured and historic Hodgson failed completely.

Now I guess we have Lussick back to bide time while Hands builds his game and fitness. Credit to Hands, he did well when called upon given the inevitable Hodgson decline/injury/plod.

And yes, Sivo is playing so lazy and has been basically phoning it in since his contract extension. Or BA's tactics were so invested in some supposed benefit from paying through the nose for injured old man dummy half that his game plans haven't even engaged Sivo to do better and use his ample frame?

 

[yy_cheng]

I like hands but his running game is weird, he gets out of dummy half, tries to run, then doesn't know what he doing and submitted.

He really should watch some tapes on harry and Cameron out hodgo teach him some shit

 

[Gary Gutful]

Or BA's tactics were so invested in some supposed benefit from paying through the nose for injured old man dummy half that his game plans haven't even engaged Sivo to do better and use his ample frame?

Yeah. Pretty likely that they would have missed it.

 

[JokerEel]

I like hands but his running game is weird, he gets out of dummy half, tries to run, then doesn't know what he doing and submitted.

He really should watch some tapes on harry and Cameron out hodgo teach him some shit

It doesn't help when our club thinks that helping his development prior to playing in the NRL is to play 5/8 or bench in Cup.

Shocked he wasn't playing on the wing in cup to get him ready for hooker..

 

[yy_cheng]

It doesn't help when our club thinks that helping his development prior to playing in the NRL is to play 5/8 or bench in Cup.

Shocked he wasn't playing on the wing in cup to get him ready for hooker..

Yeah, ive been saying that. Like at fb, we have had so many players there. Cini. Lumelume... Though the only constant was stephen arthur miles.. Even Russell was switched around the place

 

[the phantom menace]

Yeah. Pretty likely that they would have missed it.

It does look like it, sadly.

 

[Gary Gutful]

It does look like it, sadly.

Probably hasn't spoken to any of the players at all since Jake left.

 

[the phantom menace]

Again, very Pou-lite in your rebuttals. Do you think it's possible BA's planning for this year in terms of attacking structure for the year didn't emphasise our wingers as metre eaters, in favour of some not fully realised plan to steamroll the middles with the experience and skill of Hodgson?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

while we play Asi at 1 in the 2s. You cant make this sh*t up.

Well you just did. Asi moved to the halves as soon as we shitcanned Jake Arthur.

 

[Gary Gutful]

Again, very Pou-lite in your rebuttals. Do you think it's possible BA's planning for this year in terms of attacking structure for the year didn't emphasise our wingers as metre eaters, in favour of some not fully realised plan to steamroll the middles with the experience and skill of Hodgson?

No, because I regularly watch gutho give the ball to our wingers and typically see them make about 2 metres. Thats largely down to execution rather than planning imo.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

The Dolphins managed to secure players without notice. Why not us.

They were signing an entire fresh squad from a clean slate with no existing contracts taking up cap space. That means they didn't have to work around back ended contracts or redundant squad members. It's a massive benefit.