Our roster

[Smirrors]

Some fans keep believing our pack at full strength is 1 of if not the best pack in the comp
There is simply no facts to support that theory
Our pack us easily contained and often dominated

On paper. We have 4 SOO forwards. That's probably more than any other team. Add Graham and McInnes and some potential young guys and its a top forward pack.

They need to live up to their reputation though. A good coach could elevate them.

 

[SBD82]

I’d call our full strength pack:
8. Graham
9. McInness
10. Vaughan
11. Friz
12. Sims
13. DeBelin

Aka:
8. England international
9. NSW backup hooker
10. NSW prop
11. NSW 2nd rower
12. NSW bench player
13. NSW lock*

Show me a better credentialed starting pack..

Arguably Melbourne’s. But the fact that it’s arguable dispels OT’s assertion.

They have:
8. Kiwi international
9. Referees boss
10. Kiwi international
11. QLD and Australian rep
12. Kiwi international
13. NSW bench player.

 

[Walpole]

We have one of the best second rowers in Frizzell. We also have plenty of slugs in our backline at the moment, and a heap in recent years.

Absolutely, at his best Friz is one of the best forwards going around. But I doubt anyone would include him in a list of the best five players in the NRL. That would be something like Tedesco, Smith, Ponga, Cook and Taumalolo. Maybe include Tuivasa-Sheck, Tommy Turbo or Munster. But we rarely have anyone that highly regarded. Rare match winners who everyone would take in their team in a heartbeat.

 

[hazzbeen]

Absolutely, at his best Friz is one of the best forwards going around. But I doubt anyone would include him in a list of the best five players in the NRL. That would be something like Tedesco, Smith, Ponga, Cook and Taumalolo. Maybe include Tuivasa-Sheck, Tommy Turbo or Munster. But we rarely have anyone that highly regarded. Rare match winners who everyone would take in their team in a heartbeat.

Frizz is a good second rower that plays hard and tuff , but when was the last time he split the defence and ran 30m to score or the last time he broke into the open and set up a player ? He is being used as a battering ram under Super Coach , For me haven't seen the best of him at club level .....

 

[Vinnie]

Can't say I've been impressed with Lomax. Looks like he can become a competent first grader, but not an absolute gun. I hope I'm wrong.

Good enough to be junior rep player of the year, good enough to be labeled "The GIFTED One" by Fittler, maybe he sees something McGregor doesn't or maybe (and probably more likely Fittler doesn't have the credentials Mary does (YEAH RIGHT !!!!!) But yet he couldn't get a crack in Mary's team over Aitken or Lafai Please someone explain ??

Our roster is not about who we have these days but about who we lose and or retain over them because our coach will not promote juniors lets consider ... We let Herbet and Garrick go but retain Aitken, Lafai and on top sign Ravalawa and Maranta In what planet are those 4 players better than who we let go ????
We have a gun in Robson (if allowed to play) but we let him go,
We play Nichols over Field/Sailor .... something tells me we will lose 1 if not both of them as well
Saab cant get a run but no matter how bad the form is Pearson, Ravalawa, Aitken Lafai do ... for F#@%S sake we play Maranta over Saab or any other potential junior.
We lose Sele & Havili (Maybe not the best) but we resign Latimore and Allgood
We release Mann ...

Do i need go on .... Im frustrated enough already.

In short i fear thai if McGregor and current stay we will lose many many more talented juniors and even first graders and continue to replace them with rubbish as we always seem to.

 

[RufusRex]

Mary has no use for Finesse players in the bash barge game plan.

Lomax/Leilua/Ravalawa have so much more to offer than Mary will allow.

 

[denis preston]

Also countering into this argument is the fact that many of the games best players aren’t illegible for SOO. Many of the top sides have plenty of Polynesians, Kiwis and/or English players.

Thats what Mary will be telling the Board !

 

[BLM01]

Some fans keep believing our pack at full strength is 1 of if not the best pack in the comp
There is simply no facts to support that theory
Our pack us easily contained and often dominated

Last year with JDB I think is a prime example. At Full strength now we have Vaughan, Frizz, Mc Innes, JDB, Sims, Sims, Lawrie, Leilua, Graham. I would take that 9 in my 17 every week and believe we have one of the best balanced packs of youth, experience and grunt
I am talking purely on paper, not referring to injuries, suspensions nor how they are being coached to receive a ball standing shallow in attack and one out football without support
But you believe who you want and I am saying we are up there as one of best combo 9 forwards across any 17 man team and there are a couple up there if not better, but that 9 is up there in my opinion, they are not coached the best way that's also an issue.

 

[getsmarty]

Last year with JDB I think is a prime example. At Full strength now we have Vaughan, Frizz, Mc Innes, JDB, Sims, Sims, Lawrie, Leilua, Graham. I would take that 9 in my 17 every week and believe we have one of the best balanced packs of youth, experience and grunt
I am talking purely on paper, not referring to injuries, suspensions nor how they are being coached to receive a ball off a shallow pass at the line and one out football without support
But you believe who you want and I am saying we are up there as one of best combo 9 forwards across any 17 man team and there are a couple up there if not better, but that 9 is up there in my opinion, they are not coached the best way that's also an issue.

Correct....which shows how inept our coaching staff really is......

 

[Wittenberg]

No one I know who knows anything about Rugby League thinks that Ben Hunt is a $1 million a year half back. He''s capable of good moments and occasionally even good whole games but he doesn't dominate consistently like other highly paid, elite ex and current players such as Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Johnathan Thurston et al. The jury is still out on whether he's a better hooker than half-back.

There's at least $200K we could have saved. We blinked and panicked and paid over the odds. We now know that in Qld they see him more as a hooker.

You are right we did panic. Don’t get me wrong I think Hunt is a good player and he and Norman, before Norman got injured, were starting to look good together, but he is not a $1million player. Remember we had Mary, we had no halfback and we struggled to get quality players. Without a coach that can really promise a shot at the title, we will not attract quality, we will panic and pay overs again.

 

[Old Timer]

Re our forwards and all the commentary
We are 3rd last on the ladder
We have the worst defence in the comp
In 20 minutes we have not had 1 tackle in the opposition 20 whilst Penrith have had 21 entries into ours and we are down 10 zip
Happy for anyone to provide the evidence out pack us 1 of the best in anything other than paper.

 

[denis preston]

Re our forwards and all the commentary
We are 3rd last on the ladder
We have the worst defence in the comp
In 20 minutes we have not had 1 tackle in the opposition 20 whilst Penrith have had 21 entries into ours and we are down 10 zip
Happy for anyone to provide the evidence out pack us 1 of the best in anything other than paper.

They have given up and are sending a message to the board. They are trying but the coaches cant show them how to get out of this malaise that they created !

 

[BLM01]

Re our forwards and all the commentary
We are 3rd last on the ladder
We have the worst defence in the comp
In 20 minutes we have not had 1 tackle in the opposition 20 whilst Penrith have had 21 entries into ours and we are down 10 zip
Happy for anyone to provide the evidence out pack us 1 of the best in anything other than paper.

Paper is a good thing in regards to recruitment which is where this whole debate about our pack started. But the coaching, morale, defense and attitude whatever at the moment is at a low standard so of course the pack itself can not realise its potential.
And at least 13 other teams help their packs out with good starts to set from the back 5 with quick play the balls and running hard and throwing some attack at them.
Our back 5 are to shallow to do anything and should try passing the ball forming "the buzz word ATM shape" in attack.
OT..No one has said ATM that our pack is one of the best of the comp in current form..and there in lies another issue with our coaching staff.
But I if alone would not swap our best 9 forwards including hooker for another pack except for maybe Melbourne

 

[AnonymousLurker]

Good enough to be junior rep player of the year, good enough to be labeled "The GIFTED One" by Fittler, maybe he sees something McGregor doesn't or maybe (and probably more likely Fittler doesn't have the credentials Mary does (YEAH RIGHT !!!!!) But yet he couldn't get a crack in Mary's team over Aitken or Lafai Please someone explain ??

Our roster is not about who we have these days but about who we lose and or retain over them because our coach will not promote juniors lets consider ... We let Herbet and Garrick go but retain Aitken, Lafai and on top sign Ravalawa and Maranta In what planet are those 4 players better than who we let go ????
We have a gun in Robson (if allowed to play) but we let him go,
We play Nichols over Field/Sailor .... something tells me we will lose 1 if not both of them as well
Saab cant get a run but no matter how bad the form is Pearson, Ravalawa, Aitken Lafai do ... for F#@%S sake we play Maranta over Saab or any other potential junior.
We lose Sele & Havili (Maybe not the best) but we resign Latimore and Allgood
We release Mann ...

Do i need go on .... Im frustrated enough already.

In short i fear thai if McGregor and current stay we will lose many many more talented juniors and even first graders and continue to replace them with rubbish as we always seem to.

Isn’t recruitment and retention millwards responsibility

 

[BLM01]

OFINOP

Lafai, Aitken, Pearson, Host, Mary all signed for 2020

 

[BLM01]

Frizz is a good second rower that plays hard and tuff , but when was the last time he split the defence and ran 30m to score or the last time he broke into the open and set up a player ? He is being used as a battering ram under Super Coach , For me haven't seen the best of him at club level .....

When he runs on the edge and straight as he did a couple of times last night which weas good and poked his nose through...just needed support and to look for it.
Of course he still had his customary cut back insides to the middle at the wrong times.
That could be coached out of him..it is alright to cut back in on a good line in attack straight through a gap but not to try and run around em looking for a gap is where he goes wrong.

 

[Old Timer]

Paper is a good thing in regards to recruitment which is where this whole debate about our pack started. But the coaching, morale, defense and attitude whatever at the moment is at a low standard so of course the pack itself can not realise its potential.
And at least 13 other teams help their packs out with good starts to set from the back 5 with quick play the balls and running hard and throwing some attack at them.
Our back 5 are to shallow to do anything and should try passing the ball forming "the buzz word ATM shape" in attack.
OT..No one has said ATM that our pack is one of the best of the comp in current form..and there in lies another issue with our coaching staff.
But I if alone would not swap our best 9 forwards including hooker for another pack except for maybe Melbourne

Remember what a good signing James Graham was going to be?
His best was several seasons ago and his signing has contributed basically zilch on field in so far as what he creates.
Remember what a good signing K Sims was and how it was going to be the "bruise" brothers well that became a myth very quickly.
Remember how T Sims was a great signing and how he was SOO and how dare he be questioned well his effort and form are appalling and akin to what he was doing at Newcastle. He had 1 season in the sun and couldn't maintain it.
Leilua always promising to deliver but never quite does and mostly ineffectual in the hard stuff.
People keep wanting to fantasise about how good our pack is just will not face reality in that they struggle to get us into the opposition half, are poor down the middle in defence and are easily dominated in all facets of the ruck.
FFS people in here criticise Mc Innes for some unknown reason and he is without a doubt our best player let alone forward.

 

[DaveMc]

Lomax could be a Ponga, but alas he has been destined to have every skill removed from him to play McGregor football.

Most overrated junior to come through the ranks for a long time. But he’ll be overpaid because people think he’s a must-retain, and he’ll retire as a one club player after 10-15 years without a rep jersey or premiership to his name.

 

[DaveMc]

Also, imagine paying Blake Lawrie and 2019 Jeremy Latimore to impersonate footballers.

 

[BLM01]

Remember what a good signing James Graham was going to be?
His best was several seasons ago and his signing has contributed basically zilch on field in so far as what he creates.
Remember what a good signing K Sims was and how it was going to be the "bruise" brothers well that became a myth very quickly.
Remember how T Sims was a great signing and how he was SOO and how dare he be questioned well his effort and form are appalling and akin to what he was doing at Newcastle. He had 1 season in the sun and couldn't maintain it.
Leilua always promising to deliver but never quite does and mostly ineffectual in the hard stuff.
People keep wanting to fantasise about how good our pack is just will not face reality in that they struggle to get us into the opposition half, are poor down the middle in defence and are easily dominated in all facets of the ruck.
FFS people in here criticise Mc Innes for some unknown reason and he is without a doubt our best player let alone forward.

I actually think Graham has added something to our squad whilst he is slower he has been a good addition..now it is his time to retire
Yes form is down on the others and i think KSims has been good when he played this year.
Everything you say is not so much about the names..if we had a decent coach that could the best out of them you would not be whingeing about our pack.
TSims form is down agree..you got to ask why first?
Leilua needs to be given more time to play footy as Penrith put it..and used correctly, Love to see him under a good coach that has em up for the game..he has truckloads of ability.
I have said the reasons why we struggle out of our end and it is not all the forwards fault. Back 5 to kick sets off and formation in attack has a major bearing.
Agree McInnes.