'10 | R26 | Sun 7pm | Dragons 38-24 Rabbitohs | WIN Jubilee

[Godz Illa]

Funny thing is last time we beat Souths we were without Weyman Cooper Smith and Fien. We had Ricky Thorby starting ffs. Souths were full strength bar Isaac Luke.

 

[Jason Maher]

Souffs season-long injury crisis is a myth. If you actually go back and look at your team lists, you've kept a very consistent 17 up until the last month or so (and your form wasn't any better than it is at the moment). You've had two players missing long term - Ben Ross and Michael Crocker.

Saints have had a very similar run. A remarkably consistent 17, especially in the backs, with a couple of long-term injuries in the forwards and on the bench (namely, Dan Hunt, Nathan Fein, and Jeremy Smith). To put some numbers on it, I've done up a list of each side's top 17 (feel free to quibble my selections) with the number of games they've missed. Interestingly, Souths and Saints both have 5 player who haven't missed a game through injury (Wesser, Talanoa, Merritt, Sandow, Burgess; Boyd, Morris, Gasnier, Soward, Creagh), which is about as good as you could ever hope for.

Quite simply, if Souffs were as good as their pre-season hype, they'd be in the top 4 currently, and wouldn't be relying on a miracle to sneak into the 8. Where you sit currently on the table ahs nothing to do with injury and everything to do with your own ineptness.

Souths top 17 (games missed up to round 25):

Wesser - 0
Merritt - 0
Best - 2
Champion - 4
Talanoa - 0
Sutton - 3
Sandow - 0
Burgess - 2
Taylor - 6
Stuart - 6
Ross - 23
Luke - 4
Asotasi - 4

Ben Lowe - 5
Crocker - 16
Geddes - 11
Pettybourne - 9

Total: 95

Saints top 17

Boyd - 2
Morris - 2
Gasnier - 0
Cooper - 8
Nightingale - 1
Soward - 0
Hornby - 1
Young - 3
Creagh - 1
Scott - 6
Hunt - 13
Fein - 18
Weyman - 8

Prior - 4
Smith - 11
Merrin - 3
Costigan - 6

Total: 87

p.s. To clarify my earlier comment, it is extremely rare for any team to be able to name what might be regarded as their first choice 17 (assuming such a thing can be defined). When I said "full complement" I was excluding Ben Ross, and noting the fact that Souths had a very consistent side up until they got hit by injury in the last month (might have had 1 or 2 out any given week, but not half the bloody team like they currently have).

 

[This Year?]

f**k the arrogant queens... regardless of other results Souths pack have some tricks up their sleeve & will be primed to rip them apart... and our backs will finish the job. Rabbitohs by 20.

Is that the same pack that has failed "the pride of the league" for the last 8 weeks or so? lol 50uffs

 

[NGR]

Funny thing is last time we beat Souths we were without Weyman Cooper Smith and Fien. We had Ricky Thorby starting ffs. Souths were full strength bar Isaac Luke.

Isaac Luke (best hooker in the game at the time), scott geddes, jason clark, shannon mcpherson, ben ross (if you are going to count fein then may as well count ross).... I see your thorby and raise you garret crossman....

 

[NGR]

Souffs season-long injury crisis is a myth. If you actually go back and look at your team lists, you've kept a very consistent 17 up until the last month or so (and your form wasn't any better than it is at the moment). You've had two players missing long term - Ben Ross and Michael Crocker.

Saints have had a very similar run. A remarkably consistent 17, especially in the backs, with a couple of long-term injuries in the forwards and on the bench (namely, Dan Hunt, Nathan Fein, and Jeremy Smith). To put some numbers on it, I've done up a list of each side's top 17 (feel free to quibble my selections) with the number of games they've missed. Interestingly, Souths and Saints both have 5 player who haven't missed a game through injury (Wesser, Talanoa, Merritt, Sandow, Burgess; Boyd, Morris, Gasnier, Soward, Creagh), which is about as good as you could ever hope for.

Quite simply, if Souffs were as good as their pre-season hype, they'd be in the top 4 currently, and wouldn't be relying on a miracle to sneak into the 8. Where you sit currently on the table ahs nothing to do with injury and everything to do with your own ineptness.

Souths top 17 (games missed up to round 25):

Wesser - 0
Merritt - 0
Best - 2
Champion - 4
Talanoa - 0
Sutton - 3
Sandow - 0
Burgess - 2
Taylor - 6
Stuart - 6
Ross - 23
Luke - 4
Asotasi - 4

Ben Lowe - 5
Crocker - 16
Geddes - 11
Pettybourne - 9

Total: 95

Saints top 17

Boyd - 2
Morris - 2
Gasnier - 0
Cooper - 8
Nightingale - 1
Soward - 0
Hornby - 1
Young - 3
Creagh - 1
Scott - 6
Hunt - 13
Fein - 18
Weyman - 8

Prior - 4
Smith - 11
Merrin - 3
Costigan - 6

Total: 87

p.s. To clarify my earlier comment, it is extremely rare for any team to be able to name what might be regarded as their first choice 17 (assuming such a thing can be defined). When I said "full complement" I was excluding Ben Ross, and noting the fact that Souths had a very consistent side up until they got hit by injury in the last month (might have had 1 or 2 out any given week, but not half the bloody team like they currently have).

We were going great until we were hit by injuries... I see your point about never been able to field your best 17, thats league.. But when a side is missing its entire forward pack (half our reserve forards as well) including the best hooker in the game and throw in the number 6 thats a lot different.

No team in this comp could have still won with the injuries we have had...

Ps: Jason Clark, Shannon Mcpherson, dave tyrell not in your souths 17 but were all also injured for long spells...

 

[Godz Illa]

Crossman is worse than Thorby, but Crossman didn't start either. And if you're counting Ross I'll add Dan Hunt

 

[_Johnsy]

whinge whinge whinge, the bottom line is souffs have not been good enough. Injuries are not an excuse, well not in the NRL anyway. Every single team has them.

End of story.

 

[Sugar]

Souths win if - all hopes of a top 8 spot are washed away by Manly/Canberra

Dragons win - If Souths alive playing for a semi final berth

No pressure No responsibility a win will follow
Final on the line not a snowflakes chance, we are mentally piss poor in the pressure games

 

[Jason Maher]

@NGR: I limited myself to only picking 17 for each team. You could just as easily have pointed out no Saffy, Green, or Priddis.

 

[NGR]

Crossman is worse than Thorby, but Crossman didn't start either. And if you're counting Ross I'll add Dan Hunt

They played roughly the same amount of minutes...

Surely you can see my point? Look at the broncos without lockyer... Thats one player and suddenly the side crumbles.. We were missing our lockyer plus many more...

If the dragons were missing boyd in that game we would no doubt have seen a different result...

 

[NGR]

whinge whinge whinge, the bottom line is souffs have not been good enough. Injuries are not an excuse, well not in the NRL anyway. Every single team has them.

End of story.

Yeah every team has them, but not as bad as souths....

Look at broncos minus lockyer, suddenly everything changes...

But you dont care do you? To ignorant and arrogant to see a balanced argument....

 

[Godz Illa]

Luke may be your Lockyer, but Weyman is our Weyman

 

[NGR]

@NGR: I limited myself to only picking 17 for each team. You could just as easily have pointed out no Saffy, Green, or Priddis.

Have a look at the top 25 squad for injuries and it will tell a different story..

When we were missing our big gun forwards we were also missing some of the fill ins as well. So not only were we missing our "superstar" forwards we were also missing the guys that were supposed to replace then if needed... It changes everything when you have to use a winger/centre as an extra forward ala jamie simpson.. And it is even worse when you take out the sides best player...

It is evident with lockyer, isaac is the same to us as lockyer is to the broncs...

 

[NGR]

Luke may be your Lockyer, but Weyman is our Weyman

Weyman isnt your creative spark or x factor...

 

[Godz Illa]

He totally is

 

[NGR]

He totally is

lol

 

[Firey_Dragon]

Weyman isnt your creative spark or x factor...

When you build your side around tight ruck defense and a big meters game from your forwards, it's totally the same thing.

Our game plan is to dominate the middle and capitalise on opportunities after that. If we don't make good meters we struggle big time. Completely different influence if you have a team that throws around the ball.

Even before injuries, Souths were inconsistent. If the forwards were doing their job, the backline wasn't, and vice versa.

 

[Nemesis]

Is that the same pack that has failed "the pride of the league" for the last 8 weeks or so? lol 50uffs

We've been down on troops for the past 8 weeks, but we don't need to be at full strength to beat you soft c**ks anyway.
We proved that in round 25 last year when we belted you 41-6 with a spare parts team of reggies & nyc players.... lol@St Choke

 

[NGR]

When you build your side around tight ruck defense and a big meters game from your forwards, it's totally the same thing.

Our game plan is to dominate the middle and capitalise on opportunities after that. If we don't make good meters we struggle big time. Completely different influence if you have a team that throws around the ball.

Even before injuries, Souths were inconsistent. If the forwards were doing their job, the backline wasn't, and vice versa.

The same can be sad about dave taylor or roy asotasi then... A better comparison for isaac with the dragons would be boyd or soward. If you dont have one of them in your team, suddenly those tries that come from nothing reduce, there is less spark in attack etc...

Agreed about before the injuries hit. We were inconsistent, we lost a few that we had in the bag. Our halves were our downfall then. either sandow was having a go and creating something or sutton was, they never fired together.. But once the injuries hit, our defense opened up like a pornstar, we struggled to go forward, and the basic handling errors crept in...

 

[Ziggy the God]

Wow, look at the arrogance of the Saints supporters on this thread, as per usual they have the Premiership wrapped up in their puny minds.

These will be the same supporters that whinge when everyone comes back with the choke threads.

I have no issue with their supporters, have mates that support them, but after reading this thread I hope we bash the crap out of your side straight into Ward 9.

I bet the lot of the inbreds will then line up single file outside StGeorge's '3 Hats' restaurant, Sizzlers, and eat themselves into oblivion.