14 halfbacks in 8 years- PJ and Tim Smith to battle it out

[Stagger eel]

i could be wrong about Penna and fullback - but i am sure he did play there on occasions and particularly in the lower grades???? he may even have scored his 4 or 5 tries in the lower grades playing fullback?????

He scored 5 tries in one day playing 5/8.

Bagged 4 in the old presidents cup competition, then came on as a replacement in reserve grade and bagged another one.....or thats my recollection anyway.

He mainly played 5/8 when coming up the lower grades.

yep!

it was against Souths at Aussie, could of been 91 or 92 we got trounced by the bunnies in first grade.

 

[mightypanther]

hey MP!

while your hangin out with us, what can you tell us about Peter Lewis? he appaerently signed with us and I'm wanting Panther fans perspective on how he plays.

Peter didn't play a whole lot of 1st grade, but I have seen him play a lot of Premier
League, and he has got great potential.

He is a big boy, and very physically strong, and he is quite a good tackler.

Main problem is that he is like say.......Tookey and Riddell in that I think he has a
tendency to put weight on very easily, and sometimes when he gets tired, he struggles
to get to tackles in time to be effective, and tiredness hampers his hit ups, which then
curbs the metres that he makes.

But he's also still young, and will only get fitter as he goes along, and so the rest of
his game will probably also improve with it.

As I said though, he does have the potential to do very well, and I'm sorry to see him
leave Penrith.


Here is a pic of him and his stats from the Penrith website if you're interested.

Date of Birth: 30/05/79 - Cambridge NZ
Position: Second row
Height: 186cm; Weight: 107kg
Rep Honours: NZ World Cup squad

Junior club: Upper Hutt Tigers
Previous clubs: Auckland Warriors, Limoux (France), Mt. Albert
Childhood hero: Wally Lewis
Most respected opponent: Steve Renouf
Other interests: Tennis, golf, poetry
Favourite music: Chillout music
Life after footy: To be a good husband and father

 

[mightypanther]

I took a safe guess that with Girds in your sig and av you'd be a girl MP

Good one bartman :lol:

And retired or not.......that pic isn't going anywhere for a while yet. :mrgreen:
.

 

[True EEL]

i thought you were a girl.....

Very discerning of you....
.

no problem..... ;-)

 

[True EEL]

fish eel and eelevation,

i think you are both right about Penna and the tries between two grades - i thought that was what happened.....the difference was i was out growing up in the bush listening intently to the game on a crackly radio and you guys may have even been at the game by the sound of it?????

and i was never implying that David Penna was a fullback - i simply mean't on occasions i am sure i remember him playing at fullback.....he was most definitely more of a 5/8 and centre and then halfback at the end of his career

 

[Stagger eel]

hey MP!

while your hangin out with us, what can you tell us about Peter Lewis? he appaerently signed with us and I'm wanting Panther fans perspective on how he plays.

Peter didn't play a whole lot of 1st grade, but I have seen him play a lot of Premier
League, and he has got great potential.

He is a big boy, and very physically strong, and he is quite a good tackler.

Main problem is that he is like say.......Tookey and Riddell in that I think he has a
tendency to put weight on very easily, and sometimes when he gets tired, he struggles
to get to tackles in time to be effective, and tiredness hampers his hit ups, which then
curbs the metres that he makes.

But he's also still young, and will only get fitter as he goes along, and so the rest of
his game will probably also improve with it.

As I said though, he does have the potential to do very well, and I'm sorry to see him
leave Penrith.


Here is a pic of him and his stats from the Penrith website if you're interested.

Date of Birth: 30/05/79 - Cambridge NZ
Position: Second row
Height: 186cm; Weight: 107kg
Rep Honours: NZ World Cup squad

Junior club: Upper Hutt Tigers
Previous clubs: Auckland Warriors, Limoux (France), Mt. Albert
Childhood hero: Wally Lewis
Most respected opponent: Steve Renouf
Other interests: Tennis, golf, poetry
Favourite music: Chillout music
Life after footy: To be a good husband and father

cheers MP! :thumnn

 

[mightypanther]

No worries... :mrgreen:
.

 

[True EEL]

yes thanks MP

 

[Iafeta]

hey MP!

while your hangin out with us, what can you tell us about Peter Lewis? he appaerently signed with us and I'm wanting Panther fans perspective on how he plays.

Peter didn't play a whole lot of 1st grade, but I have seen him play a lot of Premier
League, and he has got great potential.

He is a big boy, and very physically strong, and he is quite a good tackler.

Main problem is that he is like say.......Tookey and Riddell in that I think he has a
tendency to put weight on very easily, and sometimes when he gets tired, he struggles
to get to tackles in time to be effective, and tiredness hampers his hit ups, which then
curbs the metres that he makes.

But he's also still young, and will only get fitter as he goes along, and so the rest of
his game will probably also improve with it.

As I said though, he does have the potential to do very well, and I'm sorry to see him
leave Penrith.


Here is a pic of him and his stats from the Penrith website if you're interested.

Date of Birth: 30/05/79 - Cambridge NZ
Position: Second row
Height: 186cm; Weight: 107kg
Rep Honours: NZ World Cup squad

Junior club: Upper Hutt Tigers
Previous clubs: Auckland Warriors, Limoux (France), Mt. Albert
Childhood hero: Wally Lewis
Most respected opponent: Steve Renouf
Other interests: Tennis, golf, poetry
Favourite music: Chillout music
Life after footy: To be a good husband and father

cheers MP! :thumnn

Yep, he was actually a first grade centre at the Warriors under Mark Graham. Didn't have the speed, was always a fairly solid bloke. I think both Peter Lewis and Joe Galuvao may have been the first grade centre combination for the Warriors at one stage? Ironically both ended up being discarded and playing at Penrith. I know Mark Graham had very high hopes for him.

Lewis played a bit of first grade this year if memory serves me right around Origin time. He had bulked up a little bit more and went into the forwards. If he can keep fit, and improve his work rate, he could be extremely effective in the top grade.

 

[Utey]

By the look of him he can add to the many forwards we already have. LOL our Premier league side will be full of forwards.

 

[fish eel]

LOL our Premier league side will be full of forwards.
_________________

so they'll get plenty of practice for when smithy calls one of them up to play in the halves :lol:

 

[True EEL]

LOL our Premier league side will be full of forwards.
_________________

so they'll get plenty of practice for when smithy calls one of them up to play in the halves :lol:

lol at fish eel ;-)

 

[Utey]

:lol: :lol: :lol: Pearson :?

 

[Avenger]

The more I think about it the more I think that Tim Smith will get a real shot at halfback next year. I hope Smith bites the bullet and gives him a go. I am hoping he does not do the soft option and put someone like Morris at 7.

 

[Stagger eel]

The more I think about it the more I think that Tim Smith will get a real shot at halfback next year. I hope Smith bites the bullet and gives him a go. I am hoping he does not do the soft option and put someone like Morris at 7.

I have no doubt Smith will get a shot next year! ;-)

 

[Utey]

I hope its sooner than later. I wouldnt like to put Smith in the position of trying to turn a losing team into a winning team. His to young for that. This is why PJ at half for the beginning of the season seems like such a good option.

 

[Unreal V]

2005 is going to be a hard year, the team will not have 2004 as a base to build on and Brian Smith will start the experiment in the halves all over again. I think it was pretty obvious to all that last years halves should have been Witt and Dykes with Dykes as 5/8. Just imagine the team in 2005 after a year with the same halves; would have been good to see.

Now Smith has choices and going by past years he should get this right by about round 18; Ah but all too late.

Who ever he picks I just hope that he sticks with them, even if they don't gel in the begining. The new guys will need time.

The one big advantage this year will be that the likes of Marsh and Riddell will be there to take some of the pressure off the halves, guys that can create something from nothing.

I hope our halves are Morris at 5/8 and Tim Smith at 1/2.

Our other big asset for next year is Hindmarsh as an attacking weapon given that Morrisson will pair with him and share the work load.

On reflection maybe next year won't be that hard.

 

[Suitman]

2005 is going to be a hard year, the team will not have 2004 as a base to build on and Brian Smith will start the experiment in the halves all over again.
Who ever he picks I just hope that he sticks with them, even if they don't gel in the begining. The new guys will need time.

Problem is, if we have a couple of losses, people will be again calling for his head, and he will feel the pressure to make changes.
I've been guilty of it. Why will next year be any different?

I would like to think that after 8 years, he may have worked out a settled halves combination.

But alas he is still experimenting. :roll:
Who knows, we'll probably see Wags back there come Round 4.

Suity

 

[True EEL]

I hope its sooner than later. I wouldnt like to put Smith in the position of trying to turn a losing team into a winning team. His to young for that. This is why PJ at half for the beginning of the season seems like such a good option.

i simply can't agree with this line of thought that PJ or Morris or someone can be simply put in some position (i.e. the halves) for a period of time to just be used to "ease" Tim Smith or someone into first grade up until some arbitrary Round.....Round 11 seems most popular amonst the proponents of such a scheme???

football doesn't work that way and senior players (particularly halves)don't appreciate being used in such situations...and what they just get pushed aside for Smith in "Round 11" even if they are setting the world on fire do they???

it should be one of two ways......either (1) BS thinks Smith is good enough and his trial form warrants selection and he is put in at halfback at the start of the year and he just has to develop as the year goes on to that standard of play....or (2) he bides his time and come in (hevaen forbid) to cobver PJ or Morris or whoever for injuries

the only other "real" option is if Smith was played in the bench utility/dummy-half role and his form warranted him being elevated to the starting side somewhere....but he can't just be warpped in cotton wool and then elevated to first grade at some artitrary point wherev people think he is ready???

i mena the incumbent halfback for the last two years has been removed from the club in prefernce of Smith, so make him get out there and earn his praise or let him earn it for a little longer in PL.....like Witt had to do and was only given an opportunity through injury

and people are going to come back with things like "oh thats not what we mean" or "you know nothing True EEL"......and thats fine with me....?????

 

[True EEL]

2005 is going to be a hard year, the team will not have 2004 as a base to build on and Brian Smith will start the experiment in the halves all over again.
Who ever he picks I just hope that he sticks with them, even if they don't gel in the begining. The new guys will need time.

Problem is, if we have a couple of losses, people will be again calling for his head, and he will feel the pressure to make changes.
I've been guilty of it. Why will next year be any different?

I would like to think that after 8 years, he may have worked out a settled halves combination.

But alas he is still experimenting. :roll:
Who knows, we'll probably see Wags back there come Round 4.

Suity

exactly Suity,

but your not supposed to make such enlightened observations on the situation at Parra or your are accused of being a traitor or peddler of black magic or something?????? ;-)