2010 Starting Halves - Mortimer, Keating & Robson

[The Colonel]

What did robson do that so impressive maybe im blind: P

He provided a link between an impressive backline and a forward pack that stood up against most teams in the competition. Not the easiest of jobs as a great number of previous halfbacks would probably agree. He did the job that was asked and allowed players like Mortimer, Hayne, Mateo, Moimoi, Keating and Kingston to use the stability to great effect.

He may not win us a premiership but he could well be an integral part of one.

 

[sooperdooper]

He provided a link between an impressive backline and a forward pack that stood up against most teams in the competition. Not the easiest of jobs as a great number of previous halfbacks would probably agree. He did the job that was asked and allowed players like Mortimer, Hayne, Mateo, Moimoi, Keating and Kingston to use the stability to great effect.

He may not win us a premiership but he could well be an integral part of one.

very well said... we all know robsons game now. We all know he isnt flash, isnt gonna do something freaky.
He knows it too!
that will be up to the mateo's,hayne, tahu etc

 

[parra pete]

Am loving all the love for Robson.
As I have posted elsewhere, with his future now settled until the end of 2011, I think he will improve greatly in 2010. He will play with more confidence, and what I like about the bloke is he is TOUGH.
What he may lack in skills, he makes up with his toughness and determination. I like the guy. (i.e - as a player).

 

[sooperdooper]

that list is terrible... orford is no longer in the NRL...
Benji is a 5/8

 

[Delboy]

Pete , I see Robson basically as a 14, someone who can relieve the hooker and be a utility around the halves, As for size, between Robson and Keating there is not a lot of difference, Keating is a couple of cms taller and Robson slightly heavier.

I would go with KK and Mortimer, but we will need to see how the start of the season goes, for the first time there is a fair bit of competition for the trials to take care of.

 

[Delboy]

Keating played all over Pearce in the trial at Campbelltown last year behind an indifferent pack. I would take KK over the 10-15 any day, Mullen is over rated , think we will be Ok at 7.

 

[84 Baby]

Ok everyone seems split on the halfback saga
Just curious where people rate the halves in the NRL
Mine

1 Thurston - tick
2 Prince - tick
3 Benji - FE - Tigers will use Moltzen, Lui or Taumata
4 Cronk - Looking at the list... I guess he is this high up
5 Mullen - FE - Shoud be Dureau
6 Kimmorley - about right, some days he'll be 1, others he'll 16
7 Soward - FE - Hornby or Fien
8 Wallace - Bad year last year
9 Pearce - Same as Wallace
10 Barrett - Should be Porter
11 Orford - Orford isn't officially gone yet but is likely to be Foran
12 Sandow - Hot & cold, lucky for him he'll play behind monster pack
13 Walsh - Undecided
14 Seymour - or Maloney or the other Foran or Hohaia
15 McCrone - or Herbert

* tim smith + t.carney id have around 4-5 as well.....So maybe i could have Robson on par with seymour and mcrone .Am i beeing harsh? All these other halves look better to me....Id like to know who you would put Robson on par with?

Based on how I think they will go next year, mine is:

1. Thurston
2. Prince
3. Cronk
4. Kimmorley
5. Wallace
6. Hornby/Fien
7. Sandow
8. Robson/Keating
9. Pearce
10. Walsh
11. Dureau
12. Porter
13. McCrone/Herbert
14. Moltzen/Lui/Taumata
15. Foran
16. Seymour/Maloney/Foran/Hohaia

 

[hindy111]

that list is terrible... orford is no longer in the NRL...
Benji is a 5/8

I thought benji played halfback this year???

 

[84 Baby]

I thought benji played halfback this year???

Start of the season he did. Was quickly moved back to 6

 

[Eelementary]

I think luke burt would make a better half than robson..
Laugh if you will.But for me at halfbacks job is not to tackle.Whats all this crap about he a mad tackler(robson)
As far as kicking game-long short attacking robson is average and inconsistent..He cant throw a cut out ball and rarely puts a player into a hole-His vision is lousy.He played simple-How many assits did he get? MOI MOI -HAYNE and Hindy got us to the GF with mortimer playing well and everyone else chipping in......Thou after saying all that id put KK there.But id be keen to try burt in the trials in the halves...

Please stop using that line. It's a cop-out.

This isn't the NFL where there is a defensive unit and an offensive unit and each specialises solely in their field. This is the NRL where EVERY one of the 13 players on the field has to attack and defend.

 

[caylo]

Please stop using that line. It's a cop-out.

This isn't the NFL where there is a defensive unit and an offensive unit and each specialises solely in their field. This is the NRL where EVERY one of the 13 players on the field has to attack and defend.

You ar right that very player must play run th ball and tackle but you would be short sighted individual if you couldnt admit that a team is made up of players with different roles some more attacking or defencive then others.

Hayne and Mateo will need a pair of halves that will allow them to play their natural game but not pressure them too much. Robson has shown that he has the attacking game of a monkey but a defencive game of a backrower. KK is much better suited to the halfback role and while not as good a defender he is no mug and very active in defence.

1 Hayne

6 Mortimer
7 KK

9 MK

13 Mateo

14 Robson/Humble/Mitchell

that is the best combo we can play IMO, with Benny, Hindy, Poore, Cayless, MK and a improved mateo in defence we should be more than capable of aiding to smaller halves. KK is a better defender then finch, so a KK/Mortimer halves combo is better defencively then Finch/Smith

 

[parra pete]

Pete , I see Robson basically as a 14, someone who can relieve the hooker and be a utility around the halves, As for size, between Robson and Keating there is not a lot of difference, Keating is a couple of cms taller and Robson slightly heavier.

I would go with KK and Mortimer, but we will need to see how the start of the season goes, for the first time there is a fair bit of competition for the trials to take care of.

Your opinion is one I respect.

 

[84 Baby]

You ar right that very player must play run th ball and tackle but you would be short sighted individual if you couldnt admit that a team is made up of players with different roles some more attacking or defencive then others.

Hayne and Mateo will need a pair of halves that will allow them to play their natural game but not pressure them too much. Robson has shown that he has the attacking game of a monkey but a defencive game of a backrower. KK is much better suited to the halfback role and while not as good a defender he is no mug and very active in defence.

1 Hayne

6 Mortimer
7 KK

9 MK

13 Mateo

14 Robson/Humble/Mitchell

that is the best combo we can play IMO, with Benny, Hindy, Poore, Cayless, MK and a improved mateo in defence we should be more than capable of aiding to smaller halves. KK is a better defender then finch, so a KK/Mortimer halves combo is better defencively then Finch/Smith

Again I don't get the exaggeration of Robson's defence. It's good... for a halfback. He is nowhere near the defensive (or offensive for that matter) requirements of a 2nd rower nor hooker. In my opinion he wears the 7 and plays like he did against the Bulldogs, or he plays at Wenty.

I would not play Robson at 14 unless there was injury or Mitchell/Humble don't pan out.

I have no issues with Robbo being the starting halfback, but as he has no X factor out of dummy half, playing him anywhere else is a serious misconception of his defensive capabilities

 

[Raudonikis]

I'm not a robson fan but I don't dislike him.

What robbo does real well is defend and links to his outside men real well and quick.

He knows he is no hayne, mateo, tahu but he knows they are out there and he gets the ball to them early.

When Finch was around, he held it way too long. The outside defenders would get up on Finch's outside men and so, Finch had nowhere to go. So he dummied and went himself.

Robbo hardly ever got caught like that. He got the ball out to the men who needed it.

However, we do miss a player with an accurate attacking kicking game both short and long.

If someone can step up there, we could really take this title.

The part of what you said that i put in bold is a stupid comment, alls i remember of robbo trying to attempt balls a real half would throw quite often ended up at either 1 of the centres or morts feet.Not a 7 never b a 7

 

[caylo]

Again I don't get the exaggeration of Robson's defence. It's good... for a halfback. He is nowhere near the defensive (or offensive for that matter) requirements of a 2nd rower nor hooker. In my opinion he wears the 7 and plays like he did against the Bulldogs, or he plays at Wenty.

I would not play Robson at 14 unless there was injury or Mitchell/Humble don't pan out.

I have no issues with Robbo being the starting halfback, but as he has no X factor out of dummy half, playing him anywhere else is a serious misconception of his defensive capabilities

I wouldnt play Robson as a backrower but his defence is better then alot of backrower but he wouldnt have the running game. I think robson would be just as good of a defender as MK but without the passing or kicking game and he could come in as a #14. Robson would not have the spark as a Mitchell or Humble but he would be a safe option, IMO Humble would be the best option as he is versitile (could play fullback, wing, 5-8, halfback or hooker) while Mitchell is also a very good option because of his experiance in the 9 and he could take over MK if he isnt carfull.

 

[parra pete]

My Souths Logan mate has huge wraps on Tom Humble. Reckons he will do very well down here...

 

[Casper The Ghost]

He provided a link between an impressive backline and a forward pack that stood up against most teams in the competition. Not the easiest of jobs as a great number of previous halfbacks would probably agree. He did the job that was asked and allowed players like Mortimer, Hayne, Mateo, Moimoi, Keating and Kingston to use the stability to great effect.

He may not win us a premiership but he could well be an integral part of one.

You hit the nail right on the head Colonel. I totally agree with you.

 

[Craig Johnston]

it wasn't that long ago that we were talking about kk as a lock when him and albie kelly were still juniors

 

[lingard]

Again I don't get the exaggeration of Robson's defence. It's good... for a halfback. He is nowhere near the defensive (or offensive for that matter) requirements of a 2nd rower nor hooker. In my opinion he wears the 7 and plays like he did against the Bulldogs, or he plays at Wenty.

I would not play Robson at 14 unless there was injury or Mitchell/Humble don't pan out.

I have no issues with Robbo being the starting halfback, but as he has no X factor out of dummy half, playing him anywhere else is a serious misconception of his defensive capabilities

I think you are right about Robson being a 7 only. The thing about his defence that impressed me the most was that he is able to tackle in the front line and chop players down before they can get going AND also pull off try-saving tackles in cover-defence. It`s his positioning and reading in defence that I like the most. I don`t think he could play hooker (in attack) very well, but I don`t think he`d let us down if asked to play prop, either.
As far as Humble and Mitchell are concerned, neither of them has played even a millisecond of first grade, so should not even be mentioned in the same breath as Mortimer, Robson or Keating just yet.
It would also be very naieve to think that Robson has no improvement in him in any facet of his game. Certainly his confidence should be higher next year.

 

[lingard]

Ok everyone seems split on the halfback saga
Just curious where people rate the halves in the NRL
Mine

1 Thurston
2 Prince
3 Benji
4 Cronk
5 Mullen
6 Kimmorley
7 Soward
8 Wallace
9 Pierce
10 Barrett
11 Orford
12 Sandow
13 Walsh
14 Seymour
15 Mcrone

* tim smith + t.carney id have around 4-5 as well.....So maybe i could have Robson on par with seymour and mcrone .Am i beeing harsh? All these other halves look better to me....Id like to know who you would put Robson on par with?

Robson. A mature-aged rookie half who gets to a grand-final playing alongside a young absolute rookie five-eight - and wins man of the match in the prelim-final? Why, you`d have to rate him 2nd behind the Grand-Final winning half, wouldn`t you?