2020 Top 30

[franklin2323]

I honestly think we could sign no one besides Api and improve significantly. The amount of underperforming players we had last year, in particular for the first half of the year was huge. What we got out of hooker and fullback for most of the year was not nrl standard, throw in Jimmy and Nathan own form struggles and its a shit show.

I have faith we will be much better prepared for next season and have a much better year even if we do strike out in the player movement, which is unlikely but whatever it could happen I guess.

I said this about our squad last year.

No hooker. No centre depth and guys like Paea and Lui-Toso in the squad but unlikely to play. Also 10 guys yet to make their debut..

All those are fixed this year even with still 5 spots to fill

 

[mxlegend99]

.

So if we manage to get JWH who seems to be the one we are chasing the most he wont improve us?

I am sure he will help improve our discipline and fix our attack. Front row was clearly the issue. Not the 1 to 7 and our inability to score and create points when we needed them.

If we sign JWH. Its only a minor upgrade to a position that wasn't an issue to begin with. Its better than nothing. But we are still a long way from where we started 2019.

We need outside backs. We need to add points to this team. Jimmy, DWZ and Blake were all quality players.

 

[betcats]

.

I am sure he will help improve our discipline and fix our attack. Front row was clearly the issue. Not the 1 to 7 and our inability to score and create points when we needed them.

If we sign JWH. Its only a minor upgrade to a position that wasn't an issue to begin with. Its better than nothing. But we are still a long way from where we started 2019.

We need outside backs. We need to add points to this team. Jimmy, DWZ and Blake were all quality players.

Lets agree to disagree. I understand why you don't think we have much chance, I just do not agree with a lot of it. Ivan has quite often in his coaching career got the best out of players, even at his last gig. The only years he has really had his guys underperform was 2019 and 2015. If we come out like last year again I will very quickly see things your way, I don't think that will happen though.

 

[franklin2323]

How quickly people forget how good To'o is. Naden showed strike power just couldn't tackle

 

[mxlegend99]

How quickly people forget how good To'o is. Naden showed strike power just couldn't tackle

No one is forgetting that. We also dont forget that Mansour and Whare are still our only other established players in the outside backs and they have declined each year since their serious injuries.

Naden is a huge liability at centre and his winger might aswell be Mansour since hes never getting the ball anyway

 

[Flashstep]

To’o is a great player obviously but do you guys forget that 2 wingers play in a football side? DWZ is a major upgrade over Mansour. Blake is a significant upgrade over any of our current centres.

 

[betcats]

To’o is a great player obviously but do you guys forget that 2 wingers play in a football side? DWZ is a major upgrade over Mansour. Blake is a significant upgrade over any of our current centres.

Not on their 2019 form they aren't. Blake did SFA last year, Dallin improved at the dogs but wasn't good for us, didn't want to be here in the end, he said he wanted to retire recently.

 

[Flashstep]

Not on their 2019 form they aren't. Blake did SFA last year, Dallin improved at the dogs but wasn't good for us, didn't want to be here in the end, he said he wanted to retire recently.

Yea and how good is having a winger who can’t even jump, has no speed and is a defensive liability in Mansour?

Or why not choose between one of our 3 reserve grade centres in Whare/Naden/Chricton, why would I want Blake who is a great defensive centre and at least has some speed over them I wonder.

Edwards was the worst player at the start of the year for us but at least he got the chance to turn it around, we would have been much better off keeping DWZ and Blake over Mansour and Whare.

 

[betcats]

Also re Dallin V mansour I agree Dallin is more valuable but his 2019 stars aren’t much better than Sauce. 2 tries all year and 4 line breaks from a fb/winger is poor. Mansour averaged a good twenty metres more per game than Dal.

 

[betcats]

Yea and how good is having a winger who can’t even jump, has no speed and is a defensive liability in Mansour?

Or why not choose between one of our 3 reserve grade centres in Whare/Naden/Chricton, why would I want Blake who is a great defensive centre and at least has some speed over them I wonder.

Edwards was the worst player at the start of the year for us but at least he got the chance to turn it around, we would have been much better off keeping DWZ and Blake over Mansour and Whare.

Dallin did f**k all last year, all that extra running and jumping ability led to one more try than josh and one more line break and twenty less metres per game.

We couldn’t keep them, Dallin didn’t want to be here. Neither did Blake, they weren’t forced out they asked out.

 

[age.s]

Lets agree to disagree. I understand why you don't think we have much chance, I just do not agree with a lot of it. Ivan has quite often in his coaching career got the best out of players, even at his last gig. The only years he has really had his guys underperform was 2019 and 2015. If we come out like last year again I will very quickly see things your way, I don't think that will happen though.

2015 doesn't count imo. Just about the worst run of consistent injuries I've seen for a club.

 

[betcats]

2015 doesn't count imo. Just about the worst run of consistent injuries I've seen for a club.

I can only really recall being extremely frustrated by the end of that year. After our run in 2014 it was more disappointing then 2019 imo.

 

[franklin2323]

Yea and how good is having a winger who can’t even jump, has no speed and is a defensive liability in Mansour?

Or why not choose between one of our 3 reserve grade centres in Whare/Naden/Chricton, why would I want Blake who is a great defensive centre and at least has some speed over them I wonder.

Edwards was the worst player at the start of the year for us but at least he got the chance to turn it around, we would have been much better off keeping DWZ and Blake over Mansour and Whare.

Stats wise Mansour wasn't that bad. Of course tries and errors aside but DWZ was replaced by To'o who is an upgrade

 

[franklin2323]

No one is forgetting that. We also dont forget that Mansour and Whare are still our only other established players in the outside backs and they have declined each year since their serious injuries.

Naden is a huge liability at centre and his winger might aswell be Mansour since hes never getting the ball anyway

If this is our side in Jan. I will agree but players will be released. Some that want to play elsewhere won't be able to

 

[franklin2323]

Our back 3 were in the top 20 across the comp for ave metres per game.

DWZ was 73 with 114 per game

Mansour ave 1.6 offloads a game. DWZ 0.7.

Tries scored was 2 to 1. DWZ played an extra game and was FB so not stuck on one side

 

[Flashstep]

Stats wise Mansour wasn't that bad. Of course tries and errors aside but DWZ was replaced by To'o who is an upgrade

Yes well Mansour is pretty much a prime example of why stats aren’t everything especially as a winger, I think it’s pretty obvious he’s finished at the top level.

To’o is an upgrade over DWZ sure but can you really say To’o and Mansour would be better than To’o and DWZ?

 

[franklin2323]

Yes well Mansour is pretty much a prime example of why stats aren’t everything especially as a winger, I think it’s pretty obvious he’s finished at the top level.

To’o is an upgrade over DWZ sure but can you really say To’o and Mansour would be better than To’o and DWZ?

Isn't Mansour going to backrow? Naden and To'o would be my wingers atm. Clearly if we get Oates or someone it changes but as it stands now my backline is:

Edwards
Naden
Luai/Burton
Burns
To'o
Luai/Burton
Cleary

Given the money DWZ was on as a winger then it is much better. Mansour would be off the bench in the role Luai was this year

 

[Flashstep]

Isn't Mansour going to backrow? Naden and To'o would be my wingers atm. Clearly if we get Oates or someone it changes but as it stands now my backline is:

Edwards
Naden
Luai/Burton
Burns
To'o
Luai/Burton
Cleary

Given the money DWZ was on as a winger then it is much better. Mansour would be off the bench in the role Luai was this year

I’ve heard the rumour but I doubt Mansour gets moved to 2nd row.

Having 2 makeshift centres doesn't really sound like a good idea to me. I wouldn’t mind trying Burton as one centre but surely we have to sign someone instead of playing a 2nd rower there for the other spot.

Naden on the wing would be better than Mansour though.

 

[franklin2323]

I’ve heard the rumour but I doubt Mansour gets moved to 2nd row.

Having 2 makeshift centres doesn't really sound like a good idea to me. I wouldn’t mind trying Burton as one centre but surely we have to sign someone instead of playing a 2nd rower there for the other spot.

Naden on the wing would be better than Mansour though.

I don't think that is how we start the year.

Like we saw yesterday Dogs pushing for the Turbos. That helps us because makes Manly pay more and then they can't finalise Walker. Same to with Broncos and Fifita and so on across the comp

 

[Zampaa]

Ridiculous statement?

In established rep or fringe rep players we lost Dallin Watene-Zeleziak, Waqa Blake, Reagan Campbell-Gillard and James Maloney.

Theres absolutely zero f**king chance we can sign better than that in 2020. Youre living in a fantasy world if you think we will kick 2020 off with an equalor better roster than we had in 2019.

That's ridiculous. Not to say what we have is zero chance at imporoving. But there's simply no way we are going to have a stronger squad than we did this year. Its pretty obvious Ivan started a rebuild and 2020 is going to be the backbone of that rebuild.

They were all rep players in the past, but the way they were playing, they were all lucky to be playing first grade. RCG was playing as good as a prop thats been averaging 4 first grade games a year for the last 14 years, DWZ and Blake were doing 0 hard work, and produced nothing in attack.
In to'o's half a season, he's already matched dwz's 2nd best season, and we get more Meters, tackle breaks, and moments of individual brilliance.
Naden definitely isn't as good as Blake in most aspects yet, but there's one place where he thrives, he's a try scorer, and those are kind of a necessity in rugby league, if you can teach him to pass (big if), you'll have 90% of what you get with Blake on much less money,
And any semi professional prop hat gives a f**k will match what rcg did for us last year.

With Maloney, who knows whats gonna happen, we'll miss him with the ball, not that he did much, but without it, were lightyears ahead of where we were with Maloney.