2025 Pre-Season Challenge - Trials

[True_Believer]

Hmmm 10 out for Roosters
8 out for Dragons

but the addition of Gutho, Cook, Guler, Ilias and Holmes …….. bloody great additions. All 5 made such a clinical difference on the wknd.

Equally …….u could definitely argue that a few of the Roosters our Al have way more impact on a game !!

missing that make a difference for their roles atleast 8 players :
Liddle
Hame salad
Lawrie
BMM
Sloan
FMolo
CT
TomE
Allen

and the Roosters probably 10 minimum missing and a few weapons :
teddy
Walker
Smith
Chrichton
Tupes
Watson
Butcher x 2
Radley
Collins

I felt both teams had some serious juniors on display. Real future guns in both teams…….man mountains actually !!!

Let’s go with wow Juniors as our most relevant that were quite impressive for their age and non experience of NRL.

Latu - 18yrs old and jacked. This guy !!!!

LPT - will probably play 10-15 games of NRL in 2025 / looked at ease.

Couchmen x 2 - looked really good and are ready for best 17 and still so young.

Stewart - bit of a goer actually and better than I expected. More a 2026 player is my guess.

Lawson - not bad. Good upside and low cost

Good ol Hame Salad. The guy hits like a wet lettuce leaf

 

[Jubilee]

Nathan Lawson looked like he had played NRL before like a duck to water later on I'm sure he will fill in at centre once he has more exposure isn't it great to have a coach who knows what he is doing.....let's see if it's a flash in the pan on Saturday bring on the bunnies

What Lawson did when he leapt for the ball and then recovered it on the ground and in a moment kicked it on into the in goal - with correct weight on the ball - was very special. My ankles and knees cried out to see it...he will have to be regular in firsts.

 

[possm]

Rava was a fill in for a game that doesn’t matter. Flanno won't have him anywhere near first grade when it matters too many good wingers to pick from

The Roosters scored 3 tries all out wide. Feagai let in one and Rava let in two. Lawson got limited ball but managed one very classie try assist.

 

[SnowDragon]

Although forwards generally have a reputation for being meatheads, the good forwards usually have a decent footy IQ. Rava doesn't have that I'm afraid - last night he looked like he'd picked straight up from the terrible performance he had against Parra last year. Same mistakes, just as damaging. Unless we have a severe injury crisis or he has a miracle form reversal in NSW Cup, Rava won't get anywhere near 1st grade this season - at least in the Red V.

I feel a bit sorry for poor Rava - his game has certainly fallen off the side of a cliff over the last 12 months. He seems a likeable guy - I really think a new club and change of scenery would help to give him a new lease of football life. At his best he's too good to be playing reserve grade. Unfortunately we've seen far too much of his worst over the last 12 months. I suspect Flanno has too and has marked his cards accordingly.

Well said

 

[AyiosYiorgos]

The Roosters scored 3 tries all out wide. Feagai let in one and Rava let in two. Lawson got limited ball but managed one very classie try assist.

Rava didn't let in two

 

[Victoire]

The Roosters scored 3 tries all out wide. Feagai let in one and Rava let in two. Lawson got limited ball but managed one very classie try assist.

They only scored 2 tries my dude

 

[Young Dragon]

Hopefully we can offload rava to the warriors, even if we need to chip in on it. I heard on a podcast they’re looking for outside backs.

 

[sammymills]

i know this is an unpopular opinion but i think we are pinning crap on rava based on his past form. On the weekend one try was definitely his fault but the other one wasnt. Tries happen, good teams force other teams to score out wide if they are going to score. I thought his efforts apart from letting that one in were fantastic and he proved a real difference especially coming out of our end.

 

[sammymills]

Anyone on here making the trip to mudgee this week? Im gonna take my dad and son up. Is it relatively easy for parking etc i havent been to mudgee before

 

[The Word]

I thought he was ball-watching for the second tbh. He definitely wasn't wide awake and on his toes.

 

[Jubilee]

Hopefully we can offload rava to the warriors, even if we need to chip in on it. I heard on a podcast they’re looking for outside backs.

Well, they did try to finagle us with Volkman...

 

[Old Timer]

i know this is an unpopular opinion but i think we are pinning crap on rava based on his past form. On the weekend one try was definitely his fault but the other one wasnt. Tries happen, good teams force other teams to score out wide if they are going to score. I thought his efforts apart from letting that one in were fantastic and he proved a real difference especially coming out of our end.

The 1st try was as a result of the play before with a player running up and in out of the line causing confusion in the correct spacing between players and Rava crept in in the subsequent play.

The 2nd one was a classic 3 on 2 with the winger caught in no man’s land dammed if he does damned if he doesn’t stay wide in the winger.

Yes he isn’t perfect but he is often left with difficult decisions due to others actions.

Getting wrongfully suspended for his ball and all monster tackles a few years ago has also not helped.

 

[R&WTILLIDIE]

The 1st try was as a result of the play before with a player running up and in out of the line causing confusion in the correct spacing between players and Rava crept in in the subsequent play.

The 2nd one was a classic 3 on 2 with the winger caught in no man’s land dammed if he does damned if he doesn’t stay wide in the winger.

Yes he isn’t perfect but he is often left with difficult decisions due to others actions.

Getting wrongfully suspended for his ball and all monster tackles a few years ago has also not helped.

I just watched the the replay now. Rava was pointing to his inside man to mark the centre. Then he farked it himself and tackled no one. The bloke has no idea.

 

[Gareth67]

Greg Alexander’s comment on young Kyle Flanagan - “ I didn’t know he could play like that “ .

Well that certainly proves the old saying is correct - ‘ Once a duckhead , always a duckhead ! ‘

He is no longer shackled by that long shadow , who in now in Banana land Gregory . Kyle always had the ability but was prevented from showing his abundant skills due to the fact that he was simply not receiving enough ball to show his wares - duckhead !

 

[AyiosYiorgos]

I just watched he’d the relay now. Rava was pointing to his inside man to mark the centre. Then he farked it himself and tackled no one. The bloke has no idea.

The 2 inside players where Buchanan (closests to Rava) and Stewart, as the play unfolds, Decoy runner comes through and Fullback sweeps around the back, Stewart is marking up on decoy runner then slides out to get the Fullback (MarkN), Buchanan has eyes only for MarkN, the roosters centre is now way outside of Buchanan, causing a 2 v 1 on Rava, Stewart & Buchanan tackle the same player, Rava has to come in on the roosters centre who passes the ball to the winger who scores, all the defensive issue's were caused from the inside, the end result is fans just see Rava at the end of it and blame him, also fullback should have done better, if that's Gutho there he probably stops him.

 

[R&WTILLIDIE]

The 2 inside players where Buchanan (closests to Rava) and Stewart, as the play unfolds, Decoy runner comes through and Fullback sweeps around the back, Stewart is marking up on decoy runner then slides out to get the Fullback (MarkN), Buchanan has eyes only for MarkN, the roosters centre is now way outside of Buchanan, causing a 2 v 1 on Rava, Stewart & Buchanan tackle the same player, Rava has to come in on the roosters centre who passes the ball to the winger who scores, all the defensive issue's were caused from the inside, the end result is fans just see Rava at the end of it and blame him, also fullback should have done better, if that's Gutho there he probably stops him.

Sorry. I’m talking about the first try. It was 4 on 4

 

[Chook99]

Anyone on here making the trip to mudgee this week? Im gonna take my dad and son up. Is it relatively easy for parking etc i havent been to mudgee before

Charity Shield 2025: Rabbitohs v Dragons

Mid-Western Regional Council presents the 2025 Charity Shield at Glen Willow Stadium, Mudgee.

www.midwestern.nsw.gov.au

Other than the shuttle bus, it's not far to walk in from town

Parking

Parking is available at all shuttle bus pickup locations. Strictly no public parking will be permitted at the venue or on Pitts Lane on game day.

Please note: Vehicles displaying mobility parking permits may park in carpark P4 and should follow directional signage on arrival to the ground.

There will be no parking available at Mudgee Racecourse.

 

[Victoire]

Anyone on here making the trip to mudgee this week? Im gonna take my dad and son up. Is it relatively easy for parking etc i havent been to mudgee before

I recommend visiting Smokin Bro & Co for dinner!

 

[Chook99]

I recommend visiting Smokin Bro & Co for dinner!

 

[TheRev]

Yah thats fair, we did some analysis on the 2 tries last night, the first one was definitely a straight 4 on 4, and Ravalawa just left too much space and got burnt.. thats really an unforgivable one..

The second one, it was his inside mens fault.. he got left with a 2on1 situation.. and perhaps the fullback could have helped.. but it was always going to be hard to stop.

That said... Ravalawa is the weak link in defence.. you are going to throw shape at his edge all afternoon.. and you are going to get some joy.. Defence doesnt always go to plan, overlaps are going to happen... but sometimes quick thinking (and leg speed) from a ctr or winger can shut it down.. but reading defence is not Ravs strong suite.. even in reserve grade last year, he gets burnt too often... its not good footy IQ.

I think it would take quite a few injuries for Rava to see 1st grade.. and tbf we have 4 injuries already in Allan, CT, Finau, Sloan.. so thats only leaving Lawson, Rav, Feagai in our 30man squad that has 7 potential wingers in it....so were not that far from him playing.. but hopefully those injuries will resolve themselves in weeks (or days) to come.