Anyone Brave enough to call the Grand Final teams yet ?

[parramaniac2516]

Marshall cannot win a comp on his own he does not have the vision, the kicking game or the long passing game. Scott Prince was they key to the tigers 05 premiership and the team was built around him.

 

[Prodigiousman]

Well he won't win it on his own... he'll try and win it alongside 16 other players.

Prince matured incredibly in 2005 as a footballer and he's been a brilliant player ever since and easily one of the top 3 halfbacks in the game today.

But who is to say Marshall won't mature as a footballer this September?

And he won't be the lone superstar if the Tigers win - he's playing alongisde Robbie Farah and in all honesty I'd take either of those two stars over any of Parramatta's to win a competition.

But this shouldn't fall into a Eels-Tigers slanging match - esp when i don't even support the Tigers.

The original quesiton was who will play in the GF and I'm sticking to Melbourne-Tigers if the finals draw allows it.

 

[Tekken Lord]

Orignally Posted by Prodigiousman
Well he won't win it on his own... he'll try and win it alongside 16 other players.

Prince matured incredibly in 2005 as a footballer and he's been a brilliant player ever since and easily one of the top 3 halfbacks in the game today.

But who is to say Marshall won't mature as a footballer this September?

And he won't be the lone superstar if the Tigers win - he's playing alongisde Robbie Farah and in all honesty I'd take either of those two stars over any of Parramatta's to win a competition.

But this shouldn't fall into a Eels-Tigers slanging match - esp when i don't even support the Tigers.

The original quesiton was who will play in the GF and I'm sticking to Melbourne-Tigers if the finals draw allows it.

Not if they play againt parra.

 

[parramaniac2516]

They way the tigers are going they will be lucky to make the eight considering they are inconsistent. The Roosters are coming up behind them quick and if they do make it they will finish 7th or 8th and they will be gone the first week.

 

[Tekken Lord]

Originally Posted by parramaniac2516
They way the tigers are going they will be lucky to make the eight considering they are inconsistent. The Roosters are coming up behind them quick and if they do make it they will finish 7th or 8th and they will be gone the first week.

No no no, Benji will show his brilliant half back skills because he is a gun half and they will beat either manly or storm then go on to win the premiership, believing anything else is foolish :lol: :lol:

 

[Lowdown]

The two most consistent sides all year by a clear distance have been Melbourne and Manly.

Two home finals into the GF - nothing suggests to me that they won't be matching it off on the last Sunday in September.

Only a massive upset would see either two miss out.

I think the other sides are far too inconsistent, or have very apparent weaknesses compared to the top 2.

That said - Rugby League is a game of inches, and now refereeing decisions. The ref impact is larger in NRL than any other sport - and not in a good way. If the refs don't turn up to play - the better side might just lose on any given day. Sad fact of life.

And while I'm talking about sad facts of life: $100,000 for winning the minor premiership? Is it just me or is this an extra-ordinary rip-off, and hardly any incentive nor reflection of the task of winning the minor premiership - a hard slog over 24 games with typically 25 players giving it their all. $4,000 per player. Why don't the NRL simply smack them in the face with a wet fish.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

Marshall cannot win a comp on his own he does not have the vision, the kicking game or the long passing game. Scott Prince was they key to the tigers 05 premiership and the team was built around him.

No-one said Marshall can win a comp on his own. But as his sides #1 half I certainly think he can.

If you don't think Benji has vision or a long passing game you're completely out of your mind. Vision is his #1 attribute.

Benji was the key to the '05 victory....Tigers came nowhere in '04 with Prince. They needed Benji. He was the outstanding figure of the '05 finals series.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

I agree he's a gun player, however i believe you need a gun half, not a gun player in the halves it's two very different things. Playing SBW in the halves wouldn't make him a gun half but he'd still be a great player.

See the diff

Benji has played in the halves his whole career, see the diff?

 

[Jobdog]

Wests Tigers vs Parramatta Eels

 

[shiznit]

meh... halves arent really that important anymore because bodyshapes are much similar across the park and skill levels have increased so much for all positions. now you have lock forwards, fullbacks & centres with good kicking and passing games.

i think these days you need to expand it and say 9, 6/7 & 1 are the key positions. Cronk and Inglis dont have any 'pedegree' as halves but there very effective. when you throw Cam Smith and Slater into the mix you see why the storm go real good.

look at how cronk and inglis preformed last night without Cam Smith. certainly wernt as good.

The Warriors are good enough... Fien/Gattis have been playing really well and Mckinnon is probably the form fullback of the comp.

The Tigers are outstanding Farrah, Marshall/Morris & Hodgson

The Eels are awesome too... PJ/Pig, Smith/Finch & Hayne

all those sides are good enough to progress... i think this finals series will come down to the forwards... whoever can control the middle of the park the best will win it...

i have no idea who that is...

 

[lucablight]

I reckon he has ENOUGH skills to lead his side to the Premiership. He was the main reason they won in 2005, not Prince, not Farah, not Hodgson.

All I ever said was a premiership winning side needs one gun in the halves, Benji is a gun and he plays in the halves.

He was only the Clive Churchill medal winner. :lol:

 

[lucablight]

Well he won't win it on his own... he'll try and win it alongside 16 other players.

Prince matured incredibly in 2005 as a footballer and he's been a brilliant player ever since and easily one of the top 3 halfbacks in the game today.

But who is to say Marshall won't mature as a footballer this September?

And he won't be the lone superstar if the Tigers win - he's playing alongisde Robbie Farah and in all honesty I'd take either of those two stars over any of Parramatta's to win a competition.

But this shouldn't fall into a Eels-Tigers slanging match - esp when i don't even support the Tigers.

The original quesiton was who will play in the GF and I'm sticking to Melbourne-Tigers if the finals draw allows it.

Yet Tim Smith is solely responsible for the narrow margins the Eels have won by. :sarcasm:

 

[lucablight]

No-one said Marshall can win a comp on his own. But as his sides #1 half I certainly think he can.

If you don't think Benji has vision or a long passing game you're completely out of your mind. Vision is his #1 attribute.

Benji was the key to the '05 victory....Tigers came nowhere in '04 with Prince. They needed Benji. He was the outstanding figure of the '05 finals series.

Marshall played in 2004 as well. Prince obviously had nothing to do with the premiership. It was all Marshall.

 

[parra-matters]

Yeah I'm sorry what was I thinking - Smith was man of the match on Friday so he's in awesome form! Channel 9 always get it right. Sometimes I wonder if Tim Smith is Matty Johns' love child.

Let's look at the past month

Beat Souths 18-12
Beat Brisbane 20-16
Lost to Manly 34-22
Beat Bulldogs 34-22

If Tim Smith was in the kind of form that wins a team a premiership the Eels would've put plenty on the Broncos and not surrendered their lead on the Sea Eagles.

He's an ok player with some great skills but he is not a superstar who'll win Parra the comp and he's a flaky customer anyway so I don't expect him to stand up and be counted when the Eels need him.

My view - amazingly different to Channel 9 and Parramatta fans.

Does it mean I'm right? No of course not. But I'm pretty sure I saw each game in question and Tim Smith instilled within me no confidence that he can win 4 games on the trot in September in the form he has displayed the past 2 seasons (heck even in 2005 he was flashy but where was the substance when it mattered?).

Just my view on a player - wrong or right.

I think Brett Finch is in better and more consistant form that timmy is at present, it's the things that finchy does away from the ball that makes him so important to the sides chances.

 

[CharlieF]

The two most consistent sides all year by a clear distance have been Melbourne and Manly.

Two home finals into the GF - nothing suggests to me that they won't be matching it off on the last Sunday in September.

Only a massive upset would see either two miss out.

I think the other sides are far too inconsistent, or have very apparent weaknesses compared to the top 2.

That said - Rugby League is a game of inches, and now refereeing decisions. The ref impact is larger in NRL than any other sport - and not in a good way. If the refs don't turn up to play - the better side might just lose on any given day. Sad fact of life.

And while I'm talking about sad facts of life: $100,000 for winning the minor premiership? Is it just me or is this an extra-ordinary rip-off, and hardly any incentive nor reflection of the task of winning the minor premiership - a hard slog over 24 games with typically 25 players giving it their all. $4,000 per player. Why don't the NRL simply smack them in the face with a wet fish.

$100,000 is piss poor.

In saying that, I still reckon the Minor Premiership race will go right down to the last round before its decided.

 

[Prodigiousman]

Yet Tim Smith is solely responsible for the narrow margins the Eels have won by. :sarcasm:

Yep clearly that's what I said...

In simple terms here's what I think:

I don't think Tim Smith has played badly at all this past month - I never said that he had been playing poorly - what I did say was he is not capable in my opinion of putting 4 big games back to back in order for the Eels to get through September and win the competition. And this last month although good hasn't forced me to change my mind on him.

That's why I can't pick Parramatta and in turn Tim Smith.

 

[Apey]

Despite what everyone else is saying, Eels haven't convinced me at all.

Pick from these teams - Warriors/Manly/Storm

 

[Rovelli]

GF: Melbourne vs Manly
PF losers: Parramatta, Warriors
Week 1 eliminated: 7, 8

 

[Generalzod]

In my opinion who ever comes first in the regular season should be premiers....Grand Finals are bullsh*t...

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

what i think: manly v parramatta

what i hope: tigers v warriors (if roosters don't make the finals which looks likely)