Ballin

[Old Time Tiger]

Now that the 'soap opera' has finished for now, it got me thinking what are the plans for Matt Ballin as Taylor would surely be playing Farah in 1st grade. Looking at the 2015 season and NRL player stats:

Ballin:
Games - 22
Tackles - 882
All run metres - 772
Hit ups - 20

Compared to a few Tigers.

Farah:
Games - 17
Tackles - 697
All run metres - 982
Hit ups - 15
and we know he played hurt with his hand, was replaced a few times and his game was changed by Taylor

Halatau:
Games - 22
Tackles - 514
All run metres - 966
Hit ups - 79
but Deans role was and is different, he does make many more hit ups and is a bench player

Other Tiger players with high 600 tackle counts are Lovett 663 and Sue 627 and again, their metres gained and hit ups are much higher.

So again, where will Ballin play in 2016. It would not surprise me if in the early rounds of the 2016 season, a club loses thri No 9 for an extended period, that Ballin requests a release.

Thoughts.

 

[Ron's_Mate]

3 into 2 doesn't go. We could have expected a 2016 hooker rotation of Farah/Cherrington, or Ballin/Cherrington if Farah wasn't there. We can't afford to lose Cherrington who we would expect to be FG hooker by 2018; Farah is confirmed to stay for the next two years; which leaves Ballin as the odd man out. I've nothing against him, he's just another player who's been stuffed about by the Tigers inept management, but I think he should find another club.

 

[lafai]

We'll buy him if the Garvey/Lichaa things doesn't work out. God why did we get rid of Cook.

 

[BrotherJim05]

Ballin has now become the most stupid buy ever. He would have been perfect for Ballin/Cherrington combo but with Farah and the reduced interchange it would be stupid to not play Farah for 80 minutes.

I would have forward pack looking like this:

8. Woods
9. Farah
10. Sue
11. Lawrence
12. Sironen
13. Edwards

14. Ava
15. Griffin
16. Mconnie/Buchanen
17. Halutau (playing 2nd row - cover for Farah if injured)

then when Farah plays origin:

8. Woods
9. Cherrington
10. Sue
11. Lawrence
12. Sironen
13. Edwards

14. Halutau (playing hooker...moves to lock when Cherrington comes on for 2nd stint)
15. Ava
16. Griffin
17. Lovett/Kee Cham

Ballin just doesn't fit into the team. His lack of running game will offer nothing off the bench. Would have been much better getting Hiku to fill the right centre spot and so Naiquama can move to left wing.

I feel really sorry for him as he has been completely dicked around by us

 

[madunit]

I'd feel sorry for him. But it's not like the ineptitude of the club is a secret. The dopey bastard signed a contract with us.

Imo, he's our number 3 hooker. The one area our club is well stocked is at 9. And he agreed to a deal here. We should forge something on his contract....

 

[Tigers Tale]

Brother Jim, your theory is OK except when Farah plays SOO so does Woods so he will be out of the pack.....and sadly my friend you didn't factor into the equation at SOO time Lawrence doing a hammy, Sironen a shoulder and all the other friggin injuries we seem to get so a backup to our backup hooker WTF.

Seriously though what you are saying is fact. We shouldn't have taken Ballin on. At the time it may have seemed a good plan but while Farah was still on the books it was crazy. Ballin wasn't going anywhere, he'd still be for sale now had Farah left us.

I said it before but I am hoping so much Griffin and McConnachie can rise to the level we need because the pack is really looking pretty ordinary.

 

[The Charlatan]

The option was to play reserve grade at Manly or continue his first grade career at Wests. I can see why he signed with us.

Thinking about it though, Ballin was signed off under Pascoe, if he were looking to keep Farah on wouldn't he have kyboshed the signing of Ballin? Just a strange chain of events which makes me think that this may be far from over.

 

[Vic Mackey]

Ballin is costing us around $100k a season. Still a stupid signing but a much better backup than Luani if Farah gets injured. Halatau was good in the backrow last year but he is a truly awful hooker and Cherrington isn't close to playing 80mins

 

[gordsy]

Does anyone else get the feeling Ballin will be playing at lock in the early rounds or when/if we get an injury to Sirro / Halatau

 

[madunit]

Simply put, he or Farah will have to play at lock.

We cannot have Cherrington getting less game time than in 2015.

I didn't think the club would ever top the Blair signing as one of their biggest debacles.

But this one really takes the cake.

The player we need to keep happiest is Cherrington, which is going to be bloody hard with two experienced hookers essentially ahead of him.

 

[magpie4ever]

Ballin will play 9, Farah will play 13 or 2nd 5/8.

Cherrington will spend most of the season in NSW cup, except for injury and origin duty.

 

[Tigerted]

This has turned into another major fk up by the moronic decision makers @ wt.Ballin is surplus to our needs.We need mongrel back rowers & a speedy outside back who can tackle & catch a high ball under pressure.

The fallout of carrying 3 nrl hookers will mean that the vultures who don't conform with the salary cap will be circling a disillusioned cherrington.

 

[BrotherJim05]

Ballin is costing us around $100k a season. Still a stupid signing but a much better backup than Luani if Farah gets injured. Halatau was good in the backrow last year but he is a truly awful hooker and Cherrington isn't close to playing 80mins

$100K? Where did you hear this?

If this is true then Ballin is a bloody good buy. Stick him in reserve grade if it must be, good to have a solid backup on small coin.

I personally don't think that back rowers and props are our biggest issue. Our biggest issue is outside backs. Simona is quality but we need another centre or our right side attack will suffer.

I shudder to think what we would be like without Teddy...

 

[madunit]

Nah. Back row is an issue. Sironen's last year to prove/earn his worth

Halatau is a depth player. Shouldn't be starting.

 

[The Charlatan]

Ballin may be the better option at 13 if he's a tackling machine. Might provide some starch in the middle.

Can chime in at dummy half when needed.

 

[BrotherJim05]

Ballin may be the better option at 13 if he's a tackling machine. Might provide some starch in the middle.

Can chime in at dummy half when needed.

Ballin has zero running game though. Apparently one of the reasons he was given the arse at Manly.

He definitely is a tackling machine though so I guess we could play him in a Fensom style role but our go forward will suffer.

Either way, Farah MUST be able to keep the 9 jersey. Now that it is confirmed he is staying it would be stupid not to play him for 80 minutes.

 

[Fordy20]

Signing Ballin to a two year deal is a good thing. Sure he'll be playing mostly NSW Cup, but he's a specialist hooker and should make a very capable replacement should Farah get injured. Also he can fill in mid season as starting hooker from Round 11 to Round 20 so Robbie has enough time to rest and recover during the Origin period. Both Farah's and Ballin's contracts end at the same time, so by that time Cherrington should have been given enough game time to be starting hooker come 2018.

 

[madunit]

Lafai, Hiku and James Roberts all looking for a new home.

We need a centre

Ballin's signing is hurting us more and more now.

In other news, Taylor has reportedly asked that Farah play according to his game plan for 2016 and give the halves even more say, which has been agreed to.

I think it was pretty clear that had happened this year.

Went well.

So yeah, why not take Farah even more out of the game and put more pressure on halves who need some guidance and experience.

Potter had them working well off each other.

Taylor has decided to dump the halves in the deep end with concrete shoes and told them to swim

 

[HayneKloppter]

you blokes need forwards, not backs. if the heralded halves + tedesco are going to win games they need a strong pack laying a platform.

 

[madunit]

There are no quality forwards on the market.

A good centre would be helpful though. One who can tackle. It would help our back rowers out a bit too.