Best 17 going forward as from next week

[Munted]

Carty at 6 is comical, he is the slowest 5/8 i ever did see.
Crabs sideways, looks slow and clunky. merkins too big for that role and he isnt a natural.
He's up there with other second rowers who make that false move to 5/8 to fill a gap.

 

[Fibroman]

DWZ has been very good for us this year. Stick him at fullback. He brings the ball back very well. Moylan to 6. He has close to the best timing and passing game in the NRL and 6 is his future. Cartwright back to a ball running backrower where he belongs. He should never wear the number 6 again and that was highlighted in City v Country. Doesn't matter if Merrin wears the 10, 8 or 13, as he plays the same style of game anyway. We need key players in their correct positions or our season will continue in a downhill spiral.

 

[hindy111]

See, this isn't true at all. He was shit for that kick, yes, but he was fine elsewhere. Our problems do not start with Hiku on the wing. At all. But because he is the chosen scapegoat, everything becomes his fault. I've never seen Oldfield play, but if mx prefers Hiku over him, then that says a hell of a lot.

Check out how many meters Hiku is running for a game. Do you think if you swapped him with Semi or Ropana any of your results would of been different?

The problem is your piss weak defense doesn't build pressure and your two biggest names playing terrible. Tamou + Merrin. Id say Matagi + Brown cost less then half those two wages. Both are outplaying them on a weekly basis. Or atleast matching them. So between the two its about 700k waste of cash. There form however can change fast.

Here is a few guys who are great attacking players but defense is below par in their positions.

- Blake-Moylan-Peachey-Cartwright

And while Kikau and Akafalou make great meters what are their defense like? I haven't seen enough of them.

 

[age.s]

Agree re defense. We need a Nigel Plum type. Someone who just sits in the middle and crunches people all day. Make them nervous about running at us.

 

[Fibroman]

The problem with our defence is that we are a bunch of shirt grabbers. I don't know if it is a result of not being taught to tackle properly as a junior or poor defensive coaching in the senior ranks, but very rarely do you see players put their bodies on the line anymore and put good shots on the ball runner. I find the modern game quite boring tbh. First 2 in high, bit of a wrestle and 3rd man in to take out the legs, bit of a wrestle on the ground and then do the same over again for the next 80 mins. Bring back Plummy and Docker!!!

 

[chrisD]

None of you really have a clue what Cartwright is.

 

[billypilgrimnz]

None of you really have a clue what Cartwright is.

Not a 5/8.

 

[chrisD]

Not a 5/8.

He would be if he could defend wide. He sure as f**k isn't a fringe line running forward.

 

[billypilgrimnz]

I'd have him at 13 personally. Moylan at 6 and a better fullback at 1, whether that be DWZ or Edwards.

Edit: Also because I would prefer CHN and Yeo to be the settled second rowers for the foreseeable future.

 

[herbert henry1908]

None of you really have a clue what Cartwright is.

What is he?

 

[herbert henry1908]

I'd have him at 13 personally. Moylan at 6 and a better fullback at 1, whether that be DWZ or Edwards.

Yep.

And at 13 he still still get involved in attack but he won't have to defend out wide.

He's still gotta do a heap of work on his defence.

 

[chrisD]

What is he?

There's not really been anyone like him in my time. Darren and Jason Smith are the closest, but with a Brett Kenny like offload. Lock is the best chance because he can't defend wide and so is a liability at 5/8th. But I don't know that he'll be able to defend in the middle, he'd have to play there for us to know. It's just a hope.

In attack he is a pure old school 5/8th, the one delivering the crucial pass to the runners or dummying on an attacking play. He's got to be the one feeding the line runners or around the back, and only running a line when he sees an opportunity, not as a bread and butter play.

There's better fringe forward line runners in just our team, he's not special at that, yet no-one else can freeze the defence and put Yeo through like he can. Now Yeo has started f**king catching them hopefully we can build on it.

But there's no reason the same thing can't continue if he goes lock and Moylan 5/8th. But plant him out wide in 11 or 12 and we get nothing out of what he's uniquely good at.

 

[herbert henry1908]

Fwiw @chrisD @billypilgrimnz he apparently sees himself as a lock. Not that players always get to decide.

 

[chrisD]

Cos he's not handling the pressure. The pressure of being a go to play maker and the pressure anytime they run at him in some space. You can see it on him, the indecision in defence, he's thinking don't f**k up and ends up meekly trailing the line. And the desperation to do 'something' with the ball and fear of making an error. Lock makes him safe from these things.

 

[Pomoz]

There's better fringe forward line runners in just our team, he's not special at that, yet no-one else can freeze the defence and put Yeo through like he can. Now Yeo has started f**king catching them hopefully we can build on it.

Great comment. When Yeo dropped the ball a couple of time everybody stuck it too Cartwright, but I replayed the passes and Yeo should have caught them. This all comes down to the lack of practice so players know what is happening. Cartwright missed the first part of the season and came into a team that was struggling for form. Ironically, we couldn't score in Bada Bing with a platinum American Express card with TMM as 5/8th and our attack was like watching paint dry. Cartwright came back and we still lost but we started scoring tries again. I agree, he is unique. We just need to work out his weaknesses and let his natural ability shine. Oh and make sure he has a pack of condoms with him at all times.......

 

[herbert henry1908]

Great comment. When Yeo dropped the ball a couple of time everybody stuck it too Cartwright, but I replayed the passes and Yeo should have caught them. This all comes down to the lack of practice so players know what is happening. Cartwright missed the first part of the season and came into a team that was struggling for form. Ironically, we couldn't score in Bada Bing with a platinum American Express card with TMM as 5/8th and our attack was like watching paint dry. Cartwright came back and we still lost but we started scoring tries again. I agree, he is unique. We just need to work out his weaknesses and let his natural ability shine. Oh and make sure he has a pack of condoms with him at all times.......

To me at lock he'd be able to do that without all the pressure of being one of the main playmakers. He'd also be able to concentrate on his denfece more & improve in that department.

 

[herbert henry1908]

1. DWZ (he deserves the first shot at FB - strong return runs of the ball)
2. Mansour
3. Blake
4. Whare/Peachey - tough call this
5. Edwards
6. Moylan
7. Cleary
8. Merrin
9. Wallace
10. Tamou
11. Yeo
12. CHN
13. Cartwright

14. RCG
15. Kikau
16. JFH
17. Katoa/Peachey - if Peachey misses out on centre

Some players need a spell in regies I think.

Whare could do with some time to get his confidence back, same with Latu.

 

[betcats]

Cos he's not handling the pressure. The pressure of being a go to play maker and the pressure anytime they run at him in some space. You can see it on him, the indecision in defence, he's thinking don't f**k up and ends up meekly trailing the line. And the desperation to do 'something' with the ball and fear of making an error. Lock makes him safe from these things.

Agree 100 percent. I've said a number of times on here that putting him at 6 makes him think he has to do something all the time which leads to intercepts or shit kicks, the reality is he just has to run it and make the simple play most of the time and then just take what chances present themselves and he will carve teams up. I've been against playing him at lock but we are putting peachey there for decent minutes now and doing ok so carty could handle it and we have a couple of edge forwards(Yeo CHN) who have been our best all year.

 

[betcats]

As for Whare/peachy im sorry but Whare is currently a fair way off the player he was a couple years ago. He is solid but nothing more, he has looked average defensively a number of times this year and his metres are usually terrible.

 

[martielang]

I like Peach off the bench. I'd probably bring him on earlier then yesterday but I think he adds another dimension too our side as a running backrower/lock.