Brett Hodgson

[Everlovin' Antichrist]

My biggest Hodgo memory from 2008 was failing to run down a 35 year old second-rower (Menzies) over 40 metres. Love the guy, he always gave 100% but he is past NRL standard. Whether instructed to or not, his constant moving into second receiver also hindered us in attack - he was at his best running off others in support but he was no longer capable of bursting through the line last year so settled for playing in the halves too often. Hope he kills the ESL but it was best for both that he moved on.

Absolute bollocks.

On one leg most of the year he was our best back by far.

The biggest problem with letting Hodgo go is that our f**king coach didn't seem to think Shannon Gallant was his obvious replacement.

 

[Tiger Hawk]

Absolute bollocks.

What, failing to run down the second-rower, stifling our attack, plays his best in support....?

On one leg most of the year he was our best back by far.

I'd argue Lawrence was our best (he just didn't get any ball) and Benji was our most creative. Hodgo tried his guts out but didn't have the same impact on games when he played at first or second receiver.

The biggest problem with letting Hodgo go is that our f**king coach didn't seem to think Shannon Gallant was his obvious replacement.

Agreed. If McDonnell gets the nod it's an absolute joke.

 

[Everlovin' Antichrist]

What, failing to run down the second-rower, stifling our attack, plays his best in support....?

Hodgo gave everything in every game he played. He always looked like the only bloke in our backline who could get anything going. that Benji and Morris were busted arseholes for most of it was the problem, not Hodgo.

I'd argue Lawrence was our best (he just didn't get any ball) and Benji was our most creative. Hodgo tried his guts out but didn't have the same impact on games when he played at first or second receiver.

Lawrence?

The bloke has potential jumping out of every orifice, unfortunately that potential is still only potential. It's a dreadful indictment on the state of our backline if Lawrence was our best in 2008.

But he wasn't. Brett Hodgson was.

And Benji should have spent the best part of the season in Premier League. He was f**king dreadful for most of it.

I wouldn't swap him for anyone else in the comp for 2009 but if he doesn't make 2009 his own, I would rather he f**ked off for 2010 onwards.

Agreed. If McDonnell gets the nod it's an absolute joke.

That's exactly what will happen.

 

[westie]

What happens if McDonnell hits his potential? Do you guys say sorry?

 

[gurstar]

What happens if McDonnell hits his potential? Do you guys say sorry?

no .... no sorry he had his chance and done f all .. slowest man in league

 

[fulleightyminutes]

Well your loss is our gain. Would be nice to have some of you on my message board (see below) as most of our fans follow the Tigers due to the players we've had from you over recent years. Skandalis was a work horse and we would have been happy to see him play for us another year. Elford never let us down but without being anything flashy. Lolesi is hit and miss for me, one week an animal the next just average. Whatuira a constant threat to the opposition with nice hands and good feet. Hodgson after 1 game looks like he could be a crowd favourite. Looking forward to seeing him against this Sunday in a warm up game against Wigan.

hey Ponner

Hodgson is a true champion. Best player we've ever had. Good luck, you've done well to get him. Just as someone who watches more ESL than me - how do you rate Gareth Ellis?

 

[fulleightyminutes]

What happens if McDonnell hits his potential? Do you guys say sorry?

I'll happily say sorry if he comes good. From what we've seen so far it's not likely.

 

[Everlovin' Antichrist]

lol @ McDonnell coming good.

More chance of me climbing Mt Everest using only my dick as a pick, but yeah, I'll apologise if hell freezes over..

 

[rupertpupkin]

What happens if McDonnell hits his potential? Do you guys say sorry?

McDonnell has potential to hit?

 

[Eddie.]

What happens if McDonnell hits his potential? Do you guys say sorry?

I here Ben reynolds is starting to hit his potential at the Minto Swamprats.

Westies for your own health, you need to let go of these pet players of yours. Especially when they are as average as the likes of Ben Jeffries, Reynolds, Chris Patterson Fitzhenry and Mcdonnell. You have defended all of these players as if you were a relation of all of them over the years. I find it baffling.

Who next mate?

 

[westie]

Argh, how hard is it to understand that he was the best player for his age at the time who hadn't already hit FG.

Luckily for every one else, Sheens pulled his usual trick of playing them too young and he's never been the same since being hit by Wiki. Sounds a bit like a certain 5/8th.

There's a difference between understanding the right time to have certain players in a side and rating them as the next Johns. You guys, and super coach, mostly miss that sort of thing.

Luckily this thread is the perfect place to mention the most recent example again: Hodgo, whilst being amazing in his own right, made our team suck balls.

 

[Everlovin' Antichrist]

Sounds a bit like a certain 5/8th.

The certain 5/8 who now has a premiership and a World Cup under his belt?

If you honestly think Hodgo was detrimental to our side and that McDonnell will improve our side in any way, shape or form, you're demented.

Ben Jeffries, Reynolds, Chris Patterson Fitzhenry and Mcdonnell

That's quite a list of favourites there. Fitzy at least has premiership ring. The closest McDonnell will get to one happened in 2005.

 

[tiger_nick]

Argh, how hard is it to understand that he was the best player for his age at the time who hadn't already hit FG.

Luckily for every one else, Sheens pulled his usual trick of playing them too young and he's never been the same since being hit by Wiki. Sounds a bit like a certain 5/8th.

There's a difference between understanding the right time to have certain players in a side and rating them as the next Johns. You guys, and super coach, mostly miss that sort of thing.

Luckily this thread is the perfect place to mention the most recent example again: Hodgo, whilst being amazing in his own right, made our team suck balls.

westie, i agree with you on a lot of players however i dont see how you can possibly say mcdonnells time in first grade has been anything apart from miserable.

in 2004/2005 i was lucky enough to have the time to attend quiet a few flegg and pl games. i saw mcdonnell tear up teams at will on many occassions and was very excited about his future prospects.

however despite one or two games in his 30 odd first grade career he has consistently been the worst player on the park and had a big hand in us losing. in 2007 i seriously believe he single handedly lost us games against the titans and broncos. on the odd occassion he catches the ball he either a) slips over or b) dances around before the line and gets driven 5 meters backwards.

his position play as fullback is terrible. he is as unsafe under the highball as he is gathering a grubber.

the blokes one saving grace is that he apparently is lightning quick, yet three times last year he was in space only to be run down by preston campbell, cameron ciraldo and pj marsh. with pj marsh all he had to do was a simple draw and pass for a try to ultimately would have won us the game, but he was unable to achieve this.

to put it bluntly there is not aspect of his game that is up to first grade standard. yes ive seen carve up lower grades aswell, but i also saw joven clarke do this.

you say he hasnt been the same since the wiki incident? i disagree, he was as crap before that as he is now.

if he miracuously transforms into even an average first grader, no one will be happier then me. but it wont make anybody on here wrong, as it wont take away from the fact that his first three years in first grade have been completely sub standard.

his contract expires at the end of this year, how many clubs do you honestly think will be chasing him? i honestly dont think one will. it will more then likely be off to union or jim beam cup for jb.

we've had some absolute duds as backs in our ten years but i would glady take nbq, ohalloran, clayton or milton over jb of the last 3 years any day of the week. yes they were crap but at least they had one or two aspects that were up to first grade standard.

 

[westie]

The certain 5/8 who now has a premiership and a World Cup under his belt?

If you honestly think Hodgo was detrimental to our side and that McDonnell will improve our side in any way, shape or form, you're demented.



That's quite a list of favourites there. Fitzy at least has premiership ring. The closest McDonnell will get to one happened in 2005.

How many games did we win with Hodgo running the show. I'm gunna go for the big "0". I'm clearly not the only one who saw it.

Benji hardly played football for a few years. If getting chucked in helped him in anyway then I'm not here. Benji did all those things, despite being f**ked around, not because he sat on his arse for years on end.


---

Nick, I don't think he's ever shown much in FG. But I don't believe I've ever said that. There's just a couple of twatters here who get caught up in a fantasy land.

One even thinks Lampard is fit to lace Gerrards boots for f**ks sake (although fatty did manage a goal against a real-life, half decent premier league team, before the score was already 20-0 the other day).

I'm just hopeful that eventually some of that potential might be realised.

McDonnell did his ribs in NZ before he'd really had a chance, so that's a bit of a moot point.

His pace did seem to have gone and I thought it was all over mid-way through last year, but in that Broncos game where he f**ked the chance after a nice break, he showed the acceleration anyone who has bothered to watch him when he was fit knows he (at least used to) possess.

It's pointless playing him on the wing. It's not his go. The second he gets the ball he trys to get back to the middle where he is comfortable.

The dancing thing he is criticised for was what lead to his breaks half the time (coincidentally how and where he made that nice break against the Broncs before getting injured). It just isn't the game out-wide.

It's as silly as playing someone like preston campbell on the wing. They're too small to work with a sideline, and are at their best making slower forwards look out of place.

I suppose the real point here is, hardly anyone actually watches the lower grades and thus cannot grasp the concept of potential ability. f**k, i've actually read at least 10 people suggest Davidson should play FG front row this year. I bet 90% haven't ever seen him play 80 mins.

I'm hoping Macca can get his sh*t into gear because he was far and away the best fullback for his age in the world.

 

[Tigers_are_Pro]

Imo, any of us here should sign a contract ahead of McDonnell. I didn't find Hodgson as a great player, but he was tough and pretty good leader. A fair loss, but clearing up money which should be well spent, but will be wasted on John Morris' and Bryce Gibbs' contracts...

 

[Everlovin' Antichrist]

How many games did we win with Hodgo running the show. I'm gunna go for the big "0". I'm clearly not the only one who saw it.

Hodgo is a fullback FFS, how many Fullbacks "run the show" or would even be expected to in dire times?

Hodgo will be a Wests Tigers legend. No ifs, no buts. When we pick our best ever side for the forseeable future, Hodgo will be fullback and daylight will be second choice. McDonnell won't even get a mention.

Hodgo is 10 times the player McDonnell will ever be. He played in two grand finals and he played Origin, So are the people who chose him in those sides not as "in the know" as you?

McDonnell gets to watch Origin on the tele, that's as close as he'll ever get. Just like the others.

McDonnell is only in grade because his old man has some pull at the Wests Tigers. He wouldn't get a run at any other club. We've let Shannon Gallant go when it's patently obvious to anyone with eyes that Gallant is by far the superior player of the two. It's almost criminal that McDonnell has a contract and Gallant doesn't.

Only two things have made me angry that this club has done, one is moving games to the SFS and the other is giving a nuffy like McDonnell a contract and letting a kid who did everything asked of him go.

Benji hardly played football for a few years. If getting chucked in helped him in anyway then I'm not here. Benji did all those things, despite being f**ked around, not because he sat on his arse for years on end.

If he didn't get "chucked in", he wouldn't have a premiership ring. I wouldn't change a minute of Benji's career, and I dare say neither would he.

Oh, and in conclusion, McDonnell is a f**king spastic and you are the single worst judge of a footballer I've ever had the misfortune to read.

Some of the blokes here have been pretty cruel to you in the past.

It's all deserved.

 

[Crippler]

isnt Gallant still on a Wests contract?

 

[Eddie.]

How many games did we win with Hodgo running the show. I'm gunna go for the big "0". I'm clearly not the only one who saw it.

Benji hardly played football for a few years. If getting chucked in helped him in anyway then I'm not here. Benji did all those things, despite being f**ked around, not because he sat on his arse for years on end.


---


One even thinks Lampard is fit to lace Gerrards boots for f**ks sake (although fatty did manage a goal against a real-life, half decent premier league team, before the score was already 20-0 the other day).

.

Cmon Westies you can do better then that mate.

"Fatty"

"Real Life Teams" Can you explain to me who falls under this criteria? Arsenal would have to be borderline surely given their record over the past 4 seasons?

I think you are getting Lampard confused with Anelka. Anelka is the master of coming on and scoring a goal when Chelsea are already 2 or 3 up. I seem to remember goals from Lampard in CL Finals Semi Finals and many big PL games over the years.

Anyway, lets not get too side tracked. IM glad we have the best young fullback in the world for his age in our ranks.

 

[Everlovin' Antichrist]

isnt Gallant still on a Wests contract?

I actually don't know to be honest. I must admit that I assumed when he wasn't in the 25 for the NRL he'd move on.

 

[westie]

I actually don't know to be honest. I must admit that I assumed when he wasn't in the 25 for the NRL he'd move on.

You're making a habit of missing the obvious lately.

Hodgo is probably the best performing WT ever. Noel Kelly went alright as well... but that doesn't mean we should have him in the team.

Hodgo was getting past it, which is why he went to an average SL team.

But as I said, the whole point was that he was used poorly in our system and became the main man because of injured footballers (but you wouldn't change anything).

Collis, Benji and Farah... arguably the three most naturally talented players in our stocks have been massively f**ked over by being played injured or when they weren't ready. But I spose that doesn't matter, because we won a premiership on the one occasion they were all fit together.