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Centre options

Who should be centre for the next round

  • Hunt

    Votes: 3 30.0%
  • Kennar

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Doueihi

    Votes: 2 20.0%
  • Burns

    Votes: 4 40.0%
  • Others

    Votes: 1 10.0%

  • Total voters
    10

Go Bunnies

Juniors
Messages
279
And finally to finish my rant
I wish everybody would stop picking on Hymel and Burns and all the other players on minimum wage. They train as often play as much, turn up for liaison duties, just as much as the higher paid players.
When the chips are down, I expect that our highest paid players should be getting us out of trouble, not the players on minimum wage.
 

Rabbits20

Immortal
Messages
41,661
This is an excerpt from Sporting news compRison of fullbacks - I tried to post the link but it doesn’t seem to work- maybe you should read this R20:

Defence and discipline
Alex Johnston is the tackling stonewall of the fullbacks, making 79 tackles and missing just 9, while Tedesco, Wighton and Boyd are the next best. At the bottom of the list and by some margin is Holmes, who has made 18 tackles and missed 13.

Darius Boyd is the safest pair of hands with 0.56 errors per game, ahead of Johnston (0.64), Gordon (0.75), Wighton (0.77), Tuivasa-Sheck (0.79), Holmes (0.88) and Mbye (0.93). Tedesco ranks worst with 1.53, Trbojevic (1.36), Ponga and Dufty (1.25) and Slater (1.00) all racking up at least one mistake per game on average.

Johnston and Trbojevic have yet to be penalised this year, while RTS and Slater have been pinged once each. On average Ponga, Wighton and Boyd have been penalised most, giving away 0.31 penalties per game. Next worst is Holmes at 0.25.

Scoring
Dufty is well clear of his contemporaries, having scored nine tries so far, three more than the next best in Johnston. On average, Dufty scores 0.56 tries per games, Johnston 0.43 with Holmes next best at 0.38. Trbojevic and RTS have the worst try scoring rate at 0.14 per game.

Overall
After considering the performance across all stats fields mentioned, Holmes ranks seventh out of the 12 fullbacks, coming in better than Ponga, Slater, Boyd, Mbye and Gordon and on par with Dufty, Wighton and Tuivasa-Sheck. Only Johnston, Tedesco and Trbojevic are considerably better.
Isn't Holmes up there with the leading tryscorers?? I find it hard to believe he's only averaging 0.38 tries a game!!

Interesting read for sure.. stats aren't the be all and end all..... I'd just like AJ to be more involved in our attack and popping up on that right edge more than just the left too!
 
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Rabbits20

Immortal
Messages
41,661
Why don’t you make a thread on fullbacks salaries while you are at it!!!

Slater 1 mil+
Tedesco 1 mil
Trobjevic 750k
Holmes 700k ( worst defender on stats in NRL)
Ponga 700k
............
.............
.............
Johnston 300k
Source for AJ' pay?? I see your point but he chose less money to stay loyal to us and play his fav position..

I'd say for a rough guess somewhere around the 400k figure you'd think... (may be wrong though)
 
Messages
203
Keep it the same and back the boys. Yes, we've been off lately for sure but let's see how we lift against the Storm.
I'm inclined to agree with this. We've won 10 of 11 and there is no need for panic. However if Sieb's did feel the need to make a change, for me it would be Braidon in to the centres for Hunt. It causes the least disruption, I don't see why anyone would want to move Jennings when he has been so lethal on the edge.

Errors on the wing yes but in the centres he hasn’t got a chance to show his worth yet
So much this!

From speaking to those who saw Braidon's junior footy (before he moved to Sydney) he spent a fair bit of time in the forwards (due to his size) playing mostly back row or lock before moving to centre or five/eight.

in his first year of NYC at the Panthers in 2015 he only played 9 games, struggling to nail down a starting spot due to injuries and being behind in the pecking order. That team were premiers that year and had so much depth. I think he played 7 on the wing and 2 at centre. To my knowledge, those 7 games were the only games he had ever played on the wing before coming into first grade in that position.

In 2016, he played 22 games for Panthers NYC (1 at five/eight and 21 in the centres) scoring 22 tries in a team that was upset in the GF. This was the year he found his feet.

Then in 2017, he was thrust into first grade before he was ready and playing out of position on the wing. To add to this we had a winger in Jennings, and a back rower in Talakai playing out of position in the centres. Then he got torn a new one by his old teammate Cleary and took a hit to his confidence. Cleary has shown up many more experienced wingers than Braidon.

This year he has been getting back to best form at centre for the bears. On the weekend he ran for 247 metres, 76 of them post contact. He did the shit work with 5 dummy half runs for 62 metres. He did miss 4 tackles, but he also had 6 tackle breaks, a line break assist, a try assist, and bagged a meat pie himself.

https://www.nswrl.com.au/siteassets...nsw/2018/stats-reports/rd20-mountiesbears.pdf

The kid is a first grade centre and a superstar in the making.
 
Messages
203
This is an excerpt from Sporting news compRison of fullbacks - I tried to post the link but it doesn’t seem to work- maybe you should read this R20:

Defence and discipline
Alex Johnston is the tackling stonewall of the fullbacks, making 79 tackles and missing just 9, while Tedesco, Wighton and Boyd are the next best. At the bottom of the list and by some margin is Holmes, who has made 18 tackles and missed 13.

Darius Boyd is the safest pair of hands with 0.56 errors per game, ahead of Johnston (0.64), Gordon (0.75), Wighton (0.77), Tuivasa-Sheck (0.79), Holmes (0.88) and Mbye (0.93). Tedesco ranks worst with 1.53, Trbojevic (1.36), Ponga and Dufty (1.25) and Slater (1.00) all racking up at least one mistake per game on average.

Johnston and Trbojevic have yet to be penalised this year, while RTS and Slater have been pinged once each. On average Ponga, Wighton and Boyd have been penalised most, giving away 0.31 penalties per game. Next worst is Holmes at 0.25.

Scoring
Dufty is well clear of his contemporaries, having scored nine tries so far, three more than the next best in Johnston. On average, Dufty scores 0.56 tries per games, Johnston 0.43 with Holmes next best at 0.38. Trbojevic and RTS have the worst try scoring rate at 0.14 per game.

Overall
After considering the performance across all stats fields mentioned, Holmes ranks seventh out of the 12 fullbacks, coming in better than Ponga, Slater, Boyd, Mbye and Gordon and on par with Dufty, Wighton and Tuivasa-Sheck. Only Johnston, Tedesco and Trbojevic are considerably better.

Incredible figures for AJ's first crack at a full season at FB. It's madness that people want to stunt his development by pushing him back out to the wing.

Especially considering that whilst our form hasn't been terrific of late, we are still winning.

It's funny that the one or two posters advocating wholesale changes to our backline were also writing us off as bottom four or even wooden spoon contenders preseason.

Personally, I'm glad we're in a bit of a mini slump at the moment (whilst sitting in second with 10 wins from our last eleven).In the NRL it is extremely hard to play at a top level for an extended period and form waxes and wanes.

I'd be nervous if I was a Storm or Roosters supporter as it will be virtually impossible for them to maintain their current level for the next nine weeks.

We on the other hand have a chance to refocus on our present weaknesses We can work on rebuilding that defensive wall (remember the one that held the at that stage unstoppable Dragons to 8 points in the first half of Round 5 when they had close to 80% of possession). Sieb's will be working on regaining the cohesion in our attack, which has looked a bit clunky in recent weeks. I'm sure he's also working on a Plan B to combat other teams nullifying Cook's influence by slowing down the ruck.

I'd much rather have us working on these problems 5 weeks out from finals, than in 6 or 7 weeks time when we're playing sudden death football.

Although I was wrong in believing we should have given Madge one more year, I have full confidence in Sieb's sorting out these issues, reinjecting GI into the mix when fully fit, and steering us to a top four spot on his way to delivering us 22.

Cheers Stan
 

Go Bunnies

Juniors
Messages
279
Source for AJ' pay?? I see your point but he chose less money to stay loyal to us and play his fav position..

I'd say for a rough guess somewhere around the 400k figure you'd think... (may be wrong though)
Wrong - 300k average over 3 years and I don’t guess
 

Go Bunnies

Juniors
Messages
279
Isn't Holmes up there with the leading tryscorers?? I find it hard to believe he's only averaging 0.38 tries a game!!

Interesting read for sure.. stats aren't the be all and end all..... I'd just like AJ to be more involved in our attack and popping up on that right edge more than just the left too!
This article was from 3 weeks ago before Val started scoring 2-3 tries per game. He played wing before Dugans injury and that was where he was scoring tries. These are stats on fullback, don’t include his tries as a winger. Yes he is going well now but last year he only scored around 5 tries as a fullback for the whole season.
 
Messages
203
Whilst I am not at all happy to see Jennings ruled out this week, as they say when one door closes another one opens.

I am stoked to see Braidon get another chance in firsts, and although I previously supported keeping Hymel at centre, in light of Jennings injury I really hope Seibs goes with Braidon in the centres.

IMO this is his natural position and given the chance I believe he will shine. Braidon has overcome many obstacles in his young life, not the least of which (and certainly not the worst) was being debuted out of position on the end of an extremely inexperienced backline early last year.

Aside from my belief that he is a gun in waiting, he is also an exceptional young man. For those who are unaware, both his parents have been in and out of jail along with at least one grandparent and cousins. Life has not always been kind to him, and I shudder to think where I may have ended up if I was dealt a similar hand to him.

His life could have easily taken a different route, but he has chosen to not use his disadvantaged upbringing as an excuse, but instead make the most of his talents and set a positive example for his younger brother, and others confronted with similar issues.

He is an absolute inspiration and I have nothing but the utmost respect for him.

I have decided to add an avatar for the first time in honour of his return to first grade. I don't think anyone else has him but I apologise for my plagiarism if anyone does.

Anyway, for those who don't know about his background I've added a couple of links below.

And for those who don't mind a sly punt, my tip is to load up on him at $21 for first tryscorer (Sportsbet). I believe he will start and will shorten from here.

Disclaimer : Last time I advised people to load up was to get on us to make the 8 or win the GF in this "Classic Stan" fail thread from last year. Yes I was a "don't knower" R20. :D:D:D

http://forums.leagueunlimited.com/threads/time-to-load-up.464974/

Back on topic, Inspirational links about Braidon.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/nr...d-by-virtual-greg-inglis-20170317-gv0dfy.html

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sp...m/news-story/45b8a02d201051f528cb0ad23a15506a

https://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/2...markable-rise-from-troubled-childhood-to-nrl/

Cheers Stan.
 
Last edited:

Rabbits20

Immortal
Messages
41,661
Whilst I am not at all happy to see Jennings ruled out this week, as they say when one door closes another one opens.

I am stoked to see Braidon get another chance in firsts, and although I previously supported keeping Hymel at centre, in light of Jennings injury I really hope Seibs goes with Braidon in the centres.

IMO this is his natural position and given the chance I believe he will shine. Braidon has overcome many obstacles in his young life, not the least of which (and certainly not the worst) was being debuted out of position on the end of an extremely experienced backline early last year.

Aside from my belief that he is a gun in waiting, he is also an exceptional young man. For those who are unaware, both his parents have been in and out of jail along with at least one grandparent and cousins. Life has not always been kind to him, and I shudder to think where I may have ended up if I was dealt a similar hand to him.

His life could have easily taken a different route, but he has chosen to not use his disadvantaged upbringing as an excuse, but instead make the most of his talents and set a positive example for his younger brother, and others confronted with similar issues.

He is an absolute inspiration and I have nothing but the utmost respect for him.

I have decided to add an avatar for the first time in honour of his return to first grade. I don't think anyone else has him but I apologise for my plagiarism if anyone does.

Anyway, for those who don't know about his background I've added a couple of links below.

And for those who don't mind a sly punt, my tip is to load up on him at $21 for first tryscorer (Sportsbet). I believe he will start and will shorten from here.

Disclaimer : Last time I advised people to load up was to get on us to make the 8 or win the GF in this "Classic Stan" fail thread from last year. Yes I was a "don't knower" R20. :D:D:D

http://forums.leagueunlimited.com/threads/time-to-load-up.464974/

Back on topic, Inspirational links about Braidon.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/nr...d-by-virtual-greg-inglis-20170317-gv0dfy.html

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sp...m/news-story/45b8a02d201051f528cb0ad23a15506a

https://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/2...markable-rise-from-troubled-childhood-to-nrl/

Cheers Stan.
Good on you for owning it and doing what you want with your avatar and a fav of yours...

Stuff the haters aye....!!
 

callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,691
Whilst I am not at all happy to see Jennings ruled out this week, as they say when one door closes another one opens.

I am stoked to see Braidon get another chance in firsts, and although I previously supported keeping Hymel at centre, in light of Jennings injury I really hope Seibs goes with Braidon in the centres.

IMO this is his natural position and given the chance I believe he will shine. Braidon has overcome many obstacles in his young life, not the least of which (and certainly not the worst) was being debuted out of position on the end of an extremely inexperienced backline early last year.

Aside from my belief that he is a gun in waiting, he is also an exceptional young man. For those who are unaware, both his parents have been in and out of jail along with at least one grandparent and cousins. Life has not always been kind to him, and I shudder to think where I may have ended up if I was dealt a similar hand to him.

His life could have easily taken a different route, but he has chosen to not use his disadvantaged upbringing as an excuse, but instead make the most of his talents and set a positive example for his younger brother, and others confronted with similar issues.

He is an absolute inspiration and I have nothing but the utmost respect for him.

I have decided to add an avatar for the first time in honour of his return to first grade. I don't think anyone else has him but I apologise for my plagiarism if anyone does.

Anyway, for those who don't know about his background I've added a couple of links below.

And for those who don't mind a sly punt, my tip is to load up on him at $21 for first tryscorer (Sportsbet). I believe he will start and will shorten from here.

Disclaimer : Last time I advised people to load up was to get on us to make the 8 or win the GF in this "Classic Stan" fail thread from last year. Yes I was a "don't knower" R20. :D:D:D

http://forums.leagueunlimited.com/threads/time-to-load-up.464974/

Back on topic, Inspirational links about Braidon.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/nr...d-by-virtual-greg-inglis-20170317-gv0dfy.html

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sp...m/news-story/45b8a02d201051f528cb0ad23a15506a

https://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/2...markable-rise-from-troubled-childhood-to-nrl/

Cheers Stan.
Agreed, I also think that Burns is a gun in waiting. Just go watch his highlights from 2016 and it's friggin crazy what he did in the 20's that year. He was lookig awesome at left centre in Round 13 before he had to go off too.

Wow, I didn't realise his background was like that either, far out thanks Stan. That actually is quite inspirational with all the stuff he's overcome.
 
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