Nook said:
I'm a Tigers fan and by definition that means I reckon Benji is the best thing since sliced bread - but I think you're being harsh on Maguire. He's not as good but he's better than a support player and he'll show that, in time.
I hope I'm proved wrong, but I think McGuire has been built up into something he's not by the try-addicted hyperbole of Eddie Hemmings.
I'd have selected Maguire tonight at 5/8th. Pryce wasn't great there last week - he didn't distribute, he fluffed a few chances and he did his best work out wide. Long-Maguire was worth another shot. Maguire was up against it tonight - Long had one of those games and Danny had next to no chance to do anything of note.
I don't think Noble can be blamed. NZ were white hot and GB with a few missing were not up to it - selecting Pryce at 5/8th (where he played in the second half and made no contribution) wouldn't have made any difference IMO.
Well this kind of sums up for me just how wrong Noble got it. You can't, in my opinion, go into test football almost prepared to make such a massive formation change as switching your halfbacks around. You have to prepare tactically with one partnership, not try one thing and then happily switch things around. You can't play RL like that in my opinion.
Today, McGuire was playing off of 1st receiver at times in the first half while last week our structure was so much better. Pryce was playing a pure stand off role, pivoting from second receiver only (and he linked well with his backs on plenty of occasions, I don't know why you say he didn't distribute). This week Long wasn't sure if he was the go to man or McGuire was. Last week Pryce was there to tidy up, and as an outlet. Today we had two jack rabbits.
With the team formation so wrong the match was lost and Pryce nor any single player could have put it right.
Noble can most certainly be blamed. He shouldn't have played Wilkin, he should've played another prop, but - and this is something it's impossible to 'prove' - it all went wrong with the lack of structure in the GB team with McGuire chosen instead of Pryce at 6.
NZ were awesome though.
His impact is great but for mine Noble has to look at making Roby the starting/full time hooker (possibly with Maguire on the bench to play a bit there to give him a break). Newton has avoided the brain explosions so far but he is ordinary at best in attack and at worse he completely f**ks up his halves as he did a few times tonight.
Overall GB are sorely missing that extra little bit of class. A fit Schulthorpe and Cunningham would have been a great start. I don't think this lot are up to matching the Aussies again in Brissy, hope I'm wrong.
Agree about Roby, if he can take it physically. Not sure if he can, though. Newton brings almost nothing to the party.
Scully's been living of his clean shaven looks for too long and Cunningham's no longer even in the reckoning anyway.
I knew we'd lose as soon as I heard he'd move Pryce to the wing. I hope he keeps McGuire at 6 for Brisbane as my no. 1 priority is a Kangaroo loss, not a GB win, and I figure NZ will beat them in the final.