Does anyone else think that the Coboys are pretenders??

[kia ora storm]

I think the cowboys can win this weekend, they won't win the premiership though. I also think people are over rating the warriors because they want to see them do well but geez they looked pedestrian last week.

Exactly...the Warriors are not that great either...Rovelli is overated.

 

[badav]

Exactly...the Warriors are not that great either...Rovelli is overated.

Overrated?? Hes not really rated much by anyone enough to be overrated in the first place.

 

[beave]

I don't think we can win the premiership, maybe with a fully fit forward pack we might give it a shot, but not this year. But you people writing us off, remember back 2 years ago and how the Tigers won the comp, they came from out of nowhere, with a no name forward pack and 2 gifted playmakers...... sound familiar might happen again eh???? I'm not that one eyed that i can't see faults in my team, but geez, with the tighness of the comp these days, it only takes2-3 players off their game and the whole team will suffer massively on the scoreboard, as was evident against the Roosters, Tigers and Storm where we got pumped. You people can write us off at your own peril, you may not know the names of our players but watching players like Faust and Henry, but having watch them play for a couple of years in the lower grades, they have it in them to be excellent players at the first grade level.

So bring on tomorrow!!!!!!!!!...........

 

[kia ora storm]

Let the Warriors win and then sit back and watch Manly take them apart next week...the Warriors do not have a gamebreaker and will not be able to contain Orford, Lyon and Stewart if they win tomorrow.

 

[Charlie124]

who ARE contenders really?, this comp is for the Storm to lose, Manly might put up a bit of a fight if they get there but when you look at the overall quality of this years comp, theres only been one team thats looked like winning it. I have complete faith that if the cowboys make it, theyll give it everything they have and wont give up - but the Storm are streets ahead of anyone this year.

The way i see it.

1. Melbourne Storm - Miles ahead, should win it easily



2. Manly Sea Eagles - Maybe, if the Storm have a bad day

3. NQ Cowboys - Bad Defence but excellent attack
4. NZ Warriors - Price, McKinnon - thats it.
5. Parramatta Eels - Good pack and Backs are on fire, might give it a shake

6. Canterbury Bulldogs - Playing like sh*t, overrated pack, crap Backs



7. South Sydney Rabbitohs - gone, doesnt matter
8. Brisbane Broncos - ditto souths

I believe that whoever makes it to the GF deserve to be there because theres really only been 1 team thats played like Grand Finalists all year, whoever else is there may as well turn up with "Storms Opponant" on their jerseys.

 

[innsaneink]

Third worst defence in the comp.....if they get thru tonite which i think they will....they wont get any further.

 

[Prodigiousman]

The pretender tag isn't fairly given to any team in a Top 8 format til the 2nd week invariably. In the good old Top 5 you'd know very early whether a team that finished 2nd or 3rd were a leigitmate threat and the 4 v 5 game made sure the team who got through that game deserved another chance to stick around in September.

This year we've got two contending sides - Melbourne and Manly, a couple of teams capable on their day - Eels and Cowboys (but over a month - not so sure), a good but not great unit in the Warriors and a team that has yet to pull its finger out - the Bulldogs.

The rest of the comp either got hammered by injuries and missed the (or limped into) the playoffs - or overachieved.

Even three or four years ago the likes of Melbourne and Manly would be well and truly up against it to beat a Roosters, Bulldogs, Panthers or Dragons team from the 02-04 era. The Knights throughout that period were very much like the Cowboys and Eels now - brilliant on their day but flaky deluxe if things didn't fall their way early in a match. We simply don't have a great competition quality wise at the moment - and that is the negative (but avoidable) by-product of parity in sports.

Until clubs are allowed to keep their developed juniors long term and pay them good money doing so - we'll continue to see teams in semi-rebuilding mode every second season instead of building a premiership team over a 3-5 year period like we used to even half a dozen years ago.

 

[Charlie124]

Third worst defence in the comp.....if they get thru tonite which i think they will....they wont get any further.

I hope we get through tonight, we've got a game to play tomorrow :sarcasm:

 

[Mishm]

Pretenders that come third and win final(s) games? Thurston+Bowen+Payne are a big part of the team, but what team doesnt have their playmakers, the one or two guys that are highly dependent on?

Tigers without Benji/Farah/Hodgson?
Broncs without Lockyer/Hunt?
Doggies without their big name forwards?

They've done a lot better then some 'contenders' (and considering with injuries to their big name forwards) their playing without their best side and still look as dangerous as ever - wheres the pretending in that?

Their 'second strength' side of forwards deserve some credit, as well as blokes like Graham who've had a great season - they may be no Bowens or Thurstons but they've done what they need to do.

As far as I'm concerned the premiership isn't done and dusted. Any of the six left can win it - that's the beauty of the finals.

 

[beave]

Nicely put, couldn't have said it any better myself. Still have no idea how the ticket sales have been going though....

 

[Charlie124]

Matt Bowen - Equal Top Try scorer 2007, QLD rep, Fulllback of the year, (possibly soon to be International rep)
Jonathon Thurston - QLD rep, International rep, 2 time Dally M player of the year
Carl Webb - QLD rep
Jacob Lillyman - QLD rep
Matt Scott - QLD rep
Ty Williams - QLD rep
Luke O'Donnell - NSW rep, International Rep
Paul Bowman - QLD rep
Jason Smith - QLD rep (fair enough, long time ago, count it if you want)
David Faiumu - International rep
Ash Graham - Third Top Try Scorer 2007
Aaron Payne - Widly reguarded as a future QLD rep player (count it if you want)
Ray Cashmere - not a rep player but has been one of our standouts this year


yep.....2 man team :roll:

 

[Mishm]

Nicely put, couldn't have said it any better myself. Still have no idea how the ticket sales have been going though....

Heard they were sold out monday, then heard they were sold out on tuesday, wednesday etc. :? but tickets online are still selling ...

 

[ShineDog]

Cowboys would be a very good team if they could keep some forwards on the field..they have done very well to make it this far..BUT..I can't see them beating the Warriors forward pack, not even the brillance of Thurston/Bowen will help this time.


I remember when the Dogs lost the majority of their forwards a couple of yrs ago...they really struggled.

 

[Marshall_magic]

Pretenders that come third and win final(s) games? Thurston+Bowen+Payne are a big part of the team, but what team doesnt have their playmakers, the one or two guys that are highly dependent on?

Tigers without Benji/Farah/Hodgson?
Broncs without Lockyer/Hunt?
Doggies without their big name forwards?

They've done a lot better then some 'contenders' (and considering with injuries to their big name forwards) their playing without their best side and still look as dangerous as ever - wheres the pretending in that?

Their 'second strength' side of forwards deserve some credit, as well as blokes like Graham who've had a great season - they may be no Bowens or Thurstons but they've done what they need to do.

As far as I'm concerned the premiership isn't done and dusted. Any of the six left can win it - that's the beauty of the finals.

I thought Benji was a crap, one game wonder, overrated, bung shouldered hack. Well thats going by people on this forum.

Then we hear we can't win without him.

 

[Mishm]

I thought Benji was a crap, one game wonder, overrated, bung shouldered hack. Well thats going by people on this forum.

Then we hear we can't win without him.

1. I don't think he's crap or a one game wonder. But he's certainly been better. Overated not because he's no good but more so cause he's not so more the superstar tigers fans always claim him to be.
2. He is still one of the tigers biggest playmaker at his peak and one of their biggest names. Plus I'm going by the Tigers last few seasons in which it seems you guys win more with him (thats wihtout taking the gains/losses/performance of the rest of your 17 - don't know your win/loss ratio with/without him so I apologise if I'm wrong)
3. Don't always believe what you hear on a forum.

 

[Marshall_magic]

1. I don't think he's crap or a one game wonder. But he's certainly been better. Overated not because he's no good but more so cause he's not so more the superstar tigers fans always claim him to be.
2. He is still one of the tigers biggest playmaker at his peak and one of their biggest names. Plus I'm going by the Tigers last few seasons in which it seems you guys win more with him (thats wihtout taking the gains/losses/performance of the rest of your 17 - don't know your win/loss ratio with/without him so I apologise if I'm wrong)
3. Don't always believe what you hear on a forum.

mate it wasn't a personal attack on you or anything, sorry if you saw it that way, it just seems that every day we get a post about the guy saying he can/can't play.


But now on the Cowboys, they might beat the Warriors, but they will get done by Manly who will just hold them out all game and run riot in attack. Brett Stewart will bag 4.

 

[Big Pete]

Arm-Chair critics.

I don't see the Cowboys coming out sprouting this "Dog Of War" crap some supporters do. So I really don't see where this pretender thing is coming from? They're there with a chance and if they win tomorrow, their in the prelim final, a much better placing than 75% of the competition.

As for the argument that their only a two player team, well I urge you to watch a game of theirs. Players such as Payne, Webb, Cashmere, A. Grahem have featured heavily through out and than you have players like Faiumu and Jason Smith who can provide their own magic time from time. Sure Thurston and Bowen have an influence over the players however so does Lockyer on the Broncos, Cronk with Storm and Buderus on the Knights.

They've done well to reach where they are that's for sure. They've lost the majority of their forward pack and if that happened to any team, well they'd struggle too.

 

[Mishm]

Fair enough, I think Manly have actually had it worse then the Cows in regards to can they/cant they win.

(I can understand where your coming from in regards to Marshall. Sorry about that, just seemed like you were asking me about it.)

 

[Spike]

This will most probably come back to bite me on the bum......but I just cant see the Cowboys going any farther in this comp.

If that's the case, put all your life savings on the Warriors

 

[Nook]

Beave,

Comparing the 2005 Tigers to the 2007 Cowboys is a bit silly.

...a no name forward pack and 2 gifted playmakers...

The Tigers had Farah, Prince, Marshall and Hodgson. Whatuira and Richards in the backline. And a forward pack about ten times better than one the Cowboys can field at the moment.

I think the Cows will beat NZ and lose narrowly the week after - Thurston and Bowen are good but if they carry that team to a Premiership it will be the greatest achievement for any two players in living memory.