Dragons v Broncos Rd 3 2023

[Wolfgang90]

Hunt was MOTM in the Titans game...

I think the two of them compliment one another well. I agree Hunt lacks that elite game management skills and makes some wrong choices with his kicking game from time to time but with some time Sullivan can take on more of those responsibilities. Hunt's presence alone helps Sullivan, and vice versa. I don't mind the combo.

No way was hunt MOTM in the titans game, Lawrie was MOTM easily. I never said he shouldn't be halfback but he has been poor to start the season.

 

[Wolfgang90]

They were good, but we obviously struggled to maintain it over 80 minutes. I think the issue is we may actually have too many big men, and lack at least one more mobile 80 minute forward. Brisbane have Capewell, Riki and, if needed, Carrigan who can play 80 - they even have the luxury of resting Carrigan which they did on the weekend. Jack Bird played 80 for us but faded badly after a strong start... and we've also got Murdoch-Masila who needs a break. Sua was our only real 80 minute forward.

BMM was off with an injury or HIA, he played the 70mins v titans. So he can pump out the mins. When JDB returns he'll take a few mins from the other players. He's the mobile big man we're missing at the moment.

 

[Wolfgang90]

It's good to have arguments about who should be playing in a positive light rather than which duds we can replace this week haha. Mbye is my biggest pet peeve at the moment & just the mins played but other than that our 17 looks pretty solid!

 

[Victoire]

BMM was off with an injury or HIA, he played the 70mins v titans. So he can pump out the mins. When JDB returns he'll take a few mins from the other players. He's the mobile big man we're missing at the moment.

Yeah De Belin could help with that mix. I much prefer Jack Bird at lock for his ballplaying and footwork, but Bird needs the break and that could be a way to do it. Bring a prop on the field and move De Belin to lock until Bird returns.

 

[Saints Forever]

They were good, but we obviously struggled to maintain it over 80 minutes. I think the issue is we may actually have too many big men, and lack at least one more mobile 80 minute forward. Brisbane have Capewell, Riki and, if needed, Carrigan who can play 80 - they even have the luxury of resting Carrigan which they did on the weekend. Jack Bird played 80 for us but faded badly after a strong start... and we've also got Murdoch-Masila who needs a break. Sua was our only real 80 minute forward.

Coachman is the answer

 

[Old Timer]

All the negative concentration on Mybe as if he single handedly lost us the game is just typical of many in this place who refuse to appraise games correctly.

Their constant talking up of Hunt, Sloan, Bud with no proper reflection is a great example of how wrong people get it.

Hunt is an arm grabber in defence which causes lots of issues for the defensive line, a ball hog at critical moments, has a dreadful kicking game, is a poor game manager but also has the great ability to produce moments of brilliance such as a 40/20 or break the line and score.

Sloan is a WIP and has many issues to work on that actually cost us games, poor front on defence, lopes along behind the defensive line instead of busting his gut to get there and of course very confused about when to attack the ball from opposition kicks but of course he is silky in attack and can score from long range due to his great pace.

Bud is also a WIP with issues that cost us games, poor defence, wrong options at critical moments but of course can be very dynamic in attack and had good vision.

So the 3 of these are what can actually win you games single handedly but also contribute heavily to you losing games but Mybe will neither win you a game nor lose you a game due to his singular involvement.

He is now the whipping boy because so many are blinkered and lack proper objectivity when analysing our games.

The wax lyrical about Bud is almost sickening and if people are really honest they will find it difficult to reason why he should get the nod over Amone for the 6 jumper (talking pure footy here) as Amone had made that position his at the end of 2022.

Bud's position is the 7 and instead of people arguing that he should be there right now they create false narratives around Amone.

So in the end we have youngsters making critical mistakes as we always knew they would plus Hunt being Hunt yet people choose to ignore / underplay it and instead focus on Mybe and for the record I'm not saying he is in fact the right option for the team but there are issues with other players that are more important and when / if they are addressed that will actually see us not lose games.

 

[Victoire]

the tedious old contrarian has entered the chat.

Whether Sullivan wears the number 6 or 7 is irrelevant - it's all about how the 6 and 7 function together as a unit to compliment the team. At this point in time the Sullivan/Hunt mix is the best combination accounting for each of the player's strengths and weaknesses. The fact that Amone suppposedly "made the position his" at the end of 22 is also irrelevant. It's a new year and Amone hammered his own way down in the pecking order.

Mbye, meanwhile, is a halves player who Griffin is trying to shoehorn into being a starting hooker because Liddle is better off the bench and we have no one else. It led to some of the worst dummy half passes I've seen since.... well... since Mbye played hooker last year when Andrew McCullough was injured. Ben Hunt blew him up at one point which made me think the captain will be having a word with his mate Griffin sometime soon. And the fact we had to waste an interchange bringing him back on late that might've helped some of our other tiring forwards during that collapse.

 

[Lovemedragons]

All the negative concentration on Mybe as if he single handedly lost us the game is just typical of many in this place who refuse to appraise games correctly.

Their constant talking up of Hunt, Sloan, Bud with no proper reflection is a great example of how wrong people get it.

Hunt is an arm grabber in defence which causes lots of issues for the defensive line, a ball hog at critical moments, has a dreadful kicking game, is a poor game manager but also has the great ability to produce moments of brilliance such as a 40/20 or break the line and score.

Sloan is a WIP and has many issues to work on that actually cost us games, poor front on defence, lopes along behind the defensive line instead of busting his gut to get there and of course very confused about when to attack the ball from opposition kicks but of course he is silky in attack and can score from long range due to his great pace.

Bud is also a WIP with issues that cost us games, poor defence, wrong options at critical moments but of course can be very dynamic in attack and had good vision.

So the 3 of these are what can actually win you games single handedly but also contribute heavily to you losing games but Mybe will neither win you a game nor lose you a game due to his singular involvement.

He is now the whipping boy because so many are blinkered and lack proper objectivity when analysing our games.

The wax lyrical about Bud is almost sickening and if people are really honest they will find it difficult to reason why he should get the nod over Amone for the 6 jumper (talking pure footy here) as Amone had made that position his at the end of 2022.

Bud's position is the 7 and instead of people arguing that he should be there right now they create false narratives around Amone.

So in the end we have youngsters making critical mistakes as we always knew they would plus Hunt being Hunt yet people choose to ignore / underplay it and instead focus on Mybe and for the record I'm not saying he is in fact the right option for the team but there are issues with other players that are more important and when / if they are addressed that will actually see us not lose games.

Mbye never lost the game for us, but rest assured we are going nowhere while we have him starting at 9 - he is not a 9 and he is not a starter, at least for a team serious about playing finals.

 

[Wolfgang90]

Yeah De Belin could help with that mix. I much prefer Jack Bird at lock for his ballplaying and footwork, but Bird needs the break and that could be a way to do it. Bring a prop on the field and move De Belin to lock until Bird returns.

100% agree.

Play Bird for the first 25mins. Bring JDB on around 20min mark, play him until the 55min mark with a direct swap with Bird. He can play until full-time then bring JDB back on around 65min mark for the last 15mins.

Both players get a good break to keep fresh, we continue having a ball playing middle throughout the game & at the end you get both of them playing together for the attacking flair (Bird) & defensive starch (JDB).

Bird plays 50mins - helps with his power game & energy in defence imo.
JDB plays 50mins - helps keep him fresh at the end for defence (when we'll need it most with our big boys getting tired).

 

[Wolfgang90]

The turning point of the game was the 2 point field goal right on half time

It completely changed the momentum for them as the ran into the sheds

Inspirational on Reynolds part and something only the best players are capable of working out.

Reynolds has always killed the dragons, especially with his field goals/penalty kicks.

 

[Wolfgang90]

All the negative concentration on Mybe as if he single handedly lost us the game is just typical of many in this place who refuse to appraise games correctly.

Their constant talking up of Hunt, Sloan, Bud with no proper reflection is a great example of how wrong people get it.

Hunt is an arm grabber in defence which causes lots of issues for the defensive line, a ball hog at critical moments, has a dreadful kicking game, is a poor game manager but also has the great ability to produce moments of brilliance such as a 40/20 or break the line and score.

Sloan is a WIP and has many issues to work on that actually cost us games, poor front on defence, lopes along behind the defensive line instead of busting his gut to get there and of course very confused about when to attack the ball from opposition kicks but of course he is silky in attack and can score from long range due to his great pace.

Bud is also a WIP with issues that cost us games, poor defence, wrong options at critical moments but of course can be very dynamic in attack and had good vision.

So the 3 of these are what can actually win you games single handedly but also contribute heavily to you losing games but Mybe will neither win you a game nor lose you a game due to his singular involvement.

He is now the whipping boy because so many are blinkered and lack proper objectivity when analysing our games.

The wax lyrical about Bud is almost sickening and if people are really honest they will find it difficult to reason why he should get the nod over Amone for the 6 jumper (talking pure footy here) as Amone had made that position his at the end of 2022.

Bud's position is the 7 and instead of people arguing that he should be there right now they create false narratives around Amone.

So in the end we have youngsters making critical mistakes as we always knew they would plus Hunt being Hunt yet people choose to ignore / underplay it and instead focus on Mybe and for the record I'm not saying he is in fact the right option for the team but there are issues with other players that are more important and when / if they are addressed that will actually see us not lose games.

Amone has showed a good running game but his kicking game is very poor. You want him to be the 5/8th while also claiming Hunt has a poor kicking game? That makes no sense. Sullivan has a good kicking game, hence why he's taking more kicks than Amone, especially long kicks. You need halves to compliment each other. It's not about the individual but sum of all parts working together. Hence why we're in the contest for 70mins of that game against a likely top 4 & premiership contender.

Yes, they all have weaknesses but it's how their strengths compliment each others weakness. At this moment it's clear to see Sullivan's kicking game suits this team & Hunts style alot more than Amone's running game.

 

[Old Timer]

the tedious old contrarian has entered the chat.

Whether Sullivan wears the number 6 or 7 is irrelevant - it's all about how the 6 and 7 function together as a unit to compliment the team. At this point in time the Sullivan/Hunt mix is the best combination accounting for each of the player's strengths and weaknesses. The fact that Amone suppposedly "made the position his" at the end of 22 is also irrelevant. It's a new year and Amone hammered his own way down in the pecking order.

Mbye, meanwhile, is a halves player who Griffin is trying to shoehorn into being a starting hooker because Liddle is better off the bench and we have no one else. It led to some of the worst dummy half passes I've seen since.... well... since Mbye played hooker last year when Andrew McCullough was injured. Ben Hunt blew him up at one point which made me think the captain will be having a word with his mate Griffin sometime soon. And the fact we had to waste an interchange bringing him back on late that might've helped some of our other tiring forwards during that collapse.

The best halves pairing without a doubt is Sullivan & Amone and if Amone is eligible to be picked then there should be no impediment.

Hunt at 7 just further geniuss the progress of our key spine playing juniors who are our future.

The reality is that Hunt will never win us a premiership but the others just might.

Not so long ago when Bennett was trying to lure Amone away and this place was up in arms at that prospect and were baying for the blood of anyone and everyone if it were allowed to happen but now you have him on the scrap heap lol.

If not for his moment of notoriety there would have been very very few that would have suggested drop Amone for Sullivan to start 2023 and all the talk would have been and in fact was to a degree about what a merkin Hunt was being for not putting the team 1st.

Now on Mybe he is there because we don’t select the best halves pairing as simple as that and by the way what was the score when Liddle came on to replace Mybe seeing he was so bad?

 

[Old Timer]

A

Amone has showed a good running game but his kicking game is very poor. You want him to be the 5/8th while also claiming Hunt has a poor kicking game? That makes no sense. Sullivan has a good kicking game, hence why he's taking more kicks than Amone, especially long kicks. You need halves to compliment each other. It's not about the individual but sum of all parts working together. Hence why we're in the contest for 70mins of that game against a likely top 4 & premiership contender.

Yes, they all have weaknesses but it's how their strengths compliment each others weakness. At this moment it's clear to see Sullivan's kicking game suits this team & Hunts style alot more than Amone's running game.

Amone 6 Sullivan 7 Hunt 9

 

[Wolfgang90]

A

Amone 6 Sullivan 7 Hunt 9

That looks good to me. What about Liddle? He's been playing well.

 

[justadragon]

That looks good to me. What about Liddle? He's been playing well.

Liddle interchanges with Hunt.

 

[Victoire]

The best halves pairing without a doubt is Sullivan & Amone and if Amone is eligible to be picked then there should be no impediment.

Hunt at 7 just further geniuss the progress of our key spine playing juniors who are our future.

The reality is that Hunt will never win us a premiership but the others just might.

Not so long ago when Bennett was trying to lure Amone away and this place was up in arms at that prospect and were baying for the blood of anyone and everyone if it were allowed to happen but now you have him on the scrap heap lol.

If not for his moment of notoriety there would have been very very few that would have suggested drop Amone for Sullivan to start 2023 and all the talk would have been and in fact was to a degree about what a merkin Hunt was being for not putting the team 1st.

Now on Mybe he is there because we don’t select the best halves pairing as simple as that and by the way what was the score when Liddle came on to replace Mybe seeing he was so bad?

As good as Sullivan and Amone may be, it's rarely wise - and almost never successful - to blood two young halves together for extended periods. There's few better examples of this than our round 3 opponent, the Broncos. The best thing for Bud and Junior's development, but also best for the team, is that we have one accomplished, experienced player in the halves.

And that's obviously going to be our biggest name player in Hunt. And if it's Hunt, then for the balance of the team, the right halves partner is Sullivan.

You seem a bit hyper-focused on what people in this place say, and quick to take the contrarian view at the expense of clear evidence

 

[justadragon]

A

Amone 6 Sullivan 7 Hunt 9

Agree with you OT, have been wanting this for the last 2 years except that Hunt wont go there for his club and Griffin backs him up.

 

[Gomarchin]

Does anyone know who the Broncos are playing this week? I haven't see or ready anything about their next opponent.

 

[justadragon]

As good as Sullivan and Amone may be, it's rarely wise - and almost never successful - to blood two young halves together for extended periods. There's few better examples of this than our round 2 opponent, the Broncos. The best thing for Bud and Junior's development, but also best for the team, is that we have one accomplished, experienced player in the halves.

And that's obviously going to be our biggest name player in Hunt. And if it's Hunt, then for the balance of the team, the right halves partner is Sullivan.

You seem a bit hyper-focused on what people in this place say, and quick to take the contrarian view at the expense of clear evidence

I do agree with what you say, my issue I firmly believe Hunt can still control the game from 9, he's not a game manager. The other question I have is come time for Hunt to go, who gets his spot or if he is injured that with age is more than likely. I'd much rather have Sullivan Amone and Hunt all on the field together, with Sloan coming on a bit I think that would be a terrific spine , if it works out.

 

[blacksafake]

A

Amone 6 Sullivan 7 Hunt 9

Hunt 6 Bud 7 Liddle 9 with a proper reserve 9 at 14