Eels trial.

[Luke Bowden]

Edwards hasn't trialed.
Cleary should he play may need a rest also
Salmon can give breathers to more players across the squad. This is where May's work was under estimated

Different positions. See above Martin and Kiks likely doesn't play full games and the lack of second rowers sees Smith get in.

Had a decent stint yesterday too which helps. Another edge would be handy right now

Ohhh! You’re talking about Chris Smith not Lindsay Smith.

Right, that makes more sense, I’d still pick Hopgood, but Ivan way we’ll go with him.

Edwards & Cleary play 80 mins or 0 mins. You don’t rest them.

Salmon is an option over Kenny, but Kenny is a much better, reliable hooker. The 14 should be his to lose.

 

[Iamback]

Just a trial. Against a first grade side which was stacked.

Penrith are still evolving. We struggled with Origin last year. Maybe this year the team will become like the Storm and win those types of games but I doubt it. Takes a long time to learn from the experience.

The young guys need gametime to get consistent. Guys like Puru were completely different guys this week from last that will improve as the year moves on

 

[Old and Disgruntled]

The young guys need gametime to get consistent. Guys like Puru were completely different guys this week from last that will improve as the year moves on

Would either of the Puru bros. be capable of 9 jersey?

 

[Luke Bowden]

I do hate repeating it despite what some think but geeez Luai was bad, I know he had no platform to work from but he needs to step up and lead when Nathan isn't there. Doing a few extra long kicks isn't stepping up either, he has a shit boot on him really. Should have been touching the ball a few times a set, getting into dummy half, whatever it takes

It means nothing, he was most likely told not to take the line on, try to only catch, pass and kick. Be passive in defence and above all, don’t get hurt.

Trial form means zero, good or bad

 

[Panfa]

Would either of the Puru bros. be capable of 9 jersey?

They both have a perfect buiild for a 9 position.I reckon they could handle it and do a decent job there also.

 

[Iamback]

It means nothing, he was most likely told not to take the line on, try to only catch, pass and kick. Be passive in defence and above all, don’t get hurt.

Trial form means zero, good or bad

We showed not much in the Parra trial last year either with a full side

 

[Kilkenny]

Yesterday was only a trial and as history shows they for the most part mean nothing.

In relation to yesterdays trials and our dummy half situation Connor Mason and Riley Smith we’re both just OK. Neither had a run out of dummy half, Riley Smith did have one very good kick out of dummy half.

In NSW Cup we were down at half time, Soni Luke came on and scored two tries with scoots out of dummy half in first 5 minutes or so to level game up and we went onto win. Luke came close to making his NRL debut with the Tigers, if anything happens to Api it is possible he might just do it with us.

 

[Iamback]

Would either of the Puru bros. be capable of 9 jersey?

The 5/8th could but even centre for him. Falls/O'Sullivan won't play much FG which opens up blooding other guys in other positions

 

[DinkyDi]

The point is Moses plays well in big games, including n Origin. The team fails as a whole because the roster has been weaker than the top clubs due to poor recruitment/retention prior to the relatively recent management restructure in 2019. Moses has been the least of our worries. He's a quality player.

He choked in origin.

 

[Whino]

Without looking it up. I can't even remember our trials last year.

 

[Old and Disgruntled]

He choked in origin.

Journalists have been quoted, describing him as flat track bully.
But , hats off to him and the Eels.

 

[Black Diamond]

The point is Moses plays well in big games, including n Origin. The team fails as a whole because the roster has been weaker than the top clubs due to poor recruitment/retention prior to the relatively recent management restructure in 2019. Moses has been the least of our worries. He's a quality player.

The point is he didn't play well in origin, as soon as the quality halves were not available, NSW lost

 

[Hooked]

Didn't think we would win with our line up compared to theirs. Scoreline should have been closer. Looked like at our guys couldn't have given a shit. You get that in trials.
The usual hacks will be out taking up Moses and the Eels after this result. #Eels Feb/Marchpremiers. #SeptChockers.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

It means nothing, he was most likely told not to take the line on, try to only catch, pass and kick. Be passive in defence and above all, don’t get hurt.

Trial form means zero, good or bad

It definitely means nothing for established first graders. They normally just go through the motions in trials.

 

[Hamstring awareness]

I know it’s “only a trial” but I still thought it would be worth assessing the individual performances of the players. It’s not panic stations yet but it did highlight the lack of depth at 2nd row and centre which may come back to bite us if injuries strike.

1. Charlie STAINES - Was’t terrible, just played like a winger positioned at fullback. Hopefully this ended the obsession of some posters calling for him to replace Edwards. I did wonder during the game if his increase in size has affected his speed?
2. Robert JENNINGS - Tries hard but I can’t get excited by him as he has zero x-factor. I like the fact he’s always keen to take a hit up, he’s like a bargain bin version of To’o.
3. Izack TAGO - Got absolutely burned in defence a couple of times. I went from being all in on him to wishing to god we had a decent centre option so he could play that bench utility role (covering edge 2nd row or centre in the case of injury only). Cleary has already given him the centre spot though so let’s hope his defence improves quickly.
4. Stephen CRICHTON - Expected more from him but unfortunately it was one of those games he has sometimes where he is totally invisible. Didn’t help that he had a middle forward playing out of position on his inside but I wonder if it would be better to move him back to the left now Burton is gone?
5. Brian TO'O - Uncharacteristically average game. Hopefully will be better for the run.
6. Jarome LUAI - Poor game, needed to play a leading role with Cleary out but didn’t. I know it’s only a trial but he also looked lost at times when Cleary was injured last season. Turning the ball outside to Kikau on every play isn’t going to challenge the opposition defence.
7. Sean O'SULLIVAN - Tried hard but showed why he’s a fringe first grader. Totally outclassed by Moses. Wasn’t helped at all by his forwards or Luai though.
8. Moses LEOTA - Best forward for us by quite some margin. One of the few Panthers who impressed.
9. Apisai KOROISAU - Diabolically bad. Directly resulted in 2 tries and a number of dropped balls through horrible service out of dummy half and simple fumbles. I wonder how much the anti-vax distractions have affected his pre-season.
16. J'maine HOPGOOD - Got a shot at starting prop with Leniu out. I’ve been a Hopgood apologist but I thought he had a poor game and wouldn’t care if he starts the year in NSW Cup. He’s not quite Billy Burns level but he seems to be good for at least 1 or 2 simple errors per game.
11. Viliame KIKAU - Really poor both in defence and attack. The fact he’ll have to play big minutes due to the lack of edge 2nd row depth is terrifying.
12. Scott SORENSEN - Love Sorro, don’t love him on an edge. Play him in the middle or not at all.
13. Matt EISENHUTH - Not up to first grade. Get well soon Isaah!

14. Mavrik GEYER - Had about 2 minutes of game time before going off injured. I think last week showed he’s still a way off first grade anyway so we probably didn’t need a 2nd look at him.
15. Chris SMITH - Played ok and might be a chance of a bench spot considering he can cover an edge.
17. Jaeman SALMON - Wasn’t a fan before and still am not. The fact he can cover a few different positions is the only upside, not enough to warrant a bench spot though IMO.
18. Eddie BLACKER - Career NSW cup level player, how can a guy of his size cause so little damage?
19. Sunia TURUVA - Wasn’t bad in very limited minutes, might still be a little raw for first grade but has potential and shows enthusiasm.
20. Taylan MAY - One of the only impressive Panthers players. It’s a pity he got so few minutes and I wonder if that’s an indication of his position in the pecking order? I’d be fine with him starting at wing from round 1 as he’d provide some x-factor.
21. Mitch KENNY - Didn’t impress but may have been gassed from playing earlier. If he’s our number 1 hooker next year we’re in big trouble.
25. Liam HENRY - Didn’t impress in limited minutes
28. Hohepa PURU - Got a few junk time minutes and unfortunately dropped the ball off the May line break

 

[Poupou Escobar]

The point is he didn't play well in origin, as soon as the quality halves were not available, NSW lost

Wighton is a Dally M winner. He is absolutely a better player than Luai. The difference in result could be down to less familiarity between the halves and very different motivation levels between the two teams. It's why so many Origin dead rubbers are won by the team that lost the series. Motivation is so important in a sport like this.

Moses finished Origin with a fracture in his back and still set up two tries. If you think he's not a quality player that says something about you.

 

[Smug Panther]

I know it’s “only a trial” but I still thought it would be worth assessing the individual performances of the players. It’s not panic stations yet but it did highlight the lack of depth at 2nd row and centre which may come back to bite is if injuries strike.

1. Charlie STAINES - Was’t terrible, just played like a winger positioned at fullback. Hopefully this ended the obsession of some posters calling for him to replace Edwards. I did wonder during the game if his increase in size has affected his speed?
2. Robert JENNINGS - Tries hard but I can’t get excited by him as he has zero x-factor. I like the fact he’s always keen to take a hit up. I like to think of him as a bargain bin version of To’o.
3. Izack TAGO - Got absolutely burned in defence a couple of times. I went from being all in on him to wishing to god we had a decent centre option so he could play that bench utility role (covering edge 2nd row or centre in the case of injury only). Cleary has basically already given him the centre spot though so let’s just hope his defence improves quickly.
4. Stephen CRICHTON - Expected more from him but unfortunately it was one of those games he has sometimes where he is totally invisible. Didn’t help that he had a middle forward playing out of position on his inside but I wonder if it would be better to move him back to the left now Burton is gone.
5. Brian TO'O - Uncharacteristically average game. Hopefully will be better for the run.
6. Jarome LUAI - Poor game, needed to play a leading role with Cleary but didn’t. I know it’s only a trial but he also looked lost at times when Cleary was injured last season. Turning the ball outside to Kikau on every play isn’t going to challenge many opposition defences.
7. Sean O'SULLIVAN - Tried hard but showed why he’s a fringe first grader. Totally outclassed by Moses. Wasn’t helped at all by his forwards or Luai though.
8. Moses LEOTA - Best forward for us by quite some margin. One of the few Panthers who impressed.
9. Apisai KOROISAU - Diabolically bad. Directly resulted in 2 tries and a number of dropped balls through horrible service out of dummy half and simple fumbles. I wonder how much the anti-vax distractions have affected his pre-season.
16. J'maine HOPGOOD - Got a shot at starting prop with Leniu out. I’ve been a Hopgood apologist but I thought he had a poor game and wouldn’t care if he starts the year in NSW Cup. He’s not quite Billy Burns level but he seems to be good for at least 1 or 2 simple errors per game.
11. Viliame KIKAU - Really poor both in defence and attack. The fact he’ll have to play big minutes due to the lack of edge 2nd row depth is terrifying.
12. Scott SORENSEN - Love Sorro, don’t love him on an edge. Play him in the middle or not at all.
13. Matt EISENHUTH - Not up to first grade. Get well soon Isaah!

14. Mavrik GEYER - Had about 2 minutes of game time before going off injured. I think last week showed he’s still a way off first grade anyway so we probably didn’t need a 2nd look at him.
15. Chris SMITH - Played ok and might be a chance of a bench spot considering he can cover an edge.
17. Jaeman SALMON - Wasn’t a fan before and still am not. The fact he can cover a few different positions is the only upside, not enough to warrant a bench spot though IMO.
18. Eddie BLACKER - NSW cup level player
19. Sunia TURUVA - Wasn’t bad in very limited minutes, might still be a little raw fit first grade but has potential.
20. Taylan MAY - One of the only impressive Panthers players. It’s a pity he got so few minutes and I wonder if that’s an indication of his position in the pecking order? I’d be fine with him starting at wing from round 1 as he’d provide some x-factor.
21. Mitch KENNY - Didn’t impress but may have been gassed from playing earlier. If he’s our number 1 hooker next year we’re in big trouble.
25. Liam HENRY - Didn’t impress in limited minutes
28. Hohepa PURU - Got a few junk time minutes and dropped the ball off the May line break

Great post agree with almost everything, especially your call on Salmon

 

[Hamstring awareness]

The point is Moses plays well in big games, including n Origin. The team fails as a whole because the roster has been weaker than the top clubs due to poor recruitment/retention prior to the relatively recent management restructure in 2019. Moses has been the least of our worries. He's a quality player.

The criticism of Moses has always been that he’s a flat track bully, the exact opposite of someone who plays well in big games. I did think he was good in last years finals though.

 

[Luke Bowden]

Yesterday was only a trial and as history shows they for the most part mean nothing.

In relation to yesterdays trials and our dummy half situation Connor Mason and Riley Smith we’re both just OK. Neither had a run out of dummy half, Riley Smith did have one very good kick out of dummy half.

In NSW Cup we were down at half time, Soni Luke came on and scored two tries with scoots out of dummy half in first 5 minutes or so to level game up and we went onto win. Luke came close to making his NRL debut with the Tigers, if anything happens to Api it is possible he might just do it with us.

I’m a massive Soni Luke Fan, I really hope he kicks on this season. He’s also a very popular player within the 1st grade squad

 

[Black Diamond]

Wighton is a Dally M winner. He is absolutely a better player than Luai. The difference in result could be down to less familiarity between the halves and very different motivation levels between the two teams. It's why so many Origin dead rubbers are won by the team that lost the series. Motivation is so important in a sport like this.

Moses finished Origin with a fracture in his back and still set up two tries. If you think he's not a quality player that says something about you.

Ok so now you resort to insulting me to try and get your point across. Moses is a flat track bully. Cleary is what a quality player actually is, Moses is not in the same class as Cleary by a longshot. Cleary had a busted shoulder and still managed to steer panthers through a tough finals series with a busted team, win a premiership and take home Clive Churchill medal. Setting up 2 tries in a losing side in a dead rubber hardly compares.