F.O Andrew Webster

[Matiunz]

Yep. Good on him for having the strength of his convictions.

Guess where the finger will be pointed and the reason given for any losses we have this year? It'll be CNK's fault, because Roger could, should and would have done better with the No.1

Do think CNK is the better fullback in terms of team involvement (RTS being better at individual brilliance).
He might prove me wrong but RTS seems to be not so flash at positions other than Fullback whereas CNK can slot in much easier around the backline

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

In for another year of CNK at fullback judging by Webbys first trial team

Yep looks like it. Saw an article yesterday where DWZ said Roger had been training on the left wing too. I can live with that, so long as he stays there. Spent last pre-season training at left centre so at least he's on the same side of the field.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Do think CNK is the better fullback in terms of team involvement (RTS being better at individual brilliance).
He might prove me wrong but RTS seems to be not so flash at positions other than Fullback whereas CNK can slot in much easier around the backline

Ah man I'll be honest, I don't really know league well enough to know how it looks in terms of the structure of the side and how we want to play.

I know CNK has been a huge metre eater - he was 4th I think, in the comp last year - but RTS is probably a better line buster and maybe support player? And both are decent organisers?

And it's about the bigger picture of can RTS go well on the wing? Is CNK even in our best XVII if he's not fullback, and what do we lose if he isn't? It's too nuanced for me and my limited, but passionate league following.

Webby painted himself into a corner last year by saying RTS was a centre, which he admits. It's not as simple as who is the best fullback, it's a consideration of what is the best XVII to play the way we want to/need to in order to be a finals team and actually give it a shake.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

‘Dirty on myself’: The dressing-room walkout that speaks volumes about Fonua-Blake

Cronulla’s star recruit wanted no part of the celebrations after the Warriors’ shock win over Penrith in 2024. It says a lot about what drives the elite prop.

www.smh.com.au

Didn't know where to put this:

Fonua-Blake quietly removed himself from the Warriors dressing room as they celebrated an upset win over Penrith, one of the gutsiest in their history considering the injuries they sustained before and during the Magic Round clash.

But the reigning Dally M prop of the year was quietly filthy. His seven runs for 62 metres with a couple of errors against the Panthers made for his smallest statistical impact on a game since his first two seasons in the NRL.

“I wasn’t dirty on my teammates; I was dirty on myself and how I’d played. I didn’t lead in that game and didn’t lead my team. It was the wrong decision at the time and I put my hand up for it, that’s all I can do. I took my one-week stand down for it. I think I came back into the team playing well and that was a point I wanted to make from it.”

I don't believe that explanation for a second.

 

[Meth]

‘Dirty on myself’: The dressing-room walkout that speaks volumes about Fonua-Blake

Cronulla’s star recruit wanted no part of the celebrations after the Warriors’ shock win over Penrith in 2024. It says a lot about what drives the elite prop.

www.smh.com.au

Didn't know where to put this:

Fonua-Blake quietly removed himself from the Warriors dressing room as they celebrated an upset win over Penrith, one of the gutsiest in their history considering the injuries they sustained before and during the Magic Round clash.

But the reigning Dally M prop of the year was quietly filthy. His seven runs for 62 metres with a couple of errors against the Panthers made for his smallest statistical impact on a game since his first two seasons in the NRL.

“I wasn’t dirty on my teammates; I was dirty on myself and how I’d played. I didn’t lead in that game and didn’t lead my team. It was the wrong decision at the time and I put my hand up for it, that’s all I can do. I took my one-week stand down for it. I think I came back into the team playing well and that was a point I wanted to make from it.”

I don't believe that explanation for a second.

hmmm, I'm kinda inclined to accept it, to be honest. He seemed to become a better influence on and, as much as we can tell, off the field once he came back into the group. He was a players' player of the year.

 

[Rich102]

We will miss him.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

hmmm, I'm kinda inclined to accept it, to be honest. He seemed to become a better influence on and, as much as we can tell, off the field once he came back into the group. He was a players' player of the year.

I’d largely believe him, but I think it also highlights a degree of petulance/unreliability in his character. Good on him for recognising that he lapsed in that game but it shouldn’t have happened at all.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

I’d largely believe him, but I think it also highlights a degree of petulance/unreliability in his character. Good on him for recognising that he lapsed in that game but it shouldn’t have happened at all.

Yeah I guess it's not unbelievable, it is petulant as hell, though. I'd lay into my 7 year old for sitting in the car after a game away from team mates. Never heard of it in decades of following the NRL. When I played sport at a much less lofty level, playing poorly would have lost its edge once the team won. That suggests a bit of narcissism to sulk off even when you beat the other team, especially the 3-time premiers.

I guess that's what you get with AFB. He's absolutely everything the Sharks need (apart from a genuine organising half) so they'll have to hope they get the good version more often than not.

 

[Meth]

Yeah I guess it's not unbelievable, it is petulant as hell, though. I'd lay into my 7 year old for sitting in the car after a game away from team mates. Never heard of it in decades of following the NRL. When I played sport at a much less lofty level, playing poorly would have lost its edge once the team won. That suggests a bit of narcissism to sulk off even when you beat the other team, especially the 3-time premiers.

I guess that's what you get with AFB. He's absolutely everything the Sharks need (apart from a genuine organising half) so they'll have to hope they get the good version more often than not.

definitely petulant. On the positive, seems as if he owned it, copped it and turned it around. Such a great player. We’ll miss him on the field

 

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

I still get asked at least weekly
Who would i rather have, AFB or JFH

To get us to a premiership i would have AFB 100 times out of 100

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Yeah, I agree with the above. He's the most damaging player in the world when on form. There's not a single player like him in the comp

 

[Meth]

I still get asked at least weekly
Who would i rather have, AFB or JFH

To get us to a premiership i would have AFB 100 times out of 100

And yet, JFH is 4-0 on the Premiership front

 

[Rich102]

Different situation.
How many times has JFH won the Penrith POD?
And AFB the Warriors POD?
Still both great players - shame we couldn't have both at once.

I think we have to cut Addin some slack.
He must have had a lot of stress this year off the field.

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

I still get asked at least weekly
Who would i rather have, AFB or JFH

To get us to a premiership i would have AFB 100 times out of 100

Yea agree... lotta love for JFH so feels sacrilegious even thinking it but man, AFB is another level.

If I was trying to build long term and I knew there were some really quality kids coming through, I'd have Fish. So as of today, I think he's the right person for us.

But if we were genuine contenders and had just one season to crack it, I'd have AFB over anyone else, including Haas.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

And yet, JFH is 4-0 on the Premiership front

Yeah, but Fish comes into our environment and things are different. At Penrith, he just plays his role - bloody well - and the quality and systems around him do the rest. That incredibly damaging runner that AFB was, it gave us a point of difference that Fish won't. Leadership, no dout JFH gives us far more. AFB gave us a try scoring threat in the middle in the opposition's 20m, which Fish doesn't and at times last year, our halves didn't.

But yeah, maybe Fish mentors a bunch of guys who come through and become world beaters, which AFB wouldn't be doing.

 

[JJ]

JFH is great, but should remember the quality overall of that Penrith pack, which is as good as there's ever been, and Leota is no slouch, and Yeo is better than I ever thought possible, and one of the all time great 13s...

But AFB, like Haas, offers extra - there's no question of that - but I don't think JFH vs AFB is the reason we won't win a premiership at the moment, the middle will be good, that's not our issue

 

[SpaceMonkey]

The question is what we need more - AFBs try scoring X factor or JFHs mana and leadership. And I think there’s strong arguments for both.

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

AFB is a good player but let's not gloss over the fact he's a sulking bitch when he doesn't get his way.

 

[JJ]

AFB is a good player but let's not gloss over the fact he's a sulking bitch when he doesn't get his way.

yep, but hardly the Lone Ranger there - and as far as props go, he's much more than "a good player", as is JFH in different ways... I'm happy either way tbh... but AFB is a much more unique talent than JFH

 

[Big Marn]

The question is what we need more - AFBs try scoring X factor or JFHs mana and leadership. And I think there’s strong arguments for both.

We shouldnt be relying on a prop to be scoring tries for us, which means theres an inherent problem elsewhere. That the coaching team is currently devoid of ideas in the redzone. The team has no problem getting to the redzone, but it completely stalled there last year and it required the brute force of AFB to pry it open. The backline plays from 2023 were no longer highly effective and nothing new was cooked up for 2024 to defeat well coached defences. If the team doesnt have better attacking strategies, (use of the offload would be a good start) it will be 2024 all over again regardless of who the props are.