In Fitzy We Trust

[Special K]

This is my point in a nutshell.
The perfect time to blood an out and out winger and opts for a kind of fullback come five eighth.

I was sure there’d be a late switch.

Pharquing grow a pair.

Who though? Stonestreet was hurt. Hiroti was hurt. The odds of having 3 wingers out at once is pretty slim. Our FB depth is Ison who isn't a winger and DA who is more of a 6. You could argue we should have a winger/fb type in waiting but that is what Taukamo was supposed to be. All reports are we are not renewing Taukamo and want to move him on so you can see why Fitz wasn't trying to pick him. Rodwell isn't NRL level but he is a winger. I can cop DA over Rodwell but at this point you are legit scraping the barrel espcially when we don't know if Sifa is a centre or not in the depth chart. You could use Gabreal but he is 1-2 games back after multiple weeks off and 18. Plus barely tested above 20 year olds. The reason we have guys like Gabreal, Taukamo in our top 30 is because we spend a lot on middle of the road players. We don't have Morgan Harper types but we also don't have Nathan Cleary types. We have 15-20 really solid players. We live and die by that.

I get that Royce and Tuku are only capable of playing short bursts but, to me, that gets down to coaching and strength and conditioning.
Why not try to get their conditioning up to handle longer minutes.

So on Royce they have tried to mould him into an impact player. I think we can agree it has worked but the issue is he can't play long minutes and even last night he was sloppy. I get the point but Royce has never hit real heights in his career - he is 29 next year. He has looked his best ever this season after an off season where they identified a specific role for him and he put on even more size. It comes undone when those around him aren't fit sure but I would say this is good coaching as it is the best Hunt I have seen in 2024. You can't change a players body type super quickly. Sifa is an example of this. We slimmed him down to play centre and are now moving him back to the forwards and are asking him to put the size back on.

The issue is BHU and Toby have not been fit for 2 f**king years. We have banked on them. We need them to sort their shit out. We have addressed this by buying AFB next year but this year we need the 1-2 on the depth chart to step the f**k up and quickly. Fitz signed them back on and needs to get them right. I didn't watch the jets today but saw JC got a double. I'd bring him in and punish J.Will for the two dropped balls. Time to be ruthless.

Fitz I have faith in. Is he too loyal? I don't know. Dropping Toby was fantastic for mine. I think we are just stuck in a shit storm that the only way out of is to fix the issue we have all been screaming about for years. Our middle. AFB helps sure but Toby and BHU need to be back next week and f**king firing.

 

[Stake Removed]

The sharks don’t do it. I said earlier in the week. We don’t let kids play footy.

I have been saying it for years

 

[Ozzi_78]

I have been saying it for years

I’ve been saying it for decades

 

[DJDL]

Who though? Stonestreet was hurt. Hiroti was hurt.

I know that. Shit timing.
I was talking about not debuting Rodwell.
As much as he's probably not at first grade level yet, I would still prefer a specialist winger than a guy with no real set position given one week's preparation.

The issue is BHU and Toby have not been fit for 2 f**king years. We have banked on them. We need them to sort their shit out. We have addressed this by buying AFB next year but this year we need the 1-2 on the depth chart to step the f**k up and quickly. Fitz signed them back on and needs to get them right. I didn't watch the jets today but saw JC got a double. I'd bring him in and punish J.Will for the two dropped balls. Time to be ruthless.

Bang on.

BHU we have a grand total of 112 minutes of play for the season.
Toby has also missed 6 matches, and been pretty much hobbled in the ones he's played.
Throw in the forced retirement of Dale and there's the first 3 middles which would usually be picked.
You could probably add JC missing the majority of the season, as he was pegged to play a huge role this year.

It sucks.

I still think Fitz has a hell of a lot to learn in bench rotation, and in brining youngsters through.

Until he sorts that out, I'm off him.

 

[DJDL]

I’ve been saying it for decades

Yep.
Back as far as the days of Ben Summit keeping Peach in reserve grade.
Probably even further.

 

[Stake Removed]

Xerri was last 18 year old I think we have debuted.
Every other team, and we are talking the top teams not just bottom teams since then have debuted 18 year Olds not us.

 

[Frenzy.]

Xerri was last 18 year old I think we have debuted.
Every other team, and we are talking the top teams not just bottom teams since then have debuted 18 year Olds not us.

The 18 year old with the body of a 25 year old. How did he do that?

What's your obsession with starting children in first grade?

Most of the Sharks 18 year olds are not up to it as they ply their trade in Flegg waiting for Jets contracted players to fall off the perch.

 

[Stake Removed]

The 18 year old with the body of a 25 year old. How did he do that?

What's your obsession with starting children in first grade?

Most of the Sharks 18 year olds are not up to it as they ply their trade in Flegg waiting for Jets contracted players to fall off the perch.

Maybe the question is why can't we have some of our 18 year olds ready to go, even to cover 1 or 2 games year, it seems other clubs can.
Is there a problem with our system getting them ready

 

[Special K]

We don't currently have a lights out 18 year old. If Kennedy was at the Raiders, Chevy wouldn't have made his debut yet. A WK injury, we have DA at fb. Ison could beat him out but we have a 23 year old ahead of him as it stands. I don't see that as a bad thing. Flanno would kill me holding players back (Brown over Holmes. Not using Brailey in 16 knowing Ennis was leaving and putting in McIlwrick) but this isn't the case atm.

Galvin for example wouldn't be playing first grade here. That is more of a reflection on the tigers and their development of players. You can complain and say Galvin is better than say Trindall which I am not sure I agree with but the Tigers throwing him into the deep end causes other issues. His parents upset he is playing hurt. Wanting to not ruin his development. f**k... Sounds like Xerri and the noise coming from his camp in 2019 trying to get to Souths/Roosters after a few games.

I was talking about not debuting Rodwell.
As much as he's probably not at first grade level yet, I would still prefer a specialist winger than a guy with no real set position given one week's preparation.

Rodwell isn't NRL level though. I'll put a beer on the line that he never breaks through. He simply isn't FG quality. DA is NRL quality - not as a winger but as a player in the 17. Not saying I am correct but personally I prefer an NRL player plugging a hole vs a NSW cup lifer.

 

[DJDL]

We don't currently have a lights out 18 year old. If Kennedy was at the Raiders, Chevy wouldn't have made his debut yet. A WK injury, we have DA at fb. Ison could beat him out but we have a 23 year old ahead of him as it stands. I don't see that as a bad thing. Flanno would kill me holding players back (Brown over Holmes. Not using Brailey in 16 knowing Ennis was leaving and putting in McIlwrick) but this isn't the case atm.

Galvin for example wouldn't be playing first grade here. That is more of a reflection on the tigers and their development of players. You can complain and say Galvin is better than say Trindall which IRodwell isn't NRL level though. I'll put a beer on the line that he never breaks through. He simply isn't FG quality. DA is NRL quality - not as a winger but as a player in the 17. Not saying I am correct but personally I prefer an NRL player plugging a hole vs a NSW cup lifer.

From what I’ve seen of Rodwell I’m inclined to agree.
But I’d still prefer a specialist winger over a manufactured one.
Not sure I agree DA is an NRL player either. To me, he’s a ‘tweener. Too good for NSW Cup, not quite NRL. If he’s getting a run, you’ve got issues.

Anyway, what’s the word on Stonestreet? Is it a long term injury?
I haven’t seen anything reported.

 

[Craigshark]

Bit harsh on Atkinson. Not sure what else you expected from him in his 5 or 6 chances in first grade? Won us the game in Melbourne, defended well and we won most of our games with him in the halves.

 

[Frenzy.]

Maybe the question is why can't we have some of our 18 year olds ready to go, even to cover 1 or 2 games year, it seems other clubs can.
Is there a problem with our system getting them ready

In my opinion yes. The Jets partnership. I love the Jets but the setup stops young blokes getting into NSW Cup as soon as they could. Having said that though, as Spec K says, there are no lights out kids at the Sharks. We're not Penrith and any we have from Penrith were possibly not wanted there.

 

[Tiger Shark]

This is my point in a nutshell.
The perfect time to blood an out and out winger and opts for a kind of fullback come five eighth.

I was sure there’d be a late switch.

Pharquing grow a pair.

lol

Honest question- have you seen Rodwell play.

There was no way he was ever playing and for good reason

 

[Stake Removed]

So what was highlighted by Frenzy and other the Jets partnership is blocking pathways for younger players.
I would rather have a sharks reserves who finish mid table but get players ready for first grade.
You except a odd veteran there in the forwards and the backs the others need to be there to come up now or future, not players stopping progress

 

[Big Bloke]

Has anyone seen this fellow in Flegg Riley Pollard play? We got him from Panthers I believe and from all reports he is a gun. But are we looking at another two years before he is even ready?

 

[R-15-3]

100% agree the Jets isn’t working.
I’d like to see a full NRL reserve grade play before every NRL game.
Top NRL squad of 30
Reserve grade squad of 20 but needs to be made up of a min number of players each under and over 22years, or something similar.
The Jets want to win and are happy to keep players who will never play top grade over blooding rookies.

 

[DJDL]

lol

Honest question- have you seen Rodwell play.

There was no way he was ever playing and for good reason

Yeah I've seen him play.
I said somewhere earlier in the thread that, from what I've seen of him, I don't think he's a viable long-term solution.
But I have no issue with giving him a run for a week, in a position he's played his entire life, instead of trying to make a winger out of Atkinson.
Jacob Gagai gets a run ffs, so why not Rodwell?

 

[Stake Removed]

Yeah I've seen him play.
I said somewhere earlier in the thread that, from what I've seen of him, I don't think he's a viable long-term solution.
But I have no issue with giving him a run for a week, in a position he's played his entire life, instead of trying to make a winger out of Atkinson.
Jacob Gagai gets a run ffs, so why not Rodwell?

I can understand where you are coming from I seen highlights of the game for jets and Rodwell didn't look the best if anyone it should have been Siteni Taukomo
He has been in system long enough has some speed as well

 

[Quicksilver]

We've had a couple of losses in first grade after being the top of the table. It is therefore clear to me that the Jets link must be abolished.

 

[Cheese sandwich]

What's the actual benefit of the jets partnership then? A question that's been asked for a long time not just this week.

Saving us about $50 a week wages?
Nostalgia for blokes aged 65 and above?