My team for round 1

[nontime111]

I was appalled by the CS last night total disgrace, MARY F(*^ OFF PLEASE! the most NEGATIVE coach in our history....
we must be favourite for the spoon with that woeful pathetic garbage it was embarrassing to even watch

On yesterdays performance for backs Id go:

Dugan
Mcdonald
Milne
Mann
(Anyone else but Flo here)
Field
Mcrone


for a start, whatever just get RID of Widdop instantly what garbage

 

[SaintPauli]

1. Widdop (on notice) (needs to be stripped off captaincy - seems under too much pressure)
2. Nene
3. Milne
4. Lafai (on notice) / Aitken
5. Mann (No Flo - will be targeted all year)
6. Nona
7. Field
8. Ah Mau (needs to step up)
9. Mcinnes
10. Packer
11. Frizz (Captain)
12. Thommo
13. JDB

14. Sims
15. Vaughn
16. Aitken / Lafai
17. Havili

 

[Carlton]

Old Timer ...
I pretty much agree .. though I would play McCrone at 7 over Nona. I think McCrone has the experience to just move the forwards around the paddock and give early ball to field - he wont break games apart, he will just do the basic organisation stuff well. I would play them traditional half/5-8 not left right. Give Field the flexibility to inject where he can. it was noticeable today that widdop was doing everything to make sure the ball stayed left and Field hardly touched it.

Hunt/Field will be interesting next year.

I think McCrone is solid, boring but solid. He will do the little things, defend well, move the forwards around and give the ball not run sideways. The vanilla style half play would help the young 5/8s, either Mann or Field to fit in to the team and be able to play a bit more dominantly than with Widdop there.

I would go with Mann as 5/8 because I think at this stage he is a genuine first grader while Field needs to play in the Cutters to develop a bit more before throwing him in. Mann is a stronger defender than Field and knows how to look after himself physically in first grade.

 

[Eatons Hill Dragon]

The only way we have a chance of wining Round 1 is if Mary picks this team.
Even then I'm still not confident under his so called Coaching.

1). Boyd.
2). Nightingale.
3). Gasnier.
4). Cooper.
5). Morris.
6). Soward.
7). Hornby (c).
13). Smith.
12). Scott.
11). Creagh.
10). Costigan.
9). Young.
8). Weyman.
RES :
14). Prior.
15). Fien.
16). Saffy.
17). Merrin.

 

[BennyV]

Playing Field from the bench would be ridiculous for Mary. Kid needs game time, if he's not starting first grade (which he shouldn't be) he should be racking up the miles in NSW Cup.

 

[borat]

As much as I think Field is a star of the future I honestly believe that throwing him into the starting team now will do more harm than good. As a rookie halfback he will struggle to direct the team around the park. As a fullback he will be targeted and bombed to. A bad game will wreck his confidence. About the only position he could start imo is at 5/8th with an experienced and dominant halfback, which we don't have.

IMO realistically the halves will be McCrone and Widdop. McCrone and Nona are really the only halfback options for a halfback to direct the team around the park. And we need it, we lack direction. Its sad that McCrone is our best option but it is what it is.

Widdop, who I would happily drop if we had a decent halfback, will stay at 5/8th. He is the captain and our most experienced half and I just can't see any way he will be dropped. If anything Mary will go first and a new coach come in who will also persist with Widdop. The only way Widdop will get dropped is round 19/20 when there is nothing left to play for and he is signed elsewhere.

But clearly something needs to change. Pretty much all of last year I argued that Dugan should stay at fullback. IMO he is still one of the best fullbacks in the comp and defensively the best. I hate the idea of weakening ourselves at fullback to compensate for the sh*t we dish up in the halves every week. But we need something else and we still get a lot out of Dugan in the centres. So I would go back to Mann. He is a year older and wiser, hopefully better for the experience and will provide that extra spark in attack that we desperately need.

So my very begrudging Rd 1 team

1. Mann
2. McDonald
3. Dugan
4. Aitken
5. Nightingale
6. Widdop
7. McCrone
8. Ah Mau
9. McInnes
10. Packer
11.Thospmson
12. Frizzell
13. De Belin

14. Field
15. Vaughan
16. Sims
17. Host

 

[Glenn01]

1. Dufty
2. McDonald
3. Dugan (co. C)
4. Milne
5. *********** (Don't know)
6. Mann
7. McCrone
8. Au Mau
9. McInnes
10. Packer
11. Thompson
12. Frizzell
13. De Bellin (co. C)

14. Vaughan
15. Sims
16. Host
17. Nightingale (he was very good coming off the bench in Bennett's first year)

If Dufty is still injured, Dugan #1, Aitken #3

 

[St Georgio]

At the end of the day whatever team you select won't matter, there isn't enough creativity from McGregor, after 6 rounds they will be 2 wins 4 losses, McGregor will say the same rehearsed shit, we'll continue to post the same every week, the board absolutely stinks to high heaven, sitting in the lofty offices protecting one of there own.

 

[Dragsters]

After yesterday's abysmal trail of our potential halves where Mann got zero time and any time Field had was scuttled by Widdop hogging the ball, this is the team I think can provide the much needed creativity we lacked yesterday.

1. Dugan

2. Nene

3. Milne

4. Lafai

5. Flo

6. Mann

7. McCrone

8. Packer

9. Mcinnes

10. Ah Mau

11. Frizzell

12. Thompson

13. JDB

14. Vaughan

15. Sims

16. Host

17. Field

McCrone did ok just steering the ship in the first half yesterday and looks a better option for this role than widdop who needs to drop back to cutters for a while at least, his confidence looks shot. Mccrone can also cover hooker if needed.

The most creative we have looked in the halves over the 9's and trials was when Mann was playing there vs the Warriors and the Tigers and mary not giving him time there yesterday was mind-boggling.

Field can come on at the back of each half and run amok with tiring opposition forwards.

 

[SBD82]

The only way we have a chance of wining Round 1 is if Mary picks this team.
Even then I'm still not confident under his so called Coaching.

1). Boyd.
2). Nightingale.
3). Gasnier.
4). Cooper.
5). Morris.
6). Soward.
7). Hornby (c).
13). Smith.
12). Scott.
11). Creagh.
10). Costigan.
9). Young.
8). Weyman.
RES :
14). Prior.
15). Fien.
16). Saffy.
17). Merrin.

No way that side wins anything. Hornby is not a halfback.

 

[Eta Carinae]

After yesterday's abysmal trail of our potential halves where Mann got zero time and any time Field had was scuttled by Widdop hogging the ball, this is the team I think can provide the much needed creativity we lacked yesterday.

1. Dugan

2. Nene

3. Milne

4. Lafai

5. Flo

6. Mann

7. McCrone

8. Packer

9. Mcinnes

10. Ah Mau

11. Frizzell

12. Thompson

13. JDB

14. Vaughan

15. Sims

16. Host

17. Field

McCrone did ok just steering the ship in the first half yesterday and looks a better option for this role than widdop who needs to drop back to cutters for a while at least, his confidence looks shot. Mccrone can also cover hooker if needed.

The most creative we have looked in the halves over the 9's and trials was when Mann was playing there vs the Warriors and the Tigers and mary not giving him time there yesterday was mind-boggling.

Field can come on at the back of each half and run amok with tiring opposition forwards.

The continued selection of Lafai is starting to take on Widdop-like proportions. Do the pair of them have to run around the field purposely tripping team-mates before they are dropped? Widdop already runs around tripping up the outside backs though I don't think it's on purpose. Other than that, I like your idea.

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

I will start picking mine when Marys gone.....waste of time otherwise

 

[Lethal25]

On a positive note JDB had his best game for some time.

IMO no chance Field gets picked. Coach will pick a team that's less likely to lose than putting a rookie in the hot seat

 

[Dragsters]

The continued selection of Lafai is starting to take on Widdop-like proportions. Do the pair of them have to run around the field purposely tripping team-mates before they are dropped? Widdop already runs around tripping up the outside backs though I don't think it's on purpose. Other than that, I like your idea.

Thanks I think.

On Lafai, i am reticent to hang anyone that has had to play outside of Widdop!

If he is indeed fully fit let's see how he goes with some decent ball.

Anyhow, Milne is a beast and his combo with nene is something to get excited about.

 

[barry]

Barry ... aitken is easily omitted ...
he is not our best fullback, not one of our best two wingers, not one of our best two centres, not one of our best two halves , etc etc etc

Good tackler, good runner of the ball
BUT
Poor defender and poor attacker

His future is back row but he is behind friz/thommo/host/Leila/JDB/havili. Best place for him is 11/12/13 with cutters

How can I forget about Leilua, my bad... can not believe the drunk didn't play Leilua in a trial match....

I'd put Leilua on the bench instead of Aitken

 

[MilanDragon]

This line of thought kills me.

Milne is the best right centre at the club, so play him there. If duges is not good enough to hold the fullback spot, then he will need to displace someone where he can improve on the job they are doing in that position. Nothing he has done in a red/white, blue or green/gold jersey in the 4 suggests to me that he is an improvement on Milne there.

Milne is not a second rower, and if he were, there's a guy by the name of Tyson Frizzel in front of him, who plays 80 on the right edge. But he's just not a 12. His pet play is to get the ball on the outside of his opposing centre. He'll get jammed all day if he tries that at 12.

Milne is a better right centre than anyone at the club. So play him at right centre. It really is that simple.

Dugan is good enough to hold the FB place at our club, but it's about generating some sort of attack and changing something to spark the attack.

I can appreciate what you say about Milne and the second row.. I don't think he is a second rower either but rather could be played on the edge of coming off the bench.. that way he still gets FG experience. In saying that if Milne is the best RC we have then why isn't he playing there for NSW or Australia like Dugan is? We have the Australian and NSW centre at our club and our other centre is Aitken who played rep footy last year.

Otherwise I'd support playing Milne at RC, Dugan at FB and then Widdop to half and Firld goes onto the bench

 

[RufusRex]

The entire Australian 3/4 last year was made up of 5 fullbacks

Boyd, Inglis, Dugan, Ferguson, Holmes ... pretty much all of them playing decent time at fullback at a club level or about to.

Just because Dugan is an aussie centre doesn't make him less of a Club Fullback.

I think Dufty will come in eventually to FB but that will take time and will no doubt be via Nightingales wing. Until that happens Dugan is our best option for fullback (despite being the clubs best right centre - we just don't consider him there as he is our FB).

Milne is our best option for right centre. left centre still up in the air though.

 

[Old Timer]

Soward of 2010 would make Dugan the most feared FB in the game.
Bennett 2010 would successfully build a game plan to suit Dugan.
Any conclusions you can draw from that analysis?

 

[Glenn01]

Thanks I think.

On Lafai, i am reticent to hang anyone that has had to play outside of Widdop!

If he is indeed fully fit let's see how he goes with some decent ball.

Anyhow, Milne is a beast and his combo with nene is something to get excited about.

Truth in that comment but even with Widdiot inside them, other backs with much more limited opportunities have shown much more promise.

 

[Dragsters]

This line of thought kills me.

Milne is the best right centre at the club, so play him there. If duges is not good enough to hold the fullback spot, then he will need to displace someone where he can improve on the job they are doing in that position. Nothing he has done in a red/white, blue or green/gold jersey in the 4 suggests to me that he is an improvement on Milne there.

Milne is not a second rower, and if he were, there's a guy by the name of Tyson Frizzel in front of him, who plays 80 on the right edge. But he's just not a 12. His pet play is to get the ball on the outside of his opposing centre. He'll get jammed all day if he tries that at 12.

Milne is a better right centre than anyone at the club. So play him at right centre. It really is that simple.

Here here SBD82!

I could not agree more.

I have been banging on about Milne being the best natural right centre at the club for months.

Should be a lock in for right centre and I would even leave Nene on the right with him as they have a good combo.

Milne is a Beast!