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NSW 2019

Reflector

Reflector

Bench
Messages
2,546
Latrell hadn't been in great form over the previous few weeks, even barring Origin. I think Freddy dropped him to make a statement that no player is beyond being dropped. I'm hoping he'll be better for it and we'll see him return to his best. Not sure what's going on with him, but it appears there's other issues distracting him atm and maybe Freddy didn't want that to have a negative effect on the team?

The questionable selections for mine are Fergo, Wade Graham, Saifi and Wighton. The first two are throwbacks to those clumsy, poorly-disciplined Blues teams Daley coached. A newbie like Saifiti would be better utilised off the bench, and however good Wighton is defensively, his passing makes me hold my breath. We've already got Maloney to worry about in that regard...
 
Chief_Chujo

Chief_Chujo

First Grade
Messages
8,136
Willie Ray said:
there must be more to Latrell being dropped...he scored about twenty points today and played okay.
Jimmy's back...and good luck to Finucane and Saifiti.
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They laid it out after a Origin one. "There's always something else going on with latrell other than football". They weren't happy with his attitude in camp and after he put in a below par performance they're giving him a kick up the ass. It's old school "hard knocks" style coaching I don't agree with but that's what I thinks happened.
 
Willie Ray

Willie Ray

Bench
Messages
2,519
Chief_Chujo said:
They laid it out after a Origin one. "There's always something else going on with latrell other than football". They weren't happy with his attitude in camp and after he put in a below par performance they're giving him a kick up the ass. It's old school "hard knocks" style coaching I don't agree with but that's what I thinks happened.
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yep...fair call.
 
Woosh

Woosh

Head Moderator
Messages
1,088
Poor Latrell.. must be embarrassing getting your origin career destroyed by Lady Gagaga
 
TheFrog

TheFrog

Coach
Messages
14,300
Xcalibre said:
Graham, Finucane and Tom Trbo are warranted selections.
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Finucane is a lock who can play prop at a pinch, but as a benchie is appropriate. Deserves selection. Tom Turbo is a matchwinner, but should have been selected on the wing where he did so well last year. Then they could have kept J Morris who did nothing wrong. Graham is a fine player but firstly he's a backrower where a frontrower was needed, and secondly he was out of favour last year as part of the '17 disaster, and has only had 2 games back, a selection that smacks of desperation. As does the Maloney last man standing selection for that matter.

Wighton should have stayed on the bench, or if you must play him as starting centre a bench utility is needed. Graham can play in the halves but not the centres. If I were Walters I'd be instructing the Qld thug trust to belt the NSW backs at every opportunity, in an effort to get them off for a HIA. Even if it means getting 10 in the bin. Then they'll have forwards playing completely unfamiliar positions in the backline.
 
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Tommy Smith

Tommy Smith

Referee
Messages
21,344
Latrell dropped for allegedly not putting in.

Meanwhile Tariq Sims spent about two full seasons not having a dig at Newcastle (and has done similar in patches this year, including today) but gets recalled.

Great consistency.
 
Jason Maher

Jason Maher

Immortal
Messages
35,991
Forget the changes to the backline. At least Jimmy can feed them quality ball, something Walker utterly failed to do in game 1. The big problem is the pack. Freddy obviously hates prop forwards and has a hard on for back rowers. Vaughan is the only genuine prop forward in the team who is capable of laying a platform. Saifiti averages 87 metres and 24 tackles per game. He's a fish out of water and I feel sorry for the kid. Freddy has essentially gone all in on Trbojevic, Frizell, Finucaine, Sims, and Murray being pseudo front-rowers. From 3 genuine props we've gone to 1, a poor kid way out of his depth, and a bunch of very good back rowers being asked to play out of position.

The most obvious thing that needed fixing from game 1 was a full 4 prop rotation. It doesn't help that Klem and Haas are both unavailable, and that the obvious next cab McLean is as well. Sub-optimal choices though they may be, we have 3 actual front rowers with Origin experience we could have recalled: Matt Prior, James Tamou, and Reagan Campbell-Gillard. Bag them all you want, a full front row rotation featuring those 3 with Vaughan is surely better than Vaughan + Saifiti + asking the back rowers I listed above to fill the gap.
 
I

isaiah

Bench
Messages
4,978
no name said:
Kevvie and the two heads will be rubbing their hands together. I thought Freddy would be the opposite of panic.
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Look up panic in the dictionary.... you know the rest. I thought from last year he might be one of many that was beginning to understand how origin is up a level.
 
TheFrog

TheFrog

Coach
Messages
14,300
Jason Maher said:
The most obvious thing that needed fixing from game 1 was a full 4 prop rotation.
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It has been the problem as long as Fittler has been coach. He got away with using Cordner as a pseudo prop/battering ram a la Gallen last year but his bench rotation has always been seriously messed up.
 
L

Liddell

Juniors
Messages
2,175
Teddy and Cook have a hell of a job getting this side over the line, even more than last year.

At least if blues lose, they can let them go back and focus on winning a comp this year so Brandy and Buderus can get their wish and bring in Dylan Edwards and Connor Watson.
 
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