Official Team v NZ Warriors

[azsportza]

MATCH DAY INFORMATION:

Members’ Gates open: 3.15pm
General Public Gates open: 3.30pm
Schoolboys Cup: 3.45pm
U20s Kick-off: 5.15pm
NRL Kick-off: 7.45pm

1. Tim Moltzen 2. Beau Ryan 3. Joel Reddy 4. Blake Ayshford 5. Lote Tuiqiri 6. Chris Lawrence 7. Benji Marshall 8. Aaron Woods 9. Tom Humble 10. Keith Galloway 11. Adam Blair 12. Liam Fulton 13. Matt Bell

Interchange: 14. Ben Murdoch-Masila 15. Matt Utai 16. Ray Cashmere 17. Pat Politoni

Source: http://www.weststigers.com.au/team-announcement

CHANGES:

• Tom Humble starts at Hooker with Robbie Farah out with Origin duties
• Balmain Tigers Hooker Pat Politoni gets a bench spot
• Chris Lawrence gets another chance in the halves
• Matt Utai returns to first grade after a few games in the NSW Cup following his recovery from injury

 

[Leaguelegend20]

Ridiculous.... Why persist with Benji at 7 and Lawrence at 6. Mind boggling.

 

[aids]

Moltzen and Lote

apart from that, good side

 

[Tiger05]

I don't think it is a bad side. There is some good impact off the bench.

Reddy and Ayshford must be the slowest centre combination in the game. Ryan and Tuqiri are also slow. Still they are all bit and capable of making an impact.

Geez Blair to me seems like a waste of space and dollars at the moment. He really needs to pick his game up.

 

[meltiger]

Maybe this will put some pressure on Lote? Can't have him and Shitai there long term.

Junior Moors banged his missus, I swear

 

[magpie_man]

Not a bad side all things considered.
At least politoni is getting a run

 

[hybrid_tiger]

What a dead set joke. Lawrence in the halves and only two forwards (excluding Politoni) on the bench against one of the biggest packs in the NRL.

How is this a good side, FFS?

 

[meltiger]

Yep. Clearly didn't watch the 2nd half of the semi after Gibbs was injured

 

[Tiger05]

How is this a good side, FFS?

Benji and Lawrence in the halves might work. A bench with a bit of impact. A starting pack that if Blair performed to half his pay packet looks decent. We have a big set of outside backs - even though they are slow.

We can win this game.

 

[benched tiger]

If the team plays like a busted a### and Sheens continues to stick with this team than i afraid our season could be defined quite clearly in the coming weeks.

 

[madunit]

lets move our best centre to five-eighth
and possibly one of the world's best five-eighths to halfback
then put a solid performer at halfback at hooker
and have a genuine specialist hooker on the bench.

This is all just to accommodate Sheens signing of Reddy.

It's killing us!

 

[magpie_man]

What a dead set joke. Lawrence in the halves and only two forwards (excluding Politoni) on the bench against one of the biggest packs in the NRL.

How is this a good side, FFS?

I was already prepping myself to see Lawrence in the halves again, I don't like it, but this is sheens' latest beau ideal so there's no hope in changing it. im hoping utai might be used a bit like an impact forward coming off the bench

 

[Front-Rower]

lets move our best centre to five-eighth
and possibly one of the world's best five-eighths to halfback
then put a solid performer at halfback at hooker
and have a genuine specialist hooker on the bench.

This is all just to accommodate Sheens signing of Reddy.

It's killing us!

Didn't Reddy play right centre at Parramatta anyway?

I have to agree though why, why, why is Benji at 7?? He is the best running ball player in the world and "super coach" wants him arranging the already rearranged deck chairs on this ship.

 

[Old Time Tiger]

I looked at the bench and immediately thought, where's Moors and surely Utai isn't there for his utility value :lol:

Seriously though, surely Humble will play at 7 and Politoni at 9 but that will leave 2 outside backs as reserves, that being the case we can officially say that Sheens should be punted.

 

[hybrid_tiger]

Benji and Lawrence in the halves might work.

It has never worked, not once. Not a single time. Why would it start to work now?

Benji is not a halfback and Lawrence is a centre. Pretty simple really, but not simple enough for our mastercoach.

 

[madunit]

Never mind Tiger05 HT, he reckoned that pair worked beautifully last time when it was abundantly obvious that it didn't work at all because Benji played a hybrid half/five-eighth role, Farah played hooker and halfback and Lawrence was a floating Lock/Centre/occasional five-eighth if he was standing in the wrong spot at the right time.

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

Is Jacob Miller injured or just not rated?

 

[madunit]

The latter i believe

 

[azsportza]

Is Jacob Miller injured or just not rated?

Jacob Miller is not injured after being named for the Toyota Cup and has been there for weeks after being 'dropped' from the first grade side.

 

[The Charlatan]

Jacob Miller is not injured after being named for the Toyota Cup and has been there for weeks after being 'dropped' from the first grade side.

IIRC he was "injured" during the last game he played in FG. He went on the play the following week in NYC and hasn't been sighted since.