Option 7D

[Freak2]

With the performance of Inu on Friday night there is no possible way we can leave him out of our side moving forward.

1 possible option is to move Benny Smith to the back row where he would still defend out wide but cart it up the middle.

IMO Benny now offers nothing in attack and although he is one of the best defencive centres in the game are we losing too much by not having Inu in the team???

Problem being is who would you drop??

At this stage: N. Hindmarsh / Cayless / Wagon / Fui pick themselves.

After this I guess it is anyone's guess as to who we use, but I think Ben needs to be introduced to the pack!!

 

[Utey]

Drop Ben IMO.

 

[COACH STERLING]

If Hagan is going to play Inu sometime soon, he should explore the option of having him on the bench. I can't see the logic of having Green play a rotating role at hooker when PJ can do it on his own. He has been crying out for this all year.

I would play Green at 5/8 or in reggies altogether. Inu must replace Green on the bench.

Even having 4 forwards on the bench is more practical if you ask me. For a start, Wags can always play centre or 5/8 if we had an injury.

 

[Utey]

If Hagan is going to play Inu sometime soon, he should explore the option of having him on the bench. I can't see the logic of having Green play a rotating role at hooker when PJ can do it on his own. He has been crying out for this all year.

I would play Green at 5/8 or in reggies altogether. Inu must replace Green on the bench.

Even having 4 forwards on the bench is more practical if you ask me. For a start, Wags can always play centre or 5/8 if we had an injury.

If a player isn't the first choice then he shouldn't play!

Again I go back to last season with the Burt/Mckinnon saga. We were winning games but in the end it probably cost us enough that it halted all momentum and we bumbled out of the finals.

PJ to play 80? Can he do it? As some others said he got very sloppy at the end of the game.
I'd send Green back to Reserves for the time being, his time will come.

THen I'd have four forwards coming off the bench.

 

[COACH STERLING]

Drop Ben IMO.

No way.

Ben has proved to be one of the best if not the very best defender in the game.

How many tries has he averted this year.

Absolutely smashes people in defence. Players such as Benny and Wags are overlooked because defenders don't excite fans as much as attackers. You should never under estimate or devalue the importance of his role in the team.

Remember 03 & 04 when we use to leak tries in out wide? Well I can't see to many players getting around or through him!!

 

[Utey]

I know I know, but we just aren't scoring the points. Drop Tahu? I think he's good value when he gets the space.

 

[COACH STERLING]

If a player isn't the first choice then he shouldn't play!

Again I go back to last season with the Burt/Mckinnon saga. We were winning games but in the end it probably cost us enough that it halted all momentum and we bumbled out of the finals.

PJ to play 80? Can he do it? As some others said he got very sloppy at the end of the game.
I'd send Green back to Reserves for the time being, his time will come.

THen I'd have four forwards coming off the bench.

I agree with either playing him at 5/8 or not playing him at all!

How would PJ look in doggies colours playing the full 80 min?

Why is it Buderus, Cameron, Priddis all play 80min.

Rotating hookers is a waste of time unless your talking about piggy.

 

[JOB 3:14]

It's a tough one. I would leave the side as it is for now.

 

[yy_cheng]

It is a hard one.

Ian and Wags are playing well enough to warrant their spots so Benny will find it tough to oust them out of the backrow. The only thing that I can think of, but won't happen is for

INU to take Grothe's spot. Either shift Benny to the wing in attack and centres in defense or shift Tahu to the wing and INU taking his centre spot.

Our current problem in terms of player's form is Finch/Green for 6 and our 2 backup props.

Caylo and Fui are going great guns but I can't say that about Cordoba or Cannings. Josh shows some good stuff but doesn't keep it up all game. He can go from a 4-7 out of 10 throughout the game whereas Fui and caylo are performing consistent 7-9 throughout the game.

Josh looked good when he comes on aggressively but can't keep it up. I would use him aggressively for short stints rather than him playing backrower type game at prop

 

[Pazza]

inu into the 14 because marsh should play 80 at hooker

 

[eel01s]

It is a hard one.

Ian and Wags are playing well enough to warrant their spots so Benny will find it tough to oust them out of the backrow. The only thing that I can think of, but won't happen is for

INU to take Grothe's spot. Either shift Benny to the wing in attack and centres in defense or shift Tahu to the wing and INU taking his centre spot.

Our current problem in terms of player's form is Finch/Green for 6 and our 2 backup props.

Caylo and Fui are going great guns but I can't say that about Cordoba or Cannings. Josh shows some good stuff but doesn't keep it up all game. He can go from a 4-7 out of 10 throughout the game whereas Fui and caylo are performing consistent 7-9 throughout the game.

Josh looked good when he comes on aggressively but can't keep it up. I would use him aggressively for short stints rather than him playing backrower type game at prop

I agree with your points about the bench. However, and this is probably not popular here, just because Inu was selected for the Kiwis doesn't mean he should automatically be in first grade. On form, Benny is going great guns and doing the job Hagan wants him to do 100%. Tahu always looks dangerous, he just needs quality ball, which he hasn't had enough of this season.

I wouldn't play Inu on the wing, because it is such a specialist spot in defense. look at the crap Grothe is copping, and what Reddy copped when he played there!

The best 13 should be picked according to Hagan's plan for the game. The bench should be picked for maximum impact: one player to cover an injury to the backline/impact player, three forwards (usually two capable of playing prop). I agree Cannings and Cordoba need to be scrutinised a little more, and that Green may not be the ideal choice as the backline/impact player. I have said before i don't think PJ is an 80min player, if he was then that would make things easier on the side in terms of balance. So, at the moment, maybe Keating (hooker) needs to come on to the bench to give PJ a break.

 

[Utey]

Are the club even considering Ben in the backrow? Or do they see him moving there in the future. I think he has cemented himself in the position for now anyways.

 

[Jake the snake]

Ben Smith has a poor running game. He gets dominated when he takes the ball as a 3/4, he will get slaughtered if he plays 2nd row. he's has not got the leg drive to make it in the forwards.

 

[Nickeel]

I know I know, but we just aren't scoring the points.

Do we actually have a problem scoring points?

27 v Penrith
38 v Canberra
20 v Wests

and 18 this week, which I will argue til I'm blue in the face should have been more like 24, 30 or so at halftime if we had been a bit more positive and not taken the shot for goal every time.

I think if we back ourselves we are actually fairly potent. I really, really think kicking three penalty goals was a massively negative ploy, and one not befitting a team with our potential.

Nick

 

[emjaycee]

Do we actually have a problem scoring points?

27 v Penrith
38 v Canberra
20 v Wests

and 18 this week, which I will argue til I'm blue in the face should have been more like 24, 30 or so at halftime if we had been a bit more positive and not taken the shot for goal every time.

I think if we back ourselves we are actually fairly potent. I really, really think kicking three penalty goals was a massively negative ploy, and one not befitting a team with our potential.

Nick

We currently have the 5th best attack (on average) in the comp with 21.50 points per game average. Need to improve our defence though cause we are leaking 21.0 points per game which is 10th best and god help us if top 8 is on for and against and we miss out.

 

[Bigfella]

I have to agree with Jake.

I don't understand why, if people think he offers no penetration at centre, they think he will offer it in the forwards?

Were there seriously any opportuities for ben on the weekend to score points, where he should have? Not that I recall.

Were there times when he saved tries, pressured the attack, and generally shut down their right hand side attack? Yes.

Crazy to drop him. He and Wagon were phenomenal. let's face it, for at least 30 minutes of the first half )from 9 minutes to 39 minutes) the Dogs didn't look like scoring. That is a huge plus for the side.

If we can excute better in attack we will win far more than we lose.

 

[Nickeel]

We currently have the 5th best attack (on average) in the comp with 21.50 points per game average. Need to improve our defence though cause we are leaking 21.0 points per game which is 10th best and god help us if top 8 is on for and against and we miss out.

Yeah, exactly my point. Our attack is more than capable, IMO. We tighten up our defence in the fashion Manly (and even Souths) has done this year and we will be looking very, very good.

Nick

 

[COACH STERLING]

We currently have the 5th best attack (on average) in the comp with 21.50 points per game average. Need to improve our defence though cause we are leaking 21.0 points per game which is 10th best and god help us if top 8 is on for and against and we miss out.

Spot on.

Work on Defence first, and the attack will come once we start to dominate possesion.

 

[yy_cheng]

But Jake, our backrowers are defensive and not there to gain metres ;-)

But in all honesty, it just might work if he had a run up and got the ball from hooker or from a half/5-8th. Not running from dummy half or running flat footed as he does now.

Ben doesn't have acceleration. However, when he gets going, he has decent speed. Now get rid of the shimmy and hit the smaller of the defender or the gap between two defenders might just work.

He needs a run up and at 2nd row, he can at least hit it up like with a run up.

 

[T-BONE MCGRAW]

I am not sure of our defensive structure at the moment but I would really like Mateo and Benny to play in each others pocket on the same side. Ben would do most of Mateo's defensive work and Mateo does most of Benny's wide running through holes,busting gaps and offloading especially with Grothe outside them. That would be an awsome combo IMO. Best of both worlds in attack and defence.