Parramatta v Raiders TRIAL Game Day Thread @ Netstrata Jubilee Stadium Feb 17, 2024

[Gronk]

He’d argue it but he’s too busy playing with a fractured eye socket

Was that before or after he played origin with a broken back ?

 

[Tiger5150]

Dude the f**k you talking about go talk your BS to your tigers friends.

Ivan also ran out on your shit house club. He jumped off the bus.

Mate I didnt come in here and start spouting off about Mitchell Moses. I couldnt care less about him. he has developed into a really good player and I was hoping he would come back when we were chasing him. he is also a downhill skier.

BUT...again, i didnt come in here to spout off about Moses, Gronk brought up Moses and I made a flippant through away line (which was true) and of course Pou had to jump in and flip around with his usual sophistry.

Mate its a forum thread about a Parra trial game that I didnt even watch. Only reason im here is because Pou @ me.

 

[Tiger5150]

Tragic comedy (Tigpies last 12 years)

No I said good comedy. The last 12 years of the Tigers has been more Hannah Gadsby level of comedy. Its not funny, no one laughs but everyone claps because they dont want to be seen to be making fun of the disadvantaged.

 

[84 Baby]

If we play Matto and Wiremu in the middle where does Ofahengaue fit in? Tuilagi can come on to provide impact replacing Cartwright or lane depending on who is tired or having less impact that game.

If we do go with 2 hookers then definitely it becomes question between Ofahengaue & Tuilagi and I agree Tuilagi gives us better coverage positionally. But that’s not to say Ofahengaue offers “very little”. Defensive work rate in our middle was a massive liability last year.
Now if Hopgood can take another step or two then absolutely the calculation changes

 

[Gherkin]

If we do go with 2 hookers then definitely it becomes question between Ofahengaue & Tuilagi and I agree Tuilagi gives us better coverage positionally. But that’s not to say Ofahengaue offers “very little”. Defensive work rate in our middle was a massive liability last year.
Now if Hopgood can take another step or two then absolutely the calculation changes

I just think he offers little to the team when we have all players available. There are better players available to cover big minutes and he isn't an impact player so no real benefit having him come on for a 10-20 minute period of time.
If we were to have one of our big minute middles unavailable then he'd be first one in and probably even start.

 

[the phantom menace]

Well if we don’t have an 80 minute hooker then we’ll have both Hands and Lussick in 17 and the conversation about the value of carrying Tuilagi on bench is moot cause he’ll be the one to drop off

Not necessarily - If I was picking Ofa drops off.
Matterson, Greig, Tuilaga, Hands.

But it's BA, so his tradmarked water bottle bench system could end up with Matterson, Makatoa, Momoesia, Matt Arthur

 

[TheRam]

And if he wasn't physically ready they would have identified it during the preseason. Matt Arthur is solid. Yes he's short, but at his age he is unlikely to get any taller. There have been plenty of hookers his height play in the NRL, including Jake Friend, who debuted at the age of 18. He was an NRL regular before his 20th birthday.

Actually that's who he reminded me of as soon as I saw him. If he turns out to be as good as him, then we will be a decent DH and definitely NRL quality.

 

[TheRam]

Friend isn't a good example retired due to too many head knocks.

Yeah but he was a very handy player and he also played at a time when the game was a lot more dangerous and during the big palooka wrestling days.

 

[TheRam]

Well if we don’t have an 80 minute hooker then we’ll have both Hands and Lussick in 17 and the conversation about the value of carrying Tuilagi on bench is moot cause he’ll be the one to drop off

Or Potato Head will continue with his stubbornness and only pick one hooker and burn him out to the point by mid to late season he needs replacing and is a tired old sad sack that can't play to his full abilities at the pointy end of the season, not to mention the added work in defence the rest of the middle forwards will have to do to pick up the missed tackles that is going on in the mean time and who knows how many games it may also cost us when we have a weak fatigued middle.

We need two dummy halves. None of our current DH's are up to 80 mins for a full season. No way in Hell. If Potato Head actually thinks they are, he is off his round spuddley head!

 

[emjaycee]

I think the coaching staff will put young Matt Arthurs on the bench in 17 and play him if there are injuries to the 9.
From all reports he trained the house down in the off-season, has been helping out the FG team at training since he was a young teenager and only lives 7 mins from Kellyville.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

If we play Matto and Wiremu in the middle where does Ofahengaue fit in?

Matterson is one toiler and Ofahengaue is the other. These two give RCG and Hopgood a break. Greig plays the same role as Paulo.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

i said he has a pea heart and everyone knows it. The greatest downhill skier that god ever strapped downhill skis on.

It’s a feature of lightweight halves since 1908 ffs. Even Thurston won his only premiership (as an 80 minute player) when his middle forwards were Scott, Tamou and Taumalolo.

 

[Gherkin]

Matterson is one toiler and Ofahengaue is the other. These two give RCG and Hopgood a break. Greig plays the same role as Paulo.

Matto can give both RCG and Hopgood a break. There's 240 minutes to cover for our middle forwards in a game (excluding hooker). We don't need 3 middle forwards on the bench. Where do the minutes from to play Ofahengaue just because he's a 'toiler'?

 

[PARRA_FAN]

Anyone know this dumb new rule about contesting for a bomb? Kelma was in place jumped for the ball and the idiots commentating said it's not a try due to this new rule?

Mate there's about 50 different rule changes each year, its an absolute joke

I had no idea whether that was a rule change or whether Ennis is just making up stuff. Kelma had eyes for the football. If anything the Raiders number 4 was the in way of the other Parra player trying to contest the ball

 

[TheCrowe]

No I said good comedy. The last 12 years of the Tigers has been more Hannah Gadsby level of comedy. Its not funny, no one laughs but everyone claps because they dont want to be seen to be making fun of the disadvantaged.

Don't sell yourselves short. The Tigpies provide plenty of good laughs.

 

[84 Baby]

Matto can give both RCG and Hopgood a break. There's 240 minutes to cover for our middle forwards in a game (excluding hooker). We don't need 3 middle forwards on the bench. Where do the minutes from to play Ofahengaue just because he's a 'toiler'?

Depends how long we’re giving Paulo/RCG, but either way my original point (& probably Pou’s) was Ofahengaue offers us what Paulo, Greig and to lesser extents RCG/Matto do not. If we can live with their shortcomings all good, as long as no one whinges when Reece Walsh carves us through the middle, it doesn’t really bother me given both of them are likely 17th picks if they are picked

 

[Gherkin]

Depends how long we’re giving Paulo/RCG, but either way my original point (& probably Pou’s) was Ofahengaue offers us what Paulo, Greig and to lesser extents RCG/Matto do not. If we can live with their shortcomings all good, as long as no one whinges when Reece Walsh carves us through the middle, it doesn’t really bother me given both of them are likely 17th picks if they are picked

If we play RCG/Paulo for 50 minutes each and Hopgood/Matto for 60 each it leaves us with 20 minutes to cover in the middle. Seems like a bit of a waste to have 2 bench players to cover 20 minutes. Now we could have Matto move out to an edge but I think Tuilagi would be more effective there and provide a greater impact than Matto would towards the end of a game. Plus if he's only getting around 20 minutes or less a game his defensive issues are less likely to appear because he wont be tired.

Based on how last season went though it's unlikely we'll have our full forward pack available for many games during the season so this is probably irrelevant. Plus if they are available BA will just push for the starters to play as many minutes as possible and keep a couple of fresh reserves on the bench.

 

[Gronk]

Very strange article

Spotlight On Sponsors: Misinformation Swirls As Parramatta Eels Suffer A Devastating Pre-Season Loss

The Eels enter into a new sponsorship with TAB. Can't atone for team's poor pre-season form.

www.bandt.com.au

 

[84 Baby]

Very strange article

Spotlight On Sponsors: Misinformation Swirls As Parramatta Eels Suffer A Devastating Pre-Season Loss

The Eels enter into a new sponsorship with TAB. Can't atone for team's poor pre-season form.

www.bandt.com.au

Bit strange. Cool idea but very very surface level with muckraking headlines. If they looked further into contract terms and potential upcoming changes, it’d be great.
I think potentially we need to move on from Aland, possibly for both our sakes. Construction industry needs all the money they can gather at the moment

 

[Pazza]

dont be shocked if Joe O or Matto is the starting lock next season. BA used Joe O in that Niukore role in the last game of 2023 and said after the game he was contemplating it moving forward. allows the starting pack to be bigger and you throw Hopgood out there after 20 and leave him on.