Pearson and Vella = soft

[True EEL]

fair dinkum......just looked up the stats and between them

7 hit ups...........

a mighty 3 by Corey and a hurculean 4 by Vella - i mean what is that

no wonder we lost the game when our front rowers and team leaders in the early going can't even make 5 hit ups each, when people like Steve Price and Shane Webcke and plenty of other props make around 20 per game on a bad day????????????

I have been giving Vella the benefit of the doubt and including him in the run on side next year, but that is simply not good enough - particularly when you throw in their approximate 30 m each for the game, a few tackles and Vella making more errors and almost more missed tackles than made ones......give me strength

but i guess i forgot that Corey did have to slot into 5/8................. :?

Cannings and Stringer (if fit) or Tsoulos or Somone to partner Cayless in the front row next year and Vella can bloody well prove himself as a former good player from there

i mean Pearson is nearing the end and has been troubled by a bad back, but Vella is a fromer NSW and Australian rep who is in his prime as a front rower and one average to good performance out of 5 or 6 does not cut it for me............

 

[William Hung]

Agree 100%

 

[The Colonel]

The front rowers for the game looked as if they were selected to defend :? Cayless, Vella, Tsoulos and Pearson hit the ball up 21 times between them.

 

[parra-all-the-way]

agreed i think we will find next year he will be off the bench at best with current buys and juniors we now have

 

[Stagger eel]

good assesment! agree wholeheartidly.

 

[True EEL]

well thats not good enough though is it Colonel......if that was the game plan, for them to defend, thats not right....front rowers are supposed to hit the ball up and get some meteres for the team

it just amazes me that they honestly only came up with 7 between them and at least Cayless was coming back from injury and made about 9 i think from memory together with 19 or 20 tackles....

i think next year

8. Cannings
9. Riddell
10. Cayless (c)
11. Hindmarsh
12. Morrison
13. Wagon

and although i have been advocating Wagon to retain his #13.....the thought of a fit and firing pack containing the following is very exciting.....

8. Cannings
9. Riddell
10. Stringer
11. Hindmarsh
12. Cayless (c)
13. Morrison

the only problem i see with this pack is that it would burn a lot of interchanges, particularly when we are going to need someone defeinitely for Piggy??? this way, only Hindy is guarranteed to be an 80 min man, where as the othe way Wags can also give us that too and save some interchanges??????

 

[The Colonel]

it just amazes me that they honestly only came up with 7 between them and at least Cayless was coming back from injury and made about 9 i think from memory together with 19 or 20 tackles....

Pearson did pick up 30 tackles as well.

It looked like the game plan was to attack on the fringes with the quicker forwards - Stapleton, Hindmarsh, Widders and also turn the bigger forwards around with the backs out of dummy half and get them tired. Good idea and it did seem to work early however when they started to get back into the game they should have gone back through the middle.

 

[True EEL]

wasn't having a go at you Colonel, just the alleged game plan.....

that's fine to put some "attack" at the fringes.....but against a team like Penrith with a great forward pack you have to attempt to match them or even try and get on top of them in the forwards if you are going to have chance in the game

even if you beat them on the fringes early, they will wear you down eventually and that appears to be what happened

like most games of Rugby League, such games are generally won and lost in the early exchanges in the forwards, whcih is one thing we have been losing in most games this year and in the last couple, even with Hindy in the side

look at the Roosters game for a shining example.....origin hangover or not, we beat them in the forwards, particularly early and that charge was led by Vella and the media commented heavily on his good performance and look what happened, we beat the comp leaders in a tight and competitive game because out attack (led by Witty's kicking game) had the space and field position to do some good things

 

[fridge]

8. Cannings
9. Riddell
10. Stringer
11. Hindmarsh
12. Cayless (c)
13. Morrison

that is a monster pack, im so excited for next year. prob is where we put wags, imo morrison is just as good in defence but has some offense as well.. i think he's also an 80 min player so he'll get the nod for me.

but that means wags will play... 5/8. let's face it, he aint no 5/8

i swear im gonna cry if morrison doesnt play lock, but this is what i reckon smith will do.

8. Stringer/Cannings
9. Riddell/Morris
10. Cayless
11. Hindmarsh
12. Morrison
13. Wagon

im predicting smithy will use riddell in the hooker position for the first 20 mins of the game, and then switch to a faster dummy half runner in morris. and he'll probably try some weird thing where he'll interchange a secondrower with riddell, and have morris switch to 5/8 mid game or something.

 

[Suitman]

had the space and field position to do some good things

Two things that we have been sadly lacking for the past three years. Our forwards just aren't laying the platform and putting on enough pressure for long enough periods of time.

It only takes 20 minutes to lose a match. Ask Manly. ;-)

Suity

 

[The Colonel]

1. McKinnon
2. Petersen/Burt
3. Tahu
4. Wagon
5. Grothe
6. Marsh
7. Witt
8. Cayless
9. Morris
10. Stringer
11. Hindmarsh
12. Riddell
13. Morrison

Bench from - Cannings, Widders, Robinson, Afamasaga, Burt, Vella,

 

[Jake the snake]

f**kem both off quickly. Soft poofs!!!

 

[fish eel]

I do think its quite significant that while Cayless and Hindmarsh were announced as resigning last week, that Micky V wasn't. Although maybe I'm reading to much into that!

 

[Suitman]

I do think its quite significant that while Cayless and Hindmarsh were announced as resigning last week, that Micky V wasn't. Although maybe I'm reading to much into that!

I don't think you are Schnapper,

He has got to be on his last warning.

Suity

 

[The Colonel]

Well, his contract is up at the end of next year - a perform or else ultimatum perhaps? With the players we have bought plus those coming through, as I have said before, he and Wagon are probably the two most at risk for next season.

 

[Suitman]

Well, his contract is up at the end of next year - a perform or else ultimatum perhaps? With the players we have bought plus those coming through, as I have said before, he and Wagon are probably the two most at risk for next season.

Vella certainly, but Wagon has performed consistently this season against my predictions, so I would keep him, but only if he is never selected at 5/8th again. Lock is his go.

Suity

 

[The Colonel]

Well, his contract is up at the end of next year - a perform or else ultimatum perhaps? With the players we have bought plus those coming through, as I have said before, he and Wagon are probably the two most at risk for next season.

Vella certainly, but Wagon has performed consistently this season against my predictions, so I would keep him, but only if he is never selected at 5/8th again. Lock is his go.

Suity

I'd definitely keep Wagon - however with the likes of Morrison, Mateo, Afamasaga, Hauraki, Delaney, Keating, Backo and Sorenson at or joining the club we are very heavy at lock - and the decision may well be forced if the young fellows come through as expected.

 

[Suitman]

Well, his contract is up at the end of next year - a perform or else ultimatum perhaps? With the players we have bought plus those coming through, as I have said before, he and Wagon are probably the two most at risk for next season.

Vella certainly, but Wagon has performed consistently this season against my predictions, so I would keep him, but only if he is never selected at 5/8th again. Lock is his go.

Suity

I'd definitely keep Wagon - however with the likes of Morrison, Mateo, Afamasaga, Hauraki, Delaney, Keating, Backo and Sorenson at or joining the club we are very heavy at lock - and the decision may well be forced if the young fellows come through as expected.

I agree with that, but it goes against the grain of our recent buying policy. It all depends on how much say Brian Smith has.

Suity

 

[mightypanther]

http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,10624158-23214,00.html

I was just reading a news story that says that Cayless is asking Parra to extend his
contract now, to the end of 2007.

What do you guys think about that ?

Do you think they should, or do you think they should wait to see how he performs
next season before thinking about an extension ?

.

 

[Suitman]

We should keep him no questions asked.

Suity