Round 1 Starting Team for me

[Isaac A]

1. Edwards
2. To'o
3. Tago
4. Crichton
5. May
6. Luai
7. Cleary
8. FIsh
9. Api
10. Leota
11. Sorenson
12. Martin
13. Yeo
14. Salmon (or maybe train Sunia Turuva at hooker/at five eight)
15. Kikau
16. Leniu
17. Hop'good
18 . Mitch Kenny

Capewell wasn't flash in the gf or against Storm. When it really he mattered made a difference through being gritty.

Capewell was man of the match against the Storm!

 

[martielang]

Salmon is this years Momo for old Smuggy.

 

[Smug Panther]

Take the original 17 on this page. Replace Salmon with say Kenny. Who covers an outside back should they get a HIA?

That is the issue with the make up of the 17

If a player can't positively contribute without an injury occurring then they have no place in the side. No passengers

 

[Smug Panther]

Salmon is this years Momo for old Smuggy.

Momo is a soild squad player, Salmon is a snail

 

[Original Name]

I mentioned Round 3
We don't win in Bathurst without the 2 flashy tries
Souths at Suncorp those Momo kicks

Kikau put Burton away v Roosters up there. Ended up being the difference.

Only takes dropping a game or 2 especially v a top team. To cost a home final or possibly Top 4

Defence is key but if you are too predictable the good teams will bury you

Well my suggested team was to play May on the wing, Crichton at centre. Crichton has more of that than Momo. More spark there making up for less elsewhere if we don't. Still think Sorenson has the speed to be have a bit of that in them but I don't see it mattering too much.

Jarome didn't even play that well compared to last year, guys like him and Martin and Edwards are getting better all the time. Leota and Fish have developed a bit of passing that collectively adds a bit, even if they pass effectively only twice each that's 4 rucks won and momentum unexpectedly gained which is handy and Leniu will seemingly play more minutes. Not to mention just getting better through collective continuity and most players just naturally get better as they age.

People talk about sporting players weirdly like they're static and unchanging.

 

[Panfa]

Edwards t'oo chrichton tago Staines luai cleary yeo kikau martin fisher Harris Koroisau leota =leniu Sorenson blacker osullivan

 

[Iamback]

If a player can't positively contribute without an injury occurring then they have no place in the side. No passengers

There isn't a game where you don't get someone needing a HIA. With only 4 guys allowed on the bench it is impossible to cover every position

 

[Iamback]

Well my suggested team was to play May on the wing, Crichton at centre. Crichton has more of that than Momo. More spark there making up for less elsewhere if we don't. Still think Sorenson has the speed to be have a bit of that in them but I don't see it mattering too much.

Jarome didn't even play that well compared to last year, guys like him and Martin and Edwards are getting better all the time. Leota and Fish have developed a bit of passing that collectively adds a bit, even if they pass effectively only twice each that's 4 rucks won and momentum unexpectedly gained which is handy and Leniu will seemingly play more minutes. Not to mention just getting better through collective continuity and most players just naturally get better as they age.

People talk about sporting weirdly players like they're static and unchanging.

Teams will just lock in on Luai and Cleary though.
bunch in the middle knowing the ball won't get from the backrowers out.
Kikau works well as a decoy because teams know he can hurt them himself.

When he went to the bench in the back end of the year. We often were behind certainly weren't doing the damage in attack

 

[Original Name]

Teams will just lock in on Luai and Cleary though.
bunch in the middle knowing the ball won't get from the backrowers out.
Kikau works well as a decoy because teams know he can hurt them himself.

When he went to the bench in the back end of the year. We often were behind certainly weren't doing the damage in attack

The passing work Yeo does is what unlocks Cleary's game to an extent and then Cleary unlocks Luai. You can't just target him with without risking rushing up and leaving an overlap with Yeo ball playing to him to get him good ball wide of the ruck. And when you start sliding early on Yeo he can just run it and get a quick play the ball one on one with the isolated defender.

 

[Iamback]

The passing work Yeo does is what unlocks Cleary's game to an extent and then Cleary unlocks Luai. You can't just target him with without risking rushing up and leaving an overlap with Yeo ball playing to him to get him good ball wide of the ruck. And when you start sliding early on Yeo he can just run it and get a quick play the ball one on one with the isolated defender.

Yeo gets the halves more space and time. That doesn't get the ball wider though or give the halves options.

outside of the halves you have the backrowers. If they just run the ball only and you know it is coming then sides will jam in because they don't want Crichton or To'o getting it.

Against the weaker teams it likely still works because they are poor defenders but the top 5 teams will eat that up all day.

So you need an edge guy to have an offload, footwork a pass or something

 

[BossleyPanther]

Staines/Turuva
May
Crichton
Edwards
To'o
Luai
Cleary
Fisher Harris
Korisou
Leota
Martin
Tago
Yeo

Kikau
Lenui
Kenny
Sorrenson

 

[The_Frog]

(Barring Injury)
1 D EDWARDS
2 B TO’O
3 S CRICHTON
4 I TAGO
5. C STAINES
6 J LUAI
7 N CLEARY
8 M LEOTA
9 A KOROISAU
10 JFH
11 V KIKAU
12 L MARTIN
13 I YEO

14 J SALMON (Can Cover 1,3,4,6,7,9,13)
15 J HOPGOOD
16 S SORENSEN
17 S LENIU
18th Man M KENNY

I reckon Kenny will be the 14. Trouble is covering an injury/HIA in the backs. Salmon has hardly played in the past 2 years, hard to know if he's a first grader or not. If he can cover all those roles even to a half decent standard he will be valuable. Tyrone May will be missed more than a lot of people think.

 

[Original Name]

Yeo gets the halves more space and time. That doesn't get the ball wider though or give the halves options.

I don't understand what you're saying in the second sentence. More time and space means more options?

outside of the halves you have the backrowers. If they just run the ball only and you know it is coming then sides will jam in because they don't want Crichton or To'o getting it.

Against the weaker teams it likely still works because they are poor defenders but the top 5 teams will eat that up all day.

So you need an edge guy to have an offload, footwork a pass or something

Tariq Sims was honestly NSW's best forward this year and he didn't have much variety to his lines other than run hard. For most forwards it's all about laying the platform run hard rip and you'll get a quick enough play the ball to win the ruck, eventually the team wins enough rucks and gets the momentum to win the game. You can say can say it's easy to come up and jam but somebody big running that hard isn't exactly easy to stop and put on their back for most halves. And Jarome has his illusion pass that he tricks second rowers into thinking he hasn't passed it to commit them. That uncertainty that ability he has puts some doubt in opposition edge defenders minds.

If anything I'd say against stronger teams those simple basics like kick chase, hitting and running hard, completing high, kicking well become more important and the amount of offloads dry up and risky passing under pressure from forwards dries up. Like the finals was the hardest football we played and Cleary's kicking was the only flashy stuff we did in regards to points scored bar Crichton's intercept. The rest was like two block plays or something.

 

[Girds89]

1. Edwards
2. Too
3. Tago
4. Critta
5. May
6. Luai
7. Cleay
8. Leota
9. Api
10. Jfh
11. Kiks
12. Martin
13. Yeo

14. Kenny
15. Lenui
16. Sorensen
17. Chris Smith(if 110% fit)

Imo the idea you HAVE to carry someone on the bench just to be there to cover half a dozen positions IF you get an injury is silly.

It was a nice luxury we had last year to have with tmay. But how many games did he actually cover an injury after starting off the bench? Wouldnt have been many!

Id argue that tmay was pretty ineffective last year when he came on..he often never really had a clear role. He was a good solid defender but didnt really offer anything in attack.

Kenny doesnt cover as many positions as tmay and he certainly isnt the perfect 14 but at least hes an actual hooker that could give api a break. He could also play 12 or 13, 6 at a pinch filling in for an injury.

If a back was to go down, ie critta or tago id move cleary or luai to defend one wider at centre and kenny to defend in luai or clearys spot. In attack kenny could fill in at centre. Doesnt have tmays ball skills but hes no slower than he was and is a strong runner of the ball for his size.

If a winger was to go down basically push the centre out and as per above for defense structure and attack. Same if edwards was to go down, critta fb and as per above.

In terms of the bench, i think leniu obviously covers prop. Sorensens can fill any forward role and smiths a good 2nd rower.

Gone with may over staines but happy for charlie to have a huge off season add a few kgs and get 1st crack.

I think turuva will get a chance at some point throughout the year due to injuries. Jenkins possibly too.

In the forwards im sure lindsay smith, hopgood amd eiso will all see plenty of game time as well as chris smith. Would love to see maverick get a game or two as well if the oppurtunity presents.

 

[The_Frog]

Kenny doesnt cover as many positions as tmay and he certainly isnt the perfect 14 but at least hes an actual hooker that could give api a break. He could also play 12 or 13, 6 at a pinch filling in for an injury.

That last one is a pretty big pinch (you'd put Api in the halves wouldn't you?), but I'd be surprised if pre-season training is not focused on making a utility out of either him or someone else, because we do need one.

 

[Girds89]

That last one is a pretty big pinch (you'd put Api in the halves wouldn't you?), but I'd be surprised if pre-season training is not focused on making a utility out of either him or someone else, because we do need one.

Api definitley has the creative and game smarts to fill in at 6 if he had to.

The reality is if you get an injury the good teams deal with it.

Look at the roosters this year. They were decimated and often got multiple injuries a game. Robinson bever once used it as an excuse and always made all players accountable.

If we get an injury to anyone and are going to use the excuse we didnt have the perfect 14 on the bench that can cover 85% of positions to save us from losing, than i think thats a losing mindset to even begin with.

The mindset should be we get the job done no matter who steps up.

 

[Iamback]

Api definitley has the creative and game smarts to fill in at 6 if he had to.

The reality is if you get an injury the good teams deal with it.

Look at the roosters this year. They were decimated and often got multiple injuries a game. Robinson bever once used it as an excuse and always made all players accountable.

If we get an injury to anyone and are going to use the excuse we didnt have the perfect 14 on the bench that can cover 85% of positions to save us from losing, than i think thats a losing mindset to even begin with.

The mindset should be we get the job done no matter who steps up.

Look at the Roosters bench last year though they always ran a 14 to cover several positions.

Suualili even came off the bench.
Storm ran with Hynes off the bench. He didn't get on the field in 2020 GF
Souths Benji

Short of letting the 18th man sooner teams will run with a backrower the can cover centre or a half on the bench

 

[DinkyDi]

 

[The_Frog]

Api definitley has the creative and game smarts to fill in at 6 if he had to.

The reality is if you get an injury the good teams deal with it.

Look at the roosters this year. They were decimated and often got multiple injuries a game. Robinson bever once used it as an excuse and always made all players accountable.

If we get an injury to anyone and are going to use the excuse we didnt have the perfect 14 on the bench that can cover 85% of positions to save us from losing, than i think thats a losing mindset to even begin with.

The mindset should be we get the job done no matter who steps up.

They had a fabulous roster to start with, albeit a few of them getting close to an appointment with Old Father Time. In the finish they were only just a top 8 side in what wasn't a strong competition. The Titans should really have got them. But they did well to get as far as they did.

 

[Fangs]

May is a loss but not devastating by any means. The bench spot is Kenny's to lose.

Otherwise we have to see who rips in during the off-season. Plenty of spots up for grabs in the world's best rugby league team. Should see the players pushing harder than previous seasons.