Round 1 Team

[Vic Mackey]

Good to see some optimism on here. I reckon it's a good side. Our outside backs look good although I'm not sold on Rankin.

The starting pack could be great if Siro and Lawrence fire. I'm really hoping that they both do. I also think Ava is a gun and I'm hopeful Aloiai is also a quality player.

Re the team. It's probably as close to as good as we can expect missing Brooks, Farah, Ballin, Edwards and Halatau.

Personally wouldn't have Buchanan there. I really can't imagine Griffin or Dallas Graham being any worse then him. With the reduced interchange it wouldn't surprise me if 1 bench forward only gets 10-15 mins or even not play at all. Woods, Grant, Sue (there's word floating round he may even play 80) and Ava will all play big minutes.

Aloiai and Lovett can play in the middle or on the edge. People seem to only remember Lovetts horrible second half to the season. The first half he was actually alright. I think he is more suited to a locks role. He can do an ok hit up when we need it and clean up in defence. His biggest problems on the edge was his lateral defence, in the middle this isn't a concern. Aloiai will be a beast, I think he'll prove a master signing.

Either way I think Halatau and Edwards take Lovett and Buchanans spots when they return. I also believe Jesse Parahi will be playing first grade before round 10.

Again personally would like JAC on the wing over Rankin. I know he has his deficiencies but he also has huge pros. Neither Hunt or Rankin are long term wing options. JAC could be.

Littlejohn looks as good a fill in half as you can expect. Brooks will be back for round 2.

I'm ok with the team, would like a bit of tinkering but overall I'm hopeful more then confident they will do a job on Saturday.

 

[macnaz]

Just a heads up, we are playing a team with Blake Ayshford in it. We can win, even if Teddy does a hammy in the warm up.

Yeah right , the guy has plenty of talent but his attitude lets him down . If his attitude is right he will tear us a new one . Im banking on him setting up multiple tries against us

 

[Marshall_magic]

Yeah right , the guy has plenty of talent but his attitude lets him down . If his attitude is right he will tear us a new one . Im banking on him setting up multiple tries against us

He could very well join the list of reserve grade quality players who we make look world class. Is he any worst than Brett Delaney?

 

[Old Time Tiger]

The reserve grade team for Rd 1 just to highlight our depth:roll:

1 WATSON HELETA 2 JOSH ADDO-CARR 3 NATHAN MILONE 4 CHANCE PENI 5 JOHN TOHI 6 JEREMY MARSHALL-KING 7 JOSH DRINKWATER 8 ROD GRIFFIN 9 JACOB LIDDLE 10 DALLAS GRAHAM 11 TYLER CASSEL 12 ASIPELI FINE © 13 JESSE PARAHI 14 JORDAN GRANT 15 LAMAR LIOLEVAVE 16 JACKSON WILLIAMS 17 WESLEY LOLO 18 ANDY FIAGATUSA

 

[Vic Mackey]

Well we have 6 first graders out. Put Rankin, Littlejohn, Chee Kam, Lovett, Ballin and Buchanan in and that's as good a NSW cup team that you get

 

[MacDougall]

Some of you are ridiculous.

Tedesco - Best young FB in the game imo better than RTS
Noffa - Gun
Simona - Gun
Naq - One of our best from last year
Rankin - New signing, maybe gun?
Moses - Gun young half
Littlejohn - One of the best depth halves going
Woods - Almighty Woodsman
Cherrington - Future NZ 9
Grant - Quality new prop
Sirro - Bog average
Lawrence - Will star at backrow this year
Sue - Will have breakout year

Lovett - Has looked better in trials
Aloiai - New signing, potentially very good
Seumanufagai - Should be a starting prop tbh, really good
Buchanan - Who knows

I think we've got a great side this year. We'll make the 8. The depth signings we've made will see to that. Injuries aren't gonna hammer us like usual and there is pressure coming through in the backrow more than anywhere in the form of Griffin, Liolevave, Cassell etc.

 

[Tiger05]

MacDougall - I basically agree with your assessment however I'm hopeful Siro has a big year. It's a pretty good team especially considering Farah and Brooks are out.

 

[madunit]

Just a heads up, we are playing a team with Blake Ayshford in it. We can win, even if Teddy does a hammy in the warm up.

Spoken like a fool.

Ayshford only struggled defensively when he had poor defenders on his inside.

Robson is a good defender and i expect he will defend beside Ayshford.

I would happily swap Ayshford for Sironen, Lovett or Buchanan and have him the back row.

He runs bloody good lines

 

[Eddie Lab]

I will be more then happy to eat crow if this team can be competitive this year. I'd love to have the optimism of Tigers05 or MacDougall but a lot will need to go our way for this team to end the season in the 9-12 range from the way it looks at the moment.

this season is hopefully about getting the front office/salary cap in order and for Brooks/Moses to show they can do something to justify the money they have commanded so far.

 

[The Charlatan]

Some forget Ayshford circa 2010/2011. Only went to shit after he became a parent (not blaming that exclusively but your priorities do change when you have a kid.)

 

[BrotherJim05]

I want to be optimistic but I just can't do it. I hope I'm wrong, I honestly do. Here are my thoughts:

Teddy: Absolute Gun. Teams would shed players just to have him
Nofa: Solid finisher
Naiqama: Solid but not going to break a game open
Simona: Solid but on a good day can break a game wide open
Rankin: Unproven. Wouldn't make starting 17 in a top 8 team
Moses: Big potential but will take time. Wouldn't make starting 17 in a top 8 team
Littlejohn. Reserve grader (covering injury)
Woods: Teams would move mountains to have him on their roster. GUN
Cherrington: Big potential. Will be rocks and diamonds but I have faith he will go well against Warriors
Grant: Wouldn't make starting 13 in other teams
Lawrence: Solid but not going to break a game open...yet
Sironen: Wouldn't make starting 13 in other teams
Sue: Solid but not going to break a game open

Lovett: Wouldn't make it in starting 17 of other teams
Aloiai: Unproven, yet to see what this kid offers
Seumanufagai: Solid but not going to break a game open
Buchanan - Wouldn't make it in starting 17 of other teams

We have 2 stars (one is a rep level player), 6 solid players and a bunch of question marks that could go either way.

Warriors have 7 representative players, any of which would walk into our starting 13. Ayshford would walk into our starting 13 ffs.

Like I said, I hope I'm wrong

 

[Tigerted]

I'd like some of what macdougall is smoking !

Ur being very generous with ur descriptions of a no. of those impostors.They are not as good as what u believe.

The thing that shits me big time is that when the going gets tough a number of our players regularly put the white flag up.

When r we going to field a team that have intestinal fortitude & stamina to spill blood for 80 mins instead of 10 minutes.

 

[Tigerted]

Btw BrotherJim 05 u r spot on.I & every other sucker who supports this team hope those observations r wrong but regretfully u r totally right.As a whole we r bog average from the board to the players & that's a bloody fact !

 

[benched tiger]

Lovett , Buchanan and Sirro all named in the starting squad. That sums up our chances of being a competitive team any time soon....

:crazy: It just seems insane to keep picking players that are beyond ordinary who have only ever failed when given an opportunity in FG.

 

[madunit]

Who else is there?

 

[super_coach]

Reading some of the stuff here the club should call it quits now. Like with most years I enter it with guarded optimism. I saw some good signs in 2015 and I think based on the fact our kids are year older and smarter and our depth has improved I think we could surprise a few people. Of course we could go belly up to..

One thing I do know you get a lot more fun when you look at things from a positive slant than a negative one

 

[Old Time Tiger]

One thing I do know you get a lot more fun when you look at things from a positive slant than a negative one

I hear you super_coach and I also enter each new year and I must say, each round with 'guarded optimism'. Like many supporters and that's with each club, there will always be players that I don't think much of or think they are world beaters and you perhaps may have a complete opposite view, that's life. Like the former West Tiger playing in the centres for the Warriors this weekend, I hope he has a blinder, but still not as good as our centres.

What gets me or at least, has gotten to me for a few years now is 'the office' and the mismanagement of the club, rumours or perhaps not but 'someone' speaking to a journalist, (see my post in the 2016 Coach Rumour thread from this morning) that's when my head drops and I really get pi55ed off with the club, but not the team come game day and until kick off.

After the game though ;-) we are all allowed to be very happy and praise who we want or give em hell.

 

[benched tiger]

Who else is there?

Didn't we sign some new forwards ?

 

[Rhyno]

Re-sign Taylor ASAP

 

[Tiger05]

Re-sign Taylor ASAP

Definitely don't do that. He stuffed us up last year and this game shows exactly why.

Let's see how we go in the 2nd half but geez we've been good.