Round 4 V Knights

[franklin2323]

Hiku has been a huge hole whenever picked in the centres. You cant have a perfect replacement for every position in case of injury. Im with Mx here, id rather pick Rein or someone who actually has a chance at providing some impact or a promising young guy like May or CHN. If no one gets hurt Hiku gets a small stint as a back rower, he offers nothing in that role, he isn't a hard runner or good defender. So unless one of or outside backs get hurt he is a negative when on the field so leave him on the bench for 80. We don't need to play him, if he isn't getting picked to cover an injury and there is no injury why put him on at all?

I agree with all of that. What is in it for the coach to pick a weaker player? Maybe he is better when training then the others

 

[franklin2323]

Yeo can cover the centres if we need to. Although if Peachey moves to hooker we have 2 weakened positions. He's simply not a first grade quality hooker.

That's why a hooker or utility with ability to play hooker reasonably is common on the bench. It's an important position. If you dont have a bloke giving decent service and defending well there you have pretty nuch lost any chance at winning. A shit hooker makes it harder for everyone to perform.

If Griffin wants Hiku to be a second rower I am fine with that. But do it in reserve grade. Let him get match fitness and more game time. Its better for him and our team.

Different coach though. Cleary also liked many things Hook doesn't if we win it doesn't matter. If we lose he will be with Jason Taylor and other failure coaches

 

[franklin2323]

The same could be said of all the whingers, not just youself. After all, he's gonna do what he's gonna do.

regardless we will all be on here next year whinging. The coach may not if these plans don't work

 

[betcats]

I agree with all of that. What is in it for the coach to pick a weaker player? Maybe he is better when training then the others

Anyway he will live and die by his decisions as you say, I just hope we can put in a solid, disciplined performance this week, we do that and I don't care who is on the bench.

 

[franklin2323]

I think May is the best option for the 4th bench spot. Maybe the coach doesn't think he is ready yet. Like last year we will need to make big decision at some stage.

 

[martielang]

f**king hell, the oust Griffin & Hiku crew already out in force.

No one has explained to me why/how a back on the bench is a wasted spot? How is it more wasteful than a forward who gets 5 mins or doesn't play at all?

 

[billypilgrimnz]

f**king hell, the oust Griffin & Hiku crew already out in force.

No one has explained to me why/how a back on the bench is a wasted spot? How is it more wasteful than a forward who gets 5 mins or doesn't play at all?

Here is a tip: read what everyone has posted already. It is literally all there.

 

[PANTHERMIKE]

Not even round 4 and its started

 

[ACTPanthers]

f**king hell, the oust Griffin & Hiku crew already out in force.

No one has explained to me why/how a back on the bench is a wasted spot? How is it more wasteful than a forward who gets 5 mins or doesn't play at all?

Hiku has been a huge hole whenever picked in the centres. You cant have a perfect replacement for every position in case of injury. Im with Mx here, id rather pick Rein or someone who actually has a chance at providing some impact or a promising young guy like May or CHN. If no one gets hurt Hiku gets a small stint as a back rower, he offers nothing in that role, he isn't a hard runner or good defender. So unless one of or outside backs get hurt he is a negative when on the field so leave him on the bench for 80. We don't need to play him, if he isn't getting picked to cover an injury and there is no injury why put him on at all?

Here's just one example - Also, I'm struggling to find anyone who implied ousting Griffin or Hiku really

 

[franklin2323]

Here's just one example - Also, I'm struggling to find anyone who implied ousting Griffin or Hiku really

I mentioned Griffin wants to keep his job so isn't selecting teams without a plan. a few have questioned why a centre on the bench but hardly at Dragons fans level yet

 

[betcats]

f**king hell, the oust Griffin & Hiku crew already out in force.

No one has explained to me why/how a back on the bench is a wasted spot? How is it more wasteful than a forward who gets 5 mins or doesn't play at all?

I think maybe one person has expressed doubts over Griffin in this thread, not called for his head or anything dramatic, just wondered whether he was good enough to succeed. And yes people have explained their opinions, its all there as Billy has said.

Let me put this simply so maybe you can understand, if we need cover we have a number of players who can cover the centres and a number who offer more utility value and more impact off the bench IMO, especially if forced to do a small stint in the forwards(which will be every week one of our backs doesn't get hurt). Hiku as a running forward doesn't offer much, he isnt a good defender, its a waste most weeks.

 

[TheFrog]

If Peta Hiku is viewed as a second rower now. Develop him there in reserve grade.

I think it's pretty clear that the coach doesn't see him as a reserve grader. His numbers last week in his 22 minutes weren't terrible. You've got to be careful dropping blokes to reserve grade. They might ask for a release as seems to be happening with Mead at the Broncos. Rein would have been told when he signed that he was starting behind Wallace.

 

[mxlegend99]

f**king hell, the oust Griffin & Hiku crew already out in force.

No one has explained to me why/how a back on the bench is a wasted spot? How is it more wasteful than a forward who gets 5 mins or doesn't play at all?

Who's saying to get rid of them? Not all of us happily accept everything the club dishes up.

If Hook was perfect we would be sitting top of the ladder undefeated right now. Having had an easy opening 3 rounds (Roosters were a tough team, but we should have been able to beat them). Instead we sit with 1 win and 2 losses. With a team that were premiership favourites before Round 1... having played 3 teams that missed the finals last year.

By rights we should win with literally any 17 we pick this week. That doesn't mean we should be happy with ridiculous decisions being made. A centre/winger on the bench is not the best use of an interchange or bench spot. It's usually the crazy coaches who do shit like that.

I think a utility on the bench is a good thing. But hooker should be one role they can cover decently atlesst. Otherwise just go with a centre/ second rower like Cartwright or CHN.

 

[mxlegend99]

I think it's pretty clear that the coach doesn't see him as a reserve grader. His numbers last week in his 22 minutes weren't terrible.

So he sees him as a 22 minute player off the bench?

 

[betcats]

I think it's pretty clear that the coach doesn't see him as a reserve grader. His numbers last week in his 22 minutes weren't terrible. You've got to be careful dropping blokes to reserve grade. They might ask for a release as seems to be happening with Mead at the Broncos. Rein would have been told when he signed that he was starting behind Wallace.

He got more minutes because JFH got hurt. Fish was off after 20, usually as a starter he would play much longer, he can play 80 like Yeo. So if JFH didn't get hurt we are either leaving Hiku on the bench for 80 or taking minutes off JFH or Yeo to give Hiku a run in the back row, how is that not a waste?

 

[billypilgrimnz]

You've got to be careful dropping blokes to reserve grade. They might ask for a release as seems to be happening with Mead at the Broncos.

I don't think Hiku being moved on is something the club needs to be worried about - we are flush with options in the backs at the moment, and Hiku would be on more than Blake, Edwards, DWZ.

I think Hiku has been unfairly picked on by a number of posters here, and think he is a good player, but at the moment he looks unfit and a bit slow (understandable after the long lay off, but he looked a bit out of shape when he first arrived at the club as well) and he needs to get himself in order and prove that he has the attitude to be the best. I'm not sure if he has, but having him sit on the bench for 60 minutes is not the way to get him to prove it.

 

[mxlegend99]

Hiku only cops a hard time because we signed him on good money as an international, but he has barely been first grade standard for us.

Blake and Peachey both did a better job after he was injured. But the second he's fit he is straight back in the team not having earned his spot. Now he's been moved to the bench to keep him there.

If he were to deliver the performances you would expect from a rep player... or atleast improve each week until he did I think everyone would be fine. But the list of blokes who have performed better for us seems to get longer with every player who debuts. Hiku was a better player at the Sea Eagles. He has been the opposite of Whare really.

Whare was a fringe first grader turned international centre when we signed him. Hiku was an international turned fringe first grader now. Atleast that is what bothers me... seeing blokes who perform better miss out because he WAS an international player.

 

[franklin2323]

He got more minutes because JFH got hurt. Fish was off after 20, usually as a starter he would play much longer, he can play 80 like Yeo. So if JFH didn't get hurt we are either leaving Hiku on the bench for 80 or taking minutes off JFH or Yeo to give Hiku a run in the back row, how is that not a waste?

Is that not what he did with Hardaker last year or even Leota in the Canberra semi? That is his style many Broncos fans said that he would be poor with his bench usage

 

[martielang]

Who's saying to get rid of them? Not all of us happily accept everything the club dishes up.

If Hook was perfect we would be sitting top of the ladder undefeated right now. Having had an easy opening 3 rounds (Roosters were a tough team, but we should have been able to beat them). Instead we sit with 1 win and 2 losses. With a team that were premiership favourites before Round 1... having played 3 teams that missed the finals last year.

By rights we should win with literally any 17 we pick this week. That doesn't mean we should be happy with ridiculous decisions being made. A centre/winger on the bench is not the best use of an interchange or bench spot. It's usually the crazy coaches who do shit like that.

I think a utility on the bench is a good thing. But hooker should be one role they can cover decently atlesst. Otherwise just go with a centre/ second rower like Cartwright or CHN.

If you have utilities in Peachey (who would play hooker if Wallace went down), Cartwright or Wallace, why put another on the bench? If you think your forwards can do the job and have no need for another forward on the bench, why put another on the bench?

Clearly Griffin is trying to cover for an injury to the backs which happens pretty frequently. I can't see how its wasteful in the slightest...

 

[betcats]

If you have utilities in Peachey (who would play hooker if Wallace went down), Cartwright or Wallace, why put another on the bench? If you think your forwards can do the job and have no need for another forward on the bench, why put another on the bench?

You can say the same thing about the backs. We already have people in the team that can cover the backs, why pick another one on the bench?