He is one of the best defensive forwards going around the NRL.
For years to come, we need a strong workhorse in Keating.
Why weaken our squad further by letting him strengthen another club desperate for a brilliant defender?
Cutting of our nose to spite our face?
Still say we put him at lock - the best years as a defender are still in front of him.
Would be a better attacking option for us too if he was at 13.
When people say he's a great defender they mean he is a great defender
for a little bloke.
Even big hookers like Isaac Luke are spotted by attacking teams. Like all little blokes, Keating is less likely to make handling errors, but he's still not as useful a defender as a bigger forward in that middle third.
That's why teams don't carry midgets in the 13 jersey.
There is an argument for using Keating at lock in a game while the other dummy half (number 14) is on the field, but that's only because Keating is already in the 17 and we may as well get more minutes out of him to give the lock a rest. But starting him at lock will just mean somebody else has to start at hooker, and then who will be fresh to give that merkin a rest?
Are you suggesting Keating at 13 with two other hookers in 9 and 14? With Sandow and Kelly that's far too many little blokes in the 17. It's a stupid idea and I didn't even need to use magic to tell you that. ;-)
