Rumours and Stuff

[Avenger]

Shaping to be the best pre-season EVER....

BTW...do you mean OMISSIONS.... Noticeable admissions were Scott, Tepai, Frank Pritchard and Mau.

Yep, edited. Thanks Pete. How have you been doing by the way? Still living in Hay?

 

[hindy111]

A league 50 mill a year deal. I honestly thought it would of been double that.

 

[Suitman]

There's a football thread mate.

 

[Parra47]

Went to the open training session with my son today.


Some observations:


· All the boys look very fit. Jennings and O’Brien have noticeably lost plenty of weight.

· Mannah looks the best he has in many seasons. Gutherson and French have put plenty of bulk on.

· Despite having a deep cut to his eyebrow that required stitches Alex Twal still took time out to speak to my son. A very impressive young man.

· Kaysa Pritchard is all class and actually took time out to speak to many young fans and not just answer questions.

· Kenny Edwards and Corey Norman are always upbeat, engaging and have great presence both on and off the field.

· Bevan French is the new favourite amongst fans. Another gentleman.

· Cameron King played plenty of dummy half out there and may be a smokey for first grade.

· The new boys that I recognised, Fogarty and Vave were very upbeat and very engaging with the fans. Fogarty has a very impressive kicking game and is miles ahead of anyone I saw in the kicking department besides maybe Norman and to a lesser extent, Robson. Fogarty also has good size for a half. Bigger than I thought he was.

· There is not much of Nathan Brown. Probably our smallest forward. Kelepi has also lost plenty of bulk and looks a lot trimmer than previous years.

· John Folau had plaster on his left arm.

· Noticeable omissions were Scott, Tepai, Frank Pritchard and Mau.

· We do plenty of wrestling drills.

· My mate stags has lost plenty of weight and it was great to see him today.

· First time I have been to the Old Saleyards Reserve. What a nice ground. Surface was sublime.

· And finally, there was a different type of vibe out there today. One of complete unity. I realise it has hard to gauge but I have been to plenty of these things before and the fact that there was not one superstar there hogging the limelight was a pleasant change. I wonder who that may be? Phantom, where are you?

Hope so re King. He's our best playmaking dummy half, best vision. Fogarty could be a real chance, he had big wraps when he played 20's for the Gold Coast.

 

[parra pete]

Yep, edited. Thanks Pete. How have you been doing by the way? Still living in Hay?

Still here in Hay, but I love the joint been here 50 years now....BUT....Looking to go to Albury to be closer to doctors if I can sell my house.
Is Beau Scott in America with one of his kids receiving medical treatment???

 

[Avenger]

I won't mention his name but there was this fat bloke that was part of the Blue and Gold army doing selfy videos with players, ex players and even Bernie Gurr. You could tell everyone that he interviewed was doing it reluctantly. It was so cringeworthy. I actually couldn't look at it I was so embarrassed for him.

#nerd

 

[hindy111]

What are people expectations for 2017?
According to sportsbet we are 4th favourites for the spoon and rated at 13th of 16 teams. If semi and KE are clear I think we start at about 13-1 but if not we may blow to about 26-1+

I see it as a tight competition. Plenty of sides I can see improving, like the Tigers.manly,warriors.roosters,souths
A few i can see being strong but going backwards - Storm - dogs - Cowboys - Sharks.
Canberra - Brisbane-Titans should be as good as this season. Panthers could be good but could flop with 2 inexperienced halves.
Saints - Knights will be tougher but hard to see them as a top 8 side.

If we have KE and Semi available I can see us returning to the top 4.

 

[Avenger]

What are people expectations for 2017?

A fan asked David Gower today and he said, "Minimum top 4."

 

[Obscene Assassin]

What are people expectations for 2017?
According to sportsbet we are 4th favourites for the spoon and rated at 13th of 16 teams. If semi and KE are clear I think we start at about 13-1 but if not we may blow to about 26-1+

I see it as a tight competition. Plenty of sides I can see improving, like the Tigers.manly,warriors.roosters,souths
A few i can see being strong but going backwards - Storm - dogs - Cowboys - Sharks.
Canberra - Brisbane-Titans should be as good as this season. Panthers could be good but could flop with 2 inexperienced halves.
Saints - Knights will be tougher but hard to see them as a top 8 side.

If we have KE and Semi available I can see us returning to the top 4.

Betting is based on what the punters are putting their money on and sometimes betting agencies will put a few teams as higher prices so when people look at the odds they see that a team that will most certainly be in the 8 will be ranked lower so there's more of a chance for them to spend the money. Not saying that's what is happening with Parra here but it could be a reason why we're placed so low.

In the end it mainly depends on how many players are used. If we use a low amount of players I can see us getting into the top 4, if we use an average amount of players I still think top 6 but if we use a large amount of players as low as 10th.

 

[Parra47]

What are people expectations for 2017?
According to sportsbet we are 4th favourites for the spoon and rated at 13th of 16 teams. If semi and KE are clear I think we start at about 13-1 but if not we may blow to about 26-1+

I see it as a tight competition. Plenty of sides I can see improving, like the Tigers.manly,warriors.roosters,souths
A few i can see being strong but going backwards - Storm - dogs - Cowboys - Sharks.
Canberra - Brisbane-Titans should be as good as this season. Panthers could be good but could flop with 2 inexperienced halves.
Saints - Knights will be tougher but hard to see them as a top 8 side.

If we have KE and Semi available I can see us returning to the top 4.

I'm worried about our halves and hooker options.
If King steps up, I think he could be very good for us. De Gois is solid but not an organiser with good attacking vision Pritchard is very nippy out of dummy half but I haven't seen him offer a lot as an organising playmaker.
If Robson is our 7,that would be disappointing. Have watched him over his career and he is average. Fogarty has potential but we won't know how he's developing until the year kicks off. That really leaves Norman and Gutherson. Could work but they are both running playmakers, not organising play makers. Yes there is a difference, Beji Marshall himself gave the example he is a five 6, a running half, not a 7, an organising half. We should be top 8 however not sure we are good enough for top 4.

The Roosters will improve massively.
Canberra and Penrith will continue their rise.
Tigers will struggle again.
Dragons and Newcastle will struggle. Newcastle should be more competitive though.
Bulldogs need to sign a half to improve. Then more Mybe to 6 and Reynolds to 9. Otherwise it'll be another year of close but not close enough for them.

 

[strider]

What are people expectations for 2017?
According to sportsbet we are 4th favourites for the spoon and rated at 13th of 16 teams. If semi and KE are clear I think we start at about 13-1 but if not we may blow to about 26-1+

I see it as a tight competition. Plenty of sides I can see improving, like the Tigers.manly,warriors.roosters,souths
A few i can see being strong but going backwards - Storm - dogs - Cowboys - Sharks.
Canberra - Brisbane-Titans should be as good as this season. Panthers could be good but could flop with 2 inexperienced halves.
Saints - Knights will be tougher but hard to see them as a top 8 side.

If we have KE and Semi available I can see us returning to the top 4.

Agree with the summary of the teams ... though i always expect the storm to go backwards and the dirty merkins never do

 

[emjaycee]

I won't mention his name but there was this fat bloke that was part of the Blue and Gold army doing selfy videos with players, ex players and even Bernie Gurr. You could tell everyone that he interviewed was doing it reluctantly. It was so cringeworthy. I actually couldn't look at it I was so embarrassed for him.

#nerd

Geez Avenger, you could have come and said hello.

 

[Soren Lorenson]

Agree with the summary of the teams ... though i always expect the storm to go backwards and the dirty merkins never do

Isn't that right! It feels like we've been waiting for years for the Storm to decline. Same with QLD's origin team. Still, it happened to Manly eventually and it will happen to them too sooner or later.

 

[Suitman]

Isn't that right! It feels like we've been waiting for years for the Storm to decline. Same with QLD's origin team. Still, it happened to Manly eventually and it will happen to them too sooner or later.

It might be annoying, but maybe that's only because it's not us?
Seriously, besides the cheating from the Storm earlier on, they have consistently remained successful season after season They are a professionally run club.
We have been a f**king shambles for years.
Hopefully now though, the tide will be turned.
I'm actually thinking that in the long run, Fitz, Spags and Sharpie have done us a favour.
They've all shown us how NOT to run a club, and that, with the current changes in process, we can get back to the juggernaut we should be, and should have been so much earlier, if not for the selfish pricks who wanted the limelight and power.

 

[Soren Lorenson]

It might be annoying, but maybe that's only because it's not us?
Seriously, besides the cheating from the Storm earlier on, they have consistently remained successful season after season They are a professionally run club.
We have been a f**king shambles for years.
Hopefully now though, the tide will be turned.

Absolutely its because its not us.I just have developed this unreasonably hierarchy of opposition teams in my head where some are tolerable (for eg Tigers, Panthers), right down to the like of Brisbane and Melbourne who I can't handle when they win. And jealously is a big part of it.

 

[84 Baby]

What are people expectations for 2017?
According to sportsbet we are 4th favourites for the spoon and rated at 13th of 16 teams. If semi and KE are clear I think we start at about 13-1 but if not we may blow to about 26-1+

I see it as a tight competition. Plenty of sides I can see improving, like the Tigers.manly,warriors.roosters,souths
A few i can see being strong but going backwards - Storm - dogs - Cowboys - Sharks.
Canberra - Brisbane-Titans should be as good as this season. Panthers could be good but could flop with 2 inexperienced halves.
Saints - Knights will be tougher but hard to see them as a top 8 side.

If we have KE and Semi available I can see us returning to the top 4.

TBH the only team I reckon will definitely slide are the Sharks (premiership relief, losing Ennis/Barba, etc) but they may not even slide out of top 4, let alone top 8. And well we could go either way, as could the Tits.
But the flip side is surely Worriers, Souffs, Moanly & Rorters can't be as bad as they were last year, so really I think games will be hard to tip week to week next season

 

[Avenger]

Geez Avenger, you could have come and said hello.

Sorry mate, didn't see you.

 

[emjaycee]

Sorry mate, didn't see you.

I was the guy taking the video's

 

[Twizzle]

the fat f**k ?

 

[emjaycee]

the fat f**k ?

At least you got my attempt at a Pete joke.