SAINTS V PANTHERS.

[BrissyRedV]

His service looked the goods and he defended well too.

Indeed, his defence was excellent. He is a strong little bugger.

 

[Gareth67]

Another aspect from yesterday was the Post Match press conference .
There was no Jack Frost in attendance .

We had Mary and Gareth Widdop , both relaxed and in good spirits , how refreshing to see . Widdops body language was in complete contrast to last year , when it appeared that he did not wish to be there .

And Mary had a smile as wide as the Sydney Harbour Bridge , great to see , let's hope that this will be a regular occurrence .

 

[Smurf]

I watched all three games yesterday .

U21 - very young squad - the Full Back - Steve Masters looks very good.

Steelers - played like Mary 2016 coached team - however they will be better for the run - Moses needs a few games to get back to speed but he really is a massive unit . Milne way ahead of the team - imo should be in the top team . Also special mention to Josh Kerr , another big unit - fingers crossed he develops / could be another Vaughan . Dufty - the ball didn't really go his way ( maybe missed playing with Field )
Luc - a bit like Mose , needs to play some minutes .

Dragons - to tell the truth , I am still in shock . Not in my wildest dreams did I see that coming !!!
More please !!!

Go the Dragons !!!!!

 

[mickeylane]

From what I saw this week, Mosoe and Lielua are over a month off being fit enough to play first grade however, I thought Kerr is a forward who stood out in a well beaten Illawarra pack.

Lawrie for me was the standout - a clone for Josh Jackson - a real powerhouse..

 

[mickeylane]

Absolutely ridiculous.

In about 3 years time, Host will be amongst our best forwards. The kid has a huge future nad plenty of ability now. The problem is that he isn't a middle player, and TBH we dont need him to be. He needs game time on the edge, that's where his future is. Our middle forwards are fine and Host and Friz can cover them if needed.

As for bringing Mose in...just lol!

We need to tweak the team to reach maximum impact - if we had to be critical the bench only threw up 2 effective changes in Simms and Ah Mau both Host and Field were totally ineffective.

Host is a great prospect but he was very hesitant yesterday and dropped a couple of balls in a short period of time.. Players like Lawrie, Luciano can offer similar if not more creative input in the 20 minutes or so that Host plays as their offloads are excellent - we need players to come off the bench to value add.. Not bagging Host just saying that we shouldn't stick with a team just because we won - we should be looking to get the team performing at its optimum..

 

[BennyV]

We need to tweak the team to reach maximum impact - if we had to be critical the bench only threw up 2 effective changes in Simms and Ah Mau both Host and Field were totally ineffective.

Host is a great prospect but he was very hesitant yesterday and dropped a couple of balls in a short period of time.. Players like Lawrie, Luciano can offer similar if not more creative input in the 20 minutes or so that Host plays as their offloads are excellent - we need players to come off the bench to value add.. Not bagging Host just saying that we shouldn't stick with a team just because we won - we should be looking to get the team performing at its optimum..

I entirely agree that we should be improving the team despite a dominant win. I've questioned the longevity of McCrone at half, I think Mann should be somewhere in the backline and I believe that Milne is the best option for right centre. But if anything, Host should be getting more game time, because soon he'll need to step into a starting role in the case of injury or origin selection. I also think Field getting 10minutes at the end of the game doesn't account for much, would be better looking at other utility/bench options.
It's not just maximising impact, it's making sure that impact can be maintained throughout the year. Sele should also be getting some minutes from the bench, and Lawrence. Havili should be getting game time if he's back. With an 80minute back row, 80 minute hooker and solid prop rotation, we've got opportunity to make sure our depth players are ready when called upon.

 

[possm]

We need to tweak the team to reach maximum impact - if we had to be critical the bench only threw up 2 effective changes in Simms and Ah Mau both Host and Field were totally ineffective.

Host is a great prospect but he was very hesitant yesterday and dropped a couple of balls in a short period of time.. Players like Lawrie, Luciano can offer similar if not more creative input in the 20 minutes or so that Host plays as their offloads are excellent - we need players to come off the bench to value add.. Not bagging Host just saying that we shouldn't stick with a team just because we won - we should be looking to get the team performing at its optimum..

Leilua, Mosoe and Lawrie will get their turn. Leilua and Mosoe were not match fit and need more work before being considered for first grade selection. Mosoe has an excuse because he is just now coming back from serious knee injury however, Leilua's only problem is related to celebrations of his new fat contract extension. Leilua needs to buck up and get fit or he will find he is in reserve grade for most of 2017.

Some changes to the backline and the inclusion of Aitken on the bench would be a good move in the right direction. Mann for Lafai at left centre and Field for Nightingale on the left wing would give the Dragons extra strike power on the left side. The inclusion of Milne as right centre would give the Dragons an awesome combination of Milne and Macdonald on the right side.

So while Dugan, Widdop and McCrone are playing like they did yesterday, the above changes should be all that is required.

 

[dragonssamy61]

Was it nathan pickworth running the water ?

I think you are right

 

[BlackDuckSaint]

I think you are right

As the head trainer, but Matt Head was running messages as the blue shirt trainer.

 

[dragonssamy61]

As the head trainer, but Matt Head was running messages as the blue shirt trainer.

Correct as far as I could see definitely.
He was also talking to widdop as well as mccrone

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

I was disappointed when the team was announced, but the 17 players did not disappoint.

The mongrel attitude the 17 showed. The halves playing at the line. The forwards absolutely dominating. The defence. It is the first complete game I've seen from the red v in some time.

That is the benchmark now. Let's roll!!!

Since you mention mongrel and although Lafai had a better game for us I still would like to see him replaced with Milne...he hasnt played in the side with yesterdays attitude and I think he would really create some havic and mongrel out wide

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

Leilua, Mosoe and Lawrie will get their turn. Leilua and Mosoe were not match fit and need more work before being considered for first grade selection. Mosoe has an excuse because he is just now coming back from serious knee injury however, Leilua's only problem is related to celebrations of his new fat contract extension. Leilua needs to buck up and get fit or he will find he is in reserve grade for most of 2017.

Some changes to the backline and the inclusion of Aitken on the bench would be a good move in the right direction. Mann for Lafai at left centre and Field for Nightingale on the left wing would give the Dragons extra strike power on the left side. The inclusion of Milne as right centre would give the Dragons an awesome combination of Milne and Macdonald on the right side.

So while Dugan, Widdop and McCrone are playing like they did yesterday, the above changes should be all that is required.

Yep I agree we dont want to just settle for the same team although knowing Mary he will.....for mine Mann and Milne must be added

 

[MilanDragon]

I can't imagine many coaches changing their team for round 2 after a 30 point win over the premiership favourites.

Even myself personally I'd like to see Mann or Milne in the side over Lafai. But I think after yesterday you have to give the same 17 an opportunity to prove it wasn't a one-off.

 

[ALSGI]

I can't imagine many coaches changing their team for round 2 after a 30 point win over the premiership favourites.

Even myself personally I'd like to see Mann or Milne in the side over Lafai. But I think after yesterday you have to give the same 17 an opportunity to prove it wasn't a one-off.

MD, think you're right.
And from what I'm seeing from Parra atm we have them covered with current 17 if we repeat yesterdays effort.
Definately not bagging any players from yesterday but if I was asked to improve yesterdays team I'd definately replace Lafai with Milne and Nighty with Mann.

 

[Dragon for life]

It must have been the skull. A self proclaimed neo-nazi who was convicted of committing violent crimes. In his day he was a serial attention seeker who was noted for his hatred of gays, blacks, women and anyone who didn't fit in with his white supremacist ideology. There's a good reason why he was barred from the ground.

Thanks that was it.

 

[blacksafake]

Not taking anything away from the win but i was wondering what sort of an impact the whole Cartwright business had on the panthers.Most of them were very poor especially Cartwright which is understandable, although he is rated very highly by the press which differs from my opinion.Give me Friz & a few others ahead of him anytime.

 

[hermidale1]

Can't understand why to tweak the team. I mean, Illawarra was beaten by Penrith in ISP and the 20's won, but allowed Penrith a chance to win in the dying minutes after a decent lead.
The NRL had a convincing win and people want to change a couple of players? Best not to change anything I say.

 

[since77]

I can't imagine many coaches changing their team for round 2 after a 30 point win over the premiership favourites.

Even myself personally I'd like to see Mann or Milne in the side over Lafai. But I think after yesterday you have to give the same 17 an opportunity to prove it wasn't a one-off.

I'd prefer to not have Lafai in the team too but no coach is going to change a team that won 42-10 unless they have a marquee player returning from suspension / injury.

 

[The Doc]

Imo we should replace host.
I didnt see him bring much off the bench.
He wasnt on for long, but in that time i think someone like Leilua could offer more.
He isnt fit sure, but he could handle 20-25mins easily... and with our support play on fire, he would offer alot more to the team in a 25min spell.
Field on the bench? Just give the kid 80mins in reserves. Imo that would be more beneficial for him.
Put milne in the team in place of Aitken and put Aitken on the bench.
He can cover the backs and also back row. The kid is strong.
But the team really did well, maybe leave the starting 13 as is and just twerk the bench.
Give young Kerr a run on the bench with Luc in olace of Host and Field?

 

[Old Timer]

Doc,
IMO Leilua needs to play long minutes in Reggies to get match fitness and learn how to tackle effectively.
He may very well bring something in attack but if he is on and the momentum quickly swings as it can and we are in defensive mode Leilua is a real liability at NRL level.
On Saturday the pack hunted together and were most effective and this enabled everyone who started to play long minutes. With Luc on that dimension will change in respect of defensive workloads.
In the reggies game he came on and when we were in defence at times he seagulled it out on the wing and that frankly is not good enough for an aspiring 1st grader.
The ball is in his court to do the necessary work that demands he gets picked an IMO he shouldn't be gifted anything.
I think also it is a bit harsh to judge Host considering he got very little game time and he came on at the end when it was getting close to knock off time.
The Field selection is more curious as surely he should be injected at the time of the game that the momentum most suits us not some arbitrary point in time when the game is almost done and dusted.
I would have loved to see him come on straight after we scored our first try in the second half as we were well on top then and we were powering to victory so no better time for a playmaker to learn his trade.