Selmes!!!

[Dragon Slayer]

f*ck me dead I hope that is the last time we see him in First Grade.

He was buggered just running onto the field.

When he runs it looks like he's in pain and it's a huge effort.

How the hell is he a footballer and WTF were you thinking Ricky???

Don't you understand how much the game has sped up this year.

Talk about living under a rock!

 

[Frenzy.]

Never been a Selmes fan myself. For some reason he became a cult figure amongst some sections of the fan base a few years back. I think it was intrinsically novelty value because he was so big in the lowers and used to be able to bully other players.

Sort of like the bearded lady, the half man-half woman or some other circus freak.

He's a big enough palooka but at the same time he's just another great lummox

 

[Dragon Slayer]

Never been a Selmes fan myself. For some reason he became a cult figure amongst some sections of the fan base a few years back. I think it was intrinsically novelty value because he was so big in the lowers and used to be able to bully other players.

Sort of like the bearded lady, the half man-half woman or some other circus freak.

He's a big enough palooka but at the same time he's just another great lummox

Seriously Frenzy how could Ricky pick him?

There's no way he's fit for First Grade.

Talk about rolling the dice.

 

[Frenzy.]

Seriously Frenzy how could Ricky pick him?

There's no way he's fit for First Grade.

Talk about rolling the dice.

Easy answer.

He's in the top 25 and has to be used before any of the lower graders due to cash flow and salary cap restraints

 

[Dragon Slayer]

Easy answer.

He's in the top 25 and has to be used before any of the lower graders due to cash flow and salary cap restraints

Well looks like our lucky run of picking up a bargain but effective bench prop has come to an end.

We got lucky with Stapleton and Peek in the past.

Our prop rotation is certainly cactus.

God help us if we lose Douglas or Snowden for any length of time.

 

[Frenzy.]

Well looks like our lucky run of picking up a bargain but effective bench prop has come to an end.

We got lucky with Stapleton and Peek in the past.

Our prop rotation is certainly cactus.

God help us if we lose Douglas or Snowden for any length of time.

Yep

 

[SirShire]

Agreed.

I saw the big punce at the shops last week (buying ice cream, no less), and he is MASSIVE. Needless to say, it was mind boggling watching him on the weekend getting cleaned up by the Roosters defence and having zero go forward.

He's as big as Mason, but he hits it up with about the same intensity as a Simmo kick return. I doubt he'll be retained beyond this year. I don't think he is a Stuart favourite, and he has never stepped up from the days of 2004/05 when he was monstering blokes in Flegg/reggies.

 

[evv]

mannah played realy well when he came on. made plenty of strong runs. better then selmes.

 

[Dragon Slayer]

Yep

Well I think we have to go down the road of the Wayne Bennett theory Frenzy.

Bennett was using 15 players in games for the best part of this season because he didn't want the dynamics of the team to change to drastically at any stage of the game. These days most teams have a couple of good quality benchies and the other couple that fill in and are more than likely to be a liability to the teams structure in defence than add anything positive.

I noticed when Selmes came on last night we definately lost an edge in defence and it was during this time that the Roosters started opening us up. before then we looked reasonable solid with our defensive line.

So I think Ricky has to bite the bullet and admit we don't have 17 quality First Graders and try and use 15 players for the most part and maybe 16 towards the final 15minutes.

If we don't have props of NRL First Grade quality we don't run them on for the sake of rotation. I think we have to manufacture a couple who are already existing First Grade quality and give it a go. f**k we've tried everything else and it's turned to mud thus far.

So I would pick this as our starting pack with the following rotation.

Snowden
Seu Seu
Douglas
Tupou
Gallen
Maitua

Bench Players utilised.

Williams
Hughes
Caine

Rotate Williams with Snowden

Get Gallen to play some prop when Douglas is knackered.

Hughes to take Gallens place in the backrow to be used the same way Gallen is.

Caine to give Seu Seu a rest when need be.

Bench player number 17?

John Mannah? He looked alot better last night. So give him the last 15minutes of a match as long as it's not in the balance. If it's in the balance we should tough it out with the 13 most capable First Graders at the Club.

We should give the Bennett theory a go as he's a smart cookie and we are similar to the Dragons that our back row can play 80minutes footy.

What do you think?

 

[Stonecutter]

Never been a Selmes fan myself. For some reason he became a cult figure amongst some sections of the fan base a few years back. I think it was intrinsically novelty value because he was so big in the lowers and used to be able to bully other players.

Sort of like the bearded lady, the half man-half woman or some other circus freak.

He's a big enough palooka but at the same time he's just another great lummox

I have to admitt I was one of them. Couldn't wait for him to crack FG. But since he's been nothing but dissapointing .

 

[Frenzy.]

Well I think we have to go down the road of the Wayne Bennett theory Frenzy.

Bennett was using 15 players in games for the best part of this season because he didn't want the dynamics of the team to change to drastically at any stage of the game. These days most teams have a couple of good quality benchies and the other couple that fill in and are more than likely to be a liability to the teams structure in defence than add anything positive.

I noticed when Selmes came on last night we definately lost an edge in defence and it was during this time that the Roosters started opening us up. before then we looked reasonable solid with our defensive line.

So I think Ricky has to bite the bullet and admit we don't have 17 quality First Graders and try and use 15 players for the most part and maybe 16 towards the final 15minutes.

If we don't have props of NRL First Grade quality we don't run them on for the sake of rotation. I think we have to manufacture a couple who are already existing First Grade quality and give it a go. f**k we've tried everything else and it's turned to mud thus far.

So I would pick this as our starting pack with the following rotation.

Snowden
Seu Seu
Douglas
Tupou
Gallen
Maitua

Bench Players utilised.

Williams
Hughes
Caine

Rotate Williams with Snowden

Get Gallen to play some prop when Douglas is knackered.

Hughes to take Gallens place in the backrow to be used the same way Gallen is.

Caine to give Seu Seu a rest when need be.

Bench player number 17?

John Mannah? He looked alot better last night. So give him the last 15minutes of a match as long as it's not in the balance. If it's in the balance we should tough it out with the 13 most capable First Graders at the Club.

We should give the Bennett theory a go as he's a smart cookie and we are similar to the Dragons that our back row can play 80minutes footy.

What do you think?

What's the theory behine playing 3 hookers? What do we do if there are injuries (seems likely in 2009) and we end up having to have all 3 on the field?

I'm not convinced Bennett was trying to keep the status quo of the team in tact. He may of been, has he said that anywhere. I just think he was smart enough to know what the changes to the game would bring and went about making more long minute players

I don't have too much of a problem not using specialist props at the moment. As you say and others have mentioned Gallen can do that job (and it might get him out of the backline a bit) and even Weirdo can fill in as a prop. That's what he came into grade as anyway and to me he's lost speed since his knee thingee. In saying that though, if you bulk him up a bit he'd be a damn fast prop and there's a trend to go with faster props I've noticed. Blokes hitting the line at 100+mph

 

[The Popper]

Another dud.

 

[Special K]

Selmes is a battler. I can't believe we haven't cut our losses with him yet..

 

[Inferno]

He's off contract, so no doubt he'll get the steppa/cooper treatment.

He'll be there for the next 3 or 4.

 

[mortz]

give verlinden a run
he would go better than selmes

 

[blacktip-reefy]

heard some good thing about verlinden

 

[mortz]

wouldnt hurt throwing him in, he would do better than selmes thats for sure

 

[Mr Angry]

Come on........

We need to gift him another 80 games.

He may well then string a couple of decent games together, no world beating type stuff, just not look so bad it makes jesus cry.