Seu Seu assured of getting a first grade start against the Dogs

[Super Sub]

What if Johns does miss round one? what does everyone expect to be our halves combo?

 

[Burwood]

Doubt it. My guess is either Seu Seu for 80 min's, or else Quigley will start and Seu Seu will come on for impact.

Hasn't Smith already confirmed Seu Seu as a starter?

If Johns gets a rest Mullen will got to half and Gidley to five-eighth

So then you need to carry somebody on the bench who can fill in for Kidley at fullback while he is playing in the halves. :?

 

[Jono078]

What if Johns does miss round one? what does everyone expect to be our halves combo?

I dont know if Walsh is ready for the NRL or not but id say it would be Mullen to halfback and either Tighe or Gidley to 5/8th.

 

[CJKnight]

What if Johns does miss round one? what does everyone expect to be our halves combo?

Kidley/Mullen

 

[Burwood]

What if Johns does miss round one? what does everyone expect to be our halves combo?

Thaiday to fullback, Kidley to 5/8. I'm not sure if Karawana has done enough yet to make his first grade debut.

 

[BG]

Hasn't Smith already confirmed Seu Seu as a starter?

So then you need to carry somebody on the bench who can fill in for Kidley at fullback while he is playing in the halves. :?

Johns won't come off unless he's injured or the game is in the bag. Smithy won't waste a bench spot for those contingencies. If it's necessary for Gidley to go to five-eighth I see Thaiday or Doogs dropping back to fullback and say Abraham covering in the centres. Remember this would only be to cover injury, or if the game is already won. On Abes profile on the official site it suggests he can fill a hole in the backline if needed. Don't know who wrote the profiles, but I assume they have at least some info from inside the camp (despite what some people have said about the complimentary description of Tanner).

Didn't know Smithy confirmed Seu Seu as a starter. Did you actually see the interview? I assumed he just affirmed that he would be in the 17?... Antonius... ?

 

[Rutager]

Thaiday to fullback, Kidley to 5/8. I'm not sure if Karawana has done enough yet to make his first grade debut.

Starvin Marvin would be a decent replacement against the Dogs, he would know the way they play.

 

[knightsyeah12]

I have had big wraps on Seu Seu from the first time i saw him playing. He is unlucky that Beds is in the team otherwise in my opinion he would be our FG hooker!

 

[Burwood]

I have had big wraps on Seu Seu from the first time i saw him playing. He is unlucky that Beds is in the team otherwise in my opinion he would be our FG hooker!

The problem we have now that Seu Seu has been fast tracked through the grades is that we'll have more trouble keeping him in our playing ranks. Buderus would have at least another 3 seasons left in him yet, and that is a long time to be waiting around in premier league.

If Seu Seu really does have this much potential then Smith will have to look at a way of keeping him in the club when others come knocking. One obvious choice is to have him on the bench and to bring him on for ~30 minutes each game. This will allow Buderus to have a rest (he isn't getting any younger...), and will also have him available to cover positions in the backline if injury strikes mid-game.

 

[perverse]

Johns won't come off unless he's injured or the game is in the bag. Smithy won't waste a bench spot for those contingencies. If it's necessary for Gidley to go to five-eighth I see Thaiday or Doogs dropping back to fullback and say Abraham covering in the centres. Remember this would only be to cover injury, or if the game is already won. On Abes profile on the official site it suggests he can fill a hole in the backline if needed. Don't know who wrote the profiles, but I assume they have at least some info from inside the camp (despite what some people have said about the complimentary description of Tanner).

Didn't know Smithy confirmed Seu Seu as a starter. Did you actually see the interview? I assumed he just affirmed that he would be in the 17?... Antonius... ?

doogs absolutely carves from fullback. i love seeing him play there... but i think kidley will have mortgage on the position.. at least early this year.

Thaiday is great in attack and early last year we saw his potential.. but i'm going to play the devils advocate here and state something that no-one else seems confident enough to: he doesn't perform under the high ball and is suspect in defense, especially making those try saving tackles. now i agree he has to be in the side.. but i honestly believe he would serve the club greatest as an impact player from the bench a'la craig wing.

i could see the old abes filling in at centre for sure... and i don't know how he looks this year.. but he put on a lot of weight and bulked up over the past few years and i couldn't see the abes we know now filling in at centre.

i think with thaiday playing as an impact player from the bench it would give us options to shuffle the backline around in the case of injury. slot him into fullback or the wing, doogs can move around positions well and plays centre, fullback and wing... kidley is also very versatile (although i do think his future lies at fullback). we then have the polglaises and the franzes and the rest of our outside back depth to cover in the week to wekk injury holes.

we need to worry about our forwards, not our backs. our backs will work themselves out.

i'm very keen to see seu seu in round 1. i've heard a lot of good things.. and we need someone to cover for bedsy every now and then.. especially come origin season.

 

[Burwood]

doogs absolutely carves from fullback. i love seeing him play there... but i think kidley will have mortgage on the position.. at least early this year.

Some of MacDougall's best moments have been at fullback. There was nothing like seeing MacDougall return the ball from a kick return. Only Jason Smith managed to develop a somewhat dubious "method" to stop him in his tracks .

Thaiday is great in attack and early last year we saw his potential.. but i'm going to play the devils advocate here and state something that no-one else seems confident enough to: he doesn't perform under the high ball and is suspect in defense, especially making those try saving tackles. now i agree he has to be in the side.. but i honestly believe he would serve the club greatest as an impact player from the bench a'la craig wing.

That opinion (although not the most popular) has been echoed around this forum for some time now. While I agree with the argument that he was injured for a lot of last season, I don't like the fact that a player's confidence can be so low that on several occasions they are unable to catch uncontested bombs and instead choose to let them bounce. I am more than happy to see an in-form Thaiday reclaim the fullback position, but until I see him perform back to his top standard I will be nervous about the liability that he may be.

Personally, I'd like to see him eased back into first grade on the wing. People may think that he is wasted on the wing, but there is absolutely no reason why he can't come infield and look for the ball. Blacklock made a very successful career out of doing this, and I have no doubts that Thaiday is every bit as elusive and capable. It doesn't need to be a fulltime position move, just long enough to build his confidence and prove Smith's "Kidley-at-fullback" experiment one way or the other.

i could see the old abes filling in at centre for sure... and i don't know how he looks this year.. but he put on a lot of weight and bulked up over the past few years and i couldn't see the abes we know now filling in at centre.

Yep, the Abes of old was a very versatile player (debuted and played fullback in his first year), but since his injuries he has been losing more and more of this versatility. He could fill in at centre if needed, but then again so could Simpson. We have much more capable players in our roster now who are more suited to covering a number of positions across the park, which is why I think Brown should come into consideration for a bench spot until we have Johns and Buderus back on deck and match fit.

 

[perverse]

That opinion (although not the most popular) has been echoed around this forum for some time now. While I agree with the argument that he was injured for a lot of last season, I don't like the fact that a player's confidence can be so low that on several occasions they are unable to catch uncontested bombs and instead choose to let them bounce. I am more than happy to see an in-form Thaiday reclaim the fullback position, but until I see him perform back to his top standard I will be nervous about the liability that he may be.

Personally, I'd like to see him eased back into first grade on the wing. People may think that he is wasted on the wing, but there is absolutely no reason why he can't come infield and look for the ball. Blacklock made a very successful career out of doing this, and I have no doubts that Thaiday is every bit as elusive and capable. It doesn't need to be a fulltime position move, just long enough to build his confidence and prove Smith's "Kidley-at-fullback" experiment one way or the other.

Yep, the Abes of old was a very versatile player (debuted and played fullback in his first year), but since his injuries he has been losing more and more of this versatility. He could fill in at centre if needed, but then again so could Simpson. We have much more capable players in our roster now who are more suited to covering a number of positions across the park, which is why I think Brown should come into consideration for a bench spot until we have Johns and Buderus back on deck and match fit.

couldn't agree more with all of that!.. and i was tempted to say give milton a go on the wing too.. but i got won over by the thought of a fresh thaiday being injected into a game with tired forwards .

in all honesty, kidley didn't let anyone down at the end of last year playing fullback.. and i can totally see why smith wants to give it a go. kurt is a valuable asset to have on the field and gets through a lot of dirty work, and is also a great runner of the ball. he has shown he can be solid back there.. and he can make good one on one tackles too.

if the forwards go forward this year, we will be hard to beat. if the forwards don't put in the effort.. like they havent in previous seasons (what the hell is in perrys head anyway? the guy is a massive slacker!) then we will be looking at another year full of glimpses of brilliance.. but ultimately disappointment.

 

[BG]

Just going on Brian Smith's modus operandi over many years (and it's hard to imagine him changing now) and the clues we've been given so far in the trials, he's not that fond of smallish utility players on the bench. And pretty much allergic to backs there. The only smallish guys I recall him using on the bench have been hookers, and that shouldn't be necessary this year while ever Buderus is available. If possible he will use backrowers in the centres for emergencies. In recent years at Parra this was easy because there were a couple of pseudo-centres in Widders and Wagon. Although on at least one occasion when a couple of three-quarters went down in the same match, Morrison got swung out there -- and actually did very well (forcing a couple of guys into touch early in the opposition's tackle count).

At the heart of Smithy's game plan is the aim to maximise size and impact over the 80 minutes. Across the 13 players on the field at any one time he wants as much mass as possible with as much fresh steam as possible. Anyone who can play a good 80 minutes will probably play 80 minutes. He is also fond of a running backrower or two whom he can keep out of the fray for the first 20 minutes and then unleash to cause as much damage as possible for the final three-quarters of the game--Paterson and/or Newton look likely contenders for this role.

In general, Smithy hoardes interchanges like gold, and cashes them in to allow the big bulldozers of the side--especially the props--to go a million miles an hour in short bursts.

 

[roopy]

Paterson was a starting centre in at least one game of Flegg last season and had several stints in the centres during games.

The big guy loves it. He loves to try to beat a man on the outside and go for a run, and he loves to score a try.

In his last 10 games or so he has scored at a try a game, and they are not forwards tries he is scoring, the big guy makes a break, goes for a gallop and smashes the last line of defence for good measure.

If we need an emergency centre, i know who i'd use - the former fullback (not Abes - Paterson).

 

[strewth_mate]

I was hugely impressed by Paterson the other night, I would have just about had him as our best player. Not sure how he'd do in the centres when it comes to first grade, but from what I saw he'd be tight defensively and he can certainly move.

 

[Burwood]

Just going on Brian Smith's modus operandi over many years (and it's hard to imagine him changing now) and the clues we've been given so far in the trials, he's not that fond of smallish utility players on the bench. And pretty much allergic to backs there. The only smallish guys I recall him using on the bench have been hookers, and that shouldn't be necessary this year while ever Buderus is available. If possible he will use backrowers in the centres for emergencies. In recent years at Parra this was easy because there were a couple of pseudo-centres in Widders and Wagon. Although on at least one occasion when a couple of three-quarters went down in the same match, Morrison got swung out there -- and actually did very well (forcing a couple of guys into touch early in the opposition's tackle count).

At the heart of Smithy's game plan is the aim to maximise size and impact over the 80 minutes. Across the 13 players on the field at any one time he wants as much mass as possible with as much fresh steam as possible. Anyone who can play a good 80 minutes will probably play 80 minutes. He is also fond of a running backrower or two whom he can keep out of the fray for the first 20 minutes and then unleash to cause as much damage as possible for the final three-quarters of the game--Paterson and/or Newton look likely contenders for this role.

In general, Smithy hoardes interchanges like gold, and cashes them in to allow the big bulldozers of the side--especially the props--to go a million miles an hour in short bursts.

The difference here is the fact that we are going into the game minus Buderus, with Johns not having played a game since last September, and with a hooker who- despite all of his potential- is still inexperienced at this level (or even PL for that matter). If Smith wants to cover these bases than a utility player on the bench is the most logical path to go down.

I'm not saying to have Brown on the bench throughout the season, just for the opening one or two rounds until Johns gains some much needed match fitness and Seu Seu shows that he is up to the job.

 

[BG]

The difference here is the fact that we are going into the game minus Buderus, with Johns not having played a game since last September, and with a hooker who- despite all of his potential- is still inexperienced at this level (or even PL for that matter). If Smith wants to cover these bases than a utility player on the bench is the most logical path to go down.

I'm not saying to have Brown on the bench throughout the season, just for the opening one or two rounds until Johns gains some much needed match fitness and Seu Seu shows that he is up to the job.

Right, see your point for the opening matches. Brian Smith might too.

However, Roopy also makes an excellent point that Paterson would be a solid option as a make-shift centre. So I think it will come down to Smithy's confidence in Seu Seu. If he thinks he's good for 80 minutes, I'm not sure he'll be too worried about the rest of the utility stuff. If Johns isn't going to be ready for 80 minutes then they'll probably do the shuffle of Mullen/Kids at halves, Paterson to centre, Doogs or Thaiday to fullback.

 

[Jono078]

It'll be pretty risky to try and play Seu Seu for the full 80 imo. I think Smith will end up having either Tighe or Thaiday on the bench and then possibly move Gidley to Hooker.

 

[BG]

Paterson was a starting centre in at least one game of Flegg last season and had several stints in the centres during games.

The big guy loves it. He loves to try to beat a man on the outside and go for a run, and he loves to score a try.

In his last 10 games or so he has scored at a try a game, and they are not forwards tries he is scoring, the big guy makes a break, goes for a gallop and smashes the last line of defence for good measure.

If we need an emergency centre, i know who i'd use - the former fullback (not Abes - Paterson).

Thanks for that info about Paterson, Roopy. It's really good news, because it's perfect for Brian Smith's pet strategy to have that kind of player in the mix. It's basically the Widders role. Wide-running backrower who can fill in at centre if needed.

 

[BG]

It'll be pretty risky to try and play Seu Seu for the full 80 imo. I think Smith will end up having either Tighe or Thaiday on the bench and then possibly move Gidley to Hooker.

I'd like to know the last time Brian Smith played a three-quarter on the bench. Gidley to hooker would be a real wild card. Can't see it myself, but I guess you never know. Imho Johns would be more likely to end up there in a squeeze than Gidley.