Sharks Outfit

[blacktip-reefy]

Why isn't he with the Drags?
maybe a little thing to do with a money persons daughter?

 

[bonstonker]

saleh is one of the slowest going around.
he is pretty safe though,will give you 100%
but is someone that can be easily replaced and not missed.

 

[blacktip-reefy]

Power game.
keep up with or ahead of the Jones.
We are either ahead or behind if we stick with 2 small wingers.
Time will tell, but unfortunately, the most telling time, is finals time.
You can't beat power in finals.

 

[Macca]

There is no substitute for speed. Who said that again?

 

[blacktip-reefy]

Joven Clark
Maybe the other Clarke.
Two fastes guys ever in the NRL.

 

[carinashark]

I would prefur McGoldrick on the wing or two of him , one on each wing! He has speed but he has strength , Merritt has the speed but will he tackle at the end of the game. I think McGoldrick will be still going strong 80 min on. Bird worries me at 5/8 its a way hard position when the big guys run at you.
Carinashark

 

[PJ]

The thing I like about McGoldrik is his aggressive attitude.

 

[Sheros los Deros]

If any of those run 12's, its hassan.

Rieck runs high 10's, im not sure about merrit, but my guess would be highish 11's, maybe even 12's, but its his acceleration thats his strong point.

What makes you think hassan iss fast? have you got an official time sheet? ....my old man is a saints supporter, so i get dragged to a few games, and i watch games at the pub with him, and from what ive seen, his pace is solid at best....he's no where near tuquiri's or grothes league in terms of pace/power. Why would saints sign a featherweight hack like youngquest, and release saleh, if he was gods gift to the 100m track.

I agree that Merrit is dynamite over 40-60 metres, like Preston Campbell in that regard. Cheese, I reckon Merrit would run low 11's. Mate, I used to run 100 in about 11.8, and I was an 800m runner, not a sprinter. Merrit is heaps faster than I ever was. Merrit glides across the ground and has amazing evasiveness and balance.

Look, Vagana is rated the best centre in the world, he just is, weight has nothing to do with it.

 

[Dragon Slayer]

I think with two great defending centres in Vagana and Franze our lighter smaller wingers will get ample help this season. Our main problem last year was that our wingers were leaving their wing man unmarked and coming in to assist on tackles. I hope Raper puts and end to that defensive inefficiency.

The biggest problem for the smaller wingers is the cross field bombs that isolates the winger. It pretty much stuffed Brett Howland in his last year at the Sharks as kickers targeted him after many successes. Secondrowers who are tall like Bailey and Lomu and defend in wider positions have to give their wingers some cover to the charging opposition winger wherever possible.

One thing for sure bigger and baulkier wingers have a poor turn around speed for grubber kicks in the in goal. Where as the likes of Reick and Merritt can wip around with the better agility and speed off the mark to defuse a situation. So every type of winger have their positives and negatives you just have to nullify the negatives in their game as best as possible.

Both our wingers have explosive speed off the mark so grubber kicks into the ingoal for their wings is a MUST tactic this year. I'm sure Stuart Raper has this in mind as he is very astute at exploiting the skills and assets that each player brings to the team.

 

[blacktip-reefy]

Everybody is avoiding the issue, or they just don't plain get it, or have their hands over their ears, because they don't like it.

 

[Macca]

No one gets you Reefy because we can't tell if you are serious or just trying to provoke people. Your posts are riddles half the time. I take your point, I think, about the wingers. Who would you have ahead of Merritt and Reick though? Obviously Saleh, what about the other side? What if Merritt turns out to be our saviour in regards to goal kicking? If you explain, maybe we will get it.

 

[blacktip-reefy]

The most important job for wingers is kick returns.
I can't comment on Merrit but Reick has been a clutz in that department.

The other is size on the field. You must have at least 1 big winger to act an extra forward.
Brisbane have done this for 15 years. 8 forwards on the field.
they wil usually take hitups 2 & 3.
I am not saying that all the other skills are unimportant.
What I am saying is that there is a substitute for speed.
Speed & size.

 

[King of the Hill]

Reick has been a clutz in that department

Especially with his one handed way of carrying the ball

You must have at least 1 big winger to act an extra forward. 8 forwards on the field

I'm sure if Bailey is playing in the centres he'll help out with the hit ups. It's just a mystery where they're going to put him.

 

[Macca]

Bailey won't be in the centres will he?

Fair point Reefy, I guess we won't be playing that style of footy this year or maybe that is why they got Saleh. Time will tell.

 

[Dogs Of War]

Whose kicking for goal for the sharks this year?

 

[blacktip-reefy]

I'm up for a mcgoldrick/ Saleh or Franze Wing combo.
Merrit sounds like a useful super sub covering all spots. Wing(the player) like.

 

[Dragon Slayer]

You don't have to be a monster to make successful kick returns. One of the best kick return exponents for the sharks was none other than Matty Rogers. All you need is a great step and quick exceleration.

Peachey is not a strongly built figure but his guile always seems to get himself beating the first few defenders and making great ground.

As for having wingers who can be extra forwards well that is well and good if you have them. However wendell Sailors and Adam McDougalls are hard to come by. Having said that I hardly see it as being the most important job of a winger. We have had the likes of Craig Diamond,Paul Mellor,Sean Watson and Dean Carney as robust wingers and guess what they never delivered a premiership because of this skill.

I think this size thing is way overated with backline players. Penrith were premiers last year and their backline was hardly huge except Luke Rooney. And who is their most dangerous winger?.........Luke Lewis who is hardly a huge presence. But he is very quick,very elusive and very smart in positioning himself to take opportunities and more importantly when a break is on he finishes it off!

At times McDougall and Saillor have looked very clumsy going back for grubbers when they have to stop and start running in the opposite direction to defuse a situation.

So it's a case of damned if you don't have a player like that and damned if you do. Winning premiership teams of the modern era have had a smart halves. Thankfully a legacy of the Anderson era is that Brett Kimmorley came to play for us and he is the smart halfback who will bring the premiership! Not a winger who can take some of the forwards workload.

 

[Macca]

Nice stuff Slayer. I think I like both your ideas. I'll have one of each thanks.

 

[imasharkie]

Yep me too McSharkie