SJ.

[Rich102]

I think people are forgetting TMM was a great foil to SJ at the beginning of last year when we started 5-1 and then he broke his leg/arm (forget which) and was out untill the playoffs

Those leg/arm injuries can take a while to come right.

 

[Meth]

I think people are forgetting TMM was a great foil to SJ at the beginning of last year when we started 5-1 and then he broke his leg/arm (forget which) and was out untill the playoffs

seems like the main guy who forgot that is the coach

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz

“You'll see Te Maire touch the ball more and balance the field out. If the boys see an opportunity, we want them to take it,” Webster said.

“The way we've designed our play still gives Te Maire an opportunity. He's not going to be stuck out on the left. Melbourne can know that now.”

Encouraging... hopefully they can execute well.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

I don’t mind TMM being on the left most of the time as long as the play goes left regularly. Though him and SJ both playing both sides regularly would add another level of unpredictability to it.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

seems like the main guy who forgot that is the coach

Haha yeah, exactly - everything was drawn up around an unfit SJ.

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz

Encouraging... hopefully they can execute well.

Yeah, I like that. I am so genuinely excited about this weekend.

I honestly feel like this is the best 17 we have to pick from, injured or uninjured. Pompey is going really well at centre so I don't feel like anything is lost from a fit RTS. Guys all over the park are in good form, pretty well rested off a bye and a comfortable win in NQ, we really couldn't be in better shape.

 

[Philip_Smith007]

No contract for next year yet?
Might be holding off.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

Should already be set up for life, but may be regretting turning down Nick Politis about now

He will get offered a contract, but there is nothing at the moment to show it should be above his correct cut price deal

 

[sup42]

Should already be set up for life, but may be regretting turning down Nick Politis about now

He will get offered a contract, but there is nothing at the moment to show it should be above his correct cut price deal

Yeah I would not go so far as to assume he is going to get offered an extension.

I read the radio silence as Johnson's future being undecided.

The emergence this year of TMM as a better Seven has really thrown the cat among the pigeons.

The real eye opener for me was seeing this last game where TMM remained the pivot, the half back in all but Jersey number and Johnson dropped the fast balls that TMM and Walker use to cash in on late flat balls played at the line.

TMM is better than Shaun this year at taking it too the line.

Which is interesting because last year we were a top side thanks to Johnson taking on the line.

Weigh all of that against our games where SJ this year got the first receiver ball and completely ignored TMM.

Lots of questions then....a real dilemma.

I dunno what the answer is, as a fan I want what everyone wants, TMM and SJ forming some kinda super combo.

But Shaun might be the problem.....

Just putting that out there because it might be true whether you worship him with rose tinted glasses or not.

Bottom line, love him or not....he is not being chased by the Warriors so that should tell you something period.

Every other club in this comp throws the war chest at a almost Dally M player from the season before.

Real strange we are not.....

 

[Blair]

Yeah I would not go so far as to assume he is going to get offered an extension.

I read the radio silence as Johnson's future being undecided.

The emergence this year of TMM as a better Seven has really thrown the cat among the pigeons.

The real eye opener for me was seeing this last game where TMM remained the pivot, the half back in all but Jersey number and Johnson dropped the fast balls that TMM and Walker use to cash in on late flat balls played at the line.

TMM is better than Shaun this year at taking it too the line.

Which is interesting because last year we were a top side thanks to Johnson taking on the line.

Weigh all of that against our games where SJ this year got the first receiver ball and completely ignored TMM.

Lots of questions then....a real dilemma.

I dunno what the answer is, as a fan I want what everyone wants, TMM and SJ forming some kinda super combo.

But Shaun might be the problem.....

Just putting that out there because it might be true whether you worship him with rose tinted glasses or not.

Bottom line, love him or not....he is not being chased by the Warriors so that should tell you something period.

Every other club in this comp throws the war chest at a almost Dally M player from the season before.

Real strange we are not.....

Let's get back to basics and have our first choice halves, Johnson and Martin, training together. Remember, it didn't really happen last year either.

 

[sup42]

Let's get back to basics and have our first choice halves, Johnson and Martin, training togeher. Remember, it didn't really happen last year either.

Agreed however I would add a radical proviso, which says lets not assume it is going to work based off SJs past. And lets not assume that Johnson as lead pivot is the answer.

There are so many questions hovering over Johnson after Te Maire became a top four beating half back that it would be foolish and blind to ignore TMMs part of the conversation independent of whatever Johnson's role is or should be moving forward.

Cold hard facts are that this is the first time in the Johnson era that a Warriors team has thrived in his absence and from my pov that is pivotal and it would be fool of coach to ignore that quantum leap radical change.

The thing is that TMM lead us to this clubs rarest upsets back to back in decades and now Johnson is back he looks like a fish out of water.


We can all make up excuses for Johnson in that matrix. But what if he is the problem? I wanna keep my eyes open enough to consider that and any other possibility.

I think the biggest weakness of the Warriors is assuming the best player is the best fit in a multi faceted moving parts mechanism, the score sheet says Johnson is being over read by coaches and is too predictable.

Mean while Martin is playing eyes up and going deep into the line, the complete opposite....and that has been the winning of games against top four teams without Johnson stinking up the play.

Johnson is not being re signed or even mentioned as a point of discussion in the Warriors recruitment.

That tells me he is all but done as a Warrior,

The truth is he is an old player with chronic injuries who will struggle to get through a full year, he is slow, and he is a marked man by opposition coaches, and he is being outshone by another half that is winning big games at seven.


That is the truth. The rest is fan glass half full nostalgia, heck I wish he wins us a GF this year too.
But that dont take away that he might be shot because frankly age has caught up with him. it happens to everyone.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

Maybe the first way to have a different look at it, is to have TMM come over and run the right hand side and SJ should have enough experience to be able to work the left adequately

 

[Philip_Smith007]

Is he really back full training?
It didn't look like it on the weekend, given that TMM did seem to get more possession than before SJ peck injury.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

I mean, it's pretty rough to judge him on his first game back for a month. Yes he offered nothing, but we lost that game because we shipped 38 points on a reasonably wet night, not because SJ was back in the side. 24 was enough to get past the Panthers and Dolphins.

I'd want to see a little bit more before I write him off this year (although I will grant it looks increasingly like 2025 isn't a good option for us to re-sign him).

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

Yea I agree. First game back, wet night against the Storm... he’s not the first half to struggle in those circumstances, won’t be the last either. Could well be symptomatic of the inevitable decline, but too early to make that call I reckon.

Re: his age and injuries, I've posted before that I think they're overblown. He’s younger than DCE and Cody Walker, and missed fewer games to injury in the last 18mths than Cleary and Moses. I don't think any decision on his future (if any) should be tied to his physical outlook. He's more durable than some are giving him credit for.

 

[Shaun Hewitt]

I mean, it's pretty rough to judge him on his first game back for a month. Yes he offered nothing, but we lost that game because we shipped 38 points on a reasonably wet night, not because SJ was back in the side. 24 was enough to get past the Panthers and Dolphins.

I'd want to see a little bit more before I write him off this year (although I will grant it looks increasingly like 2025 isn't a good option for us to re-sign him).

And being down to 11 men at one point didn't help our cause either.

SJ certainly didn't stand our or cover himself in glory BUT I also don't think he is to blame for this one.\