South Sydney's Eddy Pettybourne set to move to front row

[Newcastlerabbit]

• Steve Gee
• From: The Daily Telegraph
• April 26, 2011 12:00AM

Set to move into front row...South Sydney's Eddy Pettybourne. Picture: Brett Costello Source: The Daily Telegraph



EMBATTLED South Sydney - their season already hanging by a thread - are facing a front-row crisis.

Sam Burgess (ankle injury) has joined Scott Geddes and Luke Stuart on the sidelines for the best part of the season and there appear to be few back-up options for Rabbitohs coach John Lang ahead of Friday night's crunch game against Cronulla.
Souths released back-up props Jaiman Lowe (Melbourne) and Craig Stapleton in the off-season, leaving only skipper Roy Asotasi and Ben Ross as specialists in the squad.
Backrower Eddy Pettybourne is expected to be moved to the front row and Jason Clark added to the bench because the club's NSW Cup coach Wayne Lambkin said yesterday that none of his players are ready for the step up to the NRL.
"There's plenty of potential there," Lambkin said. "But unfortunately for John [Lang], none of them are ready [for the NRL] or playing well enough to warrant going there," Lambkin said.
The Norths coach said the injuries would stretch the Rabbitohs.
"It all happens in the one spot and [with the] front row you lose your go forward, you lose your tough men in the middle. It's hard," Lambkin said.
Burgess, 22, had scans on his left ankle yesterday to determine whether he requires surgery that will rule him out for four months.
Cronulla fullback Nathan Gardner is confident he will miss only this week's clash against Souths after injuring his left ankle in the loss to North Queensland.
"It won't be six weeks like some people have said," said Gardner, who is expected to have scans tomorrow.


http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...ove-to-front-row/story-e6frexnr-1226044662471

 

[DC_fan]

We are running short of options at prop. For me Pettybourne is a second rower at a pinch can play prop.

 

[boo_boo]

I agree DC.
This will be another desperate move by Lang but the supporters need answers as to why they kept an aging Ben Ross & let Jaiman Lowe go to another club.

 

[Ike E Bear]

You realise Ben Ross is fine, right?

Lose Ross, keep Lowe and Souths' are in EXACTLY the same predicament.

So, the question is the loyalty shown to Geddes ... but loyalty is all I ever see you bang on about.

You make no frakkin' sense. All you do is fling arrows at the team you supposedly support.


On topic, ready or not, I think they should just throw one of the Norths boys in. Sometimes sink or swim is what some guys need to take the next step.

 

[boo_boo]

You realise Ben Ross is fine, right?

Lose Ross, keep Lowe and Souths' are in EXACTLY the same predicament.

So, the question is the loyalty shown to Geddes ... but loyalty is all I ever see you bang on about.

You make no frakkin' sense. All you do is fling arrows at the team you supposedly support.


On topic, ready or not, I think they should just throw one of the Norths boys in. Sometimes sink or swim is what some guys need to take the next step.

I actually said an "AGING" Ben Ross so the issue with Ben Ross is that he is near retirement whilst Jaiman Lowe is yet to play his best footy.
So what does that tell you when comparing Ross to a younger front rower going great guns down at Melbourne.

 

[Ike E Bear]

Sounds like a different topic. Has nothing to do with the front row injury crisis.

By the same token you could ask say the same thing about Geddes and Stuart. Heck, make the argument that keeping all three was bad management.

No one seemed to shed a tear when Lowe left the first time. Souths brought him back from the obscurity of the Queensland competition out of desperation last year. So he went to the Storm - a club in salary cap crisis and looking for bargain players.

He's 28 eight, so he's not that young. And in terms of "yet to play his best footy", why didn't he play his best footy during any of the four seasons he was at Souths?

Either he's a dud, or Souths couldn't get the best out of him.

So they bring a young guy in George Burgess into the squad with the intention of bringing him time to develop while some older guys hold the fort for another year.

 

[DC_fan]

For me it was just bad player management by the club. The four props they kept for this season are either old, injury prone or both.

Which has been proven to be correct with Stuart and Geddes gone for the year with injury. Ross is able, but only just. So it really only leaves Asotasi as an adequate prop. As I said Pettybourne is a second rower who at a pinch can play prop. The fact no one is talking about George Burgess makes me wonder how he is performing.

What I would have done is unload both Geddes and Ross at the start of this season. When it was obvious that Tolman was leaving Melbourne last season I would have grabbed him quick smart.

 

[Galeforce]

Taylor would be my first option ( for size) followed by Crocker ( old head) then Eddie.

 

[boo_boo]

Is Ryan Tandy an option ?

 

[Mattyoh]

Is Ryan Tandy an option ?

It's like The Boy Who Cried Wolf. You make enough stupid comments and people can't tell when you are serious or not.

 

[S.S.T.I.D]

The club went into the season with 5 specialist props and 1 player (Burgess) that is equally adept either wide of the ruck or in tight. McPherson is now a specialist prop, and is doing a decent job. We all knew that was cutting if fine with George still a good 12-24 months away from being considered. It would of been nice to keep Jaiman or Craig, but Jaiman was made a good offer by Melbourne who were far more desperate for props than we were and Craig probably earns more money in the mines. We do have a salary cap to adhere to and getting into a bidding war with Melbourne for the services of a marginal first grader who may if only played a few games had we had some luck would of been irresponsible.

 

[BunniesMan]

Wouldn't Dave Taylor be a better option as our prop for the short term than Pettybourne?

 

[boo_boo]

It's like The Boy Who Cried Wolf. You make enough stupid comments and people can't tell when you are serious or not.

Well name me another front rower who might be available if we require a mid season purchase then Matty.
The way things are going Inglis will be playing prop.

 

[Noa]

Wouldn't Dave Taylor be a better option as our prop for the short term than Pettybourne?

He would but he'd probably drop his bottom lip if told he was going to play there.

Pettybourne will be fine though, give you more agility in the middle of the park in A & D.

 

[African Monkey]

^^^^^Agreed. I like the move if it ends up happening.

 

[themacemaceman]

Looks like the telecrap got it wrong again . Ross to start at prop. As for Ed he plays more like a prop anyway so either would do in my opinion

 

[thomas10do]

obviously the team has been named, but see Taylor slotting in there over time........i think i just heard GI cheer!

 

[Stand And Be Counted]

Eddy Pettybourne has been out of form and not running as hard as he did when he first came on the scene since he broke his jaw last season.

Stand & Be Counted !
View attachment 3186

 

[Galeforce]

what have you been watching?
Eddy has been running hard.

Issue i see and i am looking at the coach , that we do not have enough plays with players running onto ball ...and our dangerous runners like Inglis, Taylor and Sam/Eddy all seem to be running into gangtackles.