Squad succession

[Chipmunk]

With the signings announcements of Nathan Brown and George Jennings I'm updating my Top 17 too...

1. French
2. Radradra
3. M Jennings
4. Takairangi
5, G Jennings
6. Gutherson
7. Norman
8. Mannah
9. De Gois
10. Brown
11. Mau
12. Moeroa
13. Scott (c)
14. Edwards
15. Pritchard
16. Wicks
17. Vave
Back up Outside Back - Folau
Back up Edge Forward - Gower
Back up Middle Forwards - Alvaro, Terepo, O'Brien, Twal

I'll qualify my Top 17 but saying that 8, 10, 16 & 17 could all be interchangeable with starting or on the bench.

 

[Happy MEel]

With the signings announcements of Nathan Brown and George Jennings I'm updating my Top 17 too...

1. French
2. Radradra
3. M Jennings
4. Takairangi
5, G Jennings
6. Gutherson
7. Norman
8. Mannah
9. De Gois
10. Brown
11. Mau
12. Moeroa
13. Scott (c)
14. Edwards
15. Pritchard
16. Wicks
17. Vave
Back up Outside Back - Folau
Back up Edge Forward - Gower
Back up Middle Forwards - Alvaro, Terepo, O'Brien, Twal

I'll qualify my Top 17 but saying that 8, 10, 16 & 17 could all be interchangeable with starting or on the bench.

I reckon this is pretty much spot on. You could also add Fogarty as back up half as well.

 

[Twizzle]

Not sure if George Jennings walks straight into our NRL team. Depends if we are finished recruiting outside backs I guess.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

I think Gennings is good enough that we won't be recruiting a winger expensive enough to walk into our 17. If we sign any more outside backs they will be priced low enough to fight for a spot, rather than a player we'll be relying on for 20+ games.

I reckon he will be competing for a spot with outside backs already at the club.

 

[Stagger eel]

I think Gennings is good enough that we won't be recruiting a winger expensive enough to walk into our 17. If we sign any more outside backs they will be priced low enough to fight for a spot, rather than a player we'll be relying on for 20+ games.

I reckon he will be competing for a spot with outside backs already at the club.

So you don't see a Hoffman or Sio or maybe even both at the club next season?

 

[Twizzle]

is that possible Muz ?

 

[Chipmunk]

Not sure if George Jennings walks straight into our NRL team. Depends if we are finished recruiting outside backs I guess.

The Top 17 is based on confirmed signings only.

 

[yy_cheng]

Where are you going to stick Guth went Hunt joins?

I would say interchanging wing and fb with French

 

[Stagger eel]

is that possible Muz ?

I'm expecting at least 1 outside back signing in the top 25

 

[caylo]

Where are you going to stick Guth went Hunt joins?

I would say interchanging wing and fb with French

Fullback with french on the wing or centre and Taka on the bench. I'd say Guth, French, Jenko, Taka, Semi, Norman, Hunt is the best combo you'd get. As they say pick the best 17 and work out the numbers on their back later.

 

[yy_cheng]

Fullback with french on the wing or centre and Taka on the bench. I'd say Guth, French, Jenko, Taka, Semi, Norman, Hunt is the best combo you'd get. As they say pick the best 17 and work out the numbers on their back later.

When we attack, if French is on the wing, he should be allowed to roam. His support play is amazing and pops up when u don't expect him to. Semi should switch to the Right as Jenkovic doesn't need anyone outside him

 

[Obscene Assassin]

When we attack, if French is on the wing, he should be allowed to roam. His support play is amazing and pops up when u don't expect him to. Semi should switch to the Right as Jenkovic doesn't need anyone outside him

Semi already touches the ball the 2nd most in the non-spine part of the team, Ma'u touches it the most, what would we achieve by moving him over to the right that we don't already get from him playing on the left?

 

[I'm a loser baby...]

Semi already touches the ball the 2nd most in the non-spine part of the team, Ma'u touches it the most, what would we achieve by moving him over to the right that we don't already get from him playing on the left?

Last year with taka and semi performed about as well as this year, IMO. But a lot cheaper. It doesn't matter who scores but our value for money on that side has clearly gone down. Some of semi's skills are definitely being wasted on the outside of Jennings. Stick a giraffe on the left wing if semi is as good on the right.

 

[caylo]

When we attack, if French is on the wing, he should be allowed to roam. His support play is amazing and pops up when u don't expect him to. Semi should switch to the Right as Jenkovic doesn't need anyone outside him

I'm sure they can work that out, French and Gutho are better fullbacks then wingers and BA just need a to find a way to utilise them

 

[Obscene Assassin]

Last year with taka and semi performed about as well as this year, IMO. But a lot cheaper. It doesn't matter who scores but our value for money on that side has clearly gone down. Some of semi's skills are definitely being wasted on the outside of Jennings. Stick a giraffe on the left wing if semi is as good on the right.

In attack, agreed but defensively I thought we were much stronger defensively with Jennings at left centre. I also thought we were better in attack with Taka on the right. I also don't believe that every failed attacking raid can be blamed on Jenko, we did have a fullback who wasn't comfortable with passing. Sure there were definitely times where Jennings could have passed the ball to Semi who was in a better position but I think our pass selection and set play timing will be better on the left next year once French is comfortable with his timing that our left side will once again be the best in the competition. We will make our left side great again.

#MELSGA

 

[I'm a loser baby...]

In attack, agreed but defensively I thought we were much stronger defensively with Jennings at left centre. I also thought we were better in attack with Taka on the right. I also don't believe that every failed attacking raid can be blamed on Jenko, we did have a fullback who wasn't comfortable with passing. Sure there were definitely times where Jennings could have passed the ball to Semi who was in a better position but I think our pass selection and set play timing will be better on the left next year once French is comfortable with his timing that our left side will once again be the best in the competition. We will make our left side great again.

#MELSGA

Defence was probably better but was it twice as good? No doubt someone has the numbers, I'm just going off my impression after one viewing.

 

[yy_cheng]

if guthbus was on the left wing our defence wouldve been just as strong

there were times guthbus couldn't finish a taka lba but semi would've.

bevans passing wasn't that crash hot when he played fb.

 

[Obscene Assassin]

if guthbus was on the left wing our defence wouldve been just as strong

there were times guthbus couldn't finish a taka lba but semi would've.

bevans passing wasn't that crash hot when he played fb.

I thought Gutherson was horrid defensively on the wing. His timing was off when jamming in and his positioning was pretty bad leaving his opposite a free run to the try line a couple of times. At centre and in the halves he was much better, his defence was almost a masterclass for any half against Manly he gave Cherry Evans and Walker absolutely nothing all game when he would come jamming in preventing the ball from getting past him. But he may have defensive issues on the right and may be a specialist left side winger, something that Semi appears to be too.

Semi did score many tries from Taka's passing on the left, much like Gutherson he may have struggled receiving the ball from the left hand side rather than the right? Once again we don't know. So neither of us can categorically say that Semi would or wouldn't have scored from Taka's passing on the right.

No it wasn't. But I've seen too much from Bevan to say that his passing is crap and won't improve in first grade over time. When he was training and playing full time with the 20's his passing and timing on set plays was top class for that grade. I'm not sure how much of his opposed training was done at fullback and how often he spent working on set plays with the team but a full pre-season training exclusively at fullback I'm sure that his timing will get much better and we'll see a much more fluid sweeping play on both the left and right sides of the field.

 

[yy_cheng]

I'd say nrl is alot faster and the defence gets to him giving him less time compared to the u20s

 

[Obscene Assassin]

I'd say nrl is alot faster and the defence gets to him giving him less time compared to the u20s

Yep it's definitely faster and the defences are coached better. But do you expect a 20 year old to come in, not training full time with the first grade squad prior to their debut and have immaculate timing straight away?