Starting Team Please!!

[Ronnie Dobbs]

Hi Raiders fans. Just cruising the Forums. I just moved to Sydney from Canberra three months ago & am astounded how all and sundry think you guys will get the spoon. In all honesty I think you are one star three-quater from top four material & definite conteneders. I love the mix of youth, experience & size, especially in the forwards where you will absolutely bash a lot of teams this year. I'm a Dragon myself & I can't tell you how much I was upset to lose Matt Bickerstaff when he was keen on staying. Truth is we couldn't pay him what he was worth. Tis bloke just goes all day, can really bang in defence & runs hard. He's prone to the odd handling mistake, but on the flip he can use the ball too. I for one would definitely have him starting. Love Micky Weyman off the bench. Big Horse will play rep if he stops breaking bones.

I like the way Carney is coming on too. I think that contrary to all popular belief in the Sydney media that losing all that experience will actually help the Raiders, loosen the shackles a bit & In Neil Henry you have a man who is about to take the NRL by storm. I can't wait til mid season when all the despised "experts" are choking on their words.

Get on the Raiders for eight this year, they will be playing an excellent brand of football at good odds.

Good luck.

 

[legend]

Woodgers, it was the first game of 2005 and he tore a hamstring scoring that try.

I remember against Melbourne last year at Olympic Park he was diabolical. Truly awful and he has made some blunders too. I think he dropped the ball over the line against the Broncos at Suncorp in 2005.

He does have potential but he has a terrible work ethic and doesn't seem to put in the hard yards to not only earn his spot, but keep it.

 

[Raider_69]

'04? You must be thinking of Monaghan ;-):lol:

Frawley has had heaps of chances to cement a spot but has never delivered. As Walt says though, tis contract year.

Spot on, he has talent but he also has had ample oppertunities to cement his spot, more then one jermaine ale got anyways. Ill be glad to see the back of him, even if he comes good this year, id still be looking to the market for another centre, before thinking of resigning him

Thats if Brad Cross or Brett Kelly dont come on strong, Kelly is my dark horse for the backline this year.

 

[legend]

Piss off Nick, Kelly was my pick. You can have Purtell.

 

[Raider_69]

Piss off Nick, Kelly was my pick. You can have Purtell.

:lol: :lol:
ohh yea lump me with the turtell!

 

[VictorTheViking]

Now that Goodwin is out for at least 6 weeks, ive gotta go with a side like this

1. Marshall Chalk
2. Colin Best
3. Phil Graham
4. David Howell
5. Craig Frawley
6. Todd Carney
7. Michael Dobson (gk)
8. Dane Tilse
9. Lincoln Withers
10. Troy Thompson
11. Neville Costigan
12. Andrew Dunemann
13 Alan Tongue (c)

14. Michael Weyman
15. Josh Miller
16. Matt Bickerstaff/Glen Turner
17. William Zillman

The reason I want to see Zilly start from the bench for the first few games (or until someone plays so poorly that they have to be dropped) is purely for his impact, having someone as speedy and agile as him coming off the bench around the 30 minute mark is going to be lethal especially with our halves.

Needless to say, when Learoyd Lahrs and Goodwin come back, there is gonna be some real selection headaches for henry

 

[woodgers]

Dunneman in the 2nd row?

 

[paulquinn49]

Yeah thats definately a weird call right there, also Chalk is more forward based these days, plus he aint NRL standard

 

[woodgers]

Who knows PQ. Maybe he had a big offseason and has trained the house down with Henry. There are players there that i'm just going to wait and see before I say whether they are not up to it or not. I haven't been the biggest fans of Howell and Best in the past but I just want to see what they can do under the new system. I don't know that much about Dunny so I just want to let him and players like Dobson show us what they have. Lets give them all a go I say. I seem to get a feeling that Chalky may start in PL even though Bronx has broken his arm.

 

[peter_raiders]

These are the only guarantees imo.

2. Best
3. Graham
6. Carney
9. Withers
10. Thompson
11. Costigan
12. Bickerstaff/Turner
13. Tongue

14. Weyman

The backline is still to be decided and i'd say we could toss up names for the bench but that depends on who gets the #8. Depending on trial form, we could very well see Dunemann at halfback with Zillman on the bench and Chalk at the back. Only time will tell.

 

[legend]

Miller is a certainty for the 17 IMO. He will be devestating off the bench this year. I just hope there are no concussions like 2005.

 

[peter_raiders]

Yeah i agree. But whether he starts or is on the bench remains to be seen.

 

[paulquinn49]

tbh I havent followed injuries and all that over the offseason but is something wrong with Thurling?

Hardly anyone has mentioned him for their 17 and I thought he was almost our best forward last year

 

[woodgers]

He did his knee mid season PQ. He was in and out of firsts all year but I thought he played really well when he was in the top grade. He hits the ball hard and at pace and throws himself into the defence. I rate him highly. It was actually a superb pickup by Elliott and Co but then they didn't play him and he got dropped when he had actually done well. He looks like a real bruiser, maybe he had other issues that we were unaware of. I agree though, should be very close to top 17.

 

[dubby]

Hi Raiders fans. Just cruising the Forums. I just moved to Sydney from Canberra three months ago & am astounded how all and sundry think you guys will get the spoon. In all honesty I think you are one star three-quater from top four material & definite conteneders. I love the mix of youth, experience & size, especially in the forwards where you will absolutely bash a lot of teams this year. I'm a Dragon myself & I can't tell you how much I was upset to lose Matt Bickerstaff when he was keen on staying. Truth is we couldn't pay him what he was worth. Tis bloke just goes all day, can really bang in defence & runs hard. He's prone to the odd handling mistake, but on the flip he can use the ball too. I for one would definitely have him starting. Love Micky Weyman off the bench. Big Horse will play rep if he stops breaking bones.

I like the way Carney is coming on too. I think that contrary to all popular belief in the Sydney media that losing all that experience will actually help the Raiders, loosen the shackles a bit & In Neil Henry you have a man who is about to take the NRL by storm. I can't wait til mid season when all the despised "experts" are choking on their words.

Get on the Raiders for eight this year, they will be playing an excellent brand of football at good odds.

Good luck.

Thanks Ronnie, I just hope you're right mate.

 

[Raider_69]

tbh I havent followed injuries and all that over the offseason but is something wrong with Thurling?

Hardly anyone has mentioned him for their 17 and I thought he was almost our best forward last year

Thurling has been on every bench ive named all off season from memory, im with you on him, one of our best in each and every FG game he played last season

 

[paulquinn49]

I just hope some of our BFG's turn into mongrels, Tilse has the potential but he holds back, so does Weyman but with the bloke injured all the time who can blame him for it.

Ive given up on Williams though, he has had all the time in the world to go from a 2 minute impact player to a 15-20 and just cant do it.

 

[legend]

I've had Thurling in every side coming off the bench as well.

 

[Raider_69]

I just hope some of our BFG's turn into mongrels, Tilse has the potential but he holds back, so does Weyman but with the bloke injured all the time who can blame him for it.

Ive given up on Williams though, he has had all the time in the world to go from a 2 minute impact player to a 15-20 and just cant do it.

dont discount williams just yet mate, from all reports he has been training the house down this off season. I think he has left his run a little too late but if as you call them, the BFG's dont get abit of aggro into them, we could do worse then williams if he has infact been sloggin his guts out (and theres plenty of guts to slog out!)

 

[legend]

After looking at every team's squad on paper when working on the fantasy league, I can honestly say we have more forward depth than any other club. We have at least 17 forwards with NRL experience wo we can choose the pick of the litter every week and still some good players are going to miss out.

This is how I think Henry will select his week one team:

Zillman
Howell
Graham
Frawley
Best
Carney
Dobson/Dunemman
Tongue
Bickerstaff
Turner
Thompson
Withers
Logan

Miller
Weyman
Thurling
Chalk