Team for Rnd 15 vs Bulldogs

[twistedbydesign]

so whats do you reckon guys, Raston or Williams? I haven't seen any PL recently so I'm in no position to say

 

[yellow]

Williams Is Playing.

 

[Raider_69]

Cross - Gorrrrrrrrne
Tyran - Gorrrrrrrrne
Kahler - Gorrrrrrrne, though he will be back soon enough because he is a talented fella.
Gafa - Soon to be Gorrrne

As for the others...
Croker - You want him gorrrne? Did you see any game when he was out injured? Sure he drops the odd ball, but he does a lot of the little things nobody else does.
Frawley - What's wrong with him? So he's been injured, BFW!! He has talent and given time will show it.

and the point of my post has gone straight over your head

so ill make it clear for you -
Point: Elliot gave these players 3-4+ chances each, in all times they have played ordinary of worse yet got selected the next week, he only dropped them when they would of halled him off the nut house if he selected them again... Hodgo had one average game and is drop... what message does that send to him?
Im not saying they should all be dropped, Croker, Frawley if fit should be there IMO but there no doubt they have been disappointing this year. Yet they along with nuffies like Gafa, Tyran and Cross continually got selected, despite worse form

 

[Raider Crusader]

and the point of my post has gone straight over your head

so ill make it clear for you -
Point: Elliot gave these players 3-4+ chances each, in all times they have played ordinary of worse yet got selected the next week, he only dropped them when they would of halled him off the nut house if he selected them again... Hodgo had one average game and is drop... what message does that send to him?
Im not saying they should all be dropped, Croker, Frawley if fit should be there IMO but there no doubt they have been disappointing this year. Yet they along with nuffies like Gafa, Tyran and Cross continually got selected, despite worse form

I think the only reason that the other nuffies kept getting slected was because there wasnt anyone playing well enough in PL to displace them yet. Now that we have guys in PL who are really pushing for FG selection, players are less likely to get 2nd chances like before. The only people that can be dropped are those who have quality back-ups to fill in.
IMO our outside backs could do almost anything wrong but still be selected simply because there are no PL players in those positions pushing for selection. In areas like prop and 2nd row where we have depth, we can afford to drop a guy for week and replace him with a young guy.
Notice as soon as we had sufficient back-up players, Tyran and Cross never played another game, and most likely never will (this year at least).
I dunno if i'm right or not - this is just how i interpret some of Elliott's selections...

 

[TiTTieS_[CNTDN]]

Yet they along with nuffies like Gafa, Tyran and Cross continually got selected, despite worse form

Feeling all right, 69?

 

[Raider_69]

Feeling all right, 69?

feelin fine... well acually i got the flu but other than that all hunkt dorry
im still a big Cross fan, i beleive when he is in form he can provide something that no one else in the top 25 can win... but he has been nothing short of a nuffy this season

RC, mate Raston, Miller and Hodgo have spent plenty of games in PL while jokes like Tyran continued to be selected, and from all report they were killing it, did they get the call up? after 3-4 shockers by those nuffys sure, but just when they crack back in they have one average game in attack, i wouldnt call it shocking as his defence still awesome and he gets the axe
its a farce mate, Elliot clearly has his favourites and its takes alot for one of them to be droped - Cross, Kahler, Hindmarsh and Tyran prime possys, i can Lomu becoming the same if his form drops... whilst players that arnt in his favourites - Hodgson, Miller and co need to perform week in week out to hold their spot... thats not how you run a footy team

 

[thickos]

I think people are looking for reasons to bag Elliott at every opportunity. 69 I agree with you on the whole issue of keeping Tired and Cross in the team, but this time it genuinely looks like Elliott is picking the team on form, especially amongst the forwards, to keep competition up.

Kahler - who would have thought he would be punted after his start to the season? Hodgo, while I'm still stunned, he was ordinary the other night.

The only selection that baffles me is Gafa, but the rest of the team looks ok. I feel for the guys that have been cut though, but this is a business.

 

[thickos]

[font=Verdana,Arial]Raiders beefed up for Bulldogs[/font]
[font=Verdana,Arial] By Peter Fitzgerald Rugby league [/font]
[font=Verdana, arial]Wednesday, 15 June 2005[/font]

[font=verdana,arial] Former Cronulla prop Jason Williams is expected to make his debut for the Raiders on Sunday after coach Matt Elliott named him on an extended bench yesterday. [/font] [font=verdana,arial] Williams, 115kg and 178cm, has created a huge impression in Premier League since moving to Canberra two months ago. [/font]

[font=verdana,arial] One of the biggest players in the competition, Williams has been named alongside fellow New Zealanders Andrew Lomu and Willie Raston on the extended bench. [/font]

[font=verdana,arial] Elliott confirmed two of the three will play when the Raiders take on the Bulldogs in round 15 of the NRL on Sunday. It is believed Raston will drop out of the senior squad. [/font]

[font=verdana,arial] After signing with the Raiders in April, Williams joined the Premier League side and made an immediate impact during short stints off the bench. He suffered a hamstring injury which sidelined him for five weeks and returned in David Furner's second division side against the Roosters in Gosford two-and-a-half weeks ago. [/font]

[font=verdana,arial] He starred that night and again against the Tigers at Leichhardt Oval 10 days ago, prompting Elliott to elevate him to the senior squad. [/font]

[font=verdana,arial] "In Jason Williams, I see a player who would play two or three 10-15 minute bursts off the bench," Elliott said. "If you look across our line-up we've got a lot who can play extended periods. We need some spark and punch off the bench and Jason Williams, well he's a guy that definitely does that." [/font]

[font=verdana,arial] Williams was struggling with his fitness upon his arrival in Canberra but has worked hard to get back into first-grade contention. [/font]

[font=verdana,arial] Even yesterday he trained with the senior squad in the morning before backing up in the afternoon to run with the Premier League side. [/font]

[font=verdana,arial] "The bench is such a vital part of every team now. It's the first thing I look at when we play an opposition," Elliott said. [/font]

[font=verdana,arial] "We've got heaps of mobility in our pack but we're not really bending the opposition's defensive line consistently enough." [/font]

[font=verdana,arial] Williams' elevation to first grade has resulted in Michael Hodgson being dropped to Premier League for Sunday's clash. [/font]

[font=verdana,arial] In other team changes, centre Adam Mogg (suspension) and winger Craig Frawley (ankle injury) are set to return to the starting line-up as the Raiders attempt to resurrect their season. [/font]

[font=verdana,arial] Canberra has slipped from equal competition leaders to being outside the top eight in just five weeks as a result of four consecutive losses. Yet such is the closeness of the competition, the Raiders are also just two points outside the top four. [/font]

[font=verdana,arial] Frawley, who sprained his ankle during Canberra's loss to the Roosters in Gosford, will have a final fitness test on Saturday before being given the all-clear to play. [/font]

[font=verdana,arial] "I'm pretty confident of playing at this stage and hopefully I'll be right," he said. [/font]

[font=verdana,arial] The Raiders and Bulldogs match, at Sydney Showground on Sunday afternoon, will be just the second time Canberra has featured in WIN's free-to-air coverage this season. [/font]

[font=verdana,arial] Anasta to talk with Bunnies [/font]

[font=verdana,arial] Braith Anasta's manager Greg Willett says the NSW Origin five-eighth will reject any proposed deadline to re-sign with the Bulldogs when contract negotiations are reopened tomorrow. [/font]

[font=verdana,arial] Willett said last night 23-year-old Anasta still planned to open discussions with his junior club South Sydney after the June 30 anti- tampering deadline ended. [/font]

[font=verdana,arial] Bulldogs chief executive Malcolm Noad returns from a Greek holiday tonight and will meet Willett tomorrow to discuss Anasta's future in the NRL. [/font]

[font=verdana,arial] "We'll end up having to talk with Souths," Willett said. "But if they [Bulldogs management] contrive some time limit and say 'well you've got to sign on Friday' then we won't be able to do it." [/font]

 

[Stuart]

Frawley, who sprained his ankle during Canberra's loss to the Roosters in Gosford, will have a final fitness test on Saturday before being given the all-clear to play.

Hopefully (fingers crossed), if Frawley passes the fitness test, Gafa will drop off the bench. Tongue, Lomu, Williams, Raston on the bench.

 

[Brimmer]

Surely we must have a better utility back in the reggies?

 

[Chachi]

Surely we must have a better utility back in the reggies?

Surely we must have a better utility back in Flegg.

 

[Stuart]

Goodwin, has been solid all year in PL and can cover most positions in th backline IMO he would be a better utility option than Gafa.

 

[legend]

I was thinking about Goodwin this morning but having not seen a lower grade game for a few weeks now, I couldn't give an accurate summation of where he is at development wise but he does have a lot of talent from the limited times I have seen him play.

 

[Walt Flanigan]

I think people are looking for reasons to bag Elliott at every opportunity. 69 I agree with you on the whole issue of keeping Tired and Cross in the team, but this time it genuinely looks like Elliott is picking the team on form, especially amongst the forwards, to keep competition up.

Kahler - who would have thought he would be punted after his start to the season? Hodgo, while I'm still stunned, he was ordinary the other night.

The only selection that baffles me is Gafa, but the rest of the team looks ok. I feel for the guys that have been cut though, but this is a business.

I think your spot on in regards to the forward pack. It is noticable that Elliot is selecting forwards on form and that's because he can. Despite the losses the forward pack remains dominant and anyone who isn't performing will be dropped immediately. I think the only thing keeping Ale out of first grade is experience. If Elliot chucks him in the starting backline with Campo, Howell, Graham and Chalk then we're looking at a pretty inexprienced backline. I think IMO that Elliott is relying on the older heads to get them over the line in attack while our chief playmaker is out.

 

[ByRd]

I reckon this game will be close. Our lineup is the strongest it has been in a long time & with Shrek there i think he may just tip the game our way.

 

[Boing Boing]

At the same time, our forward pack recieved a life support injection with Lomu. We actually have go-forward for the first time since Ruben Wiki left, but you are right, it should be very close.

 

[thickos]

If Jason Williams plays I'll be extremely interested to see how he goes, he's a big bopper and if his fitness holds up I really see him being an awesome contributor from the bench for the remainder of the season.

 

[woodgers]

If Jason Williams plays I'll be extremely interested to see how he goes, he's a big bopper and if his fitness holds up I really see him being an awesome contributor from the bench for the remainder of the season.

Interesting that Elliott thinks so highly of him that he is prepared to use 3 interchanges on 1 player.

 

[Chachi]

Interesting that Elliott thinks so highly of him that he is prepared to use 3 interchanges on 1 player.

Yeah, I thought the same thing Woodgers - but if he brings him on just before half time and leaves him on to start the second half, that would effectively give him 2 stints for the price of one. Those periods of time also seem to be critical when we've lost momentum in our last few losses.

 

[legend]

The bloke isn't that big. He's only about 178cm tall which is pretty short for a forward. He might weigh a lot but I have doubts over his ability to last more than 10 minutes on the field before needing a spell.