Team v Manly

[Big Marn]

Cant believe the coach is considering benching Walsh to make way for CHT. Ive never seen the star quality from Chanel that Walsh has. Mindboggling.

 

[Wheeled Warrior]

Cant believe the coach is considering benching Walsh to make way for CHT. Ive never seen the star quality from Chanel that Walsh has. Mindboggling.

To Browns credit he has chosen Walsh to play in both FB and 6. It's not like he isn't backing the kid. When the starting half is back from injury normally they get their positions back.

Id be happy if CHT and Walsh combine. Kodi to bench.

 

[Tongue]

To Browns credit he has chosen Walsh to play in both FB and 6. It's not like he isn't backing the kid. When the starting half is back from injury normally they get their positions back.

Id be happy if CHT and Walsh combine. Kodi to bench.

I agree. My wisdom, (which is more like a reckon) is that it will be CHT and Walsh with Kodi to 14.
However, cant really bench Kodi because of form. Given we're going for speed at the moment, will it not be a combo of all three somewhere?

 

[TheDMC]

There might be serious ructions within the team if Walsh gets a spot over a fit CHT or Kodi at this stage. Obviously Walsh has to play though, maybe off the bench is best. He still gets game time and a chance to further press his claim for a starting position. Tough call for Brown.

 

[TheDMC]

15 of the 16 NRL.com tipsters are picking Manly for the win.

https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/05/05/nrl-tipping-round-9---see-who-the-experts-are-backing/

Quite surprising as I feel this is more a 50/50 game considering Manly's two main props are out. Surprising how after such a crap start to the season, a few wins on the trot and suddenly Manly is viewed so favourably.

 

[Penrose_11]

It’s definitely a 50/50 game but i can see Tommy T getting 2-3 touchdowns through our right edge if things haven’t improved drastically before game time. Probably why Aitken is being rushed back in??

 

[Big Marn]

i dont get the loyalty for CHT from Brown. He was really the last option standing once Green left. CHT wasnt setting the world on fire in the early rounds before he got injured. He was kicking piddly kicks that werent giving his players a chance to compete for the ball when we were in their redzone. Maybe everyone has short term memory loss. We have been handed a gift from the Broncos and we need to maximise his potential. Its not even a close decision in my book.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

15 of the 16 NRL.com tipsters are picking Manly for the win.

https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/05/05/nrl-tipping-round-9---see-who-the-experts-are-backing/

Quite surprising as I feel this is more a 50/50 game considering Manly's two main props are out. Surprising how after such a crap start to the season, a few wins on the trot and suddenly Manly is viewed so favourably.

we lose BMM though which probably cancels out one of those props. I’m still tipping Manly

 

[sup42]

Has BMM stated he wants to play backrower only or is that just where Coach Brown is choosing to play him? A rotation of AFB, BMM, Bunty plus one of Ah’Mau, Evans, JTB, Ale is probably up there with any going around

BMM prefers an edge role which is where he was played in the ESL as an impact Try scoring machine.

At the moment he is scoring Trys with ease, many thought the NRL would be too tough for him.

I don't think the Coaches will dare move him to say prop because hes even better at post contact meters than Katoa was last year.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

If we can get Katoa firing again, having him, Tohu and BMM on the edges is a hell of a package.

 

[sup42]

i dont get the loyalty for CHT from Brown. He was really the last option standing once Green left. CHT wasnt setting the world on fire in the early rounds before he got injured. He was kicking piddly kicks that werent giving his players a chance to compete for the ball when we were in their redzone. Maybe everyone has short term memory loss. We have been handed a gift from the Broncos and we need to maximise his potential. Its not even a close decision in my book.

Walsh needs to play from the bench. That's what Brown has said to protect his development

Personally I agree. Walsh is the best player the Warriors have but he has played school boys and almost nothing else....a small handful of games in the QLD cup is not a development pathway, someone his age should be getting conditioned in bursts.

Sam Walker is protected by the Roosters dominance both sides of the ball and by their favorable officiating treatment.

Walsh is not ready to burn out defending ten six again stretches the likes of what the Warriors receive.

Last week Walsh was laid out flat by a Peyton coached cheap shot.

I guarantee you that if Walsh continues to be forced to play full games out of position at NRL level that we will see age and development related vulnerabilities, and I'm picking in this shitty team where he will have to do everything, that we will go close to busting him, maybe permanently.

He hasn't even been prepped to enter the comp as a half.

 

[Big Marn]

Hmm i dont know about that. One helps the other.
If Walsh is closer to the ruck those support opportunities that our team badly lags behind compared to other teams might start happening more, which will make our team more productive.im happy with him starting on the bench but CHT needs to earn his spot. Nothing worse than watching average play when you know theres better talent on the sideline. It was a major failing of the Kearney regime

 

[sup42]

Hmm i dont know about that. One helps the other.
If Walsh is closer to the ruck those support opportunities that our team badly lags behind compared to other teams might start happening more, which will make our team more productive.im happy with him starting on the bench but CHT needs to earn his spot. Nothing worse than watching average play when you know theres better talent on the sideline. It was a major failing of the Kearney regime

Don't get me wrong I am certain that Walsh playing for eighty minutes in the halves is better for the team too.

Agree about No player getting an automatic start ordinarily, but we musn't forget, this is CHT's development pathway too and this is his year, this is the year that he finishes his apprenticeship and we find out if he is going to be our guy.

As such the club have slotted in a long run of games for CHT to show that he is the future and that time is now, it was meant to be an unbroken run from round one.

The irony is that Walsh is a more developed player already as a half than CHT, however they are trying to keep some trainer wheels on him for mostly medical reasons and some psychological protective reasons.

Where I sit at the moment is that I think it will take a half miracle for CHT to catch up to Walsh with organising and kicking. But CHT might do it, and that is where the club is at right now...finding out if he can.

Thing is though, While CHT was out, Walsh raised the bar a level above CHTs best and even above Nikorima.

 

[SmashEmBro]

I disagree about Walsh’s kicking game. He kicked lots particularly last week, and got a few to land in between players but I didn’t think that his kicks particularly gave our chasers a chance, he didn’t really demonstrate an attacking kicking game and didn’t force any drop outs.

And there’s nothing wrong with that, the bloke is 18, hasn’t played in a year and 6 isn’t his normal position anyways. I just don’t think he’s shown that he’s miles ahead in regards to kicking…yet

 

[sup42]

I disagree about Walsh’s kicking game. He kicked lots particularly last week, and got a few to land in between players but I didn’t think that his kicks particularly gave our chasers a chance, he didn’t really demonstrate an attacking kicking game and didn’t force any drop outs.

And there’s nothing wrong with that, the bloke is 18, hasn’t played in a year and 6 isn’t his normal position anyways. I just don’t think he’s shown that he’s miles ahead in regards to kicking…yet

He set up a try with a Kick in his first game against the Storm.

His boot is huge for a school boy, first bomb allowed Curran to nail Jennings and get sent off for a head clash.

I really like his kicking game. Ah well we all see things differently and that is ok, but for mine he is already the best kicker at the Warriors.

 

[SmashEmBro]

He set up a try with a Kick in his first game against the Storm.

His boot is huge for a school boy, first bomb allowed Curran to nail Jennings and get sent off for a head clash.

I really like his kicking game. Ah well we all see things differently and that is ok, but for mine he is already the best kicker at the Warriors.

Yeah fair enough that both were good kicks, but I feel that all of his bombs and long kicks that he put up were pretty generic, some found the mark but most didn’t imo.
He’s got a big boot, and again he’s 18 so I wouldn’t expect him to be a Cooper Cronk from the get go, just not sure he’s our best just yet. Although, we have nothing else I can argue that is better haha, the rest are pretty bog standard

 

[Leber]

Katoa is out.

 

[Blair]

I was supposed to be on the early morning train but, at some point yesterday, I decided not to bother with heading to today's game. Being on holiday from work contributed to the general laziness, I think.

I kind of regret it now, as I love my Warriors adventures.

So, see youse on the game-day thread!