Team vs Panthers

[Leber]

1. RTS
2. Fus
3. Hiku
4. Kata
5. Maumalo
6. Green
7. Johnson
8. Afoa
9. Luke
10. Paasi
11. Papali
12. Harris
13. Blair

14. Tevaga
15. Pulu
16. Mannering
17. Gavet.

Aside from who starts and who is benched, the team picks itself really. Hope Mannering is all good.

 

[Meth]

I'm picking it's the Panthers.

 

[Meth]

1- RTS
2- Fusitu'a
3- Hiku
4- Kata
5- Maumalo
6- Green
7- Johnson
8- Paasi
9- Luke
10- Gavet
11- Pulu
12- Harris
13- Blair

Res- Tevaga, Afoa, Pulu, Mannering/Satae

 

[Meth]

Tevaga does some good stuff, but I wish we had another option. Not only does he have an error or a penalty in him, but he just handles the ball waaaay too much and especially when we're hot on attack. But, we need someone as a back up hooker and we've invested a lot into that being Jazz.

 

[VillaTheGorilla]

Tevaga does some good stuff, but I wish we had another option. Not only does he have an error or a penalty in him, but he just handles the ball waaaay too much and especially when we're hot on attack. But, we need someone as a back up hooker and we've invested a lot into that being Jazz.

I really like what Jazz can do for us. He comes on and offers something different. He has a good offload, is scrappy and fights for everything, tackles well, and is generally a good point of difference imo.

However, he has some down sides. He has basic errors in his game, can make poor decisions, and is not good enough as a back up hooker.
I feel he has enough upside to keep him around and develop him for the next year or two.

On to the team for this week.
Backline picks itself.
Forwards:
Paasi
Luke
Gavet
Blair
Harris
Mannering

Tevaga
Bunty
Pulu
Satae

Papali to miss out imo..he doesn't offer as much as Satae can in this situation.
He'll get his turn next year with Manners finishing up

 

[Cold Roses]

he just handles the ball waaaay too much and especially when we're hot on attack.

I get the way Kearney is using him. It's not unlike the way the Storm bring Brandon Smith on, and the Roosters use Victor Radley. Hell, Kearney used the tactic himself with Luke and Leuluai on the field at the same time to win the World Cup. The problem is those teams have big forwards who can roll through the middle when the mood takes them. We don't. And at 60 upto 70 mins a game sometimes, he's just being way too overused. A 20 or 25 min cameo coming on 10 mins before halftime? Sure. But the amount of time he gets means that we effectively play the last 60 odd minutes of most games with only one 'actual' prop on the field.

 

[ZEROMISSTACKLES]

So in the end we still came 8th...LOL

 

[Meth]

We will need to beat (probably) Panthers, Sharks, Storm and eventually the Roosters to win.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

So in the end we still came 8th...LOL

As it eventually turned out our game was a dead rubber. The only way we could’ve altered our fortunes would’ve been to beat Canberra by 36+, and I think Canberra have simply been playing too well recently for any team to have realistically done that. A loss would’ve still left us 8th and a win by 27-35 would’ve put us 7th and sent us to Brisbane, which I think most people would regard as a worse scenario than Penrith at ANZ!

Geez this year has been close though. If that forward pass had been called in the Sharks game we’d have finished 4th... and if SJ had nailed one more conversion in the Dogs game as well wedve been minor premiers! And I’m sure every other team in the 8 has similar stories. So while on paper 8th seems mediocre, I think given the closeness of the top 8 it’s a better result than you’d normally credit it as.

 

[ZEROMISSTACKLES]

As it eventually turned out our game was a dead rubber. The only way we could’ve altered our fortunes would’ve been to beat Canberra by 36+, and I think Canberra have simply been playing too well recently for any team to have realistically done that. A loss would’ve still left us 8th and a win by 27-35 would’ve put us 7th and sent us to Brisbane, which I think most people would regard as a worse scenario than Penrith at ANZ!

Geez this year has been close though. If that forward pass had been called in the Sharks game we’d have finished 4th... and if SJ had nailed one more conversion in the Dogs game as well wedve been minor premiers! And I’m sure every other team in the 8 has similar stories. So while on paper 8th seems mediocre, I think given the closeness of the top 8 it’s a better result than you’d normally credit it as.

I'm just gutted Simons injured as a result. Even if he somehow manages to play, he won't be a hundred.

Just when we were enjoying the services of our best loose forward trio too.

 

[ZEROMISSTACKLES]

Blair
Harris
Mannering

Thats our best loose forward trio. Thats what kept the Panthers quiet.

 

[JJ]

Geez this year has been close though. If that forward pass had been called in the Sharks game we’d have finished 4th... and if SJ had nailed one more conversion in the Dogs game as well wedve been minor premiers! And I’m sure every other team in the 8 has similar stories. So while on paper 8th seems mediocre, I think given the closeness of the top 8 it’s a better result than you’d normally credit it as.

Exactly - every one of the top 8 could have finished top given some decisions going their way, and I suspect every one could have finished 8th... pts differential is the real tell

I wouldn't rule anyone out atm, if Melbourne had a settled #7 I imagine they'd be favourites, questions over the Roosters and our packs, questions over the Dragons and Panthers mentality atm, questions over Souths and Cronulla's handling at times, and questions over Melbourne abd Brisbane's halves, I guess - but each team has real strengths too...

 

[Rich102]

I really like what Jazz can do for us. He comes on and offers something different. He has a good offload, is scrappy and fights for everything, tackles well, and is generally a good point of difference imo.

However, he has some down sides. He has basic errors in his game, can make poor decisions, and is not good enough as a back up hooker.
I feel he has enough upside to keep him around and develop him for the next year or two.

On to the team for this week.
Backline picks itself.
Forwards:
Paasi
Luke
Gavet
Blair
Harris
Mannering

Tevaga
Bunty
Pulu
Satae

Papali to miss out imo..he doesn't offer as much as Satae can in this situation.
He'll get his turn next year with Manners finishing up

Villa
Where do you see Jazz fitting in? I agree he doesn't have the skills for a back up hooker.

 

[Rich102]

Now is the time the "big game" teams will stand up.

 

[JJ]

Now is the time the "big game" teams will stand up.

yep... and I suspect that's those in the top 4, but at least it's not as obvious ahead of time this year

 

[Burns]

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/league/news/article.cfm?c_id=79&objectid=12118187

RTS and Mannering in some doubt, but coach and players confident they will be right.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

I reckon Mann will play 100%. He’s got nothing to lose so he’ll likely just needle up. RTS too most likely. It’s finals time, you’re not worried about protecting injuries now

 

[ZEROMISSTACKLES]

I reckon Mann will play 100%.

Yeah but he WONT be a 100%.

It’s finals time, you’re not worried about protecting injuries now

Yeah you're right and I honestly hope the players share your sentiments. Can't help but think that it could've been avoided, had Kearney just listened to me!!! LOL yeah but I'm a no-one. I noticed Bellamy rested a lot of his gun players during the weekend...

Little bit worried about Captain Rogers ankle niggle and its effect on his agility...

 

[Fufu Andronez]

Yeah but he WONT be a 100%.

Yeah you're right and I honestly hope the players share your sentiments. Can't help but think that it could've been avoided, had Kearney just listened to me!!! LOL yeah but I'm a no-one. I noticed Bellamy rested a lot of his gun players during the weekend...

Little bit worried about Captain Rogers ankle niggle and its effect on his agility...

I get what your saying, but Bellamy has the safety net of the top 4 influencing his decision on resting players. If the storm lost to the panthers which they did, they would still get 2 bites at the cherry.. so its not absolutely imperative that they go into Week 1 of finals on the back of a win. That's not to say that he wouldnt have wanted a win, but its not as dire for him I reckon.

I don't think we can blame Kearney for playing the big guns. In my opinion, for us, we need as much momentum as possible going into finals to have a hope especially seeing as we are playing sudden death footy from the get go.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Yeah lay off Kearney, it’s easy to say it was a nothing game in hindsight but at the time the Panthers, Broncos, Sharks and Dragons hadn’t played and a home final was potentially very much up for grabs. If we’d played Sunday he must’ve had the chance to rest players, but we didn’t.