Teams - Finals Week One

[Sean7]

I agree McKinnon makes a lot of breaks, but look up another stat for me. How many tries has he scored? Then compare it to how many he has butchered???

Then compare it to how many times he has put us into good field position which in turn helps us score tries and keeps the opposition out of our end. And how many times his defense has been great.

 

[Prodigal Eel]

its all trivial.....if mckinnon is there and we lose by two points where riddell missed 3 kicks....you all would be spewing!
It gonna be a close game....and we need a kicker! its simple

 

[Sean7]

you're only as good as your last game

That is so wrong it's gone off the scale.

 

[Ron Jeremy]

O'Dwyer had to go, had two shockers and played better then he was ( like J Smith) in a wining side.

Goes missing in big games.

 

[eeelectroshooting?]

Luke Burt has played alot better than Mckinnon since hes been back, i like Burt over Mckinnon. Burt supports better and we need any half breaks to come up with trys agaisnt the storm.

As for Delaney im not that angry, hes a sh*t attacker but he is a good defender so thats proberly why he went with him and hes a little bigger than O'Dwyer. I understand the changes Taylor has made as we have lost two in a row.

saying that burt is a better support player is just plain wrong. mckinnon supprts almost every play, however when he mnakes a break i doubt his ability to choose the right decisions in tight situations.

in saying that i like burt there - during the cowboys game, i couldnt stop thinking to myself that had we converted both of haynes tries, that the whole demeanour and energy level of the team may have been different in the second half.

also the last few weeks when we'd been lacking players, where was o'dwyer? when we needed the backs to step up the most, he had his quietest games. This just happened to coincide with delaney having his best games this year. Good decision i say.

but lets wait and see how it goes before we criticise JT. then the knives can come out.

 

[lucablight]

Then compare it to how many times he has put us into good field position which in turn helps us score tries and keeps the opposition out of our end. And how many times his defense has been great.

He had a good game against the Broncos but he has been very disappointing this year IMO. His kick returns aren't as great as you're making them out to be although better than Burt but his defence has been shocking this year.

 

[Sean7]

He had a good game against the Broncos but he has been very disappointing this year IMO. His kick returns aren't as great as you're making them out to be although better than Burt but his defence has been shocking this year.

I actually think he's had a good year. He's been far more dangerous than any back in our side because he doesn't need someone to put him in a gap. I've been critical of him in the past too.

Burt just disappears until there's a try on offer.

 

[lucablight]

I actually think he's had a good year. He's been far more dangerous than any back in our side because he doesn't need someone to put him in a gap. I've been critical of him in the past too.

Burt just disappears until there's a try on offer.

I remember he was good in the very early part of the season but then he drifted into mediocrity. Also one thing that concerns me is how many times has he actually converted a line break into a try? It's really frustrating to watch him run away from his support and bomb tries time after time.

I agree about Burt disappearing when the team is in trouble but hopefully that won't happen and he can put himself into position to score on Sunday. I just think Mckinnons indifferent form and Burts goalkicking leaves the selection justified.

 

[MrT]

Havent read through the whole thread so sorry if someone has mentioned, but what about

1. Burt
2.Hayne
3. McKinnon
4.Ben Smith
5. Guru

I know mckinnon hasn't played at centre but his defence is ecellent and he runs the ball better than Delaney

 

[mickdo]

Havent read through the whole thread so sorry if someone has mentioned, but what about

1. Burt
2.Hayne
3. McKinnon
4.Ben Smith
5. Guru

I know mckinnon hasn't played at centre but his defence is ecellent and he runs the ball better than Delaney

This stage of the season is not the time to be putting players in to positions they haven't played before, unless it's absolutely necessary.

 

[PIG]

* Best Avg Kick return metres of any fullback in the NRL
* More tackle busts than any other fullback in the NRL
* Top 5 in Linebreaks NRL
- yet he can't get a start in our side


Had 2 shocking tackle attempts (Payne, Graham) on Friday...but made great one on one tackles on Bowen (covering a Burt miss) and Sing.

JT for all the good he has done has shafted Wade. He told him prior to the Eagles game he'd been great, and to rest his shoulder cause when he gets it right the spot is his. Wade took his word. (ala Belamy with Slater and Inglis).

Wade returns off the bench and proceeds to play:
Rd 23- 30mins (one of our best)
Rd 24- 60mins
Rd 25- 30mins (one of our best)
Rd 26- 80 mins (great first half- horrible 2nd half like everyone else in the entire team)

JT has given our best fullback 1 full game since RD20. He has been poorly treated.

For all those who wanted the: always poor in big games, totally unreliable, half hearted tackling, 5metre hit up making, goal kicking extraodinaire Burty- you got him.

Whereas a player who has given his all for the Eels for the last 3 seasons on a reserve graders salary...constantly our best back when we sucked.......played around 18 of our 24 games this year....helped kick start our winning streak- will be watching from the sidelines.

JT will turn out to be a sh*t coach if he continues with that sort of 'loyalty' and team favortism in team selections.

Burt will probably end up missing the shots at goal as well because he's a gump.

 

[yy_cheng]

In the past McKinnon has been a good defensive fullback but you're only as good as your last game and WAde's last game was a shocker in defence.

To be fair, was it worst than Burt's last starting game at fullback where he got dragged off?

 

[bartman]

Wow, a lot of reaction to the team this week!

With two prop forward additions to the line-up this week, we will obviously be pursuing a different game plan than we have been able to the past two weeks. If there's a view that we can actually use our enhanced pack as an attacking strength this week, as opposed to just managing to hold their own under the circumstances, then the attacking combination with O'Dwyer and Hayne becomes less important.

And if there's a view that in a close game we need our best kicker and someone who might also take presuure off the halves as a kicking option in general play, then Burt could be seen as the man for that instead of McKinnon. If there's a view that Melbourne's most potent attack comes through the outside backs, then Smith and Delaney could be seen the better defenders to include as centres.

We have our strongest looking pack for weeks and our bench looks back at its best. It's only a question or twop about our outside backs, and a fit Tahu would make one of those questions irrelavant. I think JT could've made it clearer for us in terms of injuries/dropping etc by naming:
18 - O'Dwyer
19 - McKinnon
...but he's obviously chosen not to for some reason. Overall it's an OK side, and I think we stand an OK chance if we play to that side's potential. Let's get behind them for the win!!!

 

[Bazal]

* Best Avg Kick return metres of any fullback in the NRL
* More tackle busts than any other fullback in the NRL
* Top 5 in Linebreaks NRL
- yet he can't get a start in our side


Had 2 shocking tackle attempts (Payne, Graham) on Friday...but made great one on one tackles on Bowen (covering a Burt miss) and Sing.

JT for all the good he has done has shafted Wade. He told him prior to the Eagles game he'd been great, and to rest his shoulder cause when he gets it right the spot is his. Wade took his word. (ala Belamy with Slater and Inglis).

Wade returns off the bench and proceeds to play:
Rd 23- 30mins (one of our best)
Rd 24- 60mins
Rd 25- 30mins (one of our best)
Rd 26- 80 mins (great first half- horrible 2nd half like everyone else in the entire team)

JT has given our best fullback 1 full game since RD20. He has been poorly treated.

For all those who wanted the: always poor in big games, totally unreliable, half hearted tackling, 5metre hit up making, goal kicking extraodinaire Burty- you got him.

Whereas a player who has given his all for the Eels for the last 3 seasons on a reserve graders salary...constantly our best back when we sucked.......played around 18 of our 24 games this year....helped kick start our winning streak- will be watching from the sidelines.

JT will turn out to be a sh*t coach if he continues with that sort of 'loyalty' and team favortism in team selections.

Burt will probably end up missing the shots at goal as well because he's a gump.

Wow....that's a fair whinge...need a tissue?

 

[PIG]

Wow....that's a fair whinge...need a tissue?

I wouldn't expect any other comment from you-

just don't get your hopes up to high re. Burt. I find whenever you do he lets you down. Don't expect him to be the answer to our goalkicking woes....if you do he'll kick 1/5. Just sit back with no expectations and you won't be dissapointed.

 

[Sean7]

Wow....that's a fair whinge...need a tissue?

Why? Because he actually tried give some reasons for his opinion?

That's a lot more than I can say for 50% of the posters here.

 

[JessEel]

For all those who wanted the: always poor in big games, totally unreliable, half hearted tackling, 5metre hit up making, goal kicking extraodinaire Burty- you got him.

yay!

 

[Prodigal Eel]

Burt...Mckinnon...pfft no difference in my book!
If they both play to there potential there great....Mckinnon is a great defender and support player!
Burt is a great Goal Kicker and knows how to score a try....his support play isnt to shabby aswell!
IMO if our fowards dont dominate then no mattter who the fullback is we will lose!

 

[Tank30]

Bye bye to Wade and not before time....

Yes he is on a reserve grade salary and that is because he is of reserve grade talent.

He is not a game breaker, more of a glory hound.

 

[Bazal]

Why? Because he actually tried give some reasons for his opinion?

That's a lot more than I can say for 50% of the posters here.

No, I'm just sick of the broken record sh*tting on about Burty after every loss. It's boring and repetitive. Here's a stat though...between Rounds 21 and 24, Burt scored 5 tries and 22 goals. That's 62 points in four matches. McKinnon scored 1 try and 0 goals. That's 4 points. Sure Wade was out for a bit there, but how can you compare that? I'll take Burt's strike rate over Wades myself...