The comp leaders (Warriors/Saints)...how far will they go?

[KeepingTheFaith]

Panthers have been exceptional considering their injury run but I want to see more than a scrappy win over the Tigers before annointing them as favourites.

Their only other win of note was against Souths before Souths really found their groove.

Aside from that Eels x2, Dogs x2 (1-1), Knights, Titans, Cowboys x2 (1-1)

Can only beat what's put in front of you but looking forward to seeing the likes of the Dragons/Roosters etc put in front of them in coming weeks to see where they're at.

 

[MilkShark]

Panthers look good but the draw has been real favourable thus far.

 

[JJ]

Panthers have been exceptional considering their injury run but I want to see more than a scrappy win over the Tigers before annointing them as favourites.

Their only other win of note was against Souths before Souths really found their groove.

Aside from that Eels x2, Dogs x2 (1-1), Knights, Titans, Cowboys x2 (1-1)

Can only beat what's put in front of you but looking forward to seeing the likes of the Dragons/Roosters etc put in front of them in coming weeks to see where they're at.

They duly obliged...

They seem to have had a decent draw, but everyone thought the Cows and Eels were going to be good, and few pick Penrith going up to Townsville and smashing the Cows after Cleary was hurt

Long way to go in the season, but a lot to like about them.

 

[Izz]

Roosters v Warriors GF imo

Kiss of death...

 

[Hutty1986]

Roosters v Warriors GF imo

No Perth?

 

[Perth Red]

No Perth?

It’s coming.....

 

[dogz08]

in 2099..

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

The Warriors are susceptible to getting rolled through the middle and rely a lot on scrambling D and accuracy on attack in the opposition 20.

As a result they are a contradiction: notably gutsy, but liable to get flogged

I can’t see us going all that deep when we seem to be on the backfoot 75% of the time but stranger things have happened I guess. We need RTS, SJ and IL fit- then weird stuff can definitely happen

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Our forwards are bog average, or at least our props are. We got absolutely shat on last night up front and only the ineptness of Corey 'I haven't done a thing for years' Norman and Mitchell 'haha how the f**k was my name ever in Origin contention' Moses meant we were able to take two points.

But the Eels had 5 guys run 100+ , and some big totals, while we had Paasi at 109 as our only one. Gavet got smashed every time, Chris Satae made ONE run in however long he was on and while Bunty Afoa has had a good season, it's early days in his career. Then when Blair rotates through there he makes about 3m a carry.

We're not a top 4 team's asshole while we have a four-pronged prop rotation that can't make metres. Yes, Maumalo is an extra prop in the way he makes good metres, but teams will take us on up front last night - and the Roosters before that and the Broncos before that - and back themselves to win that battle and the overall contest.

 

[footy75]

Yeah the Warriors make the 8 now. The question is whether they can make the top 4 or not.

 

[Leber]

The top three (Warriors/Panthers/Dragons) will be there when the whips are cracking, but I think it'll be a year too soon for all 3 teams. Panthers have done exceptional with their millions of injuries, but they arguably haven't played the top teams.

The Dragons have been super lucky with injuries.

I think the Storm will win. Have a sneaky suspicion that the broncos will come good aswell.

 

[Iafeta]

Our forwards are bog average, or at least our props are. We got absolutely shat on last night up front and only the ineptness of Corey 'I haven't done a thing for years' Norman and Mitchell 'haha how the f**k was my name ever in Origin contention' Moses meant we were able to take two points.

But the Eels had 5 guys run 100+ , and some big totals, while we had Paasi at 109 as our only one. Gavet got smashed every time, Chris Satae made ONE run in however long he was on and while Bunty Afoa has had a good season, it's early days in his career. Then when Blair rotates through there he makes about 3m a carry.

We're not a top 4 team's asshole while we have a four-pronged prop rotation that can't make metres. Yes, Maumalo is an extra prop in the way he makes good metres, but teams will take us on up front last night - and the Roosters before that and the Broncos before that - and back themselves to win that battle and the overall contest.

Remember, no Johnson, no RTS. I dare anyone on this forum to go back to their thoughts on us pre season and think what they thought would happen to us if either one was out, let alone both. We get brutalised methodolically consistently by poor referees, and yet here we stand, 8 and 3.

Your example on Chris Satae is ludicrous. Parramatta has the ball for the entirety of his spell. He kept making tackles left right and centre as they tried to attack him in the middle.

Stats are important. But don’t discount spirit to overcome difficult situations. I like the balance of our pack, add that touch of claws back onto the end of it and it’s now a very well balanced team.

 

[JJ]

Remember, no Johnson, no RTS. I dare anyone on this forum to go back to their thoughts on us pre season and think what they thought would happen to us if either one was out, let alone both. We get brutalised methodolically consistently by poor referees, and yet here we stand, 8 and 3.

Your example on Chris Satae is ludicrous. Parramatta has the ball for the entirety of his spell. He kept making tackles left right and centre as they tried to attack him in the middle.

Stats are important. But don’t discount spirit to overcome difficult situations. I like the balance of our pack, add that touch of claws back onto the end of it and it’s now a very well balanced team.

Our pack is pretty much shit but we're scrambling well

I'm mean come on the Roosters monsters them, so did most others recently and now the Eels brutalised them and only Norman and Moses saved us

 

[Iafeta]

We destroyed the Roosters pack earlier this year. Same as the Rabbitohs. I think we did absolutely fine against Saints pack. We were fine against Canberra’s pack. We were well on top versus the Tigers in the middle. Comfortably hammered the Titans in the middle.

It’s about 50-50.

The issue is penalties. Often we are battling possession hauls against us. If we stop getting brutalised by Bernard and the OPSM lads with the vigour and enthusiasm they throw into it, we would be fine.

If we weren’t effective in the middle, no way Luke gets the room he’s had at various stages this year.

 

[Clifferd]

it’s really hard to get a read on the cuzzies

One week they look like they can win the comp the next they get demolished by Melbourne. But I have them comfortably in the 8, because they won’t be missing anyone for origin and it’s usually their best period. At this stage I have them slightly behind Penrith/Dragons

Penrith and Dragons have shown the most consistency and whoever wins next week should be rightfully named prem favourites and the bench mark

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

I don’t really agree we have demolished any packs. We’re generally somewhere between parity and firmly on the back foot.

Our strengths seem to be scrambling D and good execution/efficiency on attack when we get field position.

 

[Iafeta]

Go back and watch the first chooks game. Or the Rabbits game. Or the Tigers game. Won in the middle.

Aside from Saints, most packs are performing similarly. I put that down to the enormous penalty flows. Tough to get momentum offensively because they are blowing the pea out of it and refuse to observe advantage. And for the opposition you can have blokes who if you judge it by the traditional measures of metres run, look awful, but have never had an opportunity to do anything other than defend. Chris Satae had that last night and defended well but Penrose singles him out for as an example of a poor performance.

 

[TheFrog]

Panthers have been exceptional considering their injury run but I want to see more than a scrappy win over the Tigers before annointing them as favourites.

If the Panthers were to be made favourites they'd be the 4th in as many weeks. Lets hope that doesn't happen just yet. Let the mug punters continue to think 8 from 11 is a fluke.

The current favoriutes and defending premiers have lost to the Tigers twice. Scrappy both times. The previous favourites lost to them as well, and that was scrappy too. Wests are a grafting sort of footy team involved in a lot of scrappy games. The Panthers are as well to a lesser degree. These are teams that play to their strengths, which are forwards and halves. The teams with the flashy backlines and marshmallow forward packs are all sitting mid-table.

 

[Tommy Smith]

Panthers look good but the draw has been real favourable thus far.

Pretty standard for the Panthers

They get a soft draw every year.

 

[Tommy Smith]

it’s really hard to get a read on the cuzzies

One week they look like they can win the comp the next they get demolished by Melbourne. But I have them comfortably in the 8, because they won’t be missing anyone for origin and it’s usually their best period. At this stage I have them slightly behind Penrith/Dragons

Penrith and Dragons have shown the most consistency and whoever wins next week should be rightfully named prem favourites and the bench mark

I still think the season ending injury to Dylan Edwards is a killer blow. It'll make all the difference in a tight finals game as he's a gun imo.

I'd like to know who the last team was to win the comp without their full strength spine available for all the big games. I know Souffs missed Luke for the 2014 GF but that was against a joke Dogs side and Api replaced him.

When the Panthers won the comp in 2003 I think their entire spine played every minute of the season.

It always plays out that one of the premiership contenders with all its star players available wins the comp.

I mean if Hodgson doesn't get injured in the 2016 finals I reckon the Raiders beat the Sharks wk 1. And if Slater is available the Storm win the comp. And so on.

This is why the Dragons look ominous. Not a single injury and if that keeps up they'll win the comp.