The Hooker dilemma

[BrotherJim05]

I think it's obvious to everyone that we have a dilemma when it comes to the hooking role. Despite everything that has been going on I have long been a fan of Farah and still think that he should be in the team, at least coming off the bench to add some spark. On the other hand, we have won 3 in a row without him and the coach is adamant that we are better without him. Likely this is a powerplay to push him out the club but that would then mean it has nothing to do with his playing ability.

What I really want to understand (and get thoughts from everyone here on) is:
1. Is our 3 game winning streak due to Farah not being in the team or would we have smashed those teams by a greater margin if Farah was playing?
2. If Farah has found a new club, can we bring him back into the 17 as we make a charge into the finals?
3. Assuming we are not signing anyone next year, wtf are we going to do re: hooking duties? I'm assuming we will have Ballin/Liddle combo but Ballin is injury prone and Liddle has played 1 NRL game.

Thoughts?

 

[Tiger05]

1. Is our 3 game winning streak due to Farah not being in the team or would we have smashed those teams by a greater margin if Farah was playing?

I think we do better with Robbie in the team.

2. If Farah has found a new club, can we bring him back into the 17 as we make a charge into the finals?

Definitely but I'm not sure that we will.

3. Assuming we are not signing anyone next year, wtf are we going to do re: hooking duties? I'm assuming we will have Ballin/Liddle combo but Ballin is injury prone and Liddle has played 1 NRL game.

Halatau is a gun player who can fill the role but he is retiring. It could be a position we struggle in. Is Liddle ready ? Will Ballin really be up to it ? Do we play Rankin or Littlejohn there ?

I would have kept Robbie and just used him until his contract was over but I'm not the coach and I don't know what is going on in the team.

 

[Tigers1986]

Rankin and/or Littlejohn can fill in, Marshall-King plays alright there. We have Liddle & Ballin to go into 2017 with, plus there's Dayne Craig in the Maggies squad should we need him.

 

[Marshall_magic]

I'd be tempted to play Lil' Jon there for the time being, with Moses and Rowdy in the halves until Brooks returns. Moses has shown he can handle being the sole play maker. Play Halatau in the back row and slot him in at hooker if Lil Jon can't go 80

 

[Tigerm]

I just can't see how Farah could not add advantage to the side, I am baffled by all of this.

Phil Gould said a few weeks back, it is all about next years money, but how much will they have to pay to have him off the books, with what is left, WTF can hey buy?

 

[BrotherJim05]

Tinfoil hat time:

1. We are in negotiations with Souths for some sort of trade between Farah and Mcinnes. They take Farah, we kick in 600k of his contract for 2017 and we get Mcinnes for 2 years on 200k (or something like that). The 200k we save goes towards ET 3 year contract which will be around $500k a season.
2. Once this deal is done, Taylor will spin some story that Farah has proved himself in lower grades and will come back on the bench, then eventually as the starting 9. We will hear stories about how Farah and Taylor have made amends and move on.
3. Tigers make a charge into finals. We don't quite get to semi finals but we get close. We are no longer a laughing stock.
4. Hooking role next year Ballin with Mcinnes of the bench. Ballin eventually retires and Mcinnes moves to starting hooker with Liddle off the bench.

 

[The Charlatan]

McInnes is shit.

 

[Old Time Tiger]

I think it's obvious to everyone that we have a dilemma when it comes to the hooking role. Despite everything that has been going on I have long been a fan of Farah and still think that he should be in the team, at least coming off the bench to add some spark. On the other hand, we have won 3 in a row without him and the coach is adamant that we are better without him. Likely this is a powerplay to push him out the club but that would then mean it has nothing to do with his playing ability.

thoughts, it has nothing to do with his ability, it is a power play to push him out.

1. Is our 3 game winning streak due to Farah not being in the team or would we have smashed those teams by a greater margin if Farah was playing?

we will never know, it's like having a try disallowed and saying if we scored that. If a team did, it changes everything that happened after that point in time, score a try, conversion missed or not, you get the ball back from kickoff v disallowed with perhaps a play the ball for held up, followed by a dropped ball in next play.
What Farah would have/could have added to the team was 80 minutes of play, 40 odd tackles, experience and determination as long as he didn't get hurt which blows the 80 minutes and 40 tackles out the window.

2. If Farah has found a new club, can we bring him back into the 17 as we make a charge into the finals?

Ego and that would be Taylor's, I'd say no. Should we though? If Taylor is serious about results, he should.

3. Assuming we are not signing anyone next year, wtf are we going to do re: hooking duties? I'm assuming we will have Ballin/Liddle combo but Ballin is injury prone and Liddle has played 1 NRL game.

Which makes their progression planning a joke. Ego and that would still be Taylor's has seen 2 number 9's shafted.

I just can't see how Farah could not add advantage to the side, I am baffled by all of this

.
Me too, what other coach in the comp would not play a no 9 who he has at his disposal who brings, leadership, experience, ability to play 80 minutes and make 40 add tackles? If Taylor was a good coach and communicator, wouldn't he direct Farah to play a particular way, allow him to dart out of dummy half once every 2 or 3 sets or based on experience allow him to play whats in front of him (Halatau is allowed to) and if Farah doesn't do as instructed, doesn't allow Brooks and Moses to run the show, the coach tells him that he will be benched. Look at Neil Henry on the weekend, he gave game time to a player who hadn't played the game for how long? But that same player bought, experience and determination with him and Henry knew that and utilised his skills.

 

[BTown324]

Is Robbie a better player than who is currently playing hooker for the Tigers - of course. He's a specialist hooker who is still a decent first grade standard.

The quality of service, metres picked up, kicking from dummy half all improve if Farah is in the side.

HOWEVER

The team structure that best allows the strongest weapons to fire does not work with him in the side. This is proven by how consistently strong Moses has been since Farah has been dropped. He, Brooks and Tedesco are the strongest assets to the club so there is no point strengthening one aspect of your side to weaken another (potentially 3). It makes more sense to weaken one to strengthen others which would more likely have a flow on affect on the rest of the team and that is what JT has done and has been proven correct.

 

[Tigers1986]

Moses has blossomed without Farah. Farah is all about Farah, it's been proven for us since 2012 and proven in the NSW setup. His best days are well behind him and JT has been perfectly justified in his decision to drop him. The old horse can no longer win the cup and big money so he's making way for the new crop. Liddle is going to be a superstar in a few years time, serving under the apprenticeship of Ballin.

 

[Tigerm]

Moses has blossomed without Farah. Farah is all about Farah, it's been proven for us since 2012 and proven in the NSW setup. His best days are well behind him and JT has been perfectly justified in his decision to drop him. The old horse can no longer win the cup and big money so he's making way for the new crop. Liddle is going to be a superstar in a few years time, serving under the apprenticeship of Ballin.

Thats the problem, Liddle may well be a superstar IN A FEW YEARS TIME, and Ballin is no certainty. Farah has a year left I think he is worth that time to help Liddle if anything.

JT is just doing what he is told.

 

[madunit]

Farah is all about the Tigers.

He has modified his game immensely to appease two coaches.

A selfish player wouldn't do that.

 

[jadtiger]

McInnes is shit.

Yes he is and souths are desperate to get some moronic club to take him off their hands.We will probably do it and he can join Ballin as a waste of cap money.

 

[madunit]

We should say yes to McInnes if Cook is thrown in as part of the deal

 

[The Charlatan]

We should say yes to McInnes if Cook is thrown in as part of the deal

That'd be the only way I'd take him. McInnes would be on more than Cook though, good luck whoring him off.

 

[BrotherJim05]

Is Mcinnes shit or is he playing shit at the bunnies? I'd rather take Cook but there is no way the Bunnies are parting ways with him

 

[Tigerm]

Just a reminder, Farah hasn't gone yet.

 

[Old Time Tiger]

HOWEVER

The team structure that best allows the strongest weapons to fire does not work with him in the side. This is proven by how consistently strong Moses has been since Farah has been dropped. He, Brooks and Tedesco are the strongest assets to the club so there is no point strengthening one aspect of your side to weaken another (potentially 3). It makes more sense to weaken one to strengthen others which would more likely have a flow on affect on the rest of the team and that is what JT has done and has been proven correct.

But,

The team structure that best allows the strongest weapons to fire does not work with him in the side.

Cannot be actually proven simply based on 3 wins or loses, have the strongest weapons simply had poor games when Farah was playing, who did they play, who was in or out within the team, did for example, Kev have 1 or 2 shockers and so placed additional pressure on for example Moses and so that effected his game?

This is proven by how consistently strong Moses has been since Farah has been dropped.

Moses has come out and said that Taylor has told him that 'he owns the team' was Moses aware of his role earlier? was he given that role and freedom from round 1? remember Farah has missed games that the team has lost and won just like he has played when they have both won and lost.

so there is no point strengthening one aspect of your side to weaken another (potentially 3)

but its OK to weaken one aspect in order to strengthen another (potential 3)? I thought the idea was to play with your best and for the coach to get the best out of them all.

Farah is all about the Tigers.

He has modified his game immensely to appease two coaches.

A selfish player wouldn't do that.

I believe those 3 lines to be 100% correct, Farah cannot be selfish when he has also put the club first with perhaps the exception being as reported last week, he put playing for his country 1st. He has always from reports put his recovery first to ensure that he came back from injury sooner.

Just a reminder, Farah hasn't gone yet.

Tigerm, are you 'just saying' or have you heard something?

 

[Tigerm]

But,
Cannot be actually proven simply based on 3 wins or loses, have the strongest weapons simply had poor games when Farah was playing, who did they play, who was in or out within the team, did for example, Kev have 1 or 2 shockers and so placed additional pressure on for example Moses and so that effected his game?
Moses has come out and said that Taylor has told him that 'he owns the team' was Moses aware of his role earlier? was he given that role and freedom from round 1? remember Farah has missed games that the team has lost and won just like he has played when they have both won and lost. but its OK to weaken one aspect in order to strengthen another (potential 3)? I thought the idea was to play with your best and for the coach to get the best out of them all.

I believe those 3 lines to be 100% correct, Farah cannot be selfish when he has also put the club first with perhaps the exception being as reported last week, he put playing for his country 1st. He has always from reports put his recovery first to ensure that he came back from injury sooner.

Tigerm, are you 'just saying' or have you heard something?

I've heard nothing, but the papers talk him up as going & the news quoted him as saying he wanted to stay. The general theme of this thread is, he is already gone, TBH I hope he stays & gives it to the bastards.

 

[simmo1]

Yep, can't wait for another year of this bullshit just as the young blokes are hitting their straps!