Thoughts on 2017/2018

[Das Hassler]

Thanks for the responses guys. I always like analysing each team before the season starts. As soon as the GF finishes I just get excited for it to start all over again.

I know each club will have a squad of 30 with 5 rookie contracts too so there will be plenty of depth for everyone this season.

I'm assuming your bed has goalposts at either end ....great overview

 

[Vic Mackey]

I do love a good offseason Round 1 lineup prediction. Here is my two cents:

1. Lolohea
2. Nofa
3. Marsters
4. Suli
5. Fonua
6. Reynolds
7. Brooks
8. Packer
9. Liddle
10. Grant
11. Lawrence
12. Mcqueen
13. E.T

14. Mautilino (big minutes despite coming off bench)
15. Sue
16. Twal/Eisenhuth
17. Aloai/MM/Benji

I read somewhere that Mautilino prefers playing off the bench. I imagine he would come in at the 15-20 minute mark and stay on for the rest of the game.

The 16/17 spot will be dependent on who we are playing, how many minutes Liddle can get in and realistically what is needed for that game. I really want to see Twal get more time as he is showing he could be a quality prop.

The 3, 4 and 5 jersey's in particular are completely up for grabs. Marsters, Suli and Miline can fight it out for the centre spots, Fonua, Thompson and Naiqama can fight it out for the left wing and realistically Benji will be putting a lot of pressure on Brooks and Reynolds to perform week in week out.

This is one of the rare off seasons where there is a lot of competition for spots and enough depth to keep us healthy for the whole season. I would love to see 1 or 2 more signings though, another forward or an experienced outside back.

Agree with pretty much off all this. The word does seem to be that Matulino prefers to come off the bench and if anything that might work into our side better. Grant isn't an impact prop, he is solid and experienced. Can eat up the early defensive workload then let BM come on and offload.

My main issue with that side is the 11-13. I thought ET worked better on the right edge and Eisenhuth at 13 gave us more meters in the middle. As great as ET is the 54m he was getting us over 80 mins playing at 13 cost us. Eiso came in, was a bigger body, could still pass yet gained us 100m a game on ET.

The problem with having ET on one edge is neither Lawrence nor McQueen are explosive types. I don't think we can have 2 worker edge forwards. Whilst I think CM will play a part for us I actually have him missing our best 17 early.

As mentioned you could argue Aloiai was our best player Over the last 6 weeks of the competition. He scored 2 great tries playing on the edge through sheer power.

My pack would be:

8. Packer
9. Liddell
10. Grant
11. Lawrence/Taylor
12. Aloiai
13. Eisenhuth

14. Lawrence/Taylor
15. Matulino
16. Sue/Twal
17. Marshall

 

[The Charlatan]

I also think picking the front row rotation will be crucial. I don't think we should be starting Matulino and Packer together as it also means they come off together at important parts of the game

I'd be going

Packer & Grant to start

Twal & Matulino on the bench

Packer and Grant are our aggressors and can take the early onslaught head on. Then once its cooled down bring Matulino and Twal on against tired forwards to do their magic (It wasnt long ago Matulino was one of the best offloaders in the game) and well with Twal, the sky is his limit

Absolutely. Hard to disagree with that.

 

[magpie_man]

Agree with pretty much off all this. The word does seem to be that Matulino prefers to come off the bench and if anything that might work into our side better. Grant isn't an impact prop, he is solid and experienced. Can eat up the early defensive workload then let BM come on and offload.

My main issue with that side is the 11-13. I thought ET worked better on the right edge and Eisenhuth at 13 gave us more meters in the middle. As great as ET is the 54m he was getting us over 80 mins playing at 13 cost us. Eiso came in, was a bigger body, could still pass yet gained us 100m a game on ET.

The problem with having ET on one edge is neither Lawrence nor McQueen are explosive types. I don't think we can have 2 worker edge forwards. Whilst I think CM will play a part for us I actually have him missing our best 17 early.

As mentioned you could argue Aloiai was our best player Over the last 6 weeks of the competition. He scored 2 great tries playing on the edge through sheer power.

My pack would be:

8. Packer
9. Liddell
10. Grant
11. Lawrence/Taylor
12. Aloiai
13. Eisenhuth

14. Lawrence/Taylor
15. Matulino
16. Sue/Twal
17. Marshall

There is a lot to like about that pack and would definitely have ET at #11 over Lawrence. I'd also have Lawrence and McQueen fighting-it-out for #14.
A major revelation will be if Liddle can play the full 80 minutes as of next season, otherwise MM may need to take Benji's bench spot.
If he can play 80 I'd probably give Benji's spot to either of Twal or Sue and play 4 forwards, at least over the first few weeks to give Brooks and Reynolds time to gel.

 

[Vic Mackey]

There is a lot to like about that pack and would definitely have ET at #11 over Lawrence. I'd also have Lawrence and McQueen fighting-it-out for #14.
A major revelation will be if Liddle can play the full 80 minutes as of next season, otherwise MM may need to take Benji's bench spot.
If he can play 80 I'd probably give Benji's spot to either of Twal or Sue and play 4 forwards, at least over the first few weeks to give Brooks and Reynolds time to gel.

Yeah Liddle was playing 65 mins prior to injury so hopefully over the off season he can get fit enough to go 80. Even if not I think MM is a wasted bench spot. ET could easily go into hooker for a short spell or even Reynolds and bring Benji on. Plenty of other options for the bench apart from a guy who can only play 9

 

[BrotherJim05]

Yeah Liddle was playing 65 mins prior to injury so hopefully over the off season he can get fit enough to go 80. Even if not I think MM is a wasted bench spot. ET could easily go into hooker for a short spell or even Reynolds and bring Benji on. Plenty of other options for the bench apart from a guy who can only play 9

If Liddle can start playing 80 minutes it will change everything. However he is just coming off the back of shoulder surgery so I doubt he will be playing 80 minutes come round 1

 

[rabbitohs95]

Not just as a Souths fan but I'd really like to see the Tigers make a statement and win in Round 1 against the Roosters. Would be a really good start and a big boost for you guys.

Just make sure you don't claim victory in Round 19 or 25

 

[Vic Mackey]

Not just as a Souths fan but I'd really like to see the Tigers make a statement and win in Round 1 against the Roosters. Would be a really good start and a big boost for you guys.

Just make sure you don't claim victory in Round 19 or 25

I would very happily take a round 1 win if it meant losses in round 19 & 25

 

[Crazyperpman]

Getting the same vibes from the Tigers going into next year as I did with Souths in 2007. Big turnover in personnel and while there are some big names coming in, they might not be able to replicate what they have done in the past.

Still, I think this squad can make the 8, or at least compete for a majority of the season. The Tigers WILL do better in 2018 than they did in 2017, it's just a matter of how much better.

Obviously I know SFA compared to you lot but here's my Tigers 17 for 2018

1. Tui Lolohea
2. David Nofoaluma
3. Esan Marsters
4. Moses Suli
5. Kevin Naiqama
6. Josh Reynolds
7. Luke Brooks
8. Ben Matulino
9. Jacob Liddle
10. Russell Packer
11. Chris McQueen
12. Sauaso Sue
13. Elijah Taylor (c)

14. Benji Marshall
15. Alex Twal
16. Chris Lawrence
17. Matt Eisenhuth

Backline:

Definitely has a Polynesian flavour to it and I like that, even in the reserves with the likes of Taane Milne, Mahe Fonua and Malakai Watene-Zelezniak. I think the best way to describe it is raw, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Might take Lolohea a while to get to his feet at fullback, but it suits him better than five-eighth where he just had a little bit too much responsibility on his shoulders. He'll have two experienced campaigners in Nofa and Kev to help him out on the flanks, with rookies Suli and Marsters (although I've heard he's actually a backrower?) looking to add size and aggression.

Halves:

An interesting trio with Reynolds providing the fight that was lacking with Moses, Brooks looking to step up and control the game without having to fight with his halves partner for dominance and Benji off the bench to bring in some much needed experience and spark.

Reynolds and Brooks looks like a bit of a weird one and I can't say it totally wows me but it's definitely a step up from last season. Reynolds will add that character that was needed in the halves.

Front Row:

Packer and Matulino will re-unite after a few years apart, but the bruise brothers could both bring a lot of fire to the table and also misfire. While Packer has been impressive for the most part at the Dragons, Matulino has been dormant for a while and it will be interesting to see if a new environment can change him, it could just be the best thing for him.

Young Alex Twal will continue to get better throughout the season and it wouldn't surprise me at all if he lands a starting spot by the end of the season. I'd probably have Matt Eisenhuth come off the bench to push Sue up to the front as I don't think Tim Grant can really cut it anymore. I think that's one thing we can all agree on unfortunately.

Back Row:

I like the variety in the backrow. McQueen is getting older but he definitely doesn't lack the quality and I honestly think his time on the Gold Coast got the best out of him, and he has the ability to come into the backline if injury hits, not to mention his prowess in the air that is highly unutilised.

Elijah Taylor is the cornerstone of the forward pack and I believe should be a candidate for captain, he has the leadership, experience and is a good all round player and bloke. Every team needs one. Sue is a big body that can hit hard and crash over the line and has the ability to play in the front row too.

I've got Lawrence on the bench for a bit of a utility role and Eisenhuth has a lot of potential but I think it would be best if he bide his time off the bench and just tidy his game up a bit gradually.

You must get really bored on the Souths forum with your well thought out opinions and obvious intellect.

Good luck for next year, hopefully you have a good year which includes two Losses to the tigers and a finish slightly lower on the ladder.

 

[magpie_man]

Word is that if Cronk goes to Bondi Pearce will be seeking a release - what do you think fellow Tigers fans?

 

[Vic Mackey]

Word is that if Cronk goes to Bondi Pearce will be seeking a release - what do you think fellow Tigers fans?

I've always thought that Jnr Jnr would end up at the Tigers at some point. With 4 fulltime halves already in our squad though I doubt it will be next year. Any chances the roosters want to release their fullback instead?

 

[Clifferd]

As much as we need a proven half I don't think Cleary is thinking the same. He's obviously put full faith in Brooks for the next couple years, basically saying show me what you've got or f**k off. Hence the short term contract

 

[rabbitohs95]

You must get really bored on the Souths forum with your well thought out opinions and obvious intellect.

Good luck for next year, hopefully you have a good year which includes two Losses to the tigers and a finish slightly lower on the ladder.

Hahaha I'll take that as a compliment mate.

It honestly wouldn't surprise me if that happens. Our squad is still building if we can retain the right blokes we'll be on track to contend for the finals in a year or so.

 

[macnaz]

News reported that we have shown a tad of interest in Pearce.

 

[Vic Mackey]

As much as we need a proven half I don't think Cleary is thinking the same. He's obviously put full faith in Brooks for the next couple years, basically saying show me what you've got or f**k off. Hence the short term contract

Brooks and Nathan come off contract the same year, I really don't think that's a coincidence

 

[Clifferd]

Brooks and Nathan come off contract the same year, I really don't think that's a coincidence

Really? Had no idea tbh. Doesn't make sense having Brooks as a stop gap for the time being though. These two next years are probably the most important years of the JV's history and we're banking on an underperformer to lead our team around

 

[Vic Mackey]

Really? Had no idea tbh. Doesn't make sense having Brooks as a stop gap for the time being though. These two next years are probably the most important years of the JV's history and we're banking on an underperformer to lead our team around

Yeah mate both brooks and Nathan Cleary are signed til 2019. If brooks doesn't finally own the 7 next year You can imagine the media conjecture about Nathan coming here.

Agree 2 years is too long to wait though, which I'd imagine I'd partly why Benji was brought in.

I might be in the minority but I think Brooks will come good next year, he was pretty impressive in the last 8 weeks of the Comp.

 

[BrotherJim05]

Yeah mate both brooks and Nathan Cleary are signed til 2019. If brooks doesn't finally own the 7 next year You can imagine the media conjecture about Nathan coming here.

Agree 2 years is too long to wait though, which I'd imagine I'd partly why Benji was brought in.

I might be in the minority but I think Brooks will come good next year, he was pretty impressive in the last 8 weeks of the Comp.

Brooks really doesn't have any excuses in 2018. Our pack is looking good and he has an experienced half in Josh Reynolds who will take a lot of pressure off Brooks.

It is literally perform or look elsewhere.

 

[Clifferd]

Brooks really doesn't have any excuses in 2018. Our pack is looking good and he has an experienced half in Josh Reynolds who will take a lot of pressure off Brooks.

It is literally perform or look elsewhere.

I can see Cleary shopping him around early if he doesn't perform in 18'

But I have a bit of confidence he will with the right forward pack and an experienced half next to him

 

[Shredder]

You know, all this "coincidence" talk about Brooks and Cleary being off contract at the same time - I reckon it is.

Brooks was only going to get a one year or a two year deal, as he hasnt been good enough for longer, so rather than a coincidence, I would say a 50% chance.

Personally, I would be very very surprised if Nathan plays here.

On another note;

We are building something here and Ivan has done well.
Each year I look at the list of players that changed clubs, as the guys that resign with their current clubs were never going to move. We did well this year.

Ivan has done what most of us were calling for years "gut the team, change the culture and start again."

We have built a team which on paper will be competitive, which is a darn sight better than the last few years. There are still a few question marks, but you cant expect Ivan to have built a premiership side in one year.

For next year, I just want us to be competitive in each game. Edging into the finals would be nice.