Who are the genuine title threats for this year?

[mongoose]

I'm sort of glad not many people rating canberra at this stage, takes the pressure off. If Campese was fit im thinking a lot of people would have us top 4 and this team is not used to having high expectations. Hasnt happened for a long time.

I'm quietly confident we will play finals football in 2011 and atleast win week 1.

 

[Jason Maher]

Soward? Bwhahaha

Will be shown up as a dribbler in 2011

:lol: You mean just like he was in 2009 and 2010?

 

[natheel]

Fair enough everyone is entitled to their opinion.

But I just think Canberra and Manly have to many points in them to be second and third last.

As for the Sharks who knows.

I think we've made some solid signings and will improve on last year.

By how much I'm just not sure yet.

But wooden spoon is very harsh.

Like I said sharks I feel will be the first team who gets the wooden spoon with the most points of any other wooden spooners in history. I feel 2011 is going to be very very close so this teams at the end don't indicate (for me) their inability to win games, I just think the comp is going to be that close. 1 - 5 will b all on similar points 6 - 12 similar points and 13 - 16 will be determined inthe last 5 weeks that's how close it'll be (in my opinion of course) but personally I hope I'm putting a jinx on the sharkies and they get higher coz I'd hate to see them underachieve they have a decent squad and I feel on paper IMO r stringer than manly for next year (on paper if course)

 

[natheel]

Yes no doubt you have quality.

However you had a great run with injuries last year compared to other Clubs and this year if you do get injuries I'm not certain you have the quality back up that you had last year. You have lost a lot and not bought much at all.

Totally agree with this BUT I think Bennett is the biggest factor here. He has this tendency to get the absolute best out of his replacements when top players r injured but in saying this I'm not sure who dragons have to draw upon other than their Toyota cup squad...shellharbour?

 

[taxidriver]

However you had a great run with injuries last year compared to other Clubs .

another fallacy

cooper missed 8 matches
costigan missed 7
fien missed 18
dan hunt missed 17
saffy and scott both missed 6
jeremy smith missed 12
weyman missed 8

our starting props missed 25 games between them!

here's a list of players used in first grade (a reasonable indication of injuries) per club in 2010.

manly 24
panthers 26
warriors 27
eels 27
broncs 28
dragons 28
sharks 28
knights 28
souths 28
roosters 29
raiders 29
titans 30
storm 30
tigers 31
cowboys 32
dogs 33

smack bang in the median, hardly, a "great" run.

 

[grouch]

Totally agree with this BUT I think Bennett is the biggest factor here. He has this tendency to get the absolute best out of his replacements when top players r injured but in saying this I'm not sure who dragons have to draw upon other than their Toyota cup squad...shellharbour?

In case you really wanted to know... forwards outside the starting 13 (as I see it) are:

Trent Merrin
Matt Prior - has had a great summer btw
Jon Green
Nick Emmett
Michael Greenfield
Cuthbo - as mentioned, set to destroy the NRL like the Staypuft marshmallow man
Jack Bosden - Cronulla were filthy to lose him, has spent a year developing in the Dragons system
David Gower - NSW Cup player of the year with Tigers
Daniel Penese
Jake Marketo

Apart from Prior and Merrin they are either unknown quantities or journeymen, but again it all depends the Bennett factor.

 

[Jason Maher]

Well, this is our likely starting lineup:

1. Darius Boyd
2. Brett Morris
3. Mark Gasnier
4. Matt Cooper
5. Jason Nightingale
6. Jamie Soward
7. Ben Hornby (c)
13. Dean Young
12. Ben Creagh
11. Beau Scott
10. Michael Weyman
9. Nathan Fien
8. Dan Hunt

There is a chance Bennett will start with Fien on the bench, Young at 9, and Matt Prior in the back row, similar to last year.

Our backup players:

Matt Prior
Trent Merrin
Michael Greenfield
Jon Green
Adam Cuthbertson
Nick Emmett
Kyle Stanley
David Gower
Daniel Penese
Peni Tagive
Jake Marketo
Jack Bosden
Cameron King
Alex McKinnon
Mitch Rein
Jack Stockwell
Jarrod Thompson

Our forward depth is fine, with a lot of young players coming through (along with Bennett's track record of getting the best out of discards like Cuthbertson), but our backline depth is quite skinny. Most of our young backs are busy playing for other clubs.

 

[Spank]

In my opinion these are the teams that have a chance at winning it all....

Tigers
Dragons
Dogs
Storm

This will be the ass end of the comp:
Eels
Cowboys
Sharks
Knights

 

[Dragon Slayer]

Well, this is our likely starting lineup:

1. Darius Boyd
2. Brett Morris
3. Mark Gasnier
4. Matt Cooper
5. Jason Nightingale
6. Jamie Soward
7. Ben Hornby (c)
13. Dean Young
12. Ben Creagh
11. Beau Scott
10. Michael Weyman
9. Nathan Fien
8. Dan Hunt

There is a chance Bennett will start with Fien on the bench, Young at 9, and Matt Prior in the back row, similar to last year.

Our backup players:

Matt Prior
Trent Merrin
Michael Greenfield
Jon Green
Adam Cuthbertson
Nick Emmett
Kyle Stanley
David Gower
Daniel Penese
Peni Tagive
Jake Marketo
Jack Bosden
Cameron King
Alex McKinnon
Mitch Rein
Jack Stockwell
Jarrod Thompson

Our forward depth is fine, with a lot of young players coming through (along with Bennett's track record of getting the best out of discards like Cuthbertson), but our backline depth is quite skinny. Most of our young backs are busy playing for other clubs.

Forgot about him.

What's his situation contract wise?

 

[grouch]

Forgot about him.

What's his situation contract wise?

Thats none of your concern, thank you very much

 

[natheel]

Yes no doubt you have quality.

However you had a great run with injuries last year compared to other Clubs and this year if you do get injuries I'm not certain you have the quality back up that you had last year. You have lost a lot and not bought much at all.

Totally agree with this BUT I think Bennett is the biggest factor here. He has this tendency to get the absolute best out of his replacements when top players r injured but in saying this I'm not sure who dragons have to draw upon other than their Toyota cup squad...shellharbour?

 

[2010Dragons]

Here is my top 4 in no particular order.

Saints, Tigers, Melbourne, Warriors

Here is my next 3 in no particular order.

Penrith, Titans, Roosters

Possiable 8th spot.

Manly, Brisbane, Souths Canterbury .

Also ran...
Canberra (No campo) Cronulla, Newcastle.

Wooden Spoon
Parramatta or NQ

 

[natheel]

@grouch

And as they're not players that r absolute quality they're the type of players that will probably flourish under Bennett.

Mitch rein is a player I'm very interested to see though at hooker. Kiama junior very talented as a youngster. Any wraps from dragons fans?

 

[cleary89]

but our backline depth is quite skinny. Most of our young backs are busy playing for other clubs.

Tagivue, Stanley, Goodwin should be fine to step up if needed.

 

[grouch]

Mitch rein is a player I'm very interested to see though at hooker. Kiama junior very talented as a youngster. Any wraps from dragons fans?

Won the Dragons NYC player of the year award despite missing 8 or 9 games through injury. Will contend for the Luke Priddis spot in the squad (back up to Fien & Young). Has stiff competition though from Cameron King, who missed most of the 2010 NYC season through injury but still landed a first grade debut after his return, and was a junior reps star - NSW under 18's captain, and Australian schoolboys.

Both outstanding youngsters, but still very green

 

[Dragon Slayer]

Thats none of your concern, thank you very much

Oh we are very concerned..

 

[Firey_Dragon]

Yes no doubt you have quality.

However you had a great run with injuries last year compared to other Clubs and this year if you do get injuries I'm not certain you have the quality back up that you had last year. You have lost a lot and not bought much at all.

Jeremy Smith played 15 games
Hunt 9 games
Fien 9 games
Weyman was playing with a serious groin injury from around round 10 onwards, it showed pretty badly as the season wore on.

We also had quite a few that missed a significant amount of games... Cooper, Costigan, Saffy, Stanley being the other notable mentions.

Had a pretty solid run with injuries, but we certainly had some pretty big key casualties along the way. The difference was with the exception of Hunt we were completely fit for the finals, and throughout the season we were able to cover for injuries far more effectively than most teams. The previous year almost our entire forward pack required surgery in the off-season.

 

[Slackboy72]

Personally I had the Tigers v Broncos in the GF but then it rained and the planes stopped flying so now I just have the Tigers on their own.
Roosters will improve slightly.
Dragons will slide.
Raiders will slide.
Brisbane will improve barely on account of Hodges being back and Lockyer being fit.
Melbourne will be marginal to make the eight as their depth gets truly tested.
Titans still up there.
Penrith will improve on the field if not on the ladder.
I suspect souffs will again frustrate thanks in no small part to their inconsistent halves.
The rest I either don't rate or don't know.

 

[Ronnie Dobbs]

Oh we are very concerned..

Style Stanley is off contract end of this season DS. He will be THE prority for the club. I would expect Coops to be moved on if Bennett and hance Boyd stay to accomodate him. If Bennett and hence Boyd leave, then he will be offered the No 1 I would suspect.

If Coops & Boyd both leave at the end of the year, then we'll keep Style and buy J Moz back from the Dogs.......Perfect.

Seriously though, we'll have some real tough calls to make this year as always happens after success. We've already lost the games most dominant big game player in Jezza to you blokes and also a QLD rep in Nev & big Saff has gone back to Rugga. With Gasnier back, we will have to shed more & I think Cooper is the man in the gun regardless of what Boyd does.

IMO, Stanley is going to be a superstar, so if it means offing some older servants, so be it. But it will be tough, he will be just about the most sought after back on the market this year, along with Darius.

I'm sure the Sharks will be bidding hard, but they'll have to get in the queue.

 

[natheel]

Personally I had the Tigers v Broncos in the GF but then it rained and the planes stopped flying so now I just have the Tigers on their own.
Roosters will improve slightly.
Dragons will slide.
Raiders will slide.
Brisbane will improve barely on account of Hodges being back and Lockyer being fit.
Melbourne will be marginal to make the eight as their depth gets truly tested.
Titans still up there.
Penrith will improve on the field if not on the ladder.
I suspect souffs will again frustrate thanks in no small part to their inconsistent halves.
The rest I either don't rate or don't know.

So by ur statement "roosters will improve slightly" u mean they will win the gf? Against the tigers?