Who has the better forward pack?

[Poupou Escobar]

Eels.

 

[muzby]

lets think about it..

raiders have relatively the same pack as last year, but added brett white... so they'll go better this year, you'd think... they made the finals last year, so who knows where they'll end up..


souffs have relatively the same pack as last year.. when they did f**k all.. just like they will this year...

 

[S.S.T.I.D]

I'm not interested in arguing the toss, but the original poster left out our most honest and hard working player of the last decade, the rock of our pack, Luke Stuart. As well as Ben Lowe, Queensland 18th man last season. So you all want to compare packs yet can't even get ours right.

f**king simpletons.

 

[Mike_Jets]

-Asotasi - looks the fittest he has been in his time at Souths - could be a good year for him
-Taylor - He is one of the best forwards in the game, there are a few better but they are older and in a few years Taylor will be a Kangaroo and QLD regular.
-Burgess - A great player
-Crocker - Yes he is not great, but he does add a bit of bite which some of our forwards lack.
-Ross - Fair play, he has just come back! Might be a surprise how good he is to a few after a few months.
-Geddes - Solid squad player, no more no less.
-Pettybourne - OK, has a real problem with his hands. But he is again a decent back up if needed.

Missing from the list:
Stuart - One of the best and most underrated forwards in the comp
Young Burgess - He will be a regular in the pack by the end of the season.

 

[Johns Magic]

I'm not interested in arguing the toss, but the original poster left out our most honest and hard working player of the last decade, the rock of our pack, Luke Stuart. As well as Ben Lowe, Queensland 18th man last season. So you all want to compare packs yet can't even get ours right.

f**king simpletons.

I was wondering that myself. Definitely sold them short.

8. Asotasi
9. Luke
10. Stuart
11. Burgess
12. Taylor
13. Lowe

There is a lot to like about that pack, even though I hate the club.

 

[aqua_duck]

I'm a firm believer that your props are the ones who can make or break your pack, South have Asotasi who was very good back in his bulldog days and even his 1st season at souths but has gone off the radar ever since, to the extent that he's fallen behind Sam McKendry in the kiwi pecking order. Outside that they have Geddes who's solid at best, Luke Stuart who is decent but nothing special and will be 34 by the time the season starts, and Ben Ross is coming back from almost being a confined to a wheelchair and will do well to just stay in 1st grade.
Raiders have the best prop in the NRL in Shillington, a former origin prop in Brett White, a test prop/backrower in TLL and one of the biggest props in the game in Dane Tilse coming off the bench.
Btw just on the dogs I personally don't rate their pack as highly as some, they lack a 100m a game metre eating workhorse prop, people I don't think realise how big a loss Ben Hannant will be

 

[Skitz68]

As a Tigers supporter I would have to say Souths pack wouldn't rate in the top 5 packs . The Raiders pack is heaps better proved themselves last season and will no doubt do better again this season . When Burgess isn't is off the field they don't seem to have much starch in em at all .

 

[grouch]

"We're losing again"

 

[thehattrickrabbit]

With the form hooker from last year, You cannot go past souths. Even in an unbiased scenario I would still say souths. Raiders don't have Issac Luke or a forward who is individually as good as Sam Burgess and I would take Dave Taylor every day of the week over Shillo, possibly the worst talked up player in the comp, He offers nothing but poor defence and giving away penalties. and his defence is the worst i've ever seen for any forward, lack of a work-rate and still misses alot more then someone like Ben Lowe who makes at least double the tackles. Taylor's defence also isn't that great but having the skill set of a halfback is a wish that any forward would have at least once in their lifetime and if he has to run at backs to get points for souths you have to do it, there is no argument at all there... it's part of the game you can hardly single that out in a game of rugby league.

 

[thehattrickrabbit]

I'm a firm believer that your props are the ones who can make or break your pack, South have Asotasi who was very good back in his bulldog days and even his 1st season at souths but has gone off the radar ever since, to the extent that he's fallen behind Sam McKendry in the kiwi pecking order. Outside that they have Geddes who's solid at best, Luke Stuart who is decent but nothing special and will be 34 by the time the season starts, and Ben Ross is coming back from almost being a confined to a wheelchair and will do well to just stay in 1st grade.
Raiders have the best prop in the NRL in Shillington, a former origin prop in Brett White, a test prop/backrower in TLL and one of the biggest props in the game in Dane Tilse coming off the bench.
Btw just on the dogs I personally don't rate their pack as highly as some, they lack a 100m a game metre eating workhorse prop, people I don't think realise how big a loss Ben Hannant will be

You are dead-set kidding right, He is horrible. Gives away a ton of penalties, Is the worst forward defender i've ever seen in the NRL and is about as erratic as i've ever seen, also his hands aren't that great either. I'd take DT over him every day of the week and DT is far from the best player let alone Best Forward.

Way Way too erratic to even be mentioned in the same breath as someone like Burgess.

 

[aussies1st]

Shillington > Asotasi
Luke > Buttrss/Waddell
TLL > Stuart
Burgess > Picker
Taylor = Harrison
Fensom = Lowe

White > Ross
Tilse > Geddes
Thurling = Pettybourne
Crocker = Tongue (Neither can stay on the field)

 

[grouch]

lol thehattrickrabbit. Despite the onset of Bunniesman you are still proving yourself the dimmest Souffs fan on these boards. Shillington missed only 10 more tackles than Burgess all season. While Burgess made 32 errors to Shillington's 10.

 

[Drax]

Both have solid forward packs. I certainly think there will be less pressure on Souths pack this season compared to what was being said about them last season. I think that could help them perform better.
Be nice to see a strong season from both clubs, and from the Sharks. There pack looks impressive also.

 

[DJShaksta]

Thanks Drax, but our pack isn't the problem.
Last year from memory - and someone can look up the stats if they want - I think the sharks were top 5 for meters gained, but couldnt score point.
Tim Smith had a shocker and our backline all up just seemed lost.

Our pack this year is among the best, it'll be interesting to see how our backline goes.

 

[thehattrickrabbit]

lol thehattrickrabbit. Despite the onset of Bunniesman you are still proving yourself the dimmest Souffs fan on these boards. Shillington missed only 10 more tackles than Burgess all season. While Burgess made 32 errors to Shillington's 10.

How many more tackles has Burgess made in compared to shillington, He averages 10 more a game, how ever many a season.

 

[grouch]

Still hardly the "worst defender I've ever seen in the NRL", and as for his hands which are supposedly not great - they're at least 3 times safer than those of the butterfingered Burgess. Thanks anyway for re-affirming yourself as the pre-eminent Souffs moron

 

[Jason Maher]

Raiders easily, but I wouldn't be jumping too quickly to make Souffs-like claims of "we're the best" before the comp has even started. ;-)

Personally I'm quite content with our pack:

13. Prior
12. Creagh
11. Scott
10. Weyman
9. Young
8. Hunt

14. Fien
15. Merrin

Cuthbertson
Gower
Green
Greenfield
Emmett
King
Marketo
Penese
Bosden
McKinnon
Rein
Stockwell
Thompson

I know everyone is going on about us losing Smith, Costigan, and Saffy, but I think we will miss them less than opposition supporters are clearly hoping. For a start, Prior and Merrin get the opportunity to step up, and I believe they will. We also have a very good record of turning off-cuts from other clubs into decent players (c.f. Costigan, but we were doing so even before Bennett), so I expect Cuthbertson will prove a good buy. We also have plenty of young talent coming through in the forwards, including Penese from Penrith and the late blooming Gower from the Tigers. We've managed to hold on to most of them, unlike our young backs (e.g. Josh Morris, Chase Stanley, BJ Lulia, Kane Linnett, Dean Whare, Kalifa Faifai-Loa, Beau Henry).

 

[Qld-Sharkie]

Cuthbertson

You lost me at ^^^^^

 

[Jason Maher]

Well of course he was rubbish at the Sharks under sticky. He won't be at Saints under Bennett. I just hope your mob doesn't destroy Jeremy Smith the same way you destroyed Anthony Tupou.

 

[aussies1st]

Raiders easily, but I wouldn't be jumping too quickly to make Souffs-like claims of "we're the best" before the comp has even started. ;-)

Personally I'm quite content with our pack:

13. Prior
12. Creagh
11. Scott
10. Weyman
9. Young
8. Hunt

14. Fien
15. Merrin

Cuthbertson
Gower
Green
Greenfield
Emmett
King
Marketo
Penese
Bosden
McKinnon
Rein
Stockwell
Thompson

I know everyone is going on about us losing Smith, Costigan, and Saffy, but I think we will miss them less than opposition supporters are clearly hoping. For a start, Prior and Merrin get the opportunity to step up, and I believe they will. We also have a very good record of turning off-cuts from other clubs into decent players (c.f. Costigan, but we were doing so even before Bennett), so I expect Cuthbertson will prove a good buy. We also have plenty of young talent coming through in the forwards, including Penese from Penrith and the late blooming Gower from the Tigers. We've managed to hold on to most of them, unlike our young backs (e.g. Josh Morris, Chase Stanley, BJ Lulia, Kane Linnett, Dean Whare, Kalifa Faifai-Loa, Beau Henry).

While you don't have the same depth in the forwards your starting forward pack still looks good. And as you mentioned you got some good pick ups.