Worst Kangaroo back-row of all time??

[Meth]

Wellington and Christchurch are on different islands (Wellington is at the bottom of the North Is)- not that this condemns the idea- but I don't know how keen either would be on sharing a team with the other.

The Auckland v rest of NZ thing is fairly pronounced. Even though the Warriors are 'New Zealand's team', they are viewed as Auckland's team- quite often, people outside of Auckland support other NRL teams. I watched the semi-final v the Roosters in a pub in Dunedin (student town- a lot of Aucklanders) and we were the NZ Warriors when we won that- but as soon as we lost the game v Manly, we were back to being 'Auckland's team' again

 

[watatank]

will G Stewart make origin?

big question.

He'll get smashed if he does!

 

[rlo]

Before a second NRL team, perhaps the NZRL should concentrate on getting its own domestic competition well established. I understand the Bartercard Cup has been removed in the past year and replaced by a new domestic competition, but it's a fairly short one. As much as the money in league is in Australia, NZRL can't just rely on the Australian system to produce and develop young Kiwis.

 

[RainMan]

will G Stewart make origin?

big question.

Bellamy is coach. Hopefully, he chooses his minimum Manly players as possible policy again this year.

 

[Harold Bishop]

Glenn Stewart is known for his ball playing more than his workrate, he is the type of 2nd rower that plays well off the back of great field position and is generally heavily involved in the attacking area. Fact is we couldnt hold onto the ball for long enough periods for Stewart to be effective. He has been great all year, Manly missed him on occasion when he was injured this year probably more so than guys like Matt Orford or Brett Stewart.

Spot on. We pretty much lost every game he didn't play.
Glenn Stewart finished the year with more line break assists than Lockyer and most other fancied playmakers.

If you dumb f*cks out there have your mind set on an all bash and barge 2nd row, go and pick Hindmarsh and we would have lost 22-10 and i can tell you the quality of play would have been as boring as bat sh!t.

 

[watatank]

Stewart has above average ball playing skills but he is hardly effective when it comes to just plain hitting the ball up.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

He averaged 100m a game last season so that is effecitve enough for me

 

[IAmDancingHomer]

He averaged 100m a game last season so that is effecitve enough for me

And about 70 in the WC

 

[oneeyedeaglesman]

Stewart normally plays lock or second row on the right.Laffranchi played on the right and Stewart played out of position on the left.Which reduced his effectiveness and was why he ran a lot back towards the right of the field instead of straight or left.They don't show stats for decoy runners which he was quite often.

 

[Joker's Wild]

I think typically players like Stewart are less effective at rep level because the style of play at their club is vastly different to the style played by rep sides. Stewart is effective at Manly because alot of the plays are run at or around his lines, the Aust team has so many players that do the same job that most of the work he does seems to blend into the background.

 

[Johns Magic]

Stewart really is a nuff-nuff. He's a good club player, nothing more.

 

[watatank]

Stewart normally plays lock or second row on the right.Laffranchi played on the right and Stewart played out of position on the left.Which reduced his effectiveness and was why he ran a lot back towards the right of the field instead of straight or left.

They also ran a few plays off him too. Not that that's a bad thing but he should be a ball runner first and then a ball player, not the other way around. They would have been better off playing another five eighth there

 

[IAmDancingHomer]

Stewart normally plays lock or second row on the right.Laffranchi played on the right and Stewart played out of position on the left.Which reduced his effectiveness and was why he ran a lot back towards the right of the field instead of straight or left.They don't show stats for decoy runners which he was quite often.

That may be so (personally I don't think it is a good enough reason) but he was also had the lowest tackle count of all the forwards. In no WC game did I see him look comfortable or effective. I don't want to bag him because at club level he plays 10 times better than he did in any WC game and seems to have a bit more go in him than so many other palyers, but in an Australian jumper he looked lost and out of his depth.

 

[bobbis]

Its not the worst Brad Meyers once played for Australia.

 

[hellteam]

and Dane Carlaw

 

[westie]

I can see us looking back in a few years going... wow... remember when G. Stewart played for Aus! He's up there with the two previous and the great phil bailey.

 

[8Ball]

Spot on. We pretty much lost every game he didn't play.
Glenn Stewart finished the year with more line break assists than Lockyer and most other fancied playmakers.

If you dumb f*cks out there have your mind set on an all bash and barge 2nd row, go and pick Hindmarsh and we would have lost 22-10 and i can tell you the quality of play would have been as boring as bat sh!t.

I'm not sure Stewart deserves the bagging he is getting but comparing line break assists with a bloke who played a handful of games this year, at nowhere near full fitness, is fair.

 

[Loudstrat]

Spot on. We pretty much lost every game he didn't play.
Glenn Stewart finished the year with more line break assists than Lockyer and most other fancied playmakers.

If you dumb f*cks out there have your mind set on an all bash and barge 2nd row, go and pick Hindmarsh and we would have lost 22-10 and i can tell you the quality of play would have been as boring as bat sh!t.

So it was Stewart that was responsible for the attacking flair of Heather, Slater, Folau etc? Did he wave his magic wand? Sprinkle some fairy dust on their shoes?

F*cktard. Hindy's the bloke that was missing - to clean up the loose balls, plug the gaps etc, you know, the stuff Stewart DIDN'T do.

I'm not sure Stewart deserves the bagging he is getting but comparing line break assists with a bloke who played a handful of games this year, at nowhere near full fitness, is fair.

I hear Stewart also had more try assists than Langlands, Fittler and Sterling did this year too. No wonder he's so good, Harold.

 

[Lungfish]

hard to say this was the worst Kangaroos back row of all time...I haven't done the necessary leg work to make such a claim...but I agree with those who think it lacked something in the size department. For mine, Stewart and Laffranchi are quite similar types of players who are both slightly undersized, but with big motors, with Laffranchi offering a bit more with ball in hand. Gallen to me is an agitator first and a footballer second. They were lacking a back rower who would make an impact with the ball and who attracts attention. For all his faults, Mason is a prime example of this.
Price's injury cost them a lot more than people will ever remember. Although Price and Petero have a combined age near 70, as a pair they are no doubt the best props going around. Kite off the bench has been good all world cup, as was Josh Perry (can't believe I just typed that). For mine, Perry should have had the bench spot Fitzgibbon had.

I miss the days of Sironen, Clyde, Cleal, Tallis et al...

You've either been drinking or havent watched much of Glenn Stewart! Stewart offers ten times more with ball in hand than Laffranchi does.

 

[Tommax25]

I think its time to rename this thread Glenn Stewart-Worst backrower of all time? Far out, people are looking at the wrong issues here, more props were needed in the 17 and less backrowers as well (I couldnt believe when I saw watmough had been rushed in, he wasnt the type of player needed), more was needed out of the 'utility' player role regardless of who was there, less of ricky stuart and his insanely biased selections.

On stewart, yes he had an average WC. I wouldnt say he had a bad one, but average and worse than a number of his teammates. But what do you want? He was dally m backrower of the year comfortably and won a premiership in one of the top 3 consistent teams . He was always going to get picked. He'll recover from this and he will play for Australia again, and NSW next year I'm betting as well. People call out for rep teams to be picked on form but when they do and it goes wrong, just like when it goes wrong when established players are picked, they say "why did this guy make the squad? He's crap. Insert player is much better". In the latter scenario the 'insert player' people have called out for has been hindmarsh, ryles, odonnel, webb, myles, creah from what ive read, whereas in the original (established players picked) scenario it would have been heginton, stewart, laffranchi, tongue ect. The selectors cant know a player is going to have a bad tourney, the coach doesnt know if a player is going to go MIA in a game, the player doesnt know he is going to turn in a crap performance in a game. Its not an exact science, and what happened has happened. Its done. The players were picked and when it counted most of them didnt stand up. Its time to move on.