Your RD 1 2018 line up

[franklin2323]

29 wins from 50 games at 58%. Second only to Ron Willey (who was sacked it must be said).

2 finals appearances in 2 years @100%. Gould equalled this (having taken over a side that was already a regular in the finals) but then failed in his next 2 years.

His track record of on-field success is the equal of any coach in our history and far better than most, and has been achieved with a bunch of rookies, in the main. That is why he gets the benefit of the doubt.

This. We can argue the style of footy we should play but results are there. The same holes we had any other coach at the club would of had. He gets atleast a pass

 

[billypilgrimnz]

Our top 30 squad is up on the Panthers website and is as follows (by position):

FULLBACK
Dylan Edwards

WING
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
Josh Mansour
Tyrone Phillips

This is a worry.

 

[TheEroticGamer]

Blake and Whare can play wing.

 

[franklin2323]

Our top 30 squad is up on the Panthers website and is as follows (by position):

FULLBACK
Dylan Edwards

WING
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
Josh Mansour
Tyrone Phillips

CENTRE
Dean Whare
Tyrone Peachey
Waqa Blake

FIVE-EIGHTH
James Maloney
Jarome Luai
Tyrone May

HALFBACK
Nathan Cleary

PROP
James Tamou
Moses Leota
Nick Lui-Toso
Reagan Campbell-Gillard
Sam McKendry
Tim Browne

HOOKER
Peter Wallace
Sione Katoa
Wayde Egan

SECOND ROW
Bryce Cartwright
Corey Harawira-Naera
Corey Waddell
Isaah Yeo
Jack Hetherington
James Fisher-Harris
Jed Cartwright
Viliame Kikau

LOCK
Kaide Ellis
Trent Merrin

Very light on outside backs and props, way too many second rowers rowers…

Guys like Sivo and Crichton are training probably should be in that squad over the likes of Hetherington. Gus is all the blame for this squad

 

[billypilgrimnz]

Blake and Whare can play wing.

Not very well though. And we only have three centers anyway.

 

[franklin2323]

Not very well though. And we only have three centers anyway.

This is the thing. We need to move a backrower to play them wing. Better off having 2 extra backs

 

[OldPanther]

Wish Sivo was in their. We could use another backline player and can afford 1 less second rower but Gus loves the position too much.

 

[GongPanther]

Wish Sivo was in their. We could use another backline player and can afford 1 less second rower but Gus loves the position too much.

Is Maika Sivo still with us?

 

[OldPanther]

Is Maika Sivo still with us?

I assumed he was and heard he was training with the top squad as a development thing. I haven't heard anything official though.

 

[TheEroticGamer]

Not very well though. And we only have three centers anyway.

Not as well as Mansour and DWZ? Of course not. That's the case with every team. All teams looks weaker when they're forced to make changes. No team can have origin calibre players as replacements.

Dallin, Yeo and Jed Cartwright can play centre. Again, same principle of the team being weaker because of forced changes. Our situation is no worse than other teams.

 

[Thirsty Panther]

So can we only play players from this squad?

If so we will be in deep do do if Cleary or Edwards get injured.

 

[Big Mick]

Luai and May could play fullback if needs be.

Also I'm sure there is some wording for dispensation if massive injury toll also.

I'm a bit shocked Liam Martin and Olly Clark aren't in there. I'm sure that they are probably in that developmental allocation though.

 

[seal]

I feel like Gould doesn’t think we need a backup winger because we can just throw Waqa Blake on a flank and chuck a back rower in the centres. But all that will do is stunt Waqa’s development as a centre, the same way Cartwright has struggled at back row since being thrown in at 5/8 for half a year

It also seems like he is too focused on stacking the squad with local juniors (most of which are back rowers) that he overlooks what the squad actually needs, which is reserve outside backs

As good as he may be, I feel as if a player such as Corey Waddell is only there because he is a local junior, even though he’s at long odds to play first grade given our depth in his position

Gould just needs to swallow his pride and accept that the club can’t run 99% on local juniors and that he needs to just sign some players from elsewhere for the benefit of the entire squad. What we need is an outside back. If there’s nobody within the club who fits the bill, then just sign a fringe winger from elsewhere instead of needlessly stacking the squad with second rowers purely because they are local juniors

 

[franklin2323]

I assumed he was and heard he was training with the top squad as a development thing. I haven't heard anything official though.

He is one of the 5 development players

 

[franklin2323]

Luai and May could play fullback if needs be.

Also I'm sure there is some wording for dispensation if massive injury toll also.

I'm a bit shocked Liam Martin and Olly Clark aren't in there. I'm sure that they are probably in that developmental allocation though.

Massive injury toll is fine. Who is our backup winger remembering Phillips is gone. Balance wise I would of had Crichton and Sivo in over Hetherington and Tui

 

[Big Mick]

Massive injury toll is fine. Who is our backup winger remembering Phillips is gone. Balance wise I would of had Crichton and Sivo in over Hetherington and Tui

I agree. But we'll see how it plays out.

It'l probablyl be Jed Cartwright in centres and Waqa or Whare on wing I guess.

 

[mxlegend99]

I feel like Gould doesn’t think we need a backup winger because we can just throw Waqa Blake on a flank and chuck a back rower in the centres. But all that will do is stunt Waqa’s development as a centre, the same way Cartwright has struggled at back row since being thrown in at 5/8 for half a year

It also seems like he is too focused on stacking the squad with local juniors (most of which are back rowers) that he overlooks what the squad actually needs, which is reserve outside backs

As good as he may be, I feel as if a player such as Corey Waddell is only there because he is a local junior, even though he’s at long odds to play first grade given our depth in his position

Gould just needs to swallow his pride and accept that the club can’t run 99% on local juniors and that he needs to just sign some players from elsewhere for the benefit of the entire squad. What we need is an outside back. If there’s nobody within the club who fits the bill, then just sign a fringe winger from elsewhere instead of needlessly stacking the squad with second rowers purely because they are local juniors

I dont think the squad is filled out with those players because they're local juniors. Its filled out with the players we already had because thats the position we're in with the salary cap.

We lost 5 top 25 players from our 2017 squad. We added Maloney to our roster on huge money. Between the squad expanding to 30 and losing 5 guys. Thats 9 spots to fill and it's easier to do so with guys we already had.

I think we should atleast have had Sivo there. But Im sure we can get him a clearance to play if we need him.

 

[Kilkenny]

I understand the club believe Jed Cartwright has what it takes to play in the centres should the need arise due to injury.

From what I saw of him in NSW Cup last season he could be a weapon in the role should the need arise due to injury. Obviously his strengths are not in the speed department but he is very strong defensively and his ability to off load out wide could be very handy should he be called upon. I have no doubt he could do a very good job if called upon.

Despite his try scoring exploits Sivo is a work in progress and still has a lot to learn about the game before he could be seriously considered for the NRL. He is in same situation as Eto Nabuli who scored tons of tries and looked the goods in NSW Cup but didn't debut for us, was released to the Dragons where he did appear in a couple of NRL games but didn't quite cut it and not sure where he is now. Rugby Union somewhere?

 

[Copperhead]

Despite his try scoring exploits Sivo is a work in progress and still has a lot to learn about the game before he could be seriously considered for the NRL. He is in same situation as Eto Nabuli who scored tons of tries and looked the goods in NSW Cup but didn't debut for us, was released to the Dragons where he did appear in a couple of NRL games but didn't quite cut it and not sure where he is now. Rugby Union somewhere?

He played 13 games for the Dragons, which is more than a couple. They offered, and he accepted a contract extension, so they must have felt he "cut it". He left for bigger money with the Queensland Reds and debuted for the Wallabies against Scotland last year.

Despite all that, Sivo looks a better prospect.

 

[Kilkenny]

He played 13 games for the Dragons, which is more than a couple. They offered, and he accepted a contract extension, so they must have felt he "cut it". He left for bigger money with the Queensland Reds and debuted for the Wallabies against Scotland last year.

Despite all that, Sivo looks a better prospect.

Exposes my lack of knowledge/interest in the game of Rugby Union.