Your RD 1 2018 line up

[OldPanther]

We keep getting told our players arent good enough for the top 4. The same guys saying that have Freddy picking half our team for Origin. Including 3/4 of our spine.

Our roster should compete on an even level or better than 90% of the comp. No reason we can't get 4th at the very least with Roosters/Storm/Cows making up the other spots.

Discounting our roster is very strange.

 

[franklin2323]

Our roster should compete on an even level or better than 90% of the comp. No reason we can't get 4th at the very least with Roosters/Storm/Cows making up the other spots.

Discounting our roster is very strange.

This year hasn't been played yet. Last year we had no 5/8th this year we do. Cleary being closer to a complete player too

 

[betcats]

Stop with this no 5/8th rubbish. We had TMM, Moylan and the coaches favourite half Carty. We managed to play great footy with those options in 16 and then somehow got worse in 2017 with an origin level hooker(according to you).

Look what Brad Arthur did with Moses in half a season, TMM and Moylan were both good options at 6 they just suffered from shit coaching. Hook took away all of our playmakers options with the rubbish structure and no kicking bullshit, no half could thrive in that system.

 

[franklin2323]

Stop with this no 5/8th rubbish. We had TMM, Moylan and the coaches favourite half Carty. We managed to play great footy with those options in 16 and then somehow got worse in 2017 with an origin level hooker(according to you).

Look what Brad Arthur did with Moses in half a season, TMM and Moylan were both good options at 6 they just suffered from shit coaching. Hook took away all of our playmakers options with the rubbish structure and no kicking bullshit, no half could thrive in that system.

So why will TMM be in QLD Cup round 1. Bryce playing lock now then?

If they were actually NRL 5/8ths they'd be in the position regardless of the move

 

[Frankus]

Our roster should compete on an even level or better than 90% of the comp. No reason we can't get 4th at the very least with Roosters/Storm/Cows making up the other spots.

Discounting our roster is very strange.

Our best 17, unless Cleary goes to another level this season is top 6. Melbourne, Cows, Broncos, Roosters and arguably Sharks have better sides than us. My opinion of course. I think they all finish ahead of us and in that order too. I think it will be a massive achievement to finish top 4.

 

[mxlegend99]

This year hasn't been played yet. Last year we had no 5/8th this year we do. Cleary being closer to a complete player too

Last year in Round 1 we had :

Moylan, who had played for NSW and Australia at fullback. NSW at 6
TMM, who played in last years grabd final
Cleary and Wallace who are apparently Origin certainties

No game has been played since last year yet you have us with 5 or more Origin players this year.

We had a side capable of making the top 4 and we could have been there without beating a top 6 team. We just needed to win 3 games from the 2 losses to Dragons, 2 losses to Souths and our only loss to Manly.

All games we could havr easily eon with out roster. That would have put us into the top 4 with a foster you claim isnt goof enough.

Yet you think Fittler will pick Mansour , Peachey, Maloney, Cleary, Wallace and RCG for Origin. Tamou and Merrin too if thdy bounce back.

Throw Moylan in for Maloney last year and that's 8 Origin quality players. Throw in internationals DWZ and Whare. That's 10 rep quality players in our starting line-up.

Ontop of that Blake is arguably l our best back and Yeo is hands down our best second rower.

But yeah...not good enough for top 4. Magically all of these guys are now rep players before a ball was kicked in 2018. But not last year.

 

[OldPanther]

So why will TMM be in QLD Cup round 1. Bryce playing lock now then?

If they were actually NRL 5/8ths they'd be in the position regardless of the move

TMM is behind Jonathan "God" Thurston. He's literally being groomed as his replacement. That says a lot more than playing Qcup for a year.

 

[franklin2323]

TMM is behind Jonathan "God" Thurston. He's literally being groomed as his replacement. That says a lot more than playing Qcup for a year.

I get that but Ben Hampton is on the bench over him. Not saying he is hopeless just not at the regular even NRL player stage yet. I would of loved him to stay here imo he should of been in the team all year but we probably don't finish any better if he did stay

 

[OldPanther]

I get that but Ben Hampton is on the bench over him. Not saying he is hopeless just not at the regular even NRL player stage yet. I would of loved him to stay here imo he should of been in the team all year but we probably don't finish any better if he did stay

The squad hasn't been picked yet and if he wasn't NRL quality there is no way Green plays him through a finals series.

We might not have but disrupting the halves so much has to hurt.

 

[PANTHERMIKE]

Our best 17, unless Cleary goes to another level this season is top 6. Melbourne, Cows, Broncos, Roosters and arguably Sharks have better sides than us. My opinion of course. I think they all finish ahead of us and in that order too. I think it will be a massive achievement to finish top 4.

Agree here, everyone saying we SHOULD and ARE a top 4 team, but stacked up against the likes of the Cowboys, Roosters, Storm, Broncos and even Sharks, i think it would take a huge effort to reach the top 4..

Having said that, i'm confident we can nudge it...

 

[mxlegend99]

So why will TMM be in QLD Cup round 1. Bryce playing lock now then?

If they were actually NRL 5/8ths they'd be in the position regardless of the move

Your argument is bullshit. TMM supposedly isnt good enough for the NRL. Yet he helped his injury depleted team to a grand final last year.

Cowboys have internationals and grand final winners hanging from their ass. Guess what. James Maloney and Nathan Cleary wouldn't crack their halves either. I suppose they aren't NRL players either?

Knights biggest signing until Pearce was Kalyn Ponga... and he couldnt crack their team either.

Ofcourse Cartwright is at lock. Only a f**king moron would use him in the halves regularly. He's a second rowwr. Its where he wants to play. Its where he feels comfortable playing. Its the position that best suits him. His body is built for it... and a few trick plays up his sleevedoesnt mean he has the brain or mentality to be an NRL half.

 

[mxlegend99]

I get that but Ben Hampton is on the bench over him. Not saying he is hopeless just not at the regular even NRL player stage yet. I would of loved him to stay here imo he should of been in the team all year but we probably don't finish any better if he did stay

How do we even know for sure?

Round 1 maybe. Who says it stays that way? Round 1 last year TMM was our starting 6. On grand final day he was playing 6 for Cowboys while the teammates he started out with watched him play. He was axed for form when he was one of our better players each week.

He was Hooks scapegoat. He had no idea what to do.

 

[betcats]

I get that but Ben Hampton is on the bench over him. Not saying he is hopeless just not at the regular even NRL player stage yet. I would of loved him to stay here imo he should of been in the team all year but we probably don't finish any better if he did stay

IF that happens its because Ben Hampton covers the entire backline effectively, how many teams carry a specialist half on the bench? If JT or Morgan get hurt TMM will get picked.

 

[franklin2323]

IF that happens its because Ben Hampton covers the entire backline effectively, how many teams carry a specialist half on the bench? If JT or Morgan get hurt TMM will get picked.

Morgan can move if they had too. Every team wants to win if there is a guy who is good enough to play 5/8th in a top 4 team. They will find a way

 

[Fangs]

I get that but Ben Hampton is on the bench over him. Not saying he is hopeless just not at the regular even NRL player stage yet. I would of loved him to stay here imo he should of been in the team all year but we probably don't finish any better if he did stay

I think Ben Hampton is a tried and true utility. He played just about every game for the Cowboys last year. Can't say the same for Martin.

He will get his chance, he is just waiting behind the best halves combination in the world right now. I think Martin could realistically start at a number of clubs.

 

[franklin2323]

The squad hasn't been picked yet and if he wasn't NRL quality there is no way Green plays him through a finals series.

We might not have but disrupting the halves so much has to hurt.

No doubt it has and not having a back up half in the squad was just stupid. Someone like Sam Williams start in NSW Cup and could of finished the year at 5/8th or until Martin fixed what he needed. Same the year before release Sowie and Seg but get a fringe NRL half just incase. It was just dumb

 

[mxlegend99]

Obviously Maloney isnt an international player. He wont get picked for Australia in the ANZAC test afterall.

Obviously Merrin and Tamou arent rep players either.

 

[franklin2323]

I think Ben Hampton is a tried and true utility. He played just about every game for the Cowboys last year. Can't say the same for Martin.

He will get his chance, he is just waiting behind the best halves combination in the world right now. I think Martin could realistically start at a number of clubs.

He'd walk into the Tigers that is for sure. How many top 4 sides or teams that want to be though?

 

[OldPanther]

Morgan can move if they had too. Every team wants to win if there is a guy who is good enough to play 5/8th in a top 4 team. They will find a way

If JT or Morgan get injured TMM will be there for sure. If someone goes down HIA or injured from the backline Hampton is better to have off the bench.

 

[franklin2323]

I think Ben Hampton is a tried and true utility. He played just about every game for the Cowboys last year. Can't say the same for Martin.

He will get his chance, he is just waiting behind the best halves combination in the world right now. I think Martin could realistically start at a number of clubs.

He'd walk into the Tigers that is for sure. How many top 4 sides or teams that want to be though?