Adam Reynolds

[Ryan]

Personally in my view he was turned from nothing more than a fill in half at NRL level to a servicable hooker.

If anything Crokers career has benefited hugely by Des moving to hooker.

Just opinions though

That's great. Pity it's put us in a position where we can't beat any of the good teams in the past 3 damned years. You've really got the spit and polish out today. Disco, you DO really set your bar so low, I reckon I could get on and have a run, and you'd say the decision to play me was masterclass by Des and the powers that be.

 

[Disco]

Dont know why you are having a go at me.

All I've said in this thread today is,

*If Humphries was in form I could see him covering a bit of hooker ( and halves obvs) from the bench to give him a taste of grade
*Croker has never been a viable first grade half IMO
*Croker has been turned into a serviceable hooker


Not sure how that is polishing a turd as you so eloquently put it.

 

[robbiea]

He tries hard ,I give him that.
And was better at hooking than I ever half expected him to be.
But wouldn't of got a run in any other teams halves.
The only reason he has seen first grade is because of our own lack of team management over the last five years.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Pleaseeee....PLEASSSSEEEEEE.....I beg you !!!!!! No more halfbacks at 9. Please. I'll send you money, women, gifts, anything for you, and everyone else to cease suggesting natural 7's play hooker for us !

Someone that follows the juniors more closely would know but I thought Manase Fainu was a halfback in juniors before someone thought to give him a go at hooker.

Lot of comments lately about playing people 'out of position' but having the footy knowlege and vision to see what spot might allow a certain player to shine is part of what makes a good coach.
Not suggesting Des always makes the right call on positional questions. But I am sceptical of the idea that an individual is a 'natural 7' or a 'natural 9' etc.

Actually I am a sceptic when it comes to the concept of 'natural' anywhere, let alone in footy. It tends to be used as a catch-all justification for a vast array of atrocities and injustices.

 

[Ryan]

He tries hard ,I give him that.
And was better at hooking than I ever half expected him to be.
But wouldn't of got a run in any other teams halves.
The only reason he has seen first grade is because of our own lack of team management over the last five years.

Not having a go mate. Just that you disagreed with the fact we were pumped by every top 8 team bar one, and we were.

That second half against the storm, honestly was an absolute albatross, and one of the least enjoyable wins I've ever experienced.

They were completely all over us.

So it's right. If all the current top 8 teams, we were pumped by all but one. And they all scored plenty of points against us. Average them out haha.

 

[robbiea]

Not having a go mate. Just that you disagreed with the fact we were pumped by every top 8 team bar one, and we were.

That second half against the storm, honestly was an absolute albatross, and one of the least enjoyable wins I've ever experienced.

They were completely all over us.

So it's right. If all the current top 8 teams, we were pumped by all but one. And they all scored plenty of points against us. Average them out haha.

What am I missing here ?
I agreed with your comment about not wanting another makeshift hooker.
And jokingly said "I dont even think Croker was a genuine halfback"
I will go back and take a look & see what your on about this time and get back to ya !

OK, Im back ..Im not following the dots.
I did have a busy long weekend here though !!

 

[Tragic Eagle]

In Sporting News Croker was ranked 9 out of the 16 hookers in 2022 with an average of 35 run metres and 41 tackles. He did okay. I was not a fan of his in the halves and was very critical of his selection at hooker initially but he has done a mighty job and has my admiration. He does need assistance and would be complemented by a nippy interchanging hooker.

 

[Ryan]

What am I missing here ?
I agreed with your comment about not wanting another makeshift hooker.
And jokingly said "I dont even think Croker was a genuine halfback"
I will go back and take a look & see what your on about this time and get back to ya !

OK, Im back ..Im not following the dots.
I did have a busy long weekend here though !!

Yup, was talking to Disco mate

 

[robbiea]

Well,that makes more sense.
I for one wasnt happy about the piss poor, weak season we just put in.
I am still crossing my fingers we can somehow blow this team apart.
Not looking forward to watching that team ever again .
Especially after losing the one tough bastid out there who shows some actual heart.

 

[Woodsie]

In Sporting News Croker was ranked 9 out of the 16 hookers in 2022 with an average of 35 run metres and 41 tackles. He did okay. I was not a fan of his in the halves and was very critical of his selection at hooker initially but he has done a mighty job and has my admiration. He does need assistance and would be complemented by a nippy interchanging hooker.

When a dummyhalf passes the ball from the play the ball ... 2 actors are on stage .... firstly, there is the hooker, bend over, feet splayed, balance fine tuned, he collects the ball and in the same graceful movement, twists from the hips and sends the ball in a flawless trajectory to .... (Now here is where it gets interesting) ...

to ... Secondly, there is the ball receiver, who, with an inbuild "alygarythm" has timed his run to perfection, collecting the ball mm's from the advantage line at full pace, and barges into the opposition wall like a freight train collecting 15m of territory ...

Or, in Manly case, a prop dawdling up 5m behind the advantage line, mind still trying to decipher the coach's mumbling game plan ...

Or, in Manly case, passing to a stationary first receiver 2 wide of the ruck and also 5m back ..

So, my point is, it takes teamwork and bodies in motion to excell at hooker ... Often, when I hear criticism of Froggy service .. I watch and see that he isn't given much to pass too, few options, and often just one body in motion ...

Because, we are a really really badly coached football team ...

 

[Disco]

Yup, was talking to Disco mate

Ahhhh....we crossed this elsewhere.

I do disagree on account of us being "pumped" by all bar one top 8 team as we beat two, lost two games by two points and others by 10 and 12.

Its no big disagreement on opinion just on wording.

Now if you said, we only performed well against 1 top 8 team then fine.

If you said we were out played against all but 1 top 8 team then grand.

If you said we were a shambles against all but 1 top 8 team then sure.

If you said we didnt deserve to be withing x points then go ahead.

But we werent 'flogged' or 'pumped'.

No team in the history Rugby League has been 'flogged' by 2 points

 

[Woodsie]

No team in the history Rugby League has been 'flogged' by 2 points

Losing by 1 point is a flogging ..

 

[nightster]

Someone that follows the juniors more closely would know but I thought Manase Fainu was a halfback in juniors before someone thought to give him a go at hooker.

Lot of comments lately about playing people 'out of position' but having the footy knowlege and vision to see what spot might allow a certain player to shine is part of what makes a good coach.
Not suggesting Des always makes the right call on positional questions. But I am sceptical of the idea that an individual is a 'natural 7' or a 'natural 9' etc.

Actually I am a sceptic when it comes to the concept of 'natural' anywhere, let alone in footy. It tends to be used as a catch-all justification for a vast array of atrocities and injustices.

Correct about manase and Des himself went from 1/2 to hooker and sometimes lock ..... but times have changed

 

[Disco]

Correct about manase and Des himself went from 1/2 to hooker and sometimes lock ..... but times have changed

Have they though?

Yeo started a centre
Most of Wade Graham's first 3 seasons were in the halves
Wighton started at wing for a while then centre then 5/8 then fullback then 5/8
Dylan Walker centre, to 5/8 to Utility
Jarome Hughes fullback to 5/8 to fullback to halfback
Adam Douehi has been everywhere

Players develop to roles or adapt to roles that the team needss

Unless you where specifically referencing hooker???

Then carry on haha

 

[manly al]

Has someone already mentioned Tooves half to hooker , Monas similar and should also include Api as a relatively recent Manly 9 , converted half .

 

[EOL now nesting on the GC]

But we werent 'flogged' or 'pumped'.

No team in the history Rugby League has been 'flogged'

History can be seen in many different lights depending on the objective required.

Pumped is a word I personally wouldn't use for all 8 matches. Some were nasty yes. Sharks was a pumping for sure and at the back end of the year after rainbowgate and more importantly we were out of available players. we lost by 2 against the Cows and Parra. We beat Melbourne. We beat Canberra.

As we always end up at the same place its simply about the agenda of posters and how they think the team can get to the top of the pile.

 

[Ryan]

Ahhhh....we crossed this elsewhere.

I do disagree on account of us being "pumped" by all bar one top 8 team as we beat two, lost two games by two points and others by 10 and 12.

Its no big disagreement on opinion just on wording.

Now if you said, we only performed well against 1 top 8 team then fine.

If you said we were out played against all but 1 top 8 team then grand.

If you said we were a shambles against all but 1 top 8 team then sure.

If you said we didnt deserve to be withing x points then go ahead.

But we werent 'flogged' or 'pumped'.

No team in the history Rugby League has been 'flogged' by 2 points

We may have beaten the storm on the scoreboard, but they flogged us in that second half, exposed our middles, and was basically the beginning of the end.

So even in THAT game, where we WON, I took that at a massive loss, towelling and thrashing which we copped in the second half.

5 more minutes we lose, because they were scoring almost every set. It was an embarrassing display of defense.

Same as the game against the Cowboys who rode right over us, again, exposing our defense. Regardless of the score, that was a pasting.

What did the commentators say? We were capitulating again. I don't care what you think, dependent on the score, that shows we were getting flogged.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

We may have beaten the storm on the scoreboard, but they flogged us in that second half,

They flogged us in that second half for 5 minutes.
For the first 75 minutes we were bashing them 36-10, which from memory would have been our second greatest ever bashing of Storm.

4 tries in 5 minutes (with jakey off the field)

• Nelson Asofa-Solomona 74'
• Ryan Papenhuyzen 77'
• Justin Olam 78'
• Ryan Papenhuyzen 79'

 

[Ryan]

They flogged us in that second half for 5 minutes.
For the first 75 minutes we were bashing them 36-10, which from memory would have been our second greatest ever bashing of Storm.

4 tries in 5 minutes (with jakey off the field)

• Nelson Asofa-Solomona 74'
• Ryan Papenhuyzen 77'
• Justin Olam 78'
• Ryan Papenhuyzen 79'

Awful. One of the worst periods I've ever seen on the field for our club.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Awful. One of the worst periods I've ever seen on the field for our club.

It wasn't good! But we won.
Think of the Sharks Talakai debacle, 0-32 at halftime. We won the second half 22-0, big deal, we still lost the game. Or way back to that appalling loss to Souths in the 2014 finals, we finished the game 'blitzing' them 24-0, big deal, we were already thrashed and the game lost at halftime.
Anyway, just making the point that Storm did flog us but in my opinion only for 5 minutes and it would have been cold consolation to Bellamy and all the Storm players and fans because... they lost!