Pre-Game Cowboys V Manly [Round 11, 2025]

[globaleagle]

well I wont read it then.


lol

 

[Sea Eagle 4 Life]

Won’t happen

1. Tom Trbojevic
2. Jason Saab
3. Tolutau Koula
4. Reuben Garrick
5. Lehi Hopoate
6. Luke Brooks
7. Daly Cherry-Evans
8. Ethan Bullemor
9. Lachlan Crocker
10. Siosiua Taukeiaho
11. Haumole Olakau’atu
12. Ben Trbojevic
13. Jake Trbojevic

14. Jake Simpkin
15. Josh Aloiai
16. Nathan Brown
17. Jazz Tevaga

I think Seispoon will rush Lodge in straight away. He is desperate.

 

[Phobia]

If we have Aloiai and Lodge back, with the Cowboys still missing Taumalolo, we should get the job done. We were in it for most of the Sharks game, with effectively our reserve pack, against AFB, Hazelton, Kaufusi, Nikora...

DCE, Turbo, Haumole and Jake need to be better to be playing Origin, and they will know it. I'm not as worried about this week, as I am about the ones that will come after Origin, when their mind is back on Manly. They are clearly not playing right when their minds are on Manly. It's probably just the DCE situation, but I think it's something more too.

Outside of an uncharacteristic performance from Garrick, and the four previously mentioned, I don't think we were that bad. We are limited by our roster, that's as simple as it is. We should have Aloiai, Lodge, and Paseka in our 17 week in, week out, but we are unable to. It leaves us with low-impact middles like Jake, Tevaga, and Waddell, while we still lack Croker's defence.

Think about how we seemingly could not win any tackles, unless Jake was involved. That matters a lot. Tackles/missed tackles, don't tell you anything about the quality of them. I'll take one Jake tackle over five Simpkin ones any day. Lodge and Aloiai go a long way to fixing this, but it won't change significantly until we get back Paseka.

For me, our best team, fully fit, is still:

1. Turbo
2. Saab
3. Koula
4. Garrick
5. Hopoate
6. Brooks - people have been scapegoating him
7. DCE
8. Paseka
9. Croker - Still our best hooker. Simpkin had one run and needs to be more consistent to stay.
10. Lodge
11. Olakau'atu
12. Ben Trbojevic - another scapegoat
13. Jake Trbojevic - I don't think we can actually rely on him to do anything different at prop.
14. Tevaga - utility
15. Aloiai
16. Bullemor
17. Brown

Possibly dropping Tevaga or Brown for Talau, but I don't think our pack is good enough to accommodate a back, at least right now.

 

[Bomb Voyage]

I would like this team:

1.Tom
2. Saab
3. Reubs
4. Koula
5. Lehi
6. Brookes
7. Arthur
8. Patolo
9. Simpkin
10. Bull
11. Haumole
12 Cheekam
13. Jazz

14. Navale
15. Josh
16. Talau
17. Brown

 

[MW66]

Surprising twist? Croker back (not really a twist). Lodge in (thought he couldn't play until next week otherwise this wouldn't surprise me. Talau centre, Garrick wing - this would be a twist, Lehi FB and Turbo centre - twist, DCE out and Walsh in - twist. Zaidas on the bench - twist.

 

[BOZO]

We are screwed , the Cows will lap us ( and that’s just the first half).

Welcome to the rest of season 2025.

The Cowboys can be hot and cold and can also capitulate
We Also have a better winning record than them
We have the Wood on the Cowboys
We are in with a chance feathered friend

 

[globaleagle]

Seeing as both the cowboys and panthers' trainers both tampered with the 'balls' - they should be docked the 1 point they got last week, and forego the 2 points available this week.

ie, riff don't get 2 for the bye, and c'boys opposition get 2 points no matter the score.

Who do the cowboys play this week?

It's bloody outrageous!

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

That's a tad harsh Mark, he's got the SOO to think about too.

He may well have “ screwed the pooch” on that already

 

[Bomb Voyage]

Holy moly what a step backwards for team selection haha

 

[globaleagle]

1. Tom Trbojevic
2. Jason Saab
3. Tolu Koula
4. Reuben Garrick
5. Lehi Hopoate
6. Luke Brooks
7. Daly Cherry-Evans (c)
8. Ethan Bullemor
9. Jazz Tevaga
10. Siua Taukei'aho
11. Haumole Olakau'atu
12. Ben Trbojevic
13. Jake Trbojevic
Interchange
14 Jake Simpkin
15 Corey Waddell
16 Caleb Navale
17 Nathan Brown
Reserves
18 Michael Chee-Kam
19 Clayton Faulalo
20 Jakob Arthur
21 Joey Walsh
22 Matt Lodge

 

[eggson]

Joey Walsh #21. Wonder if Simpkin to bench is in case of an injury to the backs. Then again BenT usually shifts in those circumstances.

 

[The Who]

Worst bench for a long time.
Our usual injury-plagued are still missing: Al, Froggy, TT2....

 

[Phobia]

Two steps forward, one step back.

I don't think that Jake plays all that different at prop, than he does at lock. If your lock isn't even going to run the ball, which Tevaga didn't do a lot of on Sunday, you may as well put Jake there, and have two better props. I think Croker will be in NSW cup this week, so Tevaga is genuinely the short term solution this time.

Bullemor and Navale are great changes. Lodge should ideally come in for Waddell.

Could it be that Walsh debuts next week ahead of Arthur? If we want to go all in on freeing up cap space for 2026, we could send Brooks into the abyss, and play Fogarty/Walsh next year. Obviously getting ahead of myself here, but he's doing something right to play two Flegg games, a NSW Cup game, and then appear on a first grade team list.

 

[Sheikheagle]

Joey Walsh in 21. Hopefully the Dollar Chaser is given the arse this week. 🤞

 

[Ron E. Gibbs]

I fear the Cowboys will be looking to pay us back for that Round 1 humiliation at Brookvale, and that no amount of @Wombat64's premium lube will save our collective perineum by the full-time siren.

 

[Dingo]

Oh man, so disappointed we gave up on Jazz 13 Jake prop thing so quickly. If we don’t give Jake 72 whole minutes I think it’s the best thing to do, but we executed it awfully against Cronulla and now obviously think it’s that and not the fact that we got the minutes all wrong. Ah well, at the end of the day, its the effort that’s the issue for me, if there’s effort on Saturday this team will do the job

 

[Hertera]

Just wow

 

[Eagle 1]

Wonder if Lodge can dislodge Brown for a bench spot...I'll let myself out..

 

[Ohgeez]

I fear the Cowboys will be looking to pay us back for that Round 1 humiliation at Brookvale, and that no amount of @Wombat64's premium lube will save our collective perineum by the full-time siren.

I look at their team & see Dearden + Perdue as there half’s which makes me feel confident honestly. Both good players but neither are really game managers, kicking game could be trouble for them too

 

[stoodamire]

I'll be chucking the C on Drinkwater this week.