Is Luke brooks the piece we’ve been missing

[BOZO]

. We need a 2nd hooker on the bench who can give us thrust from dummy half especially!

Can some one tell me why do we call our Sea eagle Hooker a Frog ?
What is the significance ?
@The Wheel ?

 

[jbb/james]

Can some one tell me why do we call our Sea eagle Hooker a Frog ?
What is the significance ?
@The Wheel ?

Because he is a croaker, as are frogs

 

[lsz]

I am a simple man but one thing that seems to be common in every successful team (including ours) is a dominant forward pack

Lets take a look at our 2011 pack in the GF

8. Joe Galuvao, 9. Matt Ballin, 10. Brent Kite, 11. Anthony Watmough, 12. Tony Williams, 13. Glenn Stewart. Interchange. 14. Shane Rodney, 15. Jamie Buhrer, 16. Vic Mauro, 17. George Rose.

Apart from Jake and Ola would any of the current lot make it? Maybe Taniela on the bench


Not enough proof? Lets go with 2008

8 Brent Kite, 9 Matt Ballin, 10 Josh Perry, 11 Anthony Watmough, 12 Glen Hall, 13 Glenn Stewart; interchange 14 Heath L'Estrange, 15 Mark Bryant, 16 Jason King, 17 Steve Menzies.

This one is even tougher with only Jake and Ola making it

For me when we play teams lower in the 8 / lower on the table Brooks will help us but the lack of a dominant mobile pack will stop us from being a true top 4 team - our forwards are just not good enough at the moment

 

[tookey]

At least he can run which is an improvement on our current 5/8

 

[jbb/james]

I am a simple man but one thing that seems to be common in every successful team (including ours) is a dominant forward pack

Lets take a look at our 2011 pack in the GF

8. Joe Galuvao, 9. Matt Ballin, 10. Brent Kite, 11. Anthony Watmough, 12. Tony Williams, 13. Glenn Stewart. Interchange. 14. Shane Rodney, 15. Jamie Buhrer, 16. Vic Mauro, 17. George Rose.

Apart from Jake and Ola would any of the current lot make it? Maybe Taniela on the bench


Not enough proof? Lets go with 2008

8 Brent Kite, 9 Matt Ballin, 10 Josh Perry, 11 Anthony Watmough, 12 Glen Hall, 13 Glenn Stewart; interchange 14 Heath L'Estrange, 15 Mark Bryant, 16 Jason King, 17 Steve Menzies.

This one is even tougher with only Jake and Ola making it

For me when we play teams lower in the 8 / lower on the table Brooks will help us but the lack of a dominant mobile pack will stop us from being a true top 4 team - our forwards are just not good enough at the moment

Not that i disagree at all but i think balance and recruitment was key to the success
from team 11
gulavo was getting on and was considered past it
ballin was only marginally better than frog, much better service but was a defender with hardly any attack or kicking. Heath added balance. Yes the game has changed which makes comparing difficult
tony williams was an enigma at best and a former winger
rodney was coming back from major injury and georgie was often maligned and regularly pasted for his fitness
mauro was depth but still a champion when needed. But all played a role in a team that was very competitive

perry was a reject we got cheap or was he a cap fudging.and a really decent human
hall was the best prospect the game has seen but ended up in newtown after a few clubs
bryant was hardly a household name and seemed to curb his game at manly as he reigned in his offloads
king spent a big chunk of his career being labelled princess on these boards but his latter years he really amped up the aggression. Was a good story

choc, gifty and kite and kingy played rep footy but none of them really cemented spots. Maybe Choc and he had some amazing games though. Beaver played plenty. they had a lot of game awareness and forward leaders

i think manly built a squad of competitors and added class, life orford, bell, lyon and kite in key positions where we are now trying to do the opposite. Build grunt around pricey class. . But the engines doesnt run the same way

getting b stewart and matai from nowhere it seems was pretty handy but matai took time

injury hasnt helped that model and essentially its the storm model but there system and game plan is built around the grunt first .

des is often smashed about his recruitment styles but he is miles ahead of anyone since. We also had players taking unders to be part of something and for the group and then overnight it all changed . It was bitter and ugly

keppie, paseka, bully, were all young signings . Props take a bit but no one is patient

i agree the pack needs to be able to compete , but we have to accept that the salary cap makes everyone choose where to throw the coin.
just my thoughts

 

[ALinda]

Brooks is not so much the piece we've been missing but certainly the 5/8 we've been missing. We could do worse than him.

 

[Cliffy's Jockstrap]

I am a simple man but one thing that seems to be common in every successful team (including ours) is a dominant forward pack

Lets take a look at our 2011 pack in the GF

8. Joe Galuvao, 9. Matt Ballin, 10. Brent Kite, 11. Anthony Watmough, 12. Tony Williams, 13. Glenn Stewart. Interchange. 14. Shane Rodney, 15. Jamie Buhrer, 16. Vic Mauro, 17. George Rose.

Apart from Jake and Ola would any of the current lot make it? Maybe Taniela on the bench


Not enough proof? Lets go with 2008

8 Brent Kite, 9 Matt Ballin, 10 Josh Perry, 11 Anthony Watmough, 12 Glen Hall, 13 Glenn Stewart; interchange 14 Heath L'Estrange, 15 Mark Bryant, 16 Jason King, 17 Steve Menzies.

This one is even tougher with only Jake and Ola making it

For me when we play teams lower in the 8 / lower on the table Brooks will help us but the lack of a dominant mobile pack will stop us from being a true top 4 team - our forwards are just not good enough at the moment

Yeah that is it in a nutshell I think @Isz . I am expecting next year a kind of 2021 - lite (because we can't realistically expect Tom to hit the same heights), ie multiple points of attack, we thump the weaker teams but against the top teams we get found out. We really should make the 8 in that scenario but probably not do too much more. Hopefully our pack develops over the off-season.

 

[Disco]

Good post. We have seemed a collection of players rather than a team. i dont mean unity but so many good players dont seem to cement positions. Jake, shoe, croker . Ones a cheapie, the other 2 are anything but

then we sign arthur , schuster and brooks to cloud the issue somewhat

Croker has played his last 70 NRL games at hooker.

Jake has play 164 of his last 173 games at lock.

Schuster I'll give you but what do you constitute as 'cementing' a position.

 

[Ryan]

We sure will, with a spine of Turbo, Brooks, DCE and Croker and the talents of a ball playing backrower in Schuster, plus, close to a full strength side come the Las Vegas game, barring Lodge of course, who's looking like an April return. A top 4 spot isn't out of the question.

Mate. Top 4? Naming Croker as one of the strengths? You've certainly bought into the Penn / Mestrov premiership team / window then haha.

 

[jbb/james]

Croker has played his last 70 NRL games at hooker.

Jake has play 164 of his last 173 games at lock.

Schuster I'll give you but what do you constitute as 'cementing' a position.

Im happy to talk footy if thats what your here for

 

[Seagles68]

One of the answers - we need a few - maybe many - answers.

Are we convinced Seibs knows the right questions that need answering??

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

One of the answers - we need a few - maybe many - answers.

The biggest answer?

Scott and his mates selling up and moving on. With the proviso that whoever replaces them is no worse and hopefully infinitely better at co-owning a rugba league outfit.

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

Are we convinced Seibs knows the right questions that need answering??

Not based on his ‘resting’ facial position, no.

Seibs pensive (or should that be ‘Pennsive’?):

Seibs worried:

Seibs ‘lightbulb moment’:

 

[Seagles68]

Not based on his ‘resting’ facial position, no.

Seibs pensive (or should that be ‘Pennsive’?):
View attachment 24699
Seibs worried:
View attachment 24700
Seibs ‘lightbulb moment’:
View attachment 24701

At least you spared him the sleeping drunk face

 

[Seagles68]

Not that i disagree at all but i think balance and recruitment was key to the success
from team 11
gulavo was getting on and was considered past it
ballin was only marginally better than frog, much better service but was a defender with hardly any attack or kicking. Heath added balance. Yes the game has changed which makes comparing difficult
tony williams was an enigma at best and a former winger
rodney was coming back from major injury and georgie was often maligned and regularly pasted for his fitness
mauro was depth but still a champion when needed. But all played a role in a team that was very competitive

perry was a reject we got cheap or was he a cap fudging.and a really decent human
hall was the best prospect the game has seen but ended up in newtown after a few clubs
bryant was hardly a household name and seemed to curb his game at manly as he reigned in his offloads
king spent a big chunk of his career being labelled princess on these boards but his latter years he really amped up the aggression. Was a good story

choc, gifty and kite and kingy played rep footy but none of them really cemented spots. Maybe Choc and he had some amazing games though. Beaver played plenty. they had a lot of game awareness and forward leaders

i think manly built a squad of competitors and added class, life orford, bell, lyon and kite in key positions where we are now trying to do the opposite. Build grunt around pricey class. . But the engines doesnt run the same way

getting b stewart and matai from nowhere it seems was pretty handy but matai took time

injury hasnt helped that model and essentially its the storm model but there system and game plan is built around the grunt first .

des is often smashed about his recruitment styles but he is miles ahead of anyone since. We also had players taking unders to be part of something and for the group and then overnight it all changed . It was bitter and ugly

keppie, paseka, bully, were all young signings . Props take a bit but no one is patient

i agree the pack needs to be able to compete , but we have to accept that the salary cap makes everyone choose where to throw the coin.
just my thoughts

At the risk of selling your post short (coz it was well thought out) Heath L'Strange is the sort of player we're missing. He and Ballin worked well together coz Heath was so dynamic in attack late in the halves when there were tired forwards. But I'd also kill for a Watmough, Gifty and/or Beaver for next year.

 

[Killer03]

A real good signing, but we need 2 x mongrel forwards to help out.

That's what I want.

I would have been happy for us to go after JWH for a year or 2 contract. A little like a Ben Kennedy signing (which turned out to be one of our greatest ever signings).

Lodge looks like he could be that player. But that injury has screwed him and us a little.

We don't need a team of firebrands, but 2 mongel forwards (or just players) really helps.

To me it was Matai in the centres....how many forwards would be looking out for him, and then Watmough. Just niggly, got stuck in. And then you had the tough hard nosed workers like Gift, Shane Rodney, Glenn Hall, Matt Ballin....Kingy, Kitey.

You just need 1 firebrand (2 is brilliant!)

 

[Ryan]

I am a simple man but one thing that seems to be common in every successful team (including ours) is a dominant forward pack

Lets take a look at our 2011 pack in the GF

8. Joe Galuvao, 9. Matt Ballin, 10. Brent Kite, 11. Anthony Watmough, 12. Tony Williams, 13. Glenn Stewart. Interchange. 14. Shane Rodney, 15. Jamie Buhrer, 16. Vic Mauro, 17. George Rose.

Apart from Jake and Ola would any of the current lot make it? Maybe Taniela on the bench


Not enough proof? Lets go with 2008

8 Brent Kite, 9 Matt Ballin, 10 Josh Perry, 11 Anthony Watmough, 12 Glen Hall, 13 Glenn Stewart; interchange 14 Heath L'Estrange, 15 Mark Bryant, 16 Jason King, 17 Steve Menzies.

This one is even tougher with only Jake and Ola making it

For me when we play teams lower in the 8 / lower on the table Brooks will help us but the lack of a dominant mobile pack will stop us from being a true top 4 team - our forwards are just not good enough at the moment

If you put Olakau'atu in there for Williams in 2011 or Hall in 2008, there's no spots for me for Jake (in the starting team). People look outside his attacking flaws because he's a lovable character and can tackle. But seriously, Jake offers literally NOTHING in attack. He's our slowest forward, by some way.

 

[ManEagle]

One thing seibs or 2 things really he likes signing are halves and mosses clients.
If only we can get some decent forward signings and a dynamic 9 to tandem with froggy, then Brooke's maybe able to play his part in the puzzle.

 

[jbb/james]

At the risk of selling your post short (coz it was well thought out) Heath L'Strange is the sort of player we're missing. He and Ballin worked well together coz Heath was so dynamic in attack late in the halves when there were tired forwards. But I'd also kill for a Watmough, Gifty and/or Beaver for next year.

Nah, all good. Its a great add. Stranger was a favourite

The stranger added much needed spark. Its hard to recall but the hookers jobs were a little different from memory and he was really only seen as a bench style player. Shane dunley was another around that time

i would love that again but i think the squads balance isnt the same
gifty could play 6 if an injury occurred
beaver in the centres, even choc
robbo at the back. We had more bases covered and covered pretty well. There was plenty of aggressive defence in the back row with big motors

that flexibility was a strong part of the squad

 

[jbb/james]

If you put Olakau'atu in there for Williams in 2011 or Hall in 2008, there's no spots for me for Jake (in the starting team). People look outside his attacking flaws because he's a lovable character and can tackle. But seriously, Jake offers literally NOTHING in attack. He's our slowest forward, by some way.

Moving forward i dont see jake as our long term 13
he is too slow for that position IMO , but he is very likeable and is well respected by the opposition for his defence and by team mates

his contract is the issue. If he is on 600 as an example we afford another decent middle and we can play him for shorter minutes And replace him with quality
I was hoping to see lawnton this year as a 13 but he has been consistently injured and im unsure if they will keep him with shoe moving, and arthur