Is our depth better or worse than in 2018?

[manly al]

Just so many young and untried up and comers in the main playing group to take into account and to accurately gauge how this mat play out in the depth stakes . Plenty of reasons to still have a positive outlook that many of these younger contenders will be able to offer enough to provide and add to the necessary depth factor but only time will eventually tell of course . Certainly do have a good array of mentors and coaching skill now to help bring the best out of the squad collectively so that should be another cause for some reasonable optimism [ and even allowing for the injury component ] for not only sufficient depth but a better performing team in general .

 

[Woodsie]

@Batty , @Briza , @stoodamire , I implore you to list your full strength 1-7, then list The Roosters, then attempt to explain your ridiculous emojis when comparing the 2!

Don't bull**** about the magician coach, because apparently they have a good one too. As do the Storm and many others.

I would love for you to convince me that the Manly 1-7 backline you list will dominate, and support your feeling about my post!

Mate, you are right, we could use a good centre .. but I am not as down as you ...

1. TUrbo .... as good and better than most in the comp ..
2. Jorge .... if he is what we got, then I don't mind ... game winner on his day ...
3. Walker .... rep level and a competitor... has x factor .... I'm happy
4. ?????
5 Suli .... not a centre but I am happy to have him on the wing ..... will be a powerhouse ....
6. Elgey .... has the talent and class .... this is his year ...
7. DCE ,,,, world class ......

That lot may not be your superstars, but they are capable of doing the job behind a dominant pack ..... and I am confident that one of Garrick, Elliott, Funa, Parker, K???, and later Hopoate will step up and do a professional job ....

 

[Disco]

X Our backline is by far the worst in the entire league. Almost an embarrassment, and I'd say the worst in our clubs history. If Walker gets boned, we have Trbojevic and DCE as first graders. Every other player will come from last year's Jersey Flegg or Reserve Grade team. Makes me miss the Northern Eagles backlines.

Ryan I love your passion but gee you trend towards the extreme negative in any situation.

Our back line is "by far" the worst in the league??? By far? Are you sticking with this comment?

A back line with Turbo, Walker (currently) and DCE is.....by far.....worse than the below????

1 Nick Meaney
2 Christian Crichton
3 Kerrod Holland
4 Will Hopoate
5 Reimis Smith
6 Lachlan Lewis
7 Kieran Foran

 

[Woodsie]

Ryan I love your passion but gee you trend towards the extreme negative in any situation.

Our back line is "by far" the worst in the league??? By far? Are you sticking with this comment?

A back line with Turbo, Walker (currently) and DCE is.....by far.....worse than the below????

1 Nick Meaney
2 Christian Crichton
3 Kerrod Holland
4 Will Hopoate
5 Reimis Smith
6 Lachlan Lewis
7 Kieran Foran

Given the current climate you were probably wise to not mention it took Des 5 years to put that team together ........

 

[Ryan]

Ryan I love your passion but gee you trend towards the extreme negative in any situation.

Our back line is "by far" the worst in the league??? By far? Are you sticking with this comment?

A back line with Turbo, Walker (currently) and DCE is.....by far.....worse than the below????

1 Nick Meaney
2 Christian Crichton
3 Kerrod Holland
4 Will Hopoate
5 Reimis Smith
6 Lachlan Lewis
7 Kieran Foran

Still were able to finish above the Cowboys, Titans, Eels and us last season, even with Foran being out most of the season. But jesus, I don't even know 4 of those players.

 

[Ryan]

@Batty , @Briza , @stoodamire , I implore you to list your full strength 1-7, then list The Roosters, then attempt to explain your ridiculous emojis when comparing the 2!

Don't bull**** about the magician coach, because apparently they have a good one too. As do the Storm and many others.

I would love for you to convince me that the Manly 1-7 backline you list will dominate, and support your feeling about my post!

@Briza , I always respected your opinion mate, and value add. Not sure what's happened of late though?

 

[Disco]

X Our backline is by far the worst in the entire league. Almost an embarrassment, and I'd say the worst in our clubs history. If Walker gets boned, we have Trbojevic and DCE as first graders. Every other player will come from last year's Jersey Flegg or Reserve Grade team. Makes me miss the Northern Eagles backlines.

Also whilst I am at it, you honestly believe our current back line is worse than the 2003 model

1. Brendon Reeves
2. Scott Donald
3. Albert Torrens
4. Ben MacDougall
5. John Hopoate
6. Ben Walker
7. Jason Ferris

And do you genuinely miss the Northern Eagles back lines?

1. Brendon Reeves
2. Robert Miles
3. Ben MacDougall
4. Andrew King
5. Lenny Beckett
6. Ben Walker
7. Brett Kimmorley

 

[Ryan]

Mate, you are right, we could use a good centre .. but I am not as down as you ...

1. TUrbo .... as good and better than most in the comp ..
2. Jorge .... if he is what we got, then I don't mind ... game winner on his day ...
3. Walker .... rep level and a competitor... has x factor .... I'm happy
4. ?????
5 Suli .... not a centre but I am happy to have him on the wing ..... will be a powerhouse ....
6. Elgey .... has the talent and class .... this is his year ...
7. DCE ,,,, world class ......

That lot may not be your superstars, but they are capable of doing the job behind a dominant pack ..... and I am confident that one of Garrick, Elliott, Funa, Parker, K???, and later Hopoate will step up and do a professional job ....

Fair calls, but I'm worried about Walker being out mate. Also, Taufua was dropped by Barrett to NSW Cup at the end of the season, which worries me. Therefore, I have:

01. Tom Trbojevic - agree - love him, could be anything
02. Jorge Taufua - slow, didn't score, was dropped - by Barrett
03. Unknown
04. Unknown
05. Moses Suli - wellllll....hehehehe, you know where I stand there (worst player ever for mine)
06. Kane Elgey - dropped to reserve grade - on a 14th placed Titans team
07. DCE - who seems to excel with help, but really struggles to own a team on his own

 

[Ryan]

Also whilst I am at it, you honestly believe our current back line is worse than the 2003 model

1. Brendon Reeves
2. Scott Donald
3. Albert Torrens
4. Ben MacDougall
5. John Hopoate
6. Ben Walker
7. Jason Ferris

And do you genuinely miss the Northern Eagles back lines?

1. Brendon Reeves
2. Robert Miles
3. Ben MacDougall
4. Andrew King
5. Lenny Beckett
6. Ben Walker
7. Brett Kimmorley

LOL, okay, some of those aren't great. Maybe they've drifted from my memory Banks can I blame my head knock. BUT, we aren't far from that

 

[BOZO]

Mate, you are right, we could use a good centre .. but I am not as down as you ...

1. TUrbo .... as good and better than most in the comp ..
2. Jorge .... if he is what we got, then I don't mind ... game winner on his day ...
3. Walker .... rep level and a competitor... has x factor .... I'm happy
4. ?????
5 Suli .... not a centre but I am happy to have him on the wing ..... will be a powerhouse ....
6. Elgey .... has the talent and class .... this is his year ...
7. DCE ,,,, world class ......

That lot may not be your superstars, but they are capable of doing the job behind a dominant pack ..... and I am confident that one of Garrick, Elliott, Funa, Parker, K???, and later Hopoate will step up and do a professional job ....

I love it when we agree on some things Woodsie 😉

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

To be honest ( and yes I’m back from the wilds of Tasmania ) we haven’t had much quality depth for a few years and I’d expect t this year to be the same.

It will depend a bit on position 29 & 30 but I’m not expecting much there.

Good run with injuries ???

Jeez we are due aren’t we!!

 

[maxta]

Ok gunna join the 1-7 thing....

1 - Turbo/ Hoppa
2 & 5 - Elliott / Hoppa/ Jorge/ Garrick / Anderson/ Funa / Suli / Parker
3 & 4 - Walker / Hoppa / Suli / Garrick / Funa
6 - elgey / Hodgo / Cust / Metcalfe
7 - DCE

Most exciting Longshot -

1 - Hoppa
2 - Anderson
3 - Walker
4 - Garrick
5 - Suli
6 - Elgey
7 - DCE

 

[40 years an eagle]

Ok gunna join the 1-7 thing....

1 - Turbo/ Hoppa
2 & 5 - Elliott / Hoppa/ Jorge/ Garrick / Anderson/ Funa / Suli / Parker
3 & 4 - Walker / Hoppa / Suli / Garrick / Funa
6 - elgey / Hodgo / Cust / Metcalfe
7 - DCE

Most exciting Longshot -

1 - Hoppa
2 - Anderson
3 - Walker
4 - Garrick
5 - Suli
6 - Elgey
7 - DCE

Turbo for Garrick and I would be one happy camper.

 

[maxta]

Turbo for Garrick and I would be one happy camper.

Slipped up - when I put it together that's why I threw Hoppa to FB....at work so kinda messed up big time........horrible error - thx for the pickup 40

1 - Hoppa
2 - Anderson
3 - Walker
4 - Turbo
5 - Suli
6 - Elgey
7 - DCE

 

[Ryan]

2 very different statements you made Ryan.

1) You said we have the worst backline in the league.
2) You're now asking us to compare our backline to the premiers.

Having the worst backline in the league is very different to comparing ours to the reigning premiers backline...

Anyway mate, it's just a ha ha emoji. Relax.

We all have different ideas of what the worst backline in the league would look like.... I don't think it's Manlys at all.

I could put an argument for the worst backline to go to any of the who finished outside the 8.

Our backline has 2 current Australian backline players. Not many teams can boast that. There are plenty of younger guys with upside and some tried and tested first grade players.

Anyway mate, each to their own.

Honestly , if Walker is still there, my stance on it changes.

01. Tom Trbojevic
02. Jorge Taufua
03.
04. Dylan Walker
05.
06. Kane Elgey
07. DCE

Is an okay set of bones to work around. I'd honestly put pace in those other two spots. Hopefully height, pace, and extremely fit players who can score long range tries when in the clear.

Not run down due to speed and endurance (which is what worries me about Taufua). I can't remember seeing him scoring a streaking try.

People will say that's not the type of winger he was, but Nightingale wasn't quick, but he could manage playing like a winger (a bit of Robbo in him). He'll, Robbo wasn't quick, but still managed to crack the line and score long range tries.

Not sure Taufua could run The length of the field.

So speed for me is paramount. Add in a Suli, we'll face the same problem as last season, where his and Parker's lack of mobility and pace were targetted out wide at will. And it cost us game, after game.

 

[The better Robbo]

Its pointless naming a backline when our squad hasnt been finalised. We have 2 positions to fill and im fairly certain that one of them will be an outside back.
We have chez turbo walker if we add another strike outside back we will be fine.
Suli looks fit and people are forgetting he was a 500k superstar signing at dogs only last yr. Fit and firing he could still be a star.
Taufua was coming off an acl last yr and missed a large portion of the pre season, again he is looking fit and could get back to his best running 200m a game and being our best metre eater. Add to that garrick elliott funa and hoppa our backs look strong IF we can jag another quality outside back

 

[Ron E. Gibbs]

Its pointless naming a backline when our squad hasnt been finalised. We have 2 positions to fill and im fairly certain that one of them will be an outside back.
We have chez turbo walker if we add another strike outside back we will be fine.
Suli looks fit and people are forgetting he was a 500k superstar signing at dogs only last yr. Fit and firing he could still be a star.
Taufua was coming off an acl last yr and missed a large portion of the pre season, again he is looking fit and could get back to his best running 200m a game and being our best metre eater. Add to that garrick elliott funa and hoppa our backs look strong IF we can jag another quality outside back

All good points, better Robbo. I'd be surprised if we don't add another decent back to the roster. My main concern is injuries. There are some players - through no fault of their own - who are injured so frequently you can almost set your watch by them. Big Jorge is one of them, as is Sirro. The NRL is a tough competition, and once injuries start to hit a career, they tend to keep on coming. We're going to need a good slice of luck to get us through.

 

[manly al]

Notice that Elliot was apparently doing some pre season training stints at full back , could be a pointer when Turbo may not be available there for whatever reason . Think that Anderson "s best shot for i st grade will be as a winger , doesn "t seem to be able to find the room to move at full back at a better level . Guy still seems to have some exceptional acceleration though . Just do not think that there would be any notable outside backs on the market now . maybe Des is just leaving the remaining two top 30 spots open and will make an assessment after a bit more pre season training and seeing how the present charges are going . Then to address the positions that may need bolstering .

 

[mozgrame]

I actually would have liked to keep Lane. I can't believe he went to parra. Bad idea.

 

[Tragic Eagle]

Our overall depth wasn’t good last year and it doesn’t appear great this season either. Our forward roster is strong noithstanding the loss of Lane. As a number of us have already identified our backline roster is light on unless some of the news lads can step up. I guess time will tell. IMO we need another centre the caliber of Will H but sadly we can’t afford him nor fit him in under our presently restricted salary cap.