Our Backs

[anthonyb1965]

Having a look at the other teams back lines, ours doesn't quite look that bad (IMO). If Suli/Hoppa/Garrick can get their defence right, our attack should look after itself.

 

[eagerbeaver]

Having a look at the other teams back lines, ours doesn't quite look that bad (IMO). If Suli/Hoppa/Garrick can get their defence right, our attack should look after itself.

View attachment 10771

Nice table you put together there - but in my opinion our backline is probably bottom 3 in the comp. Maybe slightly better if Walker/Turbo fully fit and playing.
Also apologies if its been mentioned already, but my understanding is Hoppa will only get minimal first grade this year (due to age/salary cap/fulltime squad drivel?)

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Having a look at the other teams back lines, ours doesn't quite look that bad (IMO). If Suli/Hoppa/Garrick can get their defence right, our attack should look after itself.

View attachment 10771

'Latteral Mitchell' lol.
I think he's actually been pretty direct in the last 12 months or so.

 

[Ryan]

Having a look at the other teams back lines, ours doesn't quite look that bad (IMO). If Suli/Hoppa/Garrick can get their defence right, our attack should look after itself.

View attachment 10771

Lot of work, effort and thought went into that mate. Well said. Honestly, in those lists, I'm thinking:

Bulldogs, Cowboys & to a lesser degree Parramatta have ..... don't maybe have the best backlines, along with us. I'd probably take ours over The Dogs at present.

 

[Bearfax]

Nice table you put together there - but in my opinion our backline is probably bottom 3 in the comp. Maybe slightly better if Walker/Turbo fully fit and playing.
Also apologies if its been mentioned already, but my understanding is Hoppa will only get minimal first grade this year (due to age/salary cap/fulltime squad drivel?)

Hoppa will be available as soon as he gets over his injury. He's about to turn 18 and therefore is fully eligible for the year. Potentially Manly has one of the better back lines in the comp. One of the two best full backs, one of the three best halves, potentially one of the best centres in Walker (if he plays), a strong winger in Taufua if he holds the ball, a speedster in Garrick who St George supporters hated to lose and Suli considered one of the best centre prospects in the game a year back. Certainly a question mark over five eighth, but that's potentially a top 8 backline

 

[Ryan]

Hoppa will be available as soon as he gets over his injury. He's about to turn 18 and therefore is fully eligible for the year. Potentially Manly has one of the better back lines in the comp. One of the two best full backs, one of the three best halves, potentially one of the best centres in Walker (if he plays), a strong winger in Taufua if he holds the ball, a speedster in Garrick who St George supporters hated to lose and Suli considered one of the best centre prospects in the game a year back. Certainly a question mark over five eighth, but that's potentially a top 8 backline

Full strength, I'd maybe go:

01. Tom Trbojevic
02. Jorge Taufua
03. Reuben Garrick
04. Dylan Walker
05. Albert Hopoate
06. Kane Elgey
07. Daly Cherry-Evans

 

[Bearfax]

Full strength, I'd maybe go:

01. Tom Trbojevic
02. Jorge Taufua
03. Reuben Garrick
04. Dylan Walker
05. Albert Hopoate
06. Kane Elgey
07. Daly Cherry-Evans

Not bad. But Garrick is a speedster. Taufua wouldn't be able to keep up.

 

[The better Robbo]

Full strength its a strong backline. Its our depth that is the worry

 

[Bearfax]

Full strength its a strong backline. Its our depth that is the worry

We have a couple of spare parts if the wheels fall off. Elliott, Cust, Metcalf, Suli, Anderson, Funa...maybe if we're desperate there's Hodkinson, Parker and then there's 19 year old Kioa who apparently impressed in the juniors. We're much better off than last years slow and safe. But its a very inexperienced lot, plenty of talent but still kids most of them.

 

[madmax]

As

Nice table you put together there - but in my opinion our backline is probably bottom 3 in the comp. Maybe slightly better if Walker/Turbo fully fit and playing.
Also apologies if its been mentioned already, but my understanding is Hoppa will only get minimal first grade this year (due to age/salary cap/fulltime squad drivel?)

As I understand & have read, Albert is in the 2019 30 man squad, he turns 18 on Monday & is therefore eligible to play 1st Grade, there are no salary cap issues with him playing! That information comes from Dessie's mouth!

 

[Fluffy]

As

As I understand & have read, Albert is in the 2019 30 man squad, he turns 18 on Monday & is therefore eligible to play 1st Grade, there are no salary cap issues with him playing! That information comes from Dessie's mouth!

Whilst Hoppa jnr is not doubt a star in the making he is still young and will find first grade tough so unlikely to set the world on fire in his first year.

He will need to learn when and how to inject himself whilst maintaining his energy for a full 80 minutes (something Turbo still has trouble with).

I expect him to show glimpses of greatness mixed with some really poor simple stuff this year. Next year is when he will start to show consistency.

Young Fainu was the same last year.

 

[The Who]

There are a couple of recruitment changes to that list. Jennings and Kahu have both transferred. Kahu to Cowboys and Jennings to Wests.
Without Tom and Walker (worst case scenario) we have the weakest backline imo.
With them we outshine, on paper, the Worriers, Dogs and Doesn'tmatta.

 

[The Indian]

To me our wingers and centres are amongst the weakest in the league, if not the weakest, especially DEFENSIVELY. I still feel our forwards are great and should make us competitive BUT I just feel like every time somebody puts on the old "block play" shift to the edge and isolates our outside backs we are the only team that still struggles to defend this.

Hope to be wrong but our edge defence is a huge worry to me.

 

[Woodsie]

GoJetSki ........ "He has also been training on the edges, at lock and in the centres."

Hmmmm

 

[BOZO]

For those that have not seen the game if you watch the replay you will see Elgey making a great solo run and setting up our winger for our last try
Elgey came on when DCE and all our main stars were off but that will be reversed next week against the Roosters when he will partner DCE .
Des is still fine tuning our backs and more game time improves timing .
I am very optimistic that our team will be competitive and will not linger at the bottom of the ladder as it did under the imposter of a coach who was full of excuses .

 

[eagerbeaver]

For those that have not seen the game if you watch the replay you will see Elgey making a great solo run and setting up our winger for our last try
Elgey came on when DCE and all our main stars were off but that will be reversed next week against the Roosters when he will partner DCE .
Des is still fine tuning our backs and more game time improves timing .
I am very optimistic that our team will be competitive and will not linger at the bottom of the ladder as it did under the imposter of a coach who was full of excuses .

I did see that, and don't have a problem with Elgey's attack - in many way's he's similar to DCE where he plays off the cuff, which is not necessarily a good thing.
Its his defence that is the worry, you will also see in that game he was defending a bit wider and exposed for a try.

 

[BOZO]

I did see that, and don't have a problem with Elgey's attack - in many way's he's similar to DCE where he plays off the cuff, which is not necessarily a good thing.
Its his defence that is the worry, you will also see in that game he was defending a bit wider and i think Josh Morris easily shrugged him off for a try.

It will be interesting to see how Elgey and DCE combine when they play together next week against the roosters .
I did not see what you think you saw in the miss tackle on Morris but over all from what I saw defensively he was sound .
I feel very optimistic regardless of our injuries that we will rise above adversity .