Parker

[StuBoot]

Parker played his best against the Bulldogs & his spot in the centres for this week was well earned.
However I'd prefer others take the position.

I don't get this.
What others do you think would do a better job?

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

He is a solid player who gives 100% and defends well. I hope he has a great game to celebrate 100!

He deserves it! Maybe a bit like Luke Williamson, never a star but a good first grader, very consistent and with personal qualities that contributed to the development of a champion side.

 

[alafua siaosi]

A lot on here in my opinion are not happy with his attack and speed to create space for his winger , also passing skills to put players in gaps .All I know is he will be great against the Eels with Schuster and Tuilagi on the left side Thursday night .Let's go Manly .

 

[manly al]

Doing everything expected of him . Never be a flashy type of player but that level of consistency and solid play , serving the side well at present . Quite a few other centres better on their feet but Brad can largely compensate with his direct style of strong running , managing good line decoys and usual good defensive reads . Plus that reasonable level of experience now . Weekes and even Fletcher - Myers might be able to offer something slightly better in attack in the not too distant future not sure in defence though , Harper looks to have plateaued and a bit out calculations . Done and doing well , all things taken into account but not to say that circumstances could change .

 

[Woodsie]

Can people who were at Brookie for the Bulldogs game .. shed some light on something for me ..

On the telly, it sounded like every time Parker made a tackle .. the crowd cheered ... I know they were good tackles, and deserved a cheer ... but it also sounded a bit more than that .. like a bit of a cult following was happening ....

 

[Eagles4Life]

Hard to drop him at the moment. I think he is our best defensive centre, he adds enough in attack, and nobody else is ready to take his spot.

Weekes maybe but he's a bit small.

Yep @eaglebuzz it's a bit of a conundrum we have here. Parker, on his current form, doesn't deserve to be dropped. Weekes, on the other hand, needs to be in the thirteen. Perhaps we should look at dropping Tuipoluto for Weekes? A right-hand side of DCE, Olakau'atu, Koula and Weekes seems to offer more potential in attack than keeping Tuipoluto on that wing. Weekes can play in all backline positions, and right-wing seems like his best shot for a spot right now.

If that were to happen, giving Weekes the same freedom (licence to roam in attack) as Ado Carr now has for the Bulldogs would be worthwhile. The prospect of defending against Turbo and Weekes in sweep plays simultaneously (on both sides of the field) would give the opposition defence nightmares. Of course, Weekes would have to do a lot of tough carries, would be targeted with a lot of kicks and would be expected to make the right decisions in defence etc etc etc.

I don't think he is too small to cover the wing. For example, he is the same height as To'o and Ado Carr and is already 4-5 kg heavier than Ado Carr. (he gives up 3 kgs to To'o, though)

It also means we get to have Lawton on the bench as our utility, and potentially we have a bench that looks like this (Lawton, Bullemore, Fifita, Paseka)

Thoughts?

 

[joeboy]

Parker certainly has some great attributes and I’m happy for him to be there at the moment.

My only concern he just is not fast or evasive enough to utilise the space that schuster will create or able to keep up with turbo after he capitalises on that space.

Cherry and schuster changing sides would be much better. Schuster is the code to the combination on the right hand side, koula and ola would be Much more effective in this setup I reckon

 

[manly al]

Yep @eaglebuzz it's a bit of a conundrum we have here. Parker, on his current form, doesn't deserve to be dropped. Weekes, on the other hand, needs to be in the thirteen. Perhaps we should look at dropping Tuipoluto for Weekes? A right-hand side of DCE, Olakau'atu, Koula and Weekes seems to offer more potential in attack than keeping Tuipoluto on that wing. Weekes can play in all backline positions, and right-wing seems like his best shot for a spot right now.

If that were to happen, giving Weekes the same freedom (licence to roam in attack) as Ado Carr now has for the Bulldogs would be worthwhile. The prospect of defending against Turbo and Weekes in sweep plays simultaneously (on both sides of the field) would give the opposition defence nightmares. Of course, Weekes would have to do a lot of tough carries, would be targeted with a lot of kicks and would be expected to make the right decisions in defence etc etc etc.

I don't think he is too small to cover the wing. For example, he is the same height as To'o and Ado Carr and is already 4-5 kg heavier than Ado Carr. (he gives up 3 kgs to To'o, though)

It also means we get to have Lawton on the bench as our utility, and potentially we have a bench that looks like this (Lawton, Bullemore, Fifita, Paseka)

Thoughts?

interesting and some good points . just can 't see Kaeo being considered for a wing spot just yet and with the present side make up and with Saab due to return in some weeks . Different matter if he had some previous experience there [ wing ] Strong bench but Lawton maybe some time to come into contention yet .

 

[lsz]

Every team (apart from the roosters) has some balance in their squad often in the 3/4 line

Brad is a straight up and down consistent footballer. Will he blow a game apart like Tolo? Most likely not.

Will he do the tough carry from his own territory? Not miss too many tackles? Run the consistent hard lines?

We all know the answer

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

My only concern he just is not fast or evasive enough to utilise the space that schuster will create or able to keep up with turbo after he capitalises on that space.

Plenty agree with you but I think it's a furphy, if he ever happens to find himself in space 90m from the opposition tryline obviously he won't make it but that's where a speedy Garrick or Saab arrives swiftly on his outside, or a Turbo on the inside, to make the break into something.

In an ideal world every player would be 110kg, run like Saab, bounce off tackles like Tedesco, jump like Tupou, trick everyone like Munster, make 15m post-contact on every carry, kick field goals and 40-20s and get repeat sets and put teammates through gaps. And charm the ref. Etc etc etc.

Parker has enough qualities to be in this side until someone better comes along. (And just now I don't see Weekes as a better 3/4 option, although I'd love him to get an extended run as a 14 and see what he makes of it)

 

[Bloke on the hill]

I don't get this.
What others do you think would do a better job?

Weekes or even Myers for example would add spark in attack there.
For mine, Parker is too slow & clunky when turned around & has to chase, & opposition teams will figure that out, if they already haven't.
That being said he's probably a lovely bloke!

 

[wombatgc]

Can people who were at Brookie for the Bulldogs game .. shed some light on something for me ..

On the telly, it sounded like every time Parker made a tackle .. the crowd cheered ... I know they were good tackles, and deserved a cheer ... but it also sounded a bit more than that .. like a bit of a cult following was happening ....

I think the added cheer was for not getting himself knocked out in tackles, and in hit-ups, not getting belted across the melon.Actually that could be some sort of record for him and his melon.
He played like a bloke that has had the coach say to him, you’re getting first shot. Lionels playing for Blacktown. The amount of time Lionel spends at Blacktown is up to you.

 

[40 nil]

Every team (apart from the roosters) has some balance in their squad often in the 3/4 line

That is true to an extent, but some of the top sides have outstanding centre combinations

Panthers - Crichton & Tago
Cowboys - Hiku & Holmes
Sharks - Talakai & Ramien
Storm - Olam & Reimis Smith

Plenty agree with you but I think it's a furphy, if he ever happens to find himself in space 90m from the opposition tryline obviously he won't make it but that's where a speedy Garrick or Saab arrives swiftly on his outside, or a Turbo on the inside, to make the break into something.

I think a more realistic scenario is when Brad makes a line break 40-50 metres out from the opposition try line but doesn't have the pace to finish the job. Harper is somewhat similar in this regard. Despite all Brad's excellent attributes, he cannot be considered an attacking threat. However, he is very hard to stop close to the line. For me, his most memorable try was when he scooped the ball up at full pace after Garrick's kick in the Rd One game v. Eels in 2021.

Parker has enough qualities to be in this side until someone better comes along

I agree, but I would still like to have more pace in our back line. If a mobile hard working lock with some ball handling skills was needed for the team, I think Parker could be outstanding in that position. He is very similar in weight & height (2 cm taller) than the ranga who played this position a few years ago, i.e. Tom Symonds.

 

[maxta]

Can people who were at Brookie for the Bulldogs game .. shed some light on something for me ..

On the telly, it sounded like every time Parker made a tackle .. the crowd cheered ... I know they were good tackles, and deserved a cheer ... but it also sounded a bit more than that .. like a bit of a cult following was happening ....

I think it's a cult following Woodsie, as the same noise was coming out of my lounge room

 

[Will on the hill]

Can people who were at Brookie for the Bulldogs game .. shed some light on something for me ..

On the telly, it sounded like every time Parker made a tackle .. the crowd cheered ... I know they were good tackles, and deserved a cheer ... but it also sounded a bit more than that .. like a bit of a cult following was happening ....

It was a combination of the tackles being made just when the doggies were getting into threatening shapes and the brutal assertiveness of the tackles themselves. As per usual there was no mayo on the cheers for Parker, they were earnt with grit and determination.

 

[Seagles68]

Can people who were at Brookie for the Bulldogs game .. shed some light on something for me ..

On the telly, it sounded like every time Parker made a tackle .. the crowd cheered ... I know they were good tackles, and deserved a cheer ... but it also sounded a bit more than that .. like a bit of a cult following was happening ....

Yeah Woodsie, there was definite love in the air for Parks. There's been so much talk about his shortcomings (and I'm one who has always had a concern about his lack of speed but mainly when they had him playing on the wing) that everyone knows his important attributes are elsewhere. And when he produces those tackles or that hard straight run at the defensive line, the fans really want him to know they're with him.

 

[lsz]

That is true to an extent, but some of the top sides have outstanding centre combinations

Panthers - Crichton & Tago
Cowboys - Hiku & Holmes
Sharks - Talakai & Ramien
Storm - Olam & Reimis Smith



I think a more realistic scenario is when Brad makes a line break 40-50 metres out from the opposition try line but doesn't have the pace to finish the job. Harper is somewhat similar in this regard. Despite all Brad's excellent attributes, he cannot be considered an attacking threat. However, he is very hard to stop close to the line. For me, his most memorable try was when he scooped the ball up at full pace after Garrick's kick in the Rd One game v. Eels in 2021.



I agree, but I would still like to have more pace in our back line. If a mobile hard working lock with some ball handling skills was needed for the team, I think Parker could be outstanding in that position. He is very similar in weight & height (2 cm taller) than the ranga who played this position a few years ago, i.e. Tom Symonds.

Agree but they also do not have a large % of their cap tied up in a 1,7 and 13

 

[Seagles68]

That is true to an extent, but some of the top sides have outstanding centre combinations

Panthers - Crichton & Tago
Cowboys - Hiku & Holmes
Sharks - Talakai & Ramien
Storm - Olam & Reimis Smith



I think a more realistic scenario is when Brad makes a line break 40-50 metres out from the opposition try line but doesn't have the pace to finish the job. Harper is somewhat similar in this regard. Despite all Brad's excellent attributes, he cannot be considered an attacking threat. However, he is very hard to stop close to the line. For me, his most memorable try was when he scooped the ball up at full pace after Garrick's kick in the Rd One game v. Eels in 2021.



I agree, but I would still like to have more pace in our back line. If a mobile hard working lock with some ball handling skills was needed for the team, I think Parker could be outstanding in that position. He is very similar in weight & height (2 cm taller) than the ranga who played this position a few years ago, i.e. Tom Symonds.

Just to your 2nd point - I'm pretty sure Parks scored one of those close to the line tries (altho I don't think it was that close) in that same game. An untried Weekes aside, I don't rank our centre combo too far behind the ones you've noted. In fact, if Koula can back up last year, we'll be close.

 

[40 nil]

Just to your 2nd point - I'm pretty sure Parks scored one of those close to the line tries (altho I don't think it was that close) in that same game. An untried Weekes aside, I don't rank our centre combo too far behind the ones you've noted. In fact, if Koula can back up last year, we'll be close.

Yes, Parker scored the first try in that game from @ 10 metres out (maybe off a Schuster pass?)

IMO, the centre pairs I've listed offer more creativity in attack than our current duo.

I would like to see Garrick given his opportunity in the centres. He is talented, is an effort player & his game has been improving each season (except for maybe a dip in 2020).

 

[Will on the hill]

Yes, Parker scored the first try in that game from @ 10 metres out (maybe off a Schuster pass?)

IMO, the centre pairs I've listed offer more creativity in attack than our current duo.

I would like to see Garrick given his opportunity in the centres. He is talented, is an effort player & his game has been improving each season (except for maybe a dip in 2020).

When you consider all aspects of playing centre, not just the ability to make a highlight reel, I have Parker ranked middle of the 8 you named.
Add to that value for money he is top 3 with Tago and Olam.