Schuster or Foran for 5/8th 2022

[Eagles4Life]

If we had another backrower demanding selection then this would be an interesting question. Seeing as we don't, Foz and Shoe will stay where they are. Hopefully with a full off-season Des can find a way to get Shoe involved in a more dynamic way.

Bullemore will be the backrower demanding selection @will on the hill Davey will be in the mix as well.

 

[Deleted member 26876]

Get him fit and trial a shift to centre, if not then keep pursuing the second-row role or lock/bench. I can’t really see Schuster being a half, at least not yet. Needs more consistency, composure and presence. These will come with time but he also would need to get a bit smaller. I’d shift Olakautau to Parker and Foran’s sterner defencive edge and put the reliable Davey on dce’s edge to fix up the gaping defence that was exposed during the finals. While davey is smaller, schuster as a centre next to him would balance things.

Right edge: dce (a playmaker) -> Davey (strong line-runner with underrated offloading ability) -> Schuster (playmaker and a strong, evasive ball-runner) -> Saab (lighting)

Perfect balance in attack and defence imo. As for shifting Olakautau, he would also add a threat to the left which it occasionally lacked when schuster had quiet games. Foz would work great with him whereas I think Davey is more of a dce-suited second-rower.

1. Trbo
2. Saab
3. Parker
4. Schuster
5. Garrick
6. Foran
7. Dce
8. Paseka
9. Croker
10. Keppie
11. Olakautau
12. Davey
13. Jurbo
14. Walks
15 onwards: any of burbo, bullemor, sipley, lawton, aloiai

Harper first reserve for backline injuries and gets plenty of opportunities to earn his spot over Parker or Schuster based on form or injury.

Presuming Taupau released.

 

[40 years an eagle]

Davey get's a starting spot over Bully and Lawton?
I just don't understand where all the Davey love comes from. The guy played 10 minutes. I am not inferring he is no good but I need to see him excel for a lot more than 10 minutes to be in the 17 at all...let alone be in front of some that have performed in '21.

On another note...if Des is going to continue bringing Walker on in the prop rotation, he needs to find a role for Jake while that is happening.

 

[HoldenV8]

Here is an interesting stat.....

Manly have won 8 premierships. The only position in which we have never had more than one GF winner is ... halfback. Yep, we've had multiple winners in every other position (except off the bench, no one has won twice from the bench for us in GF's), but at halfback we have had 8 different winners in 8 GF's.

The moral of the story is that Des needs to play DCE at 5/8 in 2022 and Foz at halfback while Shoe continues in the back row.

 

[robbiea]

I cant believe how quick people forget.
We only finished a week ago ,Foz got us to the finals.

 

[Brisbane Tragic]

I cant believe how quick people forget.
We only finished a week ago ,Foz got us to the finals.

yes lol lol and Des wanted Foz to stay another year to play on the bench??? Schu would have to strip way way way fitter to even be a thought of playing Centre - more dreaming. Lots of fantasy world I see.

 

[The better Robbo]

If we had another backrower demanding selection then this would be an interesting question. Seeing as we don't, Foz and Shoe will stay where they are. Hopefully with a full off-season Des can find a way to get Shoe involved in a more dynamic way.

Davey and Bullemore will be those backrowers

 

[Eagles4Life]

yes lol lol and Des wanted Foz to stay another year to play on the bench??? Schu would have to strip way way way fitter to even be a thought of playing Centre - more dreaming. Lots of fantasy world I see.

I still have Foz as starting five eight. I just have him playing fifty minutes in his last season before retirement, instead of eighty. Yes Schuster would have to work very hard over the off season to get fit enough to be able to play centre. He needs to do that anyway, unless we are happy to see another season of him not reaching his potential because of weight and fitness issues. Lots of accepting mediocrity for Schuster can be seen with this approach. Schuster is way better then what we saw in the second half of the season. He could end up as a potential Manly great. He won't do that while he is playing out of position, overweight and unfit.

 

[Brisbane Tragic]

I still have Foz as starting five eight. I just have him playing fifty minutes in his last season before retirement, instead of eighty. Yes Schuster would have to work very hard over the off season to get fit enough to be able to play centre. He needs to do that anyway, unless we are happy to see another season of him not reaching his potential because of weight and fitness issues. Lots of accepting mediocrity for Schuster can be seen with this approach. Schuster is way better then what we saw in the second half of the season. He could end up as a potential Manly great. He won't do that while he is playing out of position, overweight and unfit.

I think Schu and Haumole just became victims of the first year end of season blues. Not used to a full year and ran out of gas. Yes Schu does have to get fitter but I just can't see him being agile or quick enough defensively to play Centre. Also really takes his ball playing ability away being out wide. Not much use for magical ball skills between Centre and winger. No way they just play Foran for 50 - that is a waste of a bench spot. He will be there for 80 each week unless injured and if he is injured Schu will slot in and they will find another edge backrower - Garner or Davey.

 

[manlyfan76]

If fozzy was to play 50 mins would it not be better to miss the opening 20-40 against fresh defence

 

[manly al]

Interesting that if Foz has been unavailable or coming off in a game earlier that Des has used Schuster at 6 instead of Walker . Even Cust once from memory . More a preference to have Walker as a roving back rower then anything else most likely . Still see Schuster 's short term role as an edge forward and as time progresses more then likely to stay there . Don 't think that Olokatu - atu "s effectiveness dropped off at any stage but no doubt did with Josh a bit in the season "s latter stages , did not have a lot of ball against the Storm and Bunnies recently so did limit his playing attacking options and involvement a bit . Doesn 't seem to mind the more vigorous requirements in the back row , maybe just a bit more application and attention to detail there .

 

[Fibro Eagle]

Foz will be the starting 5/8 next season what happens during the year with injuries or lack of form will depend on who finishes the season at 5/8 ,Des won't be changing too much The team needs to focus on less errors and better defence on the edges not positional changes

 

[mosto]

It’s a pretty good problem to have. My instinct is to go with Foz. Even if he does have an injury free season it may be wise to rest Foz for the odd game and move Shoe in then.

 

[Shoe1]

The speculation and theorising in this thread is mind boggling.

In summary schuster to ... centre?
Our top 4 second rowers haumole and josh ... dropped?? Replaced by ... Davey and Bullemore??

This is off OFF SEASON MADNESS

 

[The better Robbo]

I

Davey get's a starting spot over Bully and Lawton?
I just don't understand where all the Davey love comes from. The guy played 10 minutes. I am not inferring he is no good but I need to see him excel for a lot more than 10 minutes to be in the 17 at all...let alone be in front of some that have performed in '21.

On another note...if Des is going to continue bringing Walker on in the prop rotation, he needs to find a role for Jake while that is happening.

Watching him last year is where the love comes from, not the 10 minutes this year. He was a beast for Eels last year and even forced an in form Lane to the bench. He is the exact type of back rower we need on the left.
Backrow of Olakau-atu, Davey and Bullemore is as exciting as it gets.

 

[Shoe1]

Ps if foz is to play 50 mins? 50 makes no sense when you factor in half time.

 

[Brisbane Tragic]

The speculation and theorising in this thread is mind boggling.

In summary schuster to ... centre?
Our top 4 second rowers haumole and josh ... dropped?? Replaced by ... Davey and Bullemore??

This is off OFF SEASON MADNESS

yes.... these what I call dreaming threads are mad scientists gone totally bonkers and need to be certified and in the white coats. There is NO way Schu is a Centre, not a hope he could play there, is fit enough, quick enough laterally and as I said then you have a supreme ball player one in from the sideline!!!!!! If Harper is struggling laterally mind you I think he had an injury and maybe @Shoe1 or @Snake were the first to float that idea and that makes sense but if Harper struggles with the speed laterally then Schu surely will. But irrespective why have a great ball player ball playing essentially just to a winger and yes one of our best second rowers moved to be replaced by ...... ???? lol lol just how foolish is that? I do get a laugh from these threads I will say that. Schu will stay where he is and if he moves he might move to 5/8 if Foran was injured or in 2023 and we would have another edge back rower by then... not sure though they will be as good as Schu.

 

[manlyfan76]

Ps if foz is to play 50 mins? 50 makes no sense when you factor in half time.

He will play through half time 🙂

 

[alafua8]

The quicker we get Schuster to 5/8 the faster we get to winning the grand final . Des just need to get him to lose 5 to 7 kgs.in the preseason and bring on 2022 . Go Maaaaaaaannnnnnnly .

 

[Eagles4Life]

yes.... these what I call dreaming threads are mad scientists gone totally bonkers and need to be certified and in the white coats. There is NO way Schu is a Centre, not a hope he could play there, is fit enough, quick enough laterally and as I said then you have a supreme ball player one in from the sideline!!!!!! If Harper is struggling laterally mind you I think he had an injury and maybe @Shoe1 or @Snake were the first to float that idea and that makes sense but if Harper struggles with the speed laterally then Schu surely will. But irrespective why have a great ball player ball playing essentially just to a winger and yes one of our best second rowers moved to be replaced by ...... ???? lol lol just how foolish is that? I do get a laugh from these threads I will say that. Schu will stay where he is and if he moves he might move to 5/8 if Foran was injured or in 2023 and we would have another edge back rower by then... not sure though they will be as good as Schu.

Some good judges of the game eg Brad Fittler have suggested that Josh would go pretty well as a centre. Fittler has put that out in the public domain on more than one occasion. So let's assume the current Origin coach is a reasonable judge of a players capacity. With that in mind let's look a bit closer at Fittlers career, stats and the many similarities between himself and Josh. Body height and weight are very similar at the corresponding stage of their careers. Fittler played three years in the centres, before moving into five-eight and occasionally lock. His ability to ball play inside to his fullback and outside to his winger, was one of the reasons he represented Australia as a centre. The same formula could definitely be applied to Josh. Now this whole discussion is predicated on finding a mechanism to get Schuster into five-eight. Most articles on Schuster have him as our long term five-eight. There are very few that have him as a long term backrower. The question to answer is how to get him ready to play five-eight in 2023. Foran will clearly block his way for 2022. Pragmatically, if Schuster finishes 2022 at the same weight and fitness level as he finished 2021, there is no way he starts as five-eight in 2023. Playing him at centre is a potential mechanism to facilitate that fitness level. I'm sure it's not the only solution. However, it worked pretty well for Fittler, and I think he knows a little bit more about player utility and capacity then some of us tryhard numpties on Silvertails.