So the team with no depth has selection issues

[Woodsie]

You take that voice of reason and get the f*ck outta here @Woodsie... emotion-free analysis of players' and coaches' efforts, impacts and capabilities has NO PLACE in a fan forum...

JESUS, next u will want us to accept that it is not possible to win 100% of games or win the comp every year!

OUT!!! OUT I SAY!!!

One of my ambitions in life .. is to listen in on a debate between a bloke who only watched one year of football .. the year Stcky won a premiership with Easts ... arguing the merits of Sticky as a coach ... with a bloke who also only watched one year of footy ... the year he won a spoon at parra ...

 

[globaleagle]

JESUS, next u will want us to accept that it is not possible to win 100% of games or win the comp every year!

But...but...but... It is possible for us to win the comp every year!

 

[HoldenV8]

And on the original point of the thread ... selection headaches and depth ...

This year so far there has been 17 games .. our starting forward pack has remained almost intact for all of them .....

Jake .. 16 games
Siro .. 17 games
Thommo .. 17 games
Kapow ... 17 games
Api ... 14 games ... Fainu ... 13 games ..
AFB ... 13 games ....

and right there is one of the reasons we are going ok ....

Just to add to that.....

These are the forwards we used in 2018 and their game numbers for the season (bench starts in brackets):

Addin Fonua-Blake - 24
Joel Thompson - 24
Jake Trbojevic - 23
Martin Taupau - 22 (2)
Shaun Lane - 14 (10)
Api Koroisau - 13
Manase Fainu - 9
Jack Gosiewski - 5 (4)
Curtis Sironen - 4
Frank Winterstein - 3 (11)
Taniela Paseka - 1 (12)
Lewis Brown - 1 (1)
Lloyd Perrett - 0 (13)
Kelepi Tanginoa - 0 (12)
Toafofoa Sipley - 0 (4)

And here are our complete forwards numbers so far for 2019 (note that Siro did start one game at 5/8):

Martin Taupau - 17
Joel Thompson - 17
Jake Trbojevic - 16
Curtis Sironen - 16
Api Koroisau - 14
Addin Fonua-Blake - 12
Toafofoa Sipley - 4 (5)
Manase Fainu - 2 (13)
Jack Gosiewski - 1 (13)
Corey Waddell - 1 (12)
Morgan Boyle - 0 (9)
Taniela Paseka - 0 (5)
Kelepi Tanginoa - 0 (3)
Lloyd Perrett - 0 (1)

Surprisingly, so far this year with 8 rounds to go we have used just one less forward than we did in all of 2018. The difference is that while we have for the most part been able to keep our starting pack relatively intact since round 1 with only minor changes due to the usual circumstances of injury, suspension or Origin unavailability, our starting pack in 2018 chopped and changed a lot with only 4 players AFB, Thommo, Marty and Jake) being mainstays throughout the entire season.

 

[Dankseagles]

Agree our depth overall is ok but our 15 to 17 is way behind the top sides. Boyle Paseka JetSki are average at best while Waddell has gone off the boil a little. Sipley is a huge loss. If we fail to put a dent in the comp it will be this that does it. Look for Des to put some cash into the bench positions in the coming seasons. Bench players need to bring some dynamic play to the table. Other than Manase we don’t. We are just marking time for AFB and Marty to return then give the 17 five minutes.

Hard to win big games doing that.

I reckon Paseka has come good.

 

[mave]

Speaking of fowards.. ..how many more minutes are AFB and Marty playing per game when compared to last season ?....especially the usual enormous first stint from both of them.

Another tactical difference, imo...or maybe the bearded wonder wasnt as good as was advertised last few years ?

 

[pjayz]

Agree our depth overall is ok but our 15 to 17 is way behind the top sides. Boyle Paseka JetSki are average at best while Waddell has gone off the boil a little. Sipley is a huge loss. If we fail to put a dent in the comp it will be this that does it. Look for Des to put some cash into the bench positions in the coming seasons. Bench players need to bring some dynamic play to the table. Other than Manase we don’t. We are just marking time for AFB and Marty to return then give the 17 five minutes.

Hard to win big games doing that.

Totally agree that our bench is our weakness. Sipley over Boyle would be great - I just don’t know if a massive human like sipley can make it back to the appropriate fitness level in time after a leg injury.

I did think Paeseka lifted against Parra; however, he is still not consistent enough. I don’t think Gosiewski will be a regular first grader and I’d be worried if he is marked to replace Thompson if he goes to England. I would like to see Okalautu come through next year as a bench option - I was impressed with him from his time under Lambkin.

Then there is Schuster who could be anything. Very interested to see how the club will bring him through.