The Big Debate ... who owns the Middle.

[Ron E. Gibbs]

The answer to your question, Woodsie, is anybody who plays Manly.

See, that took me less than a minute.

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

Recruiting that Alpha male leader just seems to get further out of reach every year.

If it comes from within. It won't be any one person. It will need to be a pack of mongrel dogs mentality.

Currently we're all too nice.

Unfortunately they haven’t worked out a way to clone Terry Randall.

They’re still working away at it and it will be at least two decades away before we see him, if theoretically they cloned him tomorrow.

 

[maxta]

Josh Aloaia
Jake Trbojevic
Haumole Olakau'atu
Sean Keppie
Paseka
Sipley
Morgan Boyle
Condon
Eathan Bullimore
Villiame Fifita
Alec Tu'itavake

From that list, I only see aggression in Keppie and Oka, with Aloiai hard against the easy beats.
I feel your point earlier about 2 in a tackle, could well switch to 3 - 4.....and when a team hunts in a pack of numbers, it get's hungrier, so that need of a "hit man", "tough guy" or "enforcer" is not so necessary, as the middles all share the workload and lift off each other lke piranhas.
The defensive feeding frenzy will only increase once proven as a way to control that ruck and in turn, kind of shows the importance of creating that momentum in attack, with power runs and quick play the balls instead of that ambling into the defensive line and looking for that offload.
I will say young Fulton energy could well be handy to raise the intensity around the middle, I mean not a big man, but full of energy and rips in, which could well have the big boppers say "maybe I should step up"

 

[Eagles4Life]

Never heard of that pic. For a minute I thought you might have meant Brokeback Mountain!

In fairness @SeaEagleRock8 Clint Eastwood did play a lot of cowboy roles.........just not that one.

 

[double hoops]

I still think Jake at Prop and right away from lock is a very important piece to our forward puzzle.

Let's start from the conclusion he needs to be our forward leader. Less is more. Less game time. More venom. More quality. More enthusiasm.

Playing 70-80 minutes a game making 1 million tackles. He doesn't have the energy left to lead. To motivate. To be dynamic.

20 - 25 minute bursts. Chopping men in half motivates others. Forcing errors motivates. Getting over the advantage line. Motivates.

It's time our workhorse. Had a spell. And focused on sprints.

 

[HK_Eagle]

In fairness @SeaEagleRock8 Clint Eastwood did play a lot of cowboy roles.........just not that one.

Perhaps he could do the sequel… Brokebrookvale Mountain?

 

[Eagles4Life]

Perhaps he could do the sequel… Brokebrookvale Mountain?

Penn could play himself couldnt he?

 

[Heckenberg]

Maybe ... he does look like he's got some ticker .. good attitude, and a good edge player ... but he's not the middle muscle that is needed to dominate ..

I don’t think we need muscle so much as some ****en grunt. Example being paseka and taupau. Muscle means sweet all if you’re too scared to use it.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

In fairness @SeaEagleRock8 Clint Eastwood did play a lot of cowboy roles.........just not that one.

There's many big movies over the years I never saw or even heard of, but don't worry... I know who Clint is

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

I don’t think we need muscle so much as some ****en grunt. Example being paseka and taupau. Muscle means sweet all if you’re too scared to use it.

Yeah we’ve had some big boys , with big muscles , acting like alter boys at times.

Paseka is a great example , huge , powerful but at times just a powder puff.

 

[manly al]

Just so many disruptions with injuries in the pack also last season , very hard to get some continuity when best forward line up was not regularly available . Alioia , Paseka , Boyle ,Keppie missed a few games as well i think . Then Marty with a fairly ordinary season . Fortunate that Jake , Haumole and Davey played a high number of games . Sipley puts in and maybe could be used a bit more effectively but also some issues in the mobility department . Can the coaching staff get Bulemor to another level . Great if they could . Fair enough equation with Jake making up for his limited attacking input as a 13 with his top shelf defence but to go with the better sides , again just don "t think that it will be with Jake as a majority game 13 . Prop in the current circumstances and surely ongoing .

 

[Woodsie]

Yeah we’ve had some big boys , with big muscles , acting like alter boys at times.

Paseka is a great example , huge , powerful but at times just a powder puff.

You see ... this is the perfect example of why I want Marty out of the place ... Do you think Paseka would be the same player today if JHW had been his senior mentor for the past 4 years instead of the Easter Island Moai ??

 

[BOZO]

Who owns the middle ?

We have not dominated the middle for years and have not been a dominant force but only flat track bullies

We have a tame nice guy pack culture lead by the nicest guy in the NRL Jake

Who owns the middle ?

Bad arse Intimidating wild pigs do

 

[BOZO]

Yeah we’ve had some big boys , with big muscles , acting like alter boys at times.

You are spot of with your assessment on our Tame Alter boy pack feathered friend

This has been our Allter boy pack at a pre game motivational gathering

You do not see any Roberts or Spuds or kevin Wards or Randalls here

I hope Flanagan can light up some premiership winning wild fire in their belly

 

[Tragic Eagle]

We need hard a working no nonsense pack of forwards that won't take a backward step and won't stop tackling. They need to get collectively mean and hunt in a pack by hitting in numbers and shutting the ball down. We need much better defensive structure this season we looked a mess at times last year both in the pack and in the backs. Lets hope the new brains trust get it right.

 

[NYEagle]

Gee i

Croker will never be the gun dummy half that we need. I cannot fault him on his effort, guts, determination, and general improvement as a first-grade footballer, but we will never win a premiership with Croker as our primary dummy half.

Gee I hope we do win a comp with Croker. I’ll be the first one there, spatula in hand, ready to cook up the biggest omelette.

There will be a ton of surface area to cover.

NYEagle

 

[jbb/james]

This is a good topic

if you are of the belief that momentum is just about the forwards we have an unusual comparison

virtually the same pack with sirro, jet ski , wadell had us top 4 In 2021 So presumably they had the talent with de luis playing plenty, lawnton made back row his own for a bit and oku was just getting a few runs

our pack was assisted by tom but what did he do. Well mainly he took the ball to the line often and played like a halfback without kicking

together the momentum tom provided allowed the forwards to work in tandem. Id love alfa prop but its not as necessary as ot one was

intimidation is not what it used to be, momentum and ruck speen is king and this is mainly achieved by getting the opposition back peddling.

forwards need game management and a purposeful kicking game or your sending them to a gun fight with slingshots

if not we have a great pack says 2021.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

You make a good point about the need for an alpha prop, and intimidation in general.
(Although Siro only played 1 game and a few on the bench, Jetski only 4 plus a couple on the bench, and pretty sure Waddell was long gone.)
Also Turbo didn't play at all like a halfback in '21. He was just a massive running threat out wide, and equally capable of denting or even busting them up the middle.

 

[Woodsie]

This is a good topic

if you are of the belief that momentum is just about the forwards we have an unusual comparison

virtually the same pack with sirro, jet ski , wadell had us top 4 In 2021 So presumably they had the talent with de luis playing plenty, lawnton made back row his own for a bit and oku was just getting a few runs

our pack was assisted by tom but what did he do. Well mainly he took the ball to the line often and played like a halfback without kicking

together the momentum tom provided allowed the forwards to work in tandem. Id love alfa prop but its not as necessary as ot one was

intimidation is not what it used to be, momentum and ruck speen is king and this is mainly achieved by getting the opposition back peddling.

forwards need game management and a purposeful kicking game or your sending them to a gun fight with slingshots

if not we have a great pack says 2021.

Hear what you're saying ... but you can't built a forward pack that relies on the greatest year a fullback has ever had, or the work of the backs ... the forwards need to stand alone ... and as far as the need for intimidation ... nothing slows the opposition up, or dents their enthusiasm more than a good belting.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Hear what you're saying ... but you can't built a forward pack that relies on the greatest year a fullback has ever had, or the work of the backs ... the forwards need to stand alone ... and as far as the need for intimidation ... nothing slows the opposition up, or dents their enthusiasm more than a good belting.

Inclined to agree.
Also that bringing Marty back isn't the answer. We've got good props we've been nurturing for several years, it's time for them to 'be the guy'. Marty's presence, and previously also AFB, allowed them the luxury of playing supporting roles. We need them to lead from the front this year.
Sippers, Keppie, and Paseka, with Aloia hopefully staying fit too.