The hard question

[MadMarcus]

The good news is we have 6 first grade standard backs. You need that to be competitive, as someone is almost always out. We haven’t had this for a really long time.

 

[madmax]

Does he come back as an auto selection? Why change a winning formula? Trbo needs to earn his way back into the team! Maybe a few games in Reggie’s to prove his fitness? Maybe off the bench in place of Lawton. Simpkins proved he can play 80 minutes! Trbo can cover all backs positions. I wouldn’t be dropping anyone!

 

[Under the Sticks]

Garrick starts in one position or the other. DCE's goalkicking from the sideline today was proof enough Reuben needs to be on the run on team.

That’s where you need context, I was at the game yesterday and the wind was up and swirling all over the place as showed by Lomax missing a bunch from the sideline.

Didn’t you notice how many bombs were sent up yesterday? Fun to watch, not fun for the back three.

 

[Under the Sticks]

What would Bellamy do? Probably put one of these guys on the bench.

Isn't that how Papenhuyzen and Hynes were played at the start of their careers? Hoppa Jnr could do the same.

Slater commented yesterday about Faalogo that the Storm would carry them all and make it work.

As others say this would only prevail for a few weeks before the inevitable injury which our backline is prone to eg Trbo Saab Garrick.

 

[maxta]

Great question and hard to answer
I feel it comes down to "what position" Tom plays on his return.
Always been a supporter of Tom only playing Fullback, but young Lehi has me thinking it's not a consideration as on form....deserves to keep his spot.
Sorry but I have no answer to such a difficult question while still hung over on a Monday morning

 

[master blaster]

Not safer if you consider how Dad will react to such a decision

And I can hear the rooster crowing in the background

 

[JakeyB789]

If Simpkin is capable of playing the full 80 most weeks (early signs were good) then I think we could carry a back on the bench. Even then we can keep Lawton in the 17 as someone who can play there if needed, but mainly using him as a backrower where he does his best work.

Turbo
Saab
Talau
Koula
Garrick
Brooks
DCE
Paseka
Simpkin
Jurbo
Haumole
Burbo
Lawton

Hopoate
Waddell
Bullemor
Brown

The Sipley, Aloiai, Lodge types are so slow around the ruck that we often get carved up around the middle by teams with smaller and more mobile forwards. Even Paseka falls into this category but you should probably still carry one big metre eater and he's easily the best of those guys. Yesterday was a taste of what we could be doing with this team instead and I hope we don't ignore it!

 

[IQofalimabean]

1 Hoppa
2 Garrick
3 Koula
4 Trbojevic
5 Talau

i expect turbo to last probably 5-7 games before injury then my side would be

1 Hoppa
2 Garrick
3 Koula
4 Talau
5 Saab

 

[KaZa]

Cant drop hoppa.. hoppa snr will ask for a release!

Hes just too good to leave out right now. Saab and Garrick have been poor but i think Saab speed and height will always be a factor in games. If Garrick is not kicking well.. whats his use? hes no centre for me. Hes a brilliant winger though. Not sure why we moved him.

 

[Chunkytuna]

Up until round nine I was aligned with your thoughts above, the last few games though Talau has noticeably progressed his game.

No doubt Garrick has superior speed and got Talau covered there, I thought Talau was a band aid solution on the wing, the more I watch Talau if it wasn’t for Garrick’s goal kicking I would keep Talau there.

I reckon Garrick should swap with Talau actually. Talau is a more damaging runner and hits a hole a bit better than Garrick. Garrick has the speed to get around players though. I know that doesn't solve the issue of where to put Turbo when he's back, but in the meantime I'd be making that switch.

 

[HK_Eagle]

What would Bellamy do? Probably put one of these guys on the bench.

Isn't that how Papenhuyzen and Hynes were played at the start of their careers? Hoppa Jnr could do the same.

I’d put Turbo there to begin with.

 

[Tragic Eagle]

I reckon Garrick should swap with Talau actually. Talau is a more damaging runner and hits a hole a bit better than Garrick. Garrick has the speed to get around players though. I know that doesn't solve the issue of where to put Turbo when he's back, but in the meantime I'd be making that switch.

This weekend will give us look at Talua and Koula in the centres defensively.

 

[HK_Eagle]

Does he come back as an auto selection? Why change a winning formula? Trbo needs to earn his way back into the team! Maybe a few games in Reggie’s to prove his fitness? Maybe off the bench in place of Lawton. Simpkins proved he can play 80 minutes! Trbo can cover all backs positions. I wouldn’t be dropping anyone!

Reggie’s may not be the best, but I totally agree with putting him on the bench to start with

 

[Eagle 1]

It will be Lehi, week to week footy takes its toll on rookies, especially at his young age. His time will come again when someone goes down injured which will inevitably happen, a week or 2 off here and there won’t be a bad thing for him

No knock on him at all, but he did look a bit gassed at times yesterday in the second half when getting back to balls and bringing them back

I wouldn’t call Saab run down today either, in all instances the cover defence had the angle on him and he was never in the clear

Yeah, they were well aware of the danger from Saab, everytime he got the ball he just had a narrow running channel to work with.

 

[Ashton Davis]

Where’s the poll option to send Turbo to Blacktown?

Kidding. I hope that Tom comes back with better hands though cause he cost us big time down in Wollongong, whereas Hoppa played a huge role in a win for the ages against the same team yesterday

 

[Eagle 1]

Cant drop hoppa.. hoppa snr will ask for a release!

Hes just too good to leave out right now. Saab and Garrick have been poor but i think Saab speed and height will always be a factor in games. If Garrick is not kicking well.. whats his use? hes no centre for me. Hes a brilliant winger though. Not sure why we moved him.

So many backline positions and decisions to make. Unlike the forwards, you just need to be fit and you're picked.

 

[eagle66]

A left field option would be to play Tom at #14. It would never happen if he was fully fit, but ignoring his salary for a moment, the reality is that he's played something like half the total games for the past 5-6 years, and lately when he is playing he has been managing an issue which has had an impact on his form (as good as he still is).

A bench role would make injury management (both for him and the rest of the team) easier, and he has the ability to play a roaming role if/when needed.

In either case we now have 6 back line players who are all first graders and 1 is going to miss out. I think it's unlikely we'll keep all of them for next year (if all fit).

I suggested this 3 weeks ago. Great utility value. Turbo would slot into any if the backline positions and most of the forward positions. No shuffling when someone is hurt. And the benefit of XFactor when needed.

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

I'd drop Saab. Got run down twice today , doesn't get the hitup metres we need , doesn't tackle break and his catching isn't up to standard.

Agree that sometimes his efforts at catching bombs to score tries is not yet at the Joey Manu-type level.

Despite that, were you not watching towards the end of the game, when he defused one or two well-directed bombs near the Manly tryline?

Like the rest of the team in general, his form lifted in the second half.

 

[Ron E. Gibbs]

Agree that sometimes his efforts at catching bombs to score tries is not yet at the Joey Manu-type level.

Despite that, were you not watching towards the end of the game, when he defused one or two well-directed bombs near the Manly tryline?

Like the rest of the team in general, his form lifted in the second half.

He also made a try-saving hit on Luciano (the backrower, not the opera singer) in the first half that was very important.

 

[Ashton Davis]

He also made a try-saving hit on Luciano (the backrower, not the opera singer) in the first half that was very important.

I was right in front of that one when it happened and thought the same. A crucial tackle