Trial V Panthers

[Ryan]

Agree that our forward pack is a big concern IMO.

When the whips are cracking, I can't see us getting anywhere near the top 2 or 3 teams. I'm not talking about a round 5 in a home game v Melbourne - I'm talking about September football. Let's face it the Roosters smashed us in that semifinal, and they were a class or two behind Penrith and Melbourne last year.

While I applaud the building of "depth" in the squad with limited spending ability, the forward pack is another year older and definitely not better. We only have 3 players Haumole, Paseka and Jake that could be considered class players. Bully is the only other one I can get excited about. The rest of them are fringe first graders and generally big and old.

And the hooker part of the equation is still a concern. Croker looks cooked and GCKT will not be a starting first grade quality player. Simpkin is our hope, but i cant see him being an above average hooker in the NRL.

All is not lost - we should still make the finals again and there are plenty of promising juniors on the books. But we need fresh blood in the pack to challenge for a premiership.

Jake is too old, too slow, has 0 attacking threat, gives away too many penalties (one of our teams worst offenders), is our 2nd slowest play-the-ball player, scores VERY little for a lock.

Get we all have our favorites, but I think every Trbojevic will go down as being one club players who've never won a premiership.

 

[Rocky]

Jake is too old, too slow, has 0 attacking threat, gives away too many penalties (one of our teams worst offenders), is our 2nd slowest play-the-ball player, scores VERY little for a lock.

Get we all have our favorites, but I think every Trbojevic will go down as being one club players who've never won a premiership.

and is the 48th best player in the game apparently...would hate to see the rest of the guys placed after him.

 

[Ryan]

and is the 48th best player in the game apparently...would hate to see the rest of the guys placed after him.

Look, he's a fan favourite, but so was Mark Tookey and George Rose.

 

[Ron E. Gibbs]

How bad was that drop from a beautiful cut out pass to give him space… 🤦‍♂️

Pass was called forward anyway.

 

[Eagle 1]

How bad was that drop from a beautiful cut out pass to give him space… 🤦‍♂️

Yep, a perfectly lobed pass onto his chest, dropped cold with no one in front of him to possibly draw level. I did say he's unstoppable from 5m out, make that 20m, what a powerhouse try that was.

 

[Rocky]

Look, he's a fan favourite, but so was Mark Tookey and George Rose.

So he was picked as state of origin captain last year because he is a fan favourite?

Dude are you ok..genuine question?

 

[Mitch]

Some good performances:

Taukeiaho
Bullemor
Simpkin
Navale

Like I said, it would have been pretty hard to get up for that game. If I'm a player I'm conserving too (injuries or lack of are key).

I honestly wouldn't stress or look into that at all guys.

There were actually little patches in that where we turned it on and looked unstoppable. Imagine that for 80.

Missing:
01. Tom Trbojevic
02. Jason Saab
03. Tommy Talau
04. Reuben Garrick (hooked 2nd half)
05.
06. Luke Brooks
07. Daly Cherry-Evans
08. Taniela Paseka
09. Lachlan Croker
10. Josh Aloiai
11. Haumole Olakau'atu
12. Ben Trbojevic
13. Jake Trbojevic

So all but one starting players (going by Siebolds typical selections last year).

We'll be fine guys.

Completely agree with this.

No injuries, no worries.

Zero cohesion in the team put up last night. Decent outside back depth, less so in our forwards, but we go into Rd with our guns fresh at what will be a sold out 4 Pines.

If I had to pick either a win last night with an injury or two, or an average performance with no injury concerns I’m picking the latter every time.

 

[Ryan]

So he was picked as state of origin captain last year because he is a fan favourite?

Dude are you ok..genuine question?

1. How many minutes did he get?
2. Was he dropped?

He was picked for his character. His leadership. Exactly the traits I've said he has in abundance.

Also, I like Jake btw. We just have to balance the team. Our system isn't working with too many of the same forwards. We've seen that for 11 years now.

 

[Rocky]

1. How many minutes did he get?
2. Was he dropped?

He was picked for his character. His leadership. Exactly the traits I've said he has in abundance.

Also, I like Jake btw. We just have to balance the team. Our system isn't working with too many of the same forwards. We've seen that for 11 years now.

Why dont you call up Madge and ask him why he picked Jake over Caleb navale?

 

[Tragic Eagle]

A touch of reality. Atkins made it hard for us letting Penrith move up early at the ruck and laying all over us and then flogging us in the penalties. But it did highlight that Penrith’s depth is much better than ours. I thought TKO and Bull were good but our backrowers were lame as were our starting centres.

 

[Ryan]

Why dont you call up Madge and ask him why he picked Jake over Caleb navale?

They have different traits. Look, we both love Jake okay. I'm just saying what most people think. Here's AI for example view taken from a very broad spectrum of supporters

 

[Rosko]

6.00pm kick off - boo! Hope game starts 90 minutes late again.

Wish it hadn't started at all.

 

[Carl]

Well, how encouraging to see we have addressed our systems and self-destructive errors… 🙄

Garrick should have been on wing with Lehi at FB and Faululu at centre… WTF! Who is rinning this team?

That would be true if our priority was winning the trial. I'm sure the coaches know it's a better team with hoppa at 1 and falaulo on the wing centre.

The priority was getting ready for round 1 when turbo will be at 1 and lehi will (hopefully) be on the wing. From that perspective, it makes sense to play lehi on the wing in a trial.

 

[Rocky]

They have different traits. Look, we both love Jake okay. I'm just saying what most people think. Here's AI for example view taken from a very broad spectrum of supporters View attachment 29354

Haha.

mate we all know Jakes strengths and weaknesses..that includes me.

Yes, he is slowing down and lacks punch in attack.

But notwithstanding that, to make an argument that Caleb Navale should be picked over him is outright embarrassing.

 

[Ryan]

Haha.

mate we all know Jakes strengths and weaknesses..that includes me.

Yes, he is slowing down and lacks punch in attack.

But notwithstanding that, to make an argument that Caleb Navale should be picked over him is outright embarrassing.

I'm not saying picked OVER him. At all. I've said a few times, a better mix of forwards. For example:

Caleb or Arthur lock (or even Caleb in the 12).
Jake 8 or bench (but don't then include all of Sipley, Brown, Tevaga, Taukeiaho, Lodge - and the other logs) - mix it up.

Every team needs a log or two. I shouldn't even use the term log, I should probably say lumbering power (post contact metre) type forward(s).

 

[Rocky]

I'm not saying picked OVER him. At all. I've said a few times, a better mix of forwards. For example:

Caleb or Arthur lock (or even Caleb in the 12).
Jake 8 or bench (but don't then include all of Sipley, Brown, Tevaga, Taukeiaho, Lodge - and the other logs) - mix it up.

Every team needs a log or two. I shouldn't even use the term log, I should probably say lumbering power (post contact metre) type forward(s).

Would love for some of the more mobile guys to step up and demand to be picked.

Sadly none of them have IMO.

 

[frank stokes]

Would love for some of the more mobile guys to step up and demand to be picked.

Sadly none of them have IMO.

This is where I am at… for mine, none of these young mobile forwards have shown anything more than Burbo and I am still nervous that he is in the starting side (VERY hopeful that this is his break-out year though)…

I don’t disagree with your argument at all @Ryan as I would love us to have some mobility in our forwards and hopefully some of these guys knock the door down at some point… so far though, it’s a “meh” from me…

 

[Disco]

I think we're panicking because we have gone backwards in our forward ranks, apart form Haumole, we lack punch, we lost Fonua Blake only to rely on the signings of Lodge, Brown, Takeaho, guys who are at the end of their careers, were still waiting for Paseka to be the player he should be, as for Aloiai, just another Tigers reject.
We tried to get Tom Fleggler a season or two back so we obviously had to money to get someone of quality yet we settled for aging players, such as Chee Kam

Sure, but as a counterpoint what is likely to be our full starting pack didn't play yesterday

 

[Ryan]

Sure, but as a counterpoint what is likely to be our full starting pack didn't play yesterday

8. Paseka
9. Simpkin
10. Bullemor
11. Olakau'atu
12. Talau
13. Navale

14. Arthur
15. Aloiai
16. Taukeiaho
17. Jake

And we'd be much quicker

 

[madmax]

Where do I start...
GARRICK.. Unless a a centre seriously
KOULA. Jjust doesn't offer enough imo

So Lehi is better than both these guys.. add Talau to the mix and Lehi is still better than him.

1.TURBO
2.TALAU
3. LEHI
4, KOULA ( ONLY because his a better defensive centre than Garrick by a long way, has more speed too
5. SAAB

FIND another goal kicker and give Garrick the arse

He's a s#^t defender, a ball hog and when he does pass it always looks disjointed. He's gotten way way way ahead of himself, he's not that good..definitely not a centre in any other squad in the NRL so why is he ours.. wake the f#$k up Seibs.

Wing or NSW Cup.

I would have Clayton above Garrick as a centre anyday.

And im pretty sure we have kicking options they just need to take it seriously ( not have a part time kicker mentality) and get practising.

Honestly Garricks kicking isn't that great either..he doesn't get through the ball.

Yawn zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz