Waddell - a pleasant surprise

[maxta]

I was not inspired seeing him as an off season signing.
i did however in a pathetic Bulldogs team last year feel he was 1 of their best performers in games I seen them play.
He has been well above any expectations I would have expected early on.
Running with some good gusto and tackling well also.
He is well above the Condon, James, Matterson and even Schuster types at this point and certainly deserves a place in the 17 and unfortunately will be in the firing line for Blacktown when Lodge comes back, but he has shown he can hold his own at NRL level and has given me confidence will have a serious dig every time he gets an opportunity to play.

 

[Sheikheagle]

I was not inspired seeing him as an off season signing.
i did however in a pathetic Bulldogs team last year feel he was 1 of their best performers in games I seen them play.
He has been well above any expectations I would have expected early on.
Running with some good gusto and tackling well also.
He is well above the Condon, James, Matterson and even Schuster types at this point and certainly deserves a place in the 17 and unfortunately will be in the firing line for Blacktown when Lodge comes back, but he has shown he can hold his own at NRL level and has given me confidence will have a serious dig every time he gets an opportunity to play.

Has been good. In the past has been guilty of keppie like plays however so far he has been excellent. Versatility is a bonus.

 

[Seagles68]

I was not inspired seeing him as an off season signing.
i did however in a pathetic Bulldogs team last year feel he was 1 of their best performers in games I seen them play.
He has been well above any expectations I would have expected early on.
Running with some good gusto and tackling well also.
He is well above the Condon, James, Matterson and even Schuster types at this point and certainly deserves a place in the 17 and unfortunately will be in the firing line for Blacktown when Lodge comes back, but he has shown he can hold his own at NRL level and has given me confidence will have a serious dig every time he gets an opportunity to play.

Yep, he has been good and much better than I had anticipated. I always thought he was a fringe player at best but he has really stepped it up since returning. And he really seems to be enjoying being back in this group.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Waddell 2.0 is certainly better than his 1.0 time with us.

 

[Will on the hill]

Watching the replay the thing that really stood out was how often he popped up in positions that weren't in his job description but made a big difference to the play(in both attack and defence). This indicates a level of footy smarts and work ethic I didn't know he had in him. Thought it might have something to do with coming off the bench for limited minutes but he maintained it for nearly a full game against the Riff. Very pleasant surprise indeed.

 

[krusty]

If Burbo can be moved to centres and Garrick to wing then he can hold his spot in team when Lodge returns. The competition for spots Siebold has created is a good thing.

 

[Ben]

I would be happy to move him to starting back row moving Ben to the bench when Lodge comes back. I really liked his line running looking threatening off Brooks and is very sound defensively. I’ve also noticed his effort areas off the ball are off the charts. He is someone we really need in the side and I see it at the expense of Burbo

 

[MissKate]

Watching the replay the thing that really stood out was how often he popped up in positions that weren't in his job description but made a big difference to the play(in both attack and defence). This indicates a level of footy smarts and work ethic I didn't know he had in him. Thought it might have something to do with coming off the bench for limited minutes but he maintained it for nearly a full game against the Riff. Very pleasant surprise indeed.

Noticed this also, he was ‘man of the moment’ a whole bunch of times during the game, one of his best games for sure. I am being pleasantly surprised with him so far this season.

It does make me laugh when we interchange him with one of our backs, but he has been good

 

[sheridanstand78]

Waddell was one of the better players in that dogs team.

Him returning coincides with his sister getting engaged to Jake so there is a real family dynamic in the team now and the togetherness is evident and hes scored a couple of really good tries over the last few weeks.

Unsung hero!

 

[Waz13]

I didn’t think his first stint at the club was that bad either. He was solid in what I saw at dogs and has certainly started the year well. We need a strong squad not just game day 17 to compete with the best and Siebs n co have really dive well to head us in that direction.

 

[Rafferty]

100 games, 27 yo, he was one of the Dogs best many times last year, can handle the middle, high energy player, we need that, so happy to see him perhaps starting this weekend, he also gets 80 no problem, hopefully he forces Seibs hand, hopefully Burbo has a blinder at centre and again forces Seibs hand, wing position solved, if only hey, think we would be a stronger unit, however fully expect Gaz will probably return to centres, then again tough call if Wads and Ben both have big games.

 

[Andrew..]

I think Seibold deserves some credit for creating a good culture within the playing group. I don't think I've seen Waddell playing better and Brown is really putting his hand up.
It's still early days but if Lodge comes back with a similar attitude we may be in with a shot at the big one.

 

[LeonardCohen]

I’m not surprised because he was always one of the Dogs best. I also thought he was effective when he was previously at the club. He has good leg speed and brings some good energy.

I also think his ability to play on an edge as well as the middle, might see him retain his bench position. Lodge, Brown and Sipley are exclusively middles, so I cannot see Seibs running with that bench.

As far as Waddell’s game on the weekend is concerned, he is better off giving away a penalty than conceding a try, if he is not square at marker. He was somewhat responsible for the first Panthers try.

 

[XV-1]

Waddel makes less mistakes than Keppie and puts a lot more effort into the 1 percenters than Tullagi ever did.

Overall, a nice upgrade on both of those guys and less than half price.

 

[Disco]

He is slightly above expectations for me.

I expected him to be a dependable bench option when required and he has proved to be that with a little upside.

Happy days but I dont see him as a regular starter

 

[double hoops]

He's certainly going better than I expected. He's filled out a bit from the lad that left. Great game last week. He should have scored 2 meat pies. If we didn't win, we'd be dirty bout the one he didn't take.

 

[double hoops]

Waddel makes less mistakes than Keppie and puts a lot more effort into the 1 percenters than Tullagi ever did.

Overall, a nice upgrade on both of those guys and less than half price.

Poor Keppie back in Ressies with a team coming last. And it's that same issue. Loosing the ball at the most in opportune times. At least 50 per cent are stripped, but he mustn't hold it tight enough. It just happens to him too often.

 

[JenEagle]

I agree. He has been fantastic. Congratulations to him on being able to play at this level like he has done this year.

 

[Pepi]

Waddell was great in 2019 but had a poor 2020 with most of the squad. As others have mentioned, he did well at the dogs and I believe was forward of the year. A good bench option.

 

[Fibro Eagle]

Agree with all definitely been a surprise and a better option than Keppie and Tuilagi