WTF BARRETT

[eagerbeaver]

I dont think api is an 80 minute player. His quality can dip a bit. Moving him to 6 gives hm a bit of a rest considering the shuffle required today with croker

That was my take on the swich. I also think hastings adds a lot of momentum at hooker and is part of the game plan that usually pays off.

Its pretty obvious trent is either loathed to tinker with that part of the game, or he just does not see hastings as a pivot

There has been talk that hastings is on the outer team wise, maybe the issue is with cherry. Maybe hastings doesnt rate cherry

If Hastings doesn't rate Cherry then he's wasting his time there..

 

[Eagles2nv]

I have found it odd that hastings wouldn't have slotted into the no.6 when croker went down.

Corker obviously copped a nasty knock to the head, possible he wont play next week. Be interested to see if hastings then plays at 6.

 

[The Who]

Croker will be told by our 'medical staff' that he needs time off to recover from concussion.

 

[cherry_poppins]

Croker to end up with what Daniel Bryan had

 

[Spartan Eagle]

Bring back Brown

 

[eaglebuzz]

Croker should take a week off to get his head right, in every sense of that phrase, so that Barrett can run the Hastings experiment.

If we have rudderless attack against the Tigers we won't beat them. Their defense is way too good this year.

 

[Tragic Eagle]

Time for Barrett to put his stubbornness to bed. TB is no longer a rookie in my book and needs to stop trying to prove he is right and needs to actually get it right. Our kicking game in the first half was diabolical and not of first grade standard. With that wind at our back we should have been camped in their 22. IMO we lost the game in the first 40 minutes. Yes a couple of refs calls went against us and gifted them field position but we played poorly and were punished. Hastings is a better half than Croker and should be there. You don't have to be Einstein to figure that one out. What needs figuring out is why we have waited to lose 3 from 5 games during the easy part of the draw to give Hastings a shot. In times gone past players plied their trade in lower grades until they reached first grade standard unless they were one of the few young superstar freaks that came through quickly and early. Young Croker is a solid young player but is not a young superstar freak. I believe Croker has talent and could develop into a first grade half but he is not ready for what's being asked of him at present. Don't get me wrong I like TB but some of his selections over the last couple of seasons have been his achilles heel and you should learn from your mistakes not keep making the same ones.

 

[court83]

I don't know why ppl are whinging about this all of a sudden??? Hasn't Barrett Been doing this with api/hastings all year? Worked well in other games, esp the eels game where hastings scored a try and set a couple up from 9 with api playing 6...
Seems odd to start screaming about it now across multiple threads

 

[HoldenV8]

And you know what the worrying thing about all of this is? Next week if we are forced to rest Croker as per the 2 HIA in a game rules, I can see Barrett playing Api at 5/8 and Hastings at hooker.

I said it yesterday, a halves pairing of DCE and Api is a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[Woodsie]

HASTINGS MUST START
END OF STORY.

If you add ... "at 5/8" .... I'll give you an agree ....

 

[KNUCKLES]

I don't know why ppl are whinging about this all of a sudden??? Hasn't Barrett Been doing this with api/hastings all year? Worked well in other games, esp the eels game where hastings scored a try and set a couple up from 9 with api playing 6...
Seems odd to start screaming about it now across multiple threads

The game was already wrapped up by that stage. Different situations have different boil points. That’s why it’s important to use the right instruments or you will get burnt

 

[Ned]

I'm not sure Hastings is the messiah so many on here seem to think he is, but I think it is time to give him his shot.

I don't think he's the Messiah, but he's the best...and oly option we have.

 

[HoldenV8]

I don't know why ppl are whinging about this all of a sudden??? Hasn't Barrett Been doing this with api/hastings all year? Worked well in other games, esp the eels game where hastings scored a try and set a couple up from 9 with api playing 6...
Seems odd to start screaming about it now across multiple threads

Mate, we could have played Lloyd Perrett at 5/8 against the Eels and still won easily.

The point is that its becoming increasingly obvious that Croker is not the answer for our 5/8 problem. Hastings might not be either as @TerryRandall said, but a lot of us have been saying from before the start that he would be the better option. And while Croker may not be what we need, Api away from hooker is also what we don't need. He's arguably behind only Smith as the games premier dummy half.....why move him away from that? Especially when we have a 5/8 on the bench who is more than capable.

 

[grassy]

Time for Barrett to put his stubbornness to bed. TB is no longer a rookie in my book and needs to stop trying to prove he is right and needs to actually get it right. Our kicking game in the first half was diabolical and not of first grade standard. With that wind at our back we should have been camped in their 22. IMO we lost the game in the first 40 minutes. Yes a couple of refs calls went against us and gifted them field position but we played poorly and were punished. Hastings is a better half than Croker and should be there. You don't have to be Einstein to figure that one out. What needs figuring out is why we have waited to lose 3 from 5 games during the easy part of the draw to give Hastings a shot. In times gone past players plied their trade in lower grades until they reached first grade standard unless they were one of the few young superstar freaks that came through quickly and early. Young Croker is a solid young player but is not a young superstar freak. I believe Croker has talent and could develop into a first grade half but he is not ready for what's being asked of him at present. Don't get me wrong I like TB but some of his selections over the last couple of seasons have been his achilles heel and you should learn from your mistakes not keep making the same ones.

A lot of what you are saying is correct but i would not say we played poorly. We tried hard out there, We just need to fix simple errors.Trent needs to take a look at Hastings as a starter at the number 6.We all tried out there though.

 

[BOZO]

Here we have Api being mentioned as a possible SOO hooker
Croker goes off so what does TB do puts Hastings to hooker
Croker comes back on Api back to hooker manly score
Croker off API to 5/8 manly don’t score again
Begs the question Hastings a better hooker than Api ?
Hastings never to play 5/8 ??? WTF

I agree . We have enough team changes through injuries so Trent disrupts the team even more by making further positional changes .
Seriously feathered friends

 

[BOZO]

If Croker is a NRL standard 5/8 than I am an Immortal .

 

[1969]

If Croker is a NRL standard 5/8 than I am an Immortal .
View attachment 8008

Put a Manly jersey on ffs!

 

[brad]

If Croker is a NRL standard 5/8 than I am an Immortal .
View attachment 8008

For christ sake mate put a shirt on .

 

[Michael Clare]

If Hastings doesn't rate Cherry then he's wasting his time there..

You'd have to think it's got to be a compatibility issue with some of the players. It can't just be about football talent.

 

[brad]

So we all know he had an attitude problem in the past but has anyone actually came out and said he still has ? I haven't seen or heard anything. I see the opposite.