[DaveO]

Re: Strongest 17 : Fri Jan 12, 2018 2:25 am  

Tricky Dicky wrote:

Hamlin will play when lockers doesn't;. There is also Isa as back up and Macaulay Davies who is also read for 1st team.

Why will Hamlin do that automatically? He's got no 1st grade experience at all. If Lockers is out we still have Faz, JT, Isa and Bateman going for the three back row places. Which two of that four miss out if Hamlin gets one of the three back row places and why?

Re: Strongest 17 : Fri Jan 12, 2018 4:58 am  

Levrier wrote:

It is nice, for once, to be able to think about our strongest 17. As we found out last year it won't be the first 17 who decide if our season is a success but the whole depth of the playing squad. Hopefully, if players like Cain Barnes get a run out of will be as the most junior members of the team and not as one of many. I just hope that no one gets to say the average age of the team is just 21 again.

Good point. Far too many times last year the physio picked the team rather than the coach.

After two horrendous years surely we’re due some luck on the injury front.

Will be nice to see the likes of Ganson, Sharrocks, Field, Forsyth, Wells, Woods, come in to a team loaded with first team talent. Rather than all being in the team at the same time due to injury.

Think the likes of these players can we like new signings if we bring them into the team correctly. Watched the under 19s GF the other day. Ganson, Field, Wells and Woods were outstanding.

Re: Strongest 17 : Fri Jan 12, 2018 9:06 am  

DaveO wrote:

Why will Hamlin do that automatically? He's got no 1st grade experience at all. If Lockers is out we still have Faz, JT, Isa and Bateman going for the three back row places. Which two of that four miss out if Hamlin gets one of the three back row places and why?

Saw Hamlin the other day in the flesh, surprised how small he looked. Looks stocky on his frame, but he looks undersized to be a modern day prop. Honestly looked around 5'9/5'10.

Re: Strongest 17 : Sat Jan 13, 2018 8:58 am  

He’s certainly not the biggest but after watching the YouTube footage of him that certainly isn’t a surprise. It’s impossible to tell how good a player he could be from Just highlight clips but he looks a bundle of energy.

Re: Strongest 17 : Sat Jan 13, 2018 2:40 pm  

A bundle of energy would be very welcome in our pack.

Re: Strongest 17 : Sat Jan 13, 2018 2:53 pm  

moto748 wrote:

A bundle of energy would be very welcome in our pack.

After watching the clip Ive got a feeling that he could be a very good acquisition. As you say someone with energy in the pack is very welcome. My concern is though why did MM never select him for the Rabbitohs?

Re: Strongest 17 : Sat Jan 13, 2018 4:48 pm  

Itchy Arsenal wrote:

My concern is though why did MM never select him for the Rabbitohs?

Some bloke called Burgess playing his position?

Re: Strongest 17 : Sun Jan 14, 2018 8:59 am  

moto748 wrote:

Some bloke called Burgess playing his position?

they had a terrible injury crisis last year and he never got a game

Re: Strongest 17 : Mon Jan 15, 2018 1:12 pm  

Pieman wrote:

they had a terrible injury crisis last year and he never got a game

I must admit this has crossed my mind too. The logical conclusion is that the Rabbitohs don't think he is good enough for the NRL. Of course that doesn't mean that he won't be good enough for Super League, and he may yet grow and also improve with age. After all, he is very young still.

From the YouTube clips he looks a lot like Ben Flower in stature and style. Not sure if that is a good thing, but he seems to run hard and tackle hard. The clips don't show the number of times he drops the ball or misses tackles and they don't show him offloading either. So I suppose we'll have to wait and see.

Re: Strongest 17 : Mon Jan 15, 2018 2:41 pm  

DaveO wrote:

I do think the coach is pretty clueless. I am not the only one who doesn't think he is up to it and there is plenty of evidence to support this view.

As to the WCC as I was as pleased any anyone else about that but I don't blow its importance up to be greater than what it is

Oh dear.

I think there is plenty of evidence to show that HE DOES know what he's doing and it resides in the DW trophy cabinet.

As for not giving the WWC too much credence. You really take the biscuit with that response. We try each year to win Super League. Having scaled those heights with a horrible injury crisis we get to play the Aussie Champions. Only one team gets that chance. One game. We won. It is the pinnacle of the game. The very top.

You can argue that the Aussies are not prepared, that maybe it should be at a neutral venue or played in November, and they would all be valid points, but in the end we beat Cronulla who have three times the salary cap to spend on a team - and our lads beat them. And Wane gets the credit, from me at least.

Wane is a World Champion coach. Suck it up.