2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
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Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
Turbo, Teddy, Slater were all running fullbacks who have developed their passing game. Don't expect guys like Savage to be instant superstars in that capacity.
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Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
Man it's been a while since Turbo has thrown a forward pass. He was averaging like 2 a game at one point.
Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
Agree with most of your post.Hong Kong Raider wrote: ↑July 18, 2021, 11:33 am
I didn't see any missed tackles for Young. Ricky cannot now give Whitehead the starting spot after Young's performances. Young offered more than Whitehead. Whitehead has to start at lock (to be replaced by Hodgson when Starling comes on) or on the bench.
Semi made good metres on carries and is a better option than Bailey on the wing, despite one dumb incident. He looks to get involved.
Savage should stay at fullback even when everyone is fit. Ricky cannot go back to Bailey or CNK. We have strike when Savage is at fullback.
Whitehead to lock for first 20-30 mins... Hodgo lock when he comes on... leaves Whitehead to come on for either edge if tiring/cover, or back on for Hodgo in final 10 mins? Otherwise he's a bit underused. Into the prop rotation? Bit of a stretch. I honestly think he could do the ball playing lock role for us vs shoehorning Hodgo in as one just because he's on the cap. I'd need to see more of Hodgo at lock I guess to make the call.
Did we suddenly get fitter or did we actually just have someone regularly beating the first chasers and making good yards on deep kick returns so our forwards didn't have to trudge ALL the way back every time? We certainly looked more dynamic and I think yeah extra minutes for Starling, the return of Young to form on the edge, Savage's exuberance and speed + CHN having a day out all helped. We just seemed a younger, more energetic team across the park for long stretches.
Semi has a habit of shooting out and not reaching the player he's shooting at- ending in a despairing dive that looks great but takes himself out of the play and his target still upright with the ball. I'd like to see that corrected.
Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
100% spot onNorthern Raider wrote: ↑July 18, 2021, 11:45 am Turbo, Teddy, Slater were all running fullbacks who have developed their passing game. Don't expect guys like Savage to be instant superstars in that capacity.
I’m genuinely surprised at how quickly he’s taken to the nrl game.
You could see the difference in how he ran this week from last week, he’d already figured out how to get himself between bodies so to not expose himself to being manhandled as easily.
There is no telling what he’s capable of.
He should be given every opportunity to develop that skill set and let his talent and ability dictate his future
Certainly for now, the fullback spot is his and should be for 2022 too, by the end of that season we should have a better idea of where his future lies
Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
Also I saw CHN was credited with 13 tackle breaks
That feels VERY low haha
I don’t recall a run he had where he didn’t swat away the first man, and often 2nd and 3rd
That feels VERY low haha
I don’t recall a run he had where he didn’t swat away the first man, and often 2nd and 3rd
Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
TedescoFROG wrote: ↑July 18, 2021, 6:55 am I think some of you blokes are delusional when it comes to what makes a good fullback. It is the most complex role in a team and setting up tries is but a fraction of what makes a good fullback. By that logic wighton would be a solid fullback and yet he was absolutely rubbish and the team was unsuccessful as a result. give me a fullback that will catch the ball on the full, defuse grubers, set the defence, serve as an effective last line of defence, do tough carries out of our own end, finish tries off etc. You want a ball playing fullback because of problems with our halves. You are failing to see that this is the root cause of our problems. And as others have said, to me a solid kicking game is our biggest deficiency by a country mile. It was what won us the game against manly and it is why Frawley should play next week. That all said, I just wanted to call out how pleased I was with Savage's game. It was indeed the highlight for this year. I'm concerned that he is going to get belted at some stage, I just hope it doesn't affect his confidence because he is a joy to watch
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Trbojevic
Gutherson
Papenhuyzen
Hynes
Mitchell
Ponga
Are probably in the top bunch of fullbacks in the game. All have certain thing in common. None (Ponga debatable) have **** halves.
Have a look at the current bottom 4-5 teams. Only Warriors play with a ball playing fullback, and he's only been there for part of the year.
Fullback is no longer a position where you only catch bombs, difuse grubbers, run the ball back, and congratulate yourself for a job well done. That thinking is well outdated and long dead.
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Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
Man, the Sharks are getting right into 'can we play you every week?' territory. If I'm not mistaken 4 of our last 10 wins have come against them, going back to Jarrett Subloo's unforgettable debut late last year
Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
Ahh, yes. Who can forget SUBLOOOOOOO
Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
It is starting to look like we are almost back to normal transmission on the sin bins and ridiculous refereeing and charges from the MRC. The referees still come up with strange decisions, like the eight point try last night and the report on Papalii. But I suspect Vlandys has been listening to Gould on this.
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Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
Can't believe that high shot on Rapana as he scored didnt attract at least 5 weeks suspension
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Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
I thought Semi was pretty ordinary, despite the try. I'd love to see Timoko/HSS come in even on the wing.
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Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
Have to admit, Semi hasn't backed up that performance against the Broncos.
Timoko could play a Brian To'o type of role.
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Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
I like Semi. Was very cool when Rapana linked with him off a kick return (?)
Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
I think what keeps semi in the team is that neither timoko or HSS are natural wingers
But certainly Semi is very hit and miss right now.
But certainly Semi is very hit and miss right now.
Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
I can’t see it with Semi. A few people are pinning their hopes on some serious upside yet to come (is it that he’s Fijian?). But nothing about his game suggests he’s got a wealth of natural talent to tap into, I think he looks below NRL standard most weeks. I’d be looking elsewhere for a starting winger next year
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Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
He has some good hit ups. The odd tackle break and decent speed. I do see some potential. Agree that he needs to do more than what he currently does. Not a bankable commodity right now.Rickmando wrote: ↑July 18, 2021, 3:44 pm I can’t see it with Semi. A few people are pinning their hopes on some serious upside yet to come (is it that he’s Fijian?). But nothing about his game suggests he’s got a wealth of natural talent to tap into, I think he looks below NRL standard most weeks. I’d be looking elsewhere for a starting winger next year
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Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
Please name the individual who mad3 the decision of Elliot over Bellamy back in the day, are they still alive? If so they shouldn’t beSeiffert82 wrote: ↑July 17, 2021, 9:51 pmYeah, I've been a critic of Bellamy's style of coaching in the past, but these last two seasons are next level.
Highly impressed with what he has achieved with this squad.
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Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
He isn’t any Noa Nadruku that’s for sure, solid at bestNorthern Raider wrote: ↑July 18, 2021, 4:24 pmHe has some good hit ups. The odd tackle break and decent speed. I do see some potential. Agree that he needs to do more than what he currently does. Not a bankable commodity right now.Rickmando wrote: ↑July 18, 2021, 3:44 pm I can’t see it with Semi. A few people are pinning their hopes on some serious upside yet to come (is it that he’s Fijian?). But nothing about his game suggests he’s got a wealth of natural talent to tap into, I think he looks below NRL standard most weeks. I’d be looking elsewhere for a starting winger next year
Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
His yards are good. He's still making some bonehead plays at times.Rickmando wrote: ↑July 18, 2021, 3:44 pm I can’t see it with Semi. A few people are pinning their hopes on some serious upside yet to come (is it that he’s Fijian?). But nothing about his game suggests he’s got a wealth of natural talent to tap into, I think he looks below NRL standard most weeks. I’d be looking elsewhere for a starting winger next year
The hope for improvement comes from guys like Sivo who was just toiling away in NSW Cup until his mid twenties, or Radrada who was just another fairly run of the mill winger in the Raiders lower grades system but went pretty well for Dragons once he matured a bit.
I think it's the hope that guys who haven't played as much league at a high level before, might have a steeper but larger learning curve of improvement.
At the moment he's probably similar to Simo but perhaps more errors but not as sure he's hit his ceiling yet. So happy to see him go around for the rest of the season and see how he goes.
Recruiting a winger may depend on where Savage plays and whether Rapa goes around again.
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Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
Ravalawa?BadnMean wrote:or Radrada who was just another fairly run of the mill winger in the Raiders lower grades system but went pretty well for Dragons once he matured a bit.
Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
Oops, yeah Ravalawa.gangrenous wrote: ↑July 18, 2021, 5:14 pmRavalawa?BadnMean wrote:or Radrada who was just another fairly run of the mill winger in the Raiders lower grades system but went pretty well for Dragons once he matured a bit.
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Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
Exactly right.FROG wrote:I think some of you blokes are delusional when it comes to what makes a good fullback. It is the most complex role in a team and setting up tries is but a fraction of what makes a good fullback. By that logic wighton would be a solid fullback and yet he was absolutely rubbish and the team was unsuccessful as a result. give me a fullback that will catch the ball on the full, defuse grubers, set the defence, serve as an effective last line of defence, do tough carries out of our own end, finish tries off etc. You want a ball playing fullback because of problems with our halves. You are failing to see that this is the root cause of our problems. And as others have said, to me a solid kicking game is our biggest deficiency by a country mile. It was what won us the game against manly and it is why Frawley should play next week. That all said, I just wanted to call out how pleased I was with Savage's game. It was indeed the highlight for this year. I'm concerned that he is going to get belted at some stage, I just hope it doesn't affect his confidence because he is a joy to watch
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It looks like we need a ball playing fullback, but that's mostly because our halves are rubbish.
Penrith don't need a ball playing fullback, even the Storm don't need one.
Some of the best players in the NRL are fullbacks who can do it all. Doesn't mean you need one of those 6 or 7 players to be an elite team.
We suck because our halves suck. This team isn't instantly fixed by getting a fullback who can throw a cutout pass or link to the outside backs.
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Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
It's not that he's Fijian, it's that he's built like a truck and runs straight and hard. Can also put a hit on. Seems pretty reasonable in defence now too. Not saying he's a world beater. Not everyone has to be
There are bigger fish to fry
There are bigger fish to fry
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Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
I wasn't too keen on Semi in FG last year as he had too many mistakes in him and a lack of football awareness. It was shown up in the Roosters game where we played them at home and the Prelim final v Melbourne. I think he's improved, and gets involved more. He could chase kicks better and contest bombs. I don't like him rushing out in defence taking no one, and he needs to improve his high ball play (e.g. his game against GC at home was dreadful). I still think he gets involved more than Bailey at wing. He made 177 m yesterday - much more than Bailey would at winger. He comes in looking for tough runs. The situation could be also improved if he played outside Kris with Timoko at centre on the right side.
Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
if the storm dont need one why have they made it such a key part of their attacking structure and prioritised that skillset so much in the fullback role?Seiffert82 wrote: ↑July 18, 2021, 5:26 pmExactly right.FROG wrote:I think some of you blokes are delusional when it comes to what makes a good fullback. It is the most complex role in a team and setting up tries is but a fraction of what makes a good fullback. By that logic wighton would be a solid fullback and yet he was absolutely rubbish and the team was unsuccessful as a result. give me a fullback that will catch the ball on the full, defuse grubers, set the defence, serve as an effective last line of defence, do tough carries out of our own end, finish tries off etc. You want a ball playing fullback because of problems with our halves. You are failing to see that this is the root cause of our problems. And as others have said, to me a solid kicking game is our biggest deficiency by a country mile. It was what won us the game against manly and it is why Frawley should play next week. That all said, I just wanted to call out how pleased I was with Savage's game. It was indeed the highlight for this year. I'm concerned that he is going to get belted at some stage, I just hope it doesn't affect his confidence because he is a joy to watch
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It looks like we need a ball playing fullback, but that's mostly because our halves are rubbish.
Penrith don't need a ball playing fullback, even the Storm don't need one.
Some of the best players in the NRL are fullbacks who can do it all. Doesn't mean you need one of those 6 or 7 players to be an elite team.
We suck because our halves suck. This team isn't instantly fixed by getting a fullback who can throw a cutout pass or link to the outside backs.
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As for the panthers, you're right.... guess we just sit around and wait for the club to stumble into a generational halves pairing who are both elite ball runners and ball players... Easy right? You cant swing a cat without hitting an organisation shifting halves pairing to negate the need for your fullback to ball play in basic structure... any minute now we'll find em
Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
'Storm don't need a ball playing fullback'
Yeah they've got Papenhuyzen and Hynes just for show. Also used to play Hughes and Munster there for **** and giggles.
The GH's brilliant mind strikes again.
Yeah they've got Papenhuyzen and Hynes just for show. Also used to play Hughes and Munster there for **** and giggles.
The GH's brilliant mind strikes again.
Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
Semi's definitely more Ravalawa than Radradra, that's for sure.
Ravalawa similarly uses his robust frame to make good metres and pull off some big hits, but ultimately he's a frustrating, error prone player, with poor game awareness and sub-par finishing. At this point I can see Semi having a similar career trajectory.
Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
You go back and watch Semi play last year and watch him this year and the improvement is pretty big.
Which is not to say i dont agree that he was ordinary on the weekend and his flashes dont come as often as you'd like, but he's made some good strides and he's improving.
Is he a long term player? You wouldnt bank on him at this point. This offseason looms as a big moment for him. It's sink or swim time.
Which is not to say i dont agree that he was ordinary on the weekend and his flashes dont come as often as you'd like, but he's made some good strides and he's improving.
Is he a long term player? You wouldnt bank on him at this point. This offseason looms as a big moment for him. It's sink or swim time.
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Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
You're always going to be looking to upgrade players at any position. I love CNK to bits, but if we had the option to replace him with an elite fullback who is the complete package yeah, of course I'd take it.Botman wrote: ↑July 18, 2021, 7:10 pmif the storm dont need one why have they made it such a key part of their attacking structure and prioritised that skillset so much in the fullback role?Seiffert82 wrote: ↑July 18, 2021, 5:26 pmExactly right.FROG wrote:I think some of you blokes are delusional when it comes to what makes a good fullback. It is the most complex role in a team and setting up tries is but a fraction of what makes a good fullback. By that logic wighton would be a solid fullback and yet he was absolutely rubbish and the team was unsuccessful as a result. give me a fullback that will catch the ball on the full, defuse grubers, set the defence, serve as an effective last line of defence, do tough carries out of our own end, finish tries off etc. You want a ball playing fullback because of problems with our halves. You are failing to see that this is the root cause of our problems. And as others have said, to me a solid kicking game is our biggest deficiency by a country mile. It was what won us the game against manly and it is why Frawley should play next week. That all said, I just wanted to call out how pleased I was with Savage's game. It was indeed the highlight for this year. I'm concerned that he is going to get belted at some stage, I just hope it doesn't affect his confidence because he is a joy to watch
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It looks like we need a ball playing fullback, but that's mostly because our halves are rubbish.
Penrith don't need a ball playing fullback, even the Storm don't need one.
Some of the best players in the NRL are fullbacks who can do it all. Doesn't mean you need one of those 6 or 7 players to be an elite team.
We suck because our halves suck. This team isn't instantly fixed by getting a fullback who can throw a cutout pass or link to the outside backs.
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As for the panthers, you're right.... guess we just sit around and wait for the club to stumble into a generational halves pairing who are both elite ball runners and ball players... Easy right? You cant swing a cat without hitting an organisation shifting halves pairing to negate the need for your fullback to ball play in basic structure... any minute now we'll find em
My point is, you look to upgrade where you are most lacking. IMO we are most lacking in the ability of our halves to organise the backline and dominate field position and possession with a quality kicking game. It's a glaring weakness we need to address.
I don't quite agree that the Storm have prioritised ballplaying at fullback. Slater and Papenhuyzen both started off as ball runners who had the key role of sniffing around the ruck for offloads and looking to exploit slow forwards with blistering speed. The ball playing came with time. Savage has that ability and it's an absolute game changer IMO. Reminds me of Mullins.
If Tom Trbojevic landed on our doorstep would I take him? Of course I would. If Matt Dufty is looking for a gig would I take him? Probably not. Too many negatives IMO...maybe if I think our halves are good enough to compensate for his weaknesses and we completely focus on attack. Good way to get you to the top 8, not a good way to win the comp.
I get that everyone looks at the top teams and sees that most of them have an elite attacking fullback. Good on em. Any elite attacking player is going to make your team look better. Newcastle have an elite fullback and it has guaranteed nothing.
So yeah, I'd obviously take it if I had an option, but IMO the way our squad is structured, I'd absolutely prioritise improving our kicking game, getting raw speed into our outside backs, fixing our defence and exploiting the ability of our forwards to get away offloads - which is absolutely the ONE thing that currently sets us apart from the rest of the comp. A ball playing fullback is a bonus IMO.
Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
Slater and Papenhuyzen didnt develop ball playing by chance, they developed it because they had the natural ability to do so, the coaching to maximise that ability and drvien by the absolute requirement to have it in that setup
The thing you seem completely oblvious to is that the finding halves good enough to compensate for a pure ball runner at fullback is easily the hardest thing in this code to find. They are so incredibly rare, as our signing speculation and halfback threads can atest too. Good halves, game changing halves are extremely rare... to get two of them who are good enough as both ball runners and ball players is even more rare....
like how the **** do you build a team around threading that needle?
it's easy when you're the panthers or storm and you have them, good for them, hell of a system... we dont have em... where do we get them? Anyone who has them isnt letting them go. Even if you wait out he market, and try and get a Burton if that's who you want to pin the hopes on, we're competing against a lot of other clubs. I dont like our chances. Generally speaking they're interally developed. And all due respect to Schnider and co, but i dont think we have any answers to drastically improving the halves. And the FA market is... depressing.
Complicating matters is our highest paid player is Wighton who's ball playing is extremely limited. But we're locked in on that. He's not going anywhere. We have to deal with reality on realities terms. Our reality if we have a ball runner with almost no ability to be creative as a passer or kicker as one half and that's LOCKED IN. So what, now what? We just double down on ball running and hope the stars align?
Ok. If thats what you want to sign up for, cool. That's not it for me.
So you have to find the ability to create points in structure. We need two of them. And right now we have none.
You can solve a lot of problems in attacking structure with a ball playing fullback, and the nature of the game is that they are much easier to find and develop than elite halves. Mullins 2.0 is wonderful until you understand we dont have Stuart or Daley in the halves. And find them is much harder than finding an athletic fullback who can do that, or giving Savage some grace to develop that.
Make no mistake. Unless we find elite halves, which is extremely hard, if he's to stay in the #1 jersey we will need Savage to develop ball playing if we're to be successful. We cant achieve our goals without ball playing... if it doesnt come from #1, or #6 and the #7 is a unicorn that's incredibly difficult to develop and no great prospects on deck, and even hard to find on the FA market because no one lets the good ones go... where does that leave you?
A **** football is where.
The thing you seem completely oblvious to is that the finding halves good enough to compensate for a pure ball runner at fullback is easily the hardest thing in this code to find. They are so incredibly rare, as our signing speculation and halfback threads can atest too. Good halves, game changing halves are extremely rare... to get two of them who are good enough as both ball runners and ball players is even more rare....
like how the **** do you build a team around threading that needle?
it's easy when you're the panthers or storm and you have them, good for them, hell of a system... we dont have em... where do we get them? Anyone who has them isnt letting them go. Even if you wait out he market, and try and get a Burton if that's who you want to pin the hopes on, we're competing against a lot of other clubs. I dont like our chances. Generally speaking they're interally developed. And all due respect to Schnider and co, but i dont think we have any answers to drastically improving the halves. And the FA market is... depressing.
Complicating matters is our highest paid player is Wighton who's ball playing is extremely limited. But we're locked in on that. He's not going anywhere. We have to deal with reality on realities terms. Our reality if we have a ball runner with almost no ability to be creative as a passer or kicker as one half and that's LOCKED IN. So what, now what? We just double down on ball running and hope the stars align?
Ok. If thats what you want to sign up for, cool. That's not it for me.
So you have to find the ability to create points in structure. We need two of them. And right now we have none.
You can solve a lot of problems in attacking structure with a ball playing fullback, and the nature of the game is that they are much easier to find and develop than elite halves. Mullins 2.0 is wonderful until you understand we dont have Stuart or Daley in the halves. And find them is much harder than finding an athletic fullback who can do that, or giving Savage some grace to develop that.
Make no mistake. Unless we find elite halves, which is extremely hard, if he's to stay in the #1 jersey we will need Savage to develop ball playing if we're to be successful. We cant achieve our goals without ball playing... if it doesnt come from #1, or #6 and the #7 is a unicorn that's incredibly difficult to develop and no great prospects on deck, and even hard to find on the FA market because no one lets the good ones go... where does that leave you?
A **** football is where.
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Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
A big shout to Peter Mullholland who found Savage in Nth Qld as well. Hope he's doing well and his health improves
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Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
Yes, Slater and Paps absolutely developed it through hard work, good training and natural ability. In 2 games Savage has already shown glimpses of that (noting that you weren't overly supportive of his game when we played Manly). I thought he looked great off CHN and Papa.Botman wrote:Slater and Papenhuyzen didnt develop ball playing by chance, they developed it because they had the natural ability to do so, the coaching to maximise that ability and drvien by the absolute requirement to have it in that setup
The thing you seem completely oblvious to is that the finding halves good enough to compensate for a pure ball runner at fullback is easily the hardest thing in this code to find. They are so incredibly rare, as our signing speculation and halfback threads can atest too. Good halves, game changing halves are extremely rare... to get two of them who are good enough as both ball runners and ball players is even more rare....
like how the **** do you build a team around threading that needle?
it's easy when you're the panthers or storm and you have them, good for them, hell of a system... we dont have em... where do we get them? Anyone who has them isnt letting them go. Even if you wait out he market, and try and get a Burton if that's who you want to pin the hopes on, we're competing against a lot of other clubs. I dont like our chances. Generally speaking they're interally developed. And all due respect to Schnider and co, but i dont think we have any answers to drastically improving the halves. And the FA market is... depressing.
Complicating matters is our highest paid player is Wighton who's ball playing is extremely limited. But we're locked in on that. He's not going anywhere. We have to deal with reality on realities terms. Our reality if we have a ball runner with almost no ability to be creative as a passer or kicker as one half and that's LOCKED IN. So what, now what? We just double down on ball running and hope the stars align?
Ok. If thats what you want to sign up for, cool. That's not it for me.
So you have to find the ability to create points in structure. We need two of them. And right now we have none.
You can solve a lot of problems in attacking structure with a ball playing fullback, and the nature of the game is that they are much easier to find and develop than elite halves. Mullins 2.0 is wonderful until you understand we dont have Stuart or Daley in the halves. And find them is much harder than finding an athletic fullback who can do that, or giving Savage some grace to develop that.
Make no mistake. Unless we find elite halves, which is extremely hard, if he's to stay in the #1 jersey we will need Savage to develop ball playing if we're to be successful. We cant achieve our goals without ball playing... if it doesnt come from #1, or #6 and the #7 is a unicorn that's incredibly difficult to develop and no great prospects on deck, and even hard to find on the FA market because no one lets the good ones go... where does that leave you?
A **** football is where.
Yes, of course great halves don't grow on trees. My point is almost anything is an upgrade on what we have in the halves now, whereas the fullbacks that have recently been on offer have clear negatives to their game, which can almost entirely offset their positives. I struggle to justify replacing one of our best spine players with yet another limited player.
Anyway, the key is to recruit the best available talent and build your squad around those strengths.
At the moment I see our strength as a forward pack with ball playing ability. In the absence of an elite playmaker at 7 or 1 I want us to complement our forwards with speed in the backs, a solid defence and a kicking game which is better than mediocre.
IMO our fullbacks have not let us down this season. Some of our outside backs and halves have. Not all winning teams need to play exactly like Melbourne or Penrith.
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Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
NRL.com power rankings
9. Canberra Raiders (12)
I rewarded the Raiders because of their past two weeks. However, I'm cautious about how they'll come up against the Eels this week. If they win, they'll make the eight; if they lose, it's season done. Canberra have brought some young talent through - Xavier Savage has been exceptional - and I like the look of them.
Read more: https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/07/19/sow ... r-dragons/
MOMENT OF THE WEEK: Tom Starling and Corey Harawira-Naera for their tackle on Ronaldo Mulitalo which forced the error which led to Xavier Savage's first NRL try: https://www.raiders.com.au/news/2021/07 ... ms-double/
VIDEO: Jack Wighton on the Sunday Footy Show: https://www.raiders.com.au/news/2021/07 ... ooty-show/
MATCH GALLERY: Raiders v Sharks: https://www.raiders.com.au/news/2021/07 ... -v-sharks/
9. Canberra Raiders (12)
I rewarded the Raiders because of their past two weeks. However, I'm cautious about how they'll come up against the Eels this week. If they win, they'll make the eight; if they lose, it's season done. Canberra have brought some young talent through - Xavier Savage has been exceptional - and I like the look of them.
Read more: https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/07/19/sow ... r-dragons/
MOMENT OF THE WEEK: Tom Starling and Corey Harawira-Naera for their tackle on Ronaldo Mulitalo which forced the error which led to Xavier Savage's first NRL try: https://www.raiders.com.au/news/2021/07 ... ms-double/
VIDEO: Jack Wighton on the Sunday Footy Show: https://www.raiders.com.au/news/2021/07 ... ooty-show/
MATCH GALLERY: Raiders v Sharks: https://www.raiders.com.au/news/2021/07 ... -v-sharks/
Re: 2021 Rd 18 V Sharks: Game Day
I don't agree with Jamie that if we lose to the Eels it is season over. But it sure would be a massive boost to finals hopes if the Raiders can win.