Nick Cotric returns to Raiders on three year deal

[Matt]

Yep, CNK, Cotric and Rapana are already a grand final quality back three. Plenty of grunt there in getting us yards early in the set. The likes of Savage and HSS provide a bit more finesse.

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Do you think Savage could potentially be deployed at Centre if we went with our '19 GF back three or is that position redundant for him based on his skillset? Question is for anyone happy to answer.

He has played there before, but I don't think he will be able to handle some of the bigger Centres defensively just yet. He isn't really a "draw and pass" player, either (though that can develop). I saw a lot of him in juniors, and he still strikes me as a Winger through and through, but I can definitely see why fans (and, it seems, the club) want him to develop into a Fullback - there is a huge upside if he can pull it off, and worst case he is a very good NRL Winger. Centre gives him less space to use his strengths.

If he is a JAC we are laughing.
If he becomes a Papenhuyzen we are golden.

He does have that kind of speed. More the JAC build than the Paps build.

What's interesting is the approaches taken to each career. JAC was a straight out winger from day 1. Papenhuyzen never really played wing, he was either bench utility or FB right from word go. No mucking around with other positions, Bellamy had a pretty clear vision for each.

Yep, near identical to JAC actually.

[scooter]

I prefer Rabs Warren calling Mitchell Chalk and Jackson Crocker.

Don't forget Dane Shillington

[Raidernation]

Cotric, cnk, rapana backline would be my guess for the start of the season. I would be hard pressed to believe that savage would make the team without getting significantly better defensively in the off Season as well as bulking up a bit to help him make meters from the back. I can't image he would have been able to do that coming off a shoulder surgery.

[Matt]

He's always going to have " a history of shoulder problems."
If he's healthy that should not be a consideration, he's just as likely to do another shoulder injury in NSW Cup as he is in the NRL. Like what is the goal with this? You could stick him in NSW for 6 damn years and he'll still have a "history of shoulder problems"
If he's not healthy he shouldnt be playing fullstop.
Also i dont give a **** if he's 19. He's clearly one of the best outside backs at the club. The only reason to hold age against him is if you're not sure he's ready mentally for all that goes into an NRL preparation and game day. He proved last year that he's more than up to that task.

So those excuses for not playing him absolutely do not wash with me.
This is, or should be, a meritocracy. The best players should play. He's one of them. If he's healthy, and he's not in FG, i hope his management immediately agitates for a release. That's what we'd deserve for that kind of Bull.

'You're old enough if you're good enough.'

I think he needs to be in the top squad, be it FB or wing. However, with Cotric back, that does get a little murkier.

Where do you stand on the back 5, assuming Cotric is back? Coz I think the answer is 1 of Cotric or CNK at centre.

[Roger Kenworthy]

He's always going to have " a history of shoulder problems."
If he's healthy that should not be a consideration, he's just as likely to do another shoulder injury in NSW Cup as he is in the NRL. Like what is the goal with this? You could stick him in NSW for 6 damn years and he'll still have a "history of shoulder problems"
If he's not healthy he shouldnt be playing fullstop.
Also i dont give a **** if he's 19. He's clearly one of the best outside backs at the club. The only reason to hold age against him is if you're not sure he's ready mentally for all that goes into an NRL preparation and game day. He proved last year that he's more than up to that task.

So those excuses for not playing him absolutely do not wash with me.
This is, or should be, a meritocracy. The best players should play. He's one of them. If he's healthy, and he's not in FG, i hope his management immediately agitates for a release. That's what we'd deserve for that kind of Bull.

'You're old enough if you're good enough.'

I think he needs to be in the top squad, be it FB or wing. However, with Cotric back, that does get a little murkier.

Where do you stand on the back 5, assuming Cotric is back? Coz I think the answer is 1 of Cotric or CNK at centre.

Cotric is so tragic in the centres that even the Dogs wouldn't play him there...

[Love4Noa]

He's always going to have " a history of shoulder problems."
If he's healthy that should not be a consideration, he's just as likely to do another shoulder injury in NSW Cup as he is in the NRL. Like what is the goal with this? You could stick him in NSW for 6 damn years and he'll still have a "history of shoulder problems"
If he's not healthy he shouldnt be playing fullstop.
Also i dont give a **** if he's 19. He's clearly one of the best outside backs at the club. The only reason to hold age against him is if you're not sure he's ready mentally for all that goes into an NRL preparation and game day. He proved last year that he's more than up to that task.

So those excuses for not playing him absolutely do not wash with me.
This is, or should be, a meritocracy. The best players should play. He's one of them. If he's healthy, and he's not in FG, i hope his management immediately agitates for a release. That's what we'd deserve for that kind of Bull.

'You're old enough if you're good enough.'

I think he needs to be in the top squad, be it FB or wing. However, with Cotric back, that does get a little murkier.

Where do you stand on the back 5, assuming Cotric is back? Coz I think the answer is 1 of Cotric or CNK at centre.

Cotric is so tragic in the centres that even the Dogs wouldn't play him there...

In the current world,I'd have no problem putting Cotric in the centres. He's good enough in defence that it eases some pressure on the inside and outside men. He's a big enough body to get into the ruck and do his runs from the goal line. Putting him there does us no worse than running Croker there. Similar offerings, one is just a much younger and robust body.

If that enables Savage to be in the team, you do it. We have a world class fullback in CNK, Savage and HSS on the wings, and decent body size in Timoko and Cotric in the centres.
Rapana impact off the bench or as a replacement body when the kids need a rest during the season, he's big enough these days to slot into the second row on rotation if needed.

My biggest fear for Season 22 is the Raiders don't figure out how to get Savage in the game each week. He is our X factor.

[Botman]

Cotric is so tragic in the centres that even the Dogs wouldn't play him there...

Yeah that's a very hard no from me.
Stuart was right when he told him he was a winger, i suspect Cotric knows that is correct now too.

1. Savage 2. Rapana 3. CNK 4. Timoko/HSS 5. Cotric

its not hard and you dont need to over think it

[Roger Kenworthy]

He's always going to have " a history of shoulder problems."
If he's healthy that should not be a consideration, he's just as likely to do another shoulder injury in NSW Cup as he is in the NRL. Like what is the goal with this? You could stick him in NSW for 6 damn years and he'll still have a "history of shoulder problems"
If he's not healthy he shouldnt be playing fullstop.
Also i dont give a **** if he's 19. He's clearly one of the best outside backs at the club. The only reason to hold age against him is if you're not sure he's ready mentally for all that goes into an NRL preparation and game day. He proved last year that he's more than up to that task.

So those excuses for not playing him absolutely do not wash with me.
This is, or should be, a meritocracy. The best players should play. He's one of them. If he's healthy, and he's not in FG, i hope his management immediately agitates for a release. That's what we'd deserve for that kind of Bull.

'You're old enough if you're good enough.'

I think he needs to be in the top squad, be it FB or wing. However, with Cotric back, that does get a little murkier.

Where do you stand on the back 5, assuming Cotric is back? Coz I think the answer is 1 of Cotric or CNK at centre.

Cotric is so tragic in the centres that even the Dogs wouldn't play him there...

In the current world,I'd have no problem putting Cotric in the centres. He's good enough in defence that it eases some pressure on the inside and outside men. He's a big enough body to get into the ruck and do his runs from the goal line. Putting him there does us no worse than running Croker there. Similar offerings, one is just a much younger and robust body.

If that enables Savage to be in the team, you do it. We have a world class fullback in CNK, Savage and HSS on the wings, and decent body size in Timoko and Cotric in the centres.
Rapana impact off the bench or as a replacement body when the kids need a rest during the season, he's big enough these days to slot into the second row on rotation if needed.

My biggest fear for Season 22 is the Raiders don't figure out how to get Savage in the game each week. He is our X factor.

So we move Cotric to a position he's much less effective in and still relegate our best back (by a margin) in 2021 to the bench? Agree Savage needs to be in the mix every week, I really would prefer seeing him given a run at fullback but we know Ricky is way too conservative to take a flyer on that in Round 1. There was some media suggestion of it a couple of months ago though so you never know. I'd love to see:

1. Savage
2. Cotric
3. HSS
4. CNK
5. Rapa
17. Timoko / Kris

I think we'll see:

1. CNK
2. Cotric
3. Croker
4. Kris
5. Rapa
17. Savage

[Raiders_Pat]

In the current world,I'd have no problem putting Cotric in the centres. He's good enough in defence that it eases some pressure on the inside and outside men. He's a big enough body to get into the ruck and do his runs from the goal line. Putting him there does us no worse than running Croker there. Similar offerings, one is just a much younger and robust body.

If that enables Savage to be in the team, you do it. We have a world class fullback in CNK, Savage and HSS on the wings, and decent body size in Timoko and Cotric in the centres.
Rapana impact off the bench or as a replacement body when the kids need a rest during the season, he's big enough these days to slot into the second row on rotation if needed.

My biggest fear for Season 22 is the Raiders don't figure out how to get Savage in the game each week. He is our X factor.

Lol. Sorry but nah. This is exactly what I don't want to see next year. Nicoll-Klokstad is not a world class fullback. He sits comfortably in the bottom half of the comp as far as fullbacks go and is paid accordingly. He doesn't have clubs lining up for his signature either. But he's solid as an outside back. I think you put the x-factor at the back, our two wingers who have played at rep level in Rapana and Cotric on each wing and CNK goes to centre... Smith-Shields, Timoko and Croker to duke it out for the other centre spot. I'm not sure we have room to carry an outside back on the bench unless they can do a stint in the forwards if required.

[Matt]

So we move Cotric to a position he's much less effective in and still relegate our best back (by a margin) in 2021 to the bench? Agree Savage needs to be in the mix every week, I really would prefer seeing him given a run at fullback but we know Ricky is way too conservative to take a flyer on that in Round 1. There was some media suggestion of it a couple of months ago though so you never know. I'd love to see:

1. Savage
2. Cotric
3. HSS
4. CNK
5. Rapa
17. Timoko / Kris

I think we'll see:

1. CNK
2. Cotric
3. Croker
4. Kris
5. Rapa
17. Savage

This screams stubborn Ricky, doesn't it?!?

[Matt]

Cotric is so tragic in the centres that even the Dogs wouldn't play him there...

Yeah that's a very hard no from me.
Stuart was right when he told him he was a winger, i suspect Cotric knows that is correct now too.

1. Savage 2. Rapana 3. CNK 4. Timoko/HSS 5. Cotric

its not hard and you dont need to over think it

He did, and while I tend to agree, I'm tempted too see what/if we can, get the best of both worlds with CNK and Savage if they are at 1 and 2. Id love to see a Turbo/Teddy styled dual/interchangeable FBs setup.

In that situation I'd go:
1. Savage/CNK
2. CNK/Savage
3. HSS (I prefer HSS maturity and defence over Timokos tackle busts)
4. Cotric (no reason why he can't be a BJ type centre)
5. Rapa

That said, I'd be very very ok with the back 5 above.

[Andymachine]

Lol. Sorry but nah. This is exactly what I don't want to see next year. Nicoll-Klokstad is not a world class fullback. He sits comfortably in the bottom half of the comp as far as fullbacks go and is paid accordingly. He doesn't have clubs lining up for his signature either. But he's solid as an outside back. I think you put the x-factor at the back, our two wingers who have played at rep level in Rapana and Cotric on each wing and CNK goes to centre... Smith-Shields, Timoko and Croker to duke it out for the other centre spot. I'm not sure we have room to carry an outside back on the bench unless they can do a stint in the forwards if required.

I 100% want to see an outside back on the bench after the 5-6 debacles we had last year where a back went off and failed a HIA.

It happened 3 times before Ricky said in a press conference that he hadn't learned from his mistakes and needed to carry a back on the bench. So he did it for a handful of games before reverting back to 3 middles and a hooker and low and behold... more HIAs to the backs!! I think that either Seb Kris or Timoko could play that role well.

If Savage gets a start at fullback (which I don't think he will but I wouldn't mind to see it) then CNK will be a great centre and I want to see HSS get the other spot. There's no scenario now where I'd want to see Croker start a game in a full strength team.

[Seiffert82]

Kris is a great option for the bench as he can cover the 3/4 line and back row at a pinch.

[GreenGirl]

I am pretty confident that Rapana is not going to be in the team come round 1 -

[bonehead]

I am pretty confident that Rapana is not going to be in the team come round 1 -

only if there's off field issues

Sent from my SM-G991B using Tapatalk

[afgtnk]

Issue is that we still don't have much speed on the wings. Rapana, Cotric, HSS, Valemei - none are quick. CNK at centre would give us another slow coach occupying a position. If we get CNK and Croker together, forget it.

[greeneyed]

Nik Cotric Instagram Story… back in Canberra with his dog… “Bulldogs” removed from his profile.

[Botman]

Issue is that we still don't have much speed on the wings. Rapana, Cotric, HSS, Valemei - none are quick. CNK at centre would give us another slow coach occupying a position. If we get CNK and Croker together, forget it.

Yes, speed is an issue.
That was the case with Simo though because his speed never translated on an NRL field in his time here, and i concede that might have been a product of our system rather than the player itself.
So i dont know that we're functionally any worse right now, but you're right to point out speed in the back 5 is massive issue. And gets worse if Savage isnt in the team

[Matt]

Issue is that we still don't have much speed on the wings. Rapana, Cotric, HSS, Valemei - none are quick. CNK at centre would give us another slow coach occupying a position. If we get CNK and Croker together, forget it.

Yes, speed is an issue.
That was the case with Simo though because his speed never translated on an NRL field in his time here, and i concede that might have been a product of our system rather than the player itself.
So i dont know that we're functionally any worse right now, but you're right to point out speed in the back 5 is massive issue. And gets worse if Savage isnt in the team

Yes, speed is a issue.

Im very very on board the Savage train. Im in the tender, throwing coal at Ricky, hoping this train driver can catch the message we are laying down. 1 or 2, whatever the coach sees fit, but he needs to be there.

HSS and Timoko both proved their wheels are more than acceptable at NRL level. They won't go 100, but 50-60, sure. They aren't JAC, Saab, Papenhuyzen or that new Koala kid at Manly (who has a recorded time quicker than Savage), but perfectly acceptable.

I've seen CNK look fast and slow, but I tend to think anything further than 35-40m and he gets run down.

It's been a while since I've seen Cotric in space, but while he was never a home run hitter, his speed wasn't awful. Probably in the same boat as CNK.

Rapa has lost his juice. We saw that a few times last yr, 20-30m is his range.

[GreenGirl]

I am pretty confident that Rapana is not going to be in the team come round 1 -

only if there's off field issues

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As far as I'm aware neither the club nor NRL has addressed his punishment for the DUI ?

I could be wrong though

[Postman Pat]

Nik Cotric Instagram Story… back in Canberra with his dog… “Bulldogs” removed from his profile.

He’s back!

[MrPosh]

Rapana may well start the season, but I'll be surprised if he's still in the team by round six.

I'd love to be wrong, but he looks to me like he's hit a wall.

[Billy Walker]

Rapana may well start the season, but I'll be surprised if he's still in the team by round six.

I'd love to be wrong, but he looks to me like he's hit a wall.

Unpopular view there Posh but I’m with you. Whether people like it or not it’s the truth is neither Rapa or Croker are retiring as premiership players, so the sooner we bring in players that might be a chance of being premiership winners for us the better.

[Raiders_Pat]

Rapana may well start the season, but I'll be surprised if he's still in the team by round six.

I'd love to be wrong, but he looks to me like he's hit a wall.

I remember saying something similar around about a year ago. Turned out to be wrong. He's 32 now so wouldn't at all be surprised if he falls off... but he's a very competitive spirit so I've got a feeling he will turn up again next year.

[Wiki Special]

Rapana may well start the season, but I'll be surprised if he's still in the team by round six.

I'd love to be wrong, but he looks to me like he's hit a wall.

Playing Rapana as a bench weapon may be something to help us extend his career. I wrote in another topic a couple of months ago that a strong bench is probably even more important in Vlandysball and that our best bench from who we have contains Starling, Rapana, Tapine and Young. We hadn't signed anyone new for 2022 yet so I also said Rapana would have to start but maybe with Cotric back now it may happen?

[Rick]

Lol. Sorry but nah. This is exactly what I don't want to see next year. Nicoll-Klokstad is not a world class fullback. He sits comfortably in the bottom half of the comp as far as fullbacks go and is paid accordingly. He doesn't have clubs lining up for his signature either. But he's solid as an outside back. I think you put the x-factor at the back, our two wingers who have played at rep level in Rapana and Cotric on each wing and CNK goes to centre... Smith-Shields, Timoko and Croker to duke it out for the other centre spot. I'm not sure we have room to carry an outside back on the bench unless they can do a stint in the forwards if required.

I 100% want to see an outside back on the bench after the 5-6 debacles we had last year where a back went off and failed a HIA.

It happened 3 times before Ricky said in a press conference that he hadn't learned from his mistakes and needed to carry a back on the bench. So he did it for a handful of games before reverting back to 3 middles and a hooker and low and behold... more HIAs to the backs!! I think that either Seb Kris or Timoko could play that role well.

If Savage gets a start at fullback (which I don't think he will but I wouldn't mind to see it) then CNK will be a great centre and I want to see HSS get the other spot. There's no scenario now where I'd want to see Croker start a game in a full strength team.

In the past teams have looked for a forward who can cover a role in the backs. We have done it ourselves with Bateman,Whitehead, J. Thompson etc.

I believe the game has swung around and you need to carry a back on the bench but also have one of the back 5 (or 14) be able to cover a spot in the forwards.

For mine in our current squad that is Rapana, Cotric (we all know he is part of the squad) or Kris.

I can’t see CNK, Savage, Croker, HSS, Timoko or Semi filling that role.

Having Rapana and Cotric start may allow us to carry Savage on the bench. Can we do that with Hodgson starting and Starling on the bench? Maybe. All depends on who is selected at 13 and how our fitness pans out.

14- Starling
15- Savage
16- Prop
17- Prop


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[Rickmando]

Rapana may well start the season, but I'll be surprised if he's still in the team by round six.

I'd love to be wrong, but he looks to me like he's hit a wall.

Playing Rapana as a bench weapon may be something to help us extend his career. I wrote in another topic a couple of months ago that a strong bench is probably even more important in Vlandysball and that our best bench from who we have contains Starling, Rapana, Tapine and Young. We hadn't signed anyone new for 2022 yet so I also said Rapana would have to start but maybe with Cotric back now it may happen?

It’s extremely out there… but if you wanted Rapana as a bench weapon I reckon you’re best off deploying him as a high energy roaming fullback for cameos. You get his hit up ability out of our end, and his ad lib play when he joins the line in attack.

I know it’d be destabilising to the spine to introduce him in this fashion mid-game, but I could see him being an X-factor/momentum changer coming on as a fresh second half fullback.

Unlike some of our other overpaid/underperforming types, I’ll be gutted the day Raps hangs them up. He’s been amazing for us, his effort and energy are second to none

[Billy Walker]

Rapana may well start the season, but I'll be surprised if he's still in the team by round six.

I'd love to be wrong, but he looks to me like he's hit a wall.

Playing Rapana as a bench weapon may be something to help us extend his career. I wrote in another topic a couple of months ago that a strong bench is probably even more important in Vlandysball and that our best bench from who we have contains Starling, Rapana, Tapine and Young. We hadn't signed anyone new for 2022 yet so I also said Rapana would have to start but maybe with Cotric back now it may happen?

It’s extremely out there… but if you wanted Rapana as a bench weapon I reckon you’re best off deploying him as a high energy roaming fullback for cameos. You get his hit up ability out of our end, and his ad lib play when he joins the line in attack.

I know it’d be destabilising to the spine to introduce him in this fashion mid-game, but I could see him being an X-factor/momentum changer coming on as a fresh second half fullback.

Unlike some of our other overpaid/underperforming types, I’ll be gutted the day Raps hangs them up. He’s been amazing for us, his effort and energy are second to none

You bring Rapa on in a high intensity short minutes role and he tries too hard and comes up with errors. It’s not a role he can fill. For the raiders to have a good 2022 he is one of a few players that needs to be transitioned out by higher performing young guns over the course of the year. If we are cheering Rapa at the back end of the season we are cheering home a 10th placed team again.

[Raiders_Pat]

Lol. Sorry but nah. This is exactly what I don't want to see next year. Nicoll-Klokstad is not a world class fullback. He sits comfortably in the bottom half of the comp as far as fullbacks go and is paid accordingly. He doesn't have clubs lining up for his signature either. But he's solid as an outside back. I think you put the x-factor at the back, our two wingers who have played at rep level in Rapana and Cotric on each wing and CNK goes to centre... Smith-Shields, Timoko and Croker to duke it out for the other centre spot. I'm not sure we have room to carry an outside back on the bench unless they can do a stint in the forwards if required.

I 100% want to see an outside back on the bench after the 5-6 debacles we had last year where a back went off and failed a HIA.

It happened 3 times before Ricky said in a press conference that he hadn't learned from his mistakes and needed to carry a back on the bench. So he did it for a handful of games before reverting back to 3 middles and a hooker and low and behold... more HIAs to the backs!! I think that either Seb Kris or Timoko could play that role well.

If Savage gets a start at fullback (which I don't think he will but I wouldn't mind to see it) then CNK will be a great centre and I want to see HSS get the other spot. There's no scenario now where I'd want to see Croker start a game in a full strength team.

There's no scenario where I'd want to see Croker start a game in a full strength team either but you know we're gonna have to give him a shot once he's fit, whether we like it or not.

And I'd like to carry an outside back on the bench but you need two 80min second rowers to allow for that. I don't think Whitehead can do 80 minutes there these days.

[benda]

Lots of viable options now with Cotric back.

I dont know if he js a centre for sure.

Whatever it is... i wish him luck.
Its also going to keep the coaching staff busy and really important this gets done right.

[Finchy]

Rapana may well start the season, but I'll be surprised if he's still in the team by round six.

I'd love to be wrong, but he looks to me like he's hit a wall.

Hit a wall? How? He was our best player last year, our top try scorer, probably the most tackle busts and line breaks, massive efforts and try savers. The bloke would run through a wall for the team if he saw one. He’s got plenty left to give

[twistedbydesign]

Yeah I thought Rapa was looking low on juice in 2020, but he was fantastic this year. Lock him and Cotric in as an experienced and high quality wing pairing, and develop the kids around them.

Savage at FB for mine, though as other have said he´ll likely need a spell throughout the year and CNK is a fantastic option when this happens. The centre position is harder - HSS and Timoko have shown glimpses but certainly haven´t graduated to the "must pick" category by any means. Croker will get first crack but must surely have been told at this point that his place in the team is no longer guaranteed. I´m less convinced than others that CNK´s game will convert to the centres, but not opposed to giving him a go there. Seb Kris would be behind all these guys as a straight center IMO, but his size and ability to play some back row put him in contention for a bench spot.

[Andymachine]

Yeah unless you've been watching pre-season and he's not training well then to say that Rapa looks like he's hit a wall is some straight up rubbish. If that's the case then I hope he hits another wall in 2022 because he was our best player by a mile this year and deservedly won the Meninga medal. He was low on juice in 2020 but that's after coming back from Japan overweight and with no preseason and then spending the whole year out of position.

Also, to say that if Rapa is in the team by the end of the season we're automatically having a poor year - ridiculous. I'll back him to remain a quality winger in 2022.

[BadnMean]

Issue is that we still don't have much speed on the wings. Rapana, Cotric, HSS, Valemei - none are quick. CNK at centre would give us another slow coach occupying a position. If we get CNK and Croker together, forget it.

Savage in the mix somewhere gives us that long range strike and boosts our overall speed significantly. Rapa no longer as quick. Cotric was quick enough, but agree, not especially quick for a winger. CNK accelerates ok. He'd be quicker than plenty of other centres.

If Croker is in there- I'll almost write the season off, simply for what it says about opportunity and selections. Chew up 6 games until he's dropped that could be developing HSS/Timoko who are starved of footy. If HSS is in there, he's quite zippy and raises our speed a bit. Timoko more a power player from what I see.

Either way if our wings are Rapa and Cotric, each busting tackles for fun, I want Savage sniffing around in support to take advantage.

[BadnMean]

Rapana may well start the season, but I'll be surprised if he's still in the team by round six.

I'd love to be wrong, but he looks to me like he's hit a wall.

Playing Rapana as a bench weapon may be something to help us extend his career. I wrote in another topic a couple of months ago that a strong bench is probably even more important in Vlandysball and that our best bench from who we have contains Starling, Rapana, Tapine and Young. We hadn't signed anyone new for 2022 yet so I also said Rapana would have to start but maybe with Cotric back now it may happen?

Hmm first of all, Rapana just played one of his best seasons. Different, as in the out and out speedster he used to be (allied with his strength and daring) is gone but he was very, very effective. In an often poor team. What signs do you think he's hit the wall? He was actually step quicker than when he came back too heavy after his rugby stint.

That said. Could Jordy be a good #14 in 2022? Absolutely. Covers most of the backline obviously. You could throw him in a 5/8 even if you had too, he can actually roost the ball miles (remember his 40/20?) and pass ok and would just make a nuisance of himself to keep something happening in attack.

You could throw him on at lock and he could live in the middle for stints if he had to. Big enough, footwork at the line would help, more modern type lock. His tackling isn't great for a middle but that's why he'd be a #14 not a #13. Second row- same, he'd offer enough in attack for sure and wouldn't be easily overpowered by backrowers or stepped by halves.

Not the worst idea. I think he's so much a team player too and been around long enough that his ego wouldn't get in the way either.