The Wayne Bennett Super thread!

[QUEENSLANDER]

FWIW AP was always against wallace

 

[johnny plath]

Re: Wayne Bennet's 2015 Team Line Up

Yeah for sure. Honestly I hope he does stay as I too would like to see how he goes under Bennett. Interesting times ahead. Bennett marches to the beat of his own drum and we're in for an exciting 2015.

I agree that his proper position is in the halves as well but has it really been as good as a lot are making out? I'm sure you rnabokov, as well as many here have noticed our points have dried up. Interesting that during the time Hoffman, who was almost universally despised in the position, was there we were scoring 20-30 points a game. Barba, who many rate as a much better option there, in 2 of his three games we have failed to crack double figures. Obviously with the off field stuff and Ben Hunt's sudden drop off in form have probably been the major factors but it's interesting nonetheless. We won't beat too many teams scoring only one or two tries.

Well just in regard to scoring 20 - 30 points a game with Hoffman at 5/8, I don't actually recall Hoffman being responsible for too many of them, and if anything it seemed to be a case of us scoring points despite Hoffman being at 5/8, rather than any contribution from him. There seems to be a view, mostly from the media that Hoffman moved to fullback because of Barba's form, yet I can't help feel theres a bit of rewriting history here after the event. My sense was that Hoffman was so poor at 5/8 he had to go, and Barba was the only option conservative Hook was happy with because he could then keep Hoffman in the team. Given how our points have dried up (although wasn,t Barba's first game at 5/8 v Warriors, where we scored 28) maybe Barba at fullback was responsible for more points than we give credit for, because at fullback Hoffman is as effective at creating points as he was at 5/8 (not very), but Barba seems to continue to be the convenient whipping boy. I think if we had had a 5/8 for the season Barba would have had a smoother transition into the club, instead he was put into a role where he effectively played 2 positions during a game, and as a result did neither that well, effecting his own game and confidence to a stage where ironically people now talk about how well Hoffman is going at fullback. If my memory serves ok, I don't think Hoffman is playing any differently at fullback now, to when he previously stank it up in that position, yet people now seem to be ok with it.

 

[Mr Fourex]

Re: Wayne Bennet's 2015 Team Line Up

If you could please show me your post from 2008 where you said that was a bad move that'd be much appreciated.

Wallace at the time was pinned as a long-term NSW halfback. Carved up in game one but unfortunately for him had his nuts carved up in game 2. Regardless of that, he was showing plenty of promise that year, and wasn't too far off the pace in Dally M voting if I recall correctly. Nobody at that time predicted his form would drop the way it did (and like I said AP, I will stand corrected if you find your post in the archives that predicts otherwise). I remember Gus Gould saying during one of our games that Panthers fans were livid that they lost him.

In saying that, he showed more of his 2008 form for the Panthers this year before he got injured, which leads me to believe he is capable of better than what he has shown since 2010ish.

As much a it pains me to say (and it really does)....I can live with most of what you're saying. In the beginning, Wallace did promise hope. He dropped away a tad earlier than 2010 though.....the back half of 2008, after he ruptured his testicle is when I first saw signs of it. He regrouped in 2009, but it was a painful realisation, to see that when Lockyer was out with injury and we needed Wallace to stand up.....he couldn't. It was the beginning of the end for me.

I don't blame Bennett for signing him.....but I sure as hell think Andrew Gee was a complete fucken moron for re-signing him in 2012.

 

[Rabbir]

Jackson didn't knock that on?

 

[I bleed Maroon]

If Wayne ditches Barba for Boyd at 6, he will lose any belief and respect I have for him.

 

[rnabokov]

If Wayne ditches Barba for Boyd at 6, he will lose any belief and respect I have for him.

I'm lucky. I have none to lose.

 

[Anonymous person]

Re: Wayne Bennet's 2015 Team Line Up

You can.

The forum was relaunched just in time to discuss the 2008 season.

EDIT: Unless of course you took a sabbatical with your previous account around that time.

my Stu, Kid Clown, and Frank the Tank accounts all seem to have had all traces of them removed from BHQ lol. i can find a few posts that people quoted from Frank the Tank, but the account and all its posts are gone, same with the others.

someone didnt like me very much back then lol. still doesnt, but didnt back then either.

i can 100% assure you though that i very much was not happy with signing him, and then even more unhappy with his resigning, especially for such a long contract, and made those feelings very well known on here, as i tend to do lol. 2008 was when i regained a lot of lost love for the broncos after Bennetts departure was announced, so for us to go and sign him again I was livid.

 

[Big Pete]

Yeah, fair enough.

Still, bit tough to claim any bragging rights when there isn't any evidence to back it up but really, who cares? :laugh: Regardless, you can blame Wayne for a lot of mistakes, but that wasn't one of them.

 

[rnabokov]

Hey AP - repeat after me: Gillett is the best back rower in the world

 

[austin71]

I'd love to watch this team roll out every week next year.

1.Milford
2.Hoffman
3.Copley
4.Hodges
5.Vidot
6.Barba
7.Hunt
8.Mcguire
9.Macca
10.Hannant
11.Gillett
12.Thaiday
13.Parker

14.Ash Taylor/Nikorima
15.Glenn
16.Kennedy
17.Garbutt
18.Oates
19.Hala

Hoffman to rove like Merritt used to do for the Rabbits. Pretty dangerous team Imo. Under Bennett I think Dave Hala can do the same job as kennedy so I wouldn't mind if he was let go... Hala being on nowhere near that sort of money.

 

[rnabokov]

Can Hala pass and offload or just run into brick walls?

With a team as mobile as the one above, and especially with the speed in the halves + Milford, more than ever we need forwards who pass the ball and offload

 

[Big Pete]

Can Hala pass and offload or just run into brick walls?

With a team as mobile as the one above, and especially with the speed in the halves + Milford, more than ever we need forwards who pass the ball and offload

I remember last year during our crappy mid-season run, Dave Hala was putting his hand up and really trying to get something out of the team and would move like he was Scott Prince down the right hand fringe and would throw these decent short passes in an effort to get things happening.

Could be getting my dates confused, but one of those games was against the Tigers at Suncorp.

Don't know if you'd want Dave passing the ball often - the odd pass would be pretty lethal since he draws defenders but I reckon you'd want him making an imprint on the defensive line, getting a quick play the ball and running off of that for the rest of the set.

 

[rnabokov]

I remember last year during our crappy mid-season run, Dave Hala was putting his hand up and really trying to get something out of the team and would move like he was Scott Prince down the right hand fringe and would throw these decent short passes in an effort to get things happening.

Could be getting my dates confused, but one of those games was against the Tigers at Suncorp.

Don't know if you'd want Dave passing the ball often - the odd pass would be pretty lethal since he draws defenders but I reckon you'd want him making an imprint on the defensive line, getting a quick play the ball and running off of that for the rest of the set.

Good point, as long as Dave can last for more than 10 minutes

 

[austin71]

When Hala played under 20s he offloaded all the time. I think it's Griffins game plan that has him holding onto the ball. The Nrl hasn't seen Hala at his best. It's a shame because from what I saw years ago he has alot more skills then he shows now.

 

[Mr Fourex]

I'd love to watch this team roll out every week next year.

1.Milford
2.Hoffman
3.Copley
4.Hodges
5.Vidot
6.Barba
7.Hunt
8.Mcguire
9.Macca
10.Hannant
11.Gillett
12.Thaiday
13.Parker

14.Ash Taylor/Nikorima
15.Glenn
16.Kennedy
17.Garbutt
18.Oates
19.Hala

Hoffman to rove like Merritt used to do for the Rabbits. Pretty dangerous team Imo. Under Bennett I think Dave Hala can do the same job as kennedy so I wouldn't mind if he was let go... Hala being on nowhere near that sort of money.

I like it....but it's a shame you've left out Oates from the starting 17.

With all the fullbacks and halves we already have in the backline, do we really need another one taking up space on the bench?

 

[Big Pete]

Hala's biggest problem is his body.

Anytime he's ever looked like kicking on and having a respectable career in the NRL, he's suffered some season ending/long term injury and it's set him back to square one.

For a power forward like him, it's difficult as timing, fitness etc is everything.

Hook would know better than most what he's capable of since he's probably known him since his Dolphins days and coached him in 20s where you would have seen him throwing those offloads but despite persisting with him for so long he hasn't had an ounce of luck.

 

[austin71]

I like it....but it's a shame you've left out Oates from the starting 17.

With all the fullbacks and halves we already have in the backline, do we really need another one taking up space on the bench?

Someone is always injured so most weeks Oates would be in the 17. Just though when Macca goes off for his 15 min break without a ball player or someone quick out of dummy half the Bronx have looked horrible. Stagg went to dummy half one game and it was a train wreck.

 

[austin71]

Agreed Hala has had no luck at all. Hopefully Bennett brings the best out in Big Dave.