2017 Line-up

So no opacic for start of next season. Getting both shoulders reconstructed. Kahu to left centre?
 
winslow_wong said:
So no opacic for start of next season. Getting both shoulders reconstructed. Kahu to left centre?
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Pleased it it finally came out what he was playing through in that cowboys game. I felt he got a lot of unfair criticism from that game when he really shouldn't have been playing, and he played for quite a while after he popped out his shoulder. He is as tough as they come.

What it does do is give the likes of Pangai, Mead and Pearson a chance to push their claims for a center or winger spot before he gets fit. He is going to miss at least 5 months.
 
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These 5 month diagnosis are always never on the money. Odds on he will be fit around the opening rounds. We are pretty much 5 months away from the new season now, (normally starts at the start of march) so he has plenty of time to recover from surgery.
 
mitch222 said:
These 5 month diagnosis are always never on the money. Odds on he will be fit around the opening rounds. We are pretty much 5 months away from the new season now, (normally starts at the start of march) so he has plenty of time to recover from surgery.
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Knowing the extent of his two shoulder injuries, I honestly can't see it happening. I don't think there is any need to try to rush him back either tbh. Let's get him 100% right.
 
Hello all! I've been lurking a fair bit this year, but never actually posted.

Recently I've been having a somewhat radical idea that even I laughed off at first, but the more I think about it, the more I believe it 'could' work, even if it's a gamble.

Essentially, I feel that:
  • Oates is a somewhat of a liability under the high ball. Even if he improves, there's always that chance he'll spill it and teams will be forever testing him now.
  • Oates is not ready for the 2nd row.
  • We have great depth already in the 2nd row. Gillett, Thaiday, Glenn, Su'A (coming through and definitely one we want to keep)
  • Oates' attacking potency is still formidable and hard to give up. Still seems to have more to offer in the outside backs.

Also:
  • I still have doubts over Opacic. He's decent defensively, and has a bit of size on him, but he's so slow. Just go back and watch how far he falls behind in the recent Rooster's game. And he's young. He's only gonna get slower. Feels like Reed at the end of his career. (Cannot post links yet. Watch "Round 26, 2016 - Anthony Milford try vs Roosters" on youtube by broncoshq).
  • Pearson is a better long-term prospect.
  • Kahu is a great centre and I would like to see him get more ball. But he's small, and putting him outside milford screams defensive liability considering both of their size. Teams would just send players at them constantly.
  • Milford is still a defensive liability even with his weight gained.
  • Milford has lost a lot of attacking potency and game involvement with his increased weight. He gets too gassed.
  • Opacic feels like more of a depth player. Good for injuries and Origin period.

Many of you can probably see where I'm going with this, and yes, it's pretty radical and could backfire. But there's a chance it could be a masterstroke imo.
Oates to left centre - Mead to left wing with pearson to take over when mead probably leaves the year after.

Doing this will:
  • Oates is big, tall, and strong. Could be absolutely great defensively if he doesn't make bad reads. And yes, i know he's done so in the past (2015 GF). This is the big point against this suggestion.
  • If Oates is great defensively, milford can shed some weight again and go back to having better attacking potency and game involvement. He'd essentially have two 2nd rowers around him to make-up for him defensively.
  • Removes Oates from under the high-ball defensively. Still allows of the chance of having him under the high ball in attack.
  • Imagine a lethal milford, line breaking oates, and mead(or pearson) on the wing in attack close to the line. Would be amazing in attack. I'm getting an inglis-boyd origin esque feeling. Milford draws defenders or just steps his way through. Oates draws defenders or just steam rolls his way through. Mead (or pearson) just finishes because all the defenders have stacked the other two.

What do you guys think? Stupid? Mildly feasible but unlikely? Or very feasible?

p.s. If Opacic has to miss the first few rounds of 2017 anyway, it doesn't seem too out there to trial this until he returns.
 
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These days positions aren't set in stone anyway. Maybe Oates could defend in the centres and switch to the wing in attack.
 
We need a hit man/ bodyguard/tunza for Milford. Oates could potentially be the man for it.
 
Oates to centre is not that radical, some of us have suggested it before and some of us have often said that we feel he should play out his career in the backs. I too believe he should be a centre, as other have said, he has a lot of Gene Miles about him.
 
If it turns out that Oates can pass, and not just tuck the ball under his arm, I think him playing centre could be a great idea.
 
Random team with no thought

Boyd
Mead
Oates
Roberts
Kahu
Milford
Hunt
Napa
McCullough
McGuire
Gillett
Thaiday
McGuire

Lolohea
Pangai
Glenn
Ofahengaue
 
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