2018 NRL Side

[heartly87]

Mate Friend is a better player than Macca.

Simple.

Macca’s only talent is tackling. The Hooker gets his hands on the ball more than anyone so he has to be an attacking threat.

Macca simply isn’t.

Mate go and read the chookpen forums. They think Macca is the better hooker and your hero is a dud. This is how it is. Alwsys unhappy with what you have, think the grass is greener ect. But thats just your opinion, my opinion is the complete opposite. Macca is better and is not selfish like Friend who often impedes his playmakers by taking it on himself. His short kicking game is shit. My best mate is a rooster man and he hates Friend in the last few years also. But thats Rooster men for ya always wanting something new.

 

[tommy]

He kicks out on the full more than any person I have ever seen.

Anyone got a stat for this? @SuperFreak? @Unbreakable?I can't remember him kicking out on the full too often

 

[holdzy]

But he has slow service*

*still yet to be proven

It is occasionally a little slow when we are attacking close to the oppositions line, he'll do a stop and look when he should do a scoot and shoot. My only real issue with Macca is again, occasionally, he makes bad decisions about where to send the ball. Like I suggested earlier, perhaps he lacks a bit of vision. His one in a hundred show and go is evidence of this.

 

[WASSHHH]

You can’t have both quick service and perfect service (by this I mean always making the right choice of which side to attack), it can only be one or the other.
When Smith provides what most would consider perfect service, I genuinely believe he is made to look great by the fact he has always been surrounded by other great players (seriously, the guy has never played in a dud team) so there is always a fallback option with the play rarely breaking down.
When Smith provides quick service it is always because a) he has someone (seriously, how often has that someone not been a premier half - Cronk, Thurston, Lockyer) screaming for the ball or b) he’s got the utmost confidence with his halves (whoever they are) because the teams he plays in are always so well drilled and full of superstars.
McCullough (and every other nine for that matter) doesn’t have this luxury.
I may be wrong, but I think Smith and the Storm are going to come right back to the field this year in the absence of Cronk and in turn, with 2 rookie halves and an aging, albeit all-time great, fullback.
I guess time will tell.

 

[theshed]

Macca is the Darius Boyd of hookers.

 

[Foordy]

The bolded is absolute horse shit that’s been spouted on here time and time again. Nah you’re right, Macca intentionally plays poorly and only try’s to win when it’s contract time.

whenever he has no competition or questions over his position, he goes into his comfort zone. the second there is speculation that someone else could take his spot his form increases significantly.

top hookers, don't wait until their spot is in jeopardy (or speculated to be in jeopardy) to hit their best form ... they are there or thereabouts every bloody week.

Macca can't or won't do that ... and that is why he will never be anything more than a middle of pack hooker.

he has it in him to be one of the better hookers in the comp, but only bringing that form out when his spot is in jeopardy is simply not good enough.

 

[_wwong]

Macca overall is an average dummy half but he's the absolute best thing ever since sliced bread the broncos have at the moment.

 

[Cult]

whenever he has no competition or questions over his position, he goes into his comfort zone. the second there is speculation that someone else could take his spot his form increases significantly.

top hookers, don't wait until their spot is in jeopardy (or speculated to be in jeopardy) to hit their best form ... they are there or thereabouts every bloody week.

Macca can't or won't do that ... and that is why he will never be anything more than a middle of pack hooker.

he has it in him to be one of the better hookers in the comp, but only bringing that form out when his spot is in jeopardy is simply not good enough.

If middle of the pack is 2nd best in the game then sure, can we really complain? Also who was pushing for his spot for the first half of this year? Kodi? Travis Waddell? I don't think so.

Both Friend and Hodgson have moved down the rankings dramatically. Hodgson wasn't as good when his clubs draw wasn't the easiest in the comp and what has Friend done in the last 2/3 years? He's done absolutely nothing. Who else is there?

 

[Broncapz]

Apart from Smith, no 9's are setting the competition alight. Macca is NRL quality and value for money, money which we can use elsewhere.

Having Macca @ 9 does not dimish our chances at a premiership. He's just not the greatest player ever.

 

[Broncs_Fan]

Lol Macca is better than all those players though... Anyone who doesn't think he is the second best hooker in the NRL at the moment doesn't understand the game. Yes Hunt, Parcell and Granville are flashier, but they are incredibly inconsistent and are not genuine 80 minute hookers. To be honest, all those players are more in the Nikorima / Super Sub sort of category than they are genuine hookers. We didn't let Ash Taylor go because of Money. To blame anyone other than Bennett for Ash Taylor leaving is ridiculous. He cooked it. He can say that he wanted Ash to grow and all this crap but if he genuinely thought Ash was going to be a superstar, he wouldn't have released him a year early.

Exactly. Bennett miscalculated how good Taylor turned out to be.

 

[Taylor1921]

whenever he has no competition or questions over his position, he goes into his comfort zone. the second there is speculation that someone else could take his spot his form increases significantly.

top hookers, don't wait until their spot is in jeopardy (or speculated to be in jeopardy) to hit their best form ... they are there or thereabouts every bloody week.

Macca can't or won't do that ... and that is why he will never be anything more than a middle of pack hooker.

he has it in him to be one of the better hookers in the comp, but only bringing that form out when his spot is in jeopardy is simply not good enough.

You are imagining this mate.

 

[Taylor1921]

Macca overall is an average dummy half but he's the absolute best thing ever since sliced bread the broncos have at the moment.

Average, would love to see what good is in your books.

 

[_wwong]

Average, would love to see what good is in your books.

I think Melbourne storm have a good hooker.

 

[Wolfie]

If Bennett wanted to keep Ash, he would have kept him. Wayne doesnt keep players he doesnt want, but at the same time, if he sees a better pathway for a young fella coming through he wont stand in their way and hold back their careers, which is why so many players respect him. He does whats best for the player first.

 

[Kyall]

Exactly. Bennett miscalculated how good Taylor turned out to be.

Taylor has done nothing to prove himself, especially demanding the money he is.

 

[Alec]

I'm not a fan of Macca, as people who read my posts might now, but I agree that the competition right now is pretty lackluster. Outside of Smith, everyone else is fairly ordinary.

 

[Cult]

Exactly. Bennett miscalculated how good Taylor turned out to be.

Yeah, he probably thought he'd turn out much better. He hasn't reached his peak yet but I can't see him getting much better at the Northern NSW Titans

 

[tommy]

Taylor has done nothing to prove himself, especially demanding the money he is.

I doubt he demanded that money. The dumbass Titans probably threw it at him and begged him to stay promising there's more where that came from.