Taylor1921
QCup Player
- Apr 18, 2014
- 833
- 470
Totally agree, he has done nothing but improve every single season, who knows what next season holds for Kodi.
2018 NRL Side
- Thread starter PerthBrissy987
- Start date
Battler
State of Origin Rep
- Dec 4, 2013
- 7,197
- 7,091
Yep coming off a serious injury would have hampered his confidence last year. Worth having a look at if the tits are desperate to offload him.
theshed
Just a Game
- Aug 28, 2010
- 15,601
- 36,349
**TRIGGER WARNING**
Just for a bit of context. Here is our 2014 (the season before Wayne returned) squad.
I picked it based roughly on where each player spent most the season but not all will be completely correct.
1. Ben Barba
2. Daniel Vidot
3. Jack Reed
4. Justin Hodges
5. Dale Copley
6. Josh Hoffman
7. Ben Hunt
8. Josh McGuire
9. Andrew McCullough
10. Corey Parker
11. Alex Glenn
12. Matt Gillett
13. Sam Thaiday
Interchange: Jarrod Wallace, Martin Kennedy, Ben Hannant, Corey Oates.
No matter how we line up next year, we are doing better than that.
Just for a bit of context. Here is our 2014 (the season before Wayne returned) squad.
I picked it based roughly on where each player spent most the season but not all will be completely correct.
1. Ben Barba
2. Daniel Vidot
3. Jack Reed
4. Justin Hodges
5. Dale Copley
6. Josh Hoffman
7. Ben Hunt
8. Josh McGuire
9. Andrew McCullough
10. Corey Parker
11. Alex Glenn
12. Matt Gillett
13. Sam Thaiday
Interchange: Jarrod Wallace, Martin Kennedy, Ben Hannant, Corey Oates.
No matter how we line up next year, we are doing better than that.
- Dec 12, 2014
- 6,410
- 7,245
Not by much. That forward pack is better than our current one. We've basically swapped (peak) Corey Parker, Hannant and Wallace for TPJ, Ofa and *maybe* Lodge.
2014 backline has Hodges. Enough said.
Halves are improved by default because Hoggman, but 2014 Hunt shits all over the recent form of our 2018 pairing.
Jack Bird is an improvement whichever position he ends up playing and is probably the tie-breaker.
Mitchell_Broncos
NRL Player
- Jun 21, 2016
- 1,714
- 1,058
A premiership is in front of him =)
theshed
Just a Game
- Aug 28, 2010
- 15,601
- 36,349
I'll have to respectfully disagree. I think our team is much better now, especially once you take into account the way the players were used in 2014.
Fullback: Boyd is far better than the fat broken Barba we had in 2014.
Wing: Kahu and Oates is far better than Vidot and Dropley.
Centre: Reed was a solid player, and I wont say anything bad about the busted up plodder. Agreed that Hodges is one of the best centres of all time, and the best player we've had since Locky (honourable mention to Parker). But Roberts is better than Reed, and if Bird plays centre that pairing rivals the overall pairing of Hodges and Reed.
Halves: Ben Hunt is a loss that we haven't replaced yet. I think Hunt needed to move on and I guess we'll see how Kodi goes but like you kind of said, Milford and Kodi is far superior than any halves pairing with Hoffman in it.
Prop: McGuire is the only player who Hook seems to have played in his more natural position compared to how Wayne uses him, but any of that good work is completely undone by how bad a decision playing Corey as a 60 minute prop. That's up there with Hoffman at 6 for head scratching decisions.
Hooker: Unchanged.
Back row / lock: Thaiday at lock is also a pretty uninspired choice and I think the way we use our second row now is better.
Interchange: Ben Hannent was past it, and Martin Kennedy is the worst signing in our clubs history.
I agree there is more talent overall in the forwards but that's only due to the retirement of one of our greatest clubmen. The use of this talent under hook was bizarre though.
- Dec 12, 2014
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- 7,245
I agree with you on the usage of the players. Hannant's Cowboys stint showed he wasn't past it, and he's just one example of Hook not getting the best out of what he had. The 2014 team wasn't full of mugs- too many were being played in the wrong position, were overweight or in poor form. A better coach could have gotten a lot more out of that squad.
Our current team definitely has much more potential for improvement than the 2014 squad. I think the usage of Bird, how Nikorima and Milford work together and whether or not we get Lodge (as I believe our forward pack is undermanned without him) will decide how well we go next year.
theshed
Just a Game
- Aug 28, 2010
- 15,601
- 36,349
Seems like we are actually totally agreeing. The biggest thing I originally intended to point out was how much of a mess the team was, not necessarily that any of the players were individually bad. Barba is the most obvious example of Hook squandering and mismanaging a player's talents, and Hoffman is the prime example of Hook having no idea how to select a team line up.
The take away from what I was aiming to show was that at least we are past the Hook days.
Jason Simmons
State of Origin Rep
- Apr 18, 2013
- 5,094
- 8,095
2018 backline has Boyd, Oates, Roberts, Opacic / Bird and Kahu. With all due respect to Hodges, that is an infinitely better backline than 2014...
- Dec 12, 2014
- 6,410
- 7,245
I was half kidding on the Hodges thing. Our current backline is obviously much better.
- Dec 12, 2014
- 6,410
- 7,245
Seems we do agree. I took it too literally as a player comparison.
It all seems to slow behind the scenes .
Taylor1921
QCup Player
- Apr 18, 2014
- 833
- 470
It doesn't matter what your squad looks like, it's how they perform. 2nd 5th 3rd, since Hook left.
Thats only half true! If you have a great squad that performs and an average squad that performs! Pretty sure the great squad would win! Or am i missing something?
theshed
Just a Game
- Aug 28, 2010
- 15,601
- 36,349
I think he means its better to win a GF with a shit team than to come 9th with a team that looks great on paper.
PerthBrissy987
NRL Player
- Dec 8, 2016
- 2,548
- 1,011
- Thread starter
- #953
I think we will lose oates due to wanting to pkay in the backrow , cows might go hard for a replacement for cooper eventually
