2018 NRL Side

[Taylor1921]

Yeah!! About time Kodi got some love. He 110% deserves a chance to make the number 7 his own.

Totally agree, he has done nothing but improve every single season, who knows what next season holds for Kodi.

 

[Battler]

I'd be fine with giving Elgey one year, as depth. If anyone could re ignite his career it'd be Bennett. Atleast he would add halves competition and depth.

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]

**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.

 

[Dash]

**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.

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]

Totally agree, he has done nothing but improve every single season, who knows what next season holds for Kodi.

A premiership is in front of him =)

 

[theshed]

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.

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.

 

[Dash]

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.

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]

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.

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]

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.

2018 backline has Boyd, Oates, Roberts, Opacic / Bird and Kahu. With all due respect to Hodges, that is an infinitely better backline than 2014...

 

[Dash]

2018 backline has Boyd, Oates, Roberts, Opacic / Bird and Kahu. With all due respect to Hodges, that is an infinitely better backline than 2014...

I was half kidding on the Hodges thing. Our current backline is obviously much better.

 

[Dash]

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.

Seems we do agree. I took it too literally as a player comparison.

 

[Stix]

So with November 1st almost here is anyone worried about Oates or TPJ being poached?
I can't remember who else is off contract next year but these 2 will be getting offers no doubt.

 

[pagey]

So with November 1st almost here is anyone worried about Oates or TPJ being poached?
I can't remember who else is off contract next year but these 2 will be getting offers no doubt.

It all seems to slow behind the scenes .

 

[Taylor1921]

It doesn't matter what your squad looks like, it's how they perform. 2nd 5th 3rd, since Hook left.

 

[pagey]

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]

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?

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]

So with November 1st almost here is anyone worried about Oates or TPJ being poached?
I can't remember who else is off contract next year but these 2 will be getting offers no doubt.

I think we will lose oates due to wanting to pkay in the backrow , cows might go hard for a replacement for cooper eventually

 

[Kyall]

I can live with losing Oates, but TPJ on the other hand we need to offer him a long extension say 4 years for a medium price before he hits top form in the next year or two.