2024 pre-season discussion: Pre-season Premiers

[theshed]

I'm yet to see anything from mozer to warrant selection over Bill, Smoothy or even Paix to be honest. Is everyone else watching something different? Or are you all masturbating over "smith clone" fox news headlines?

Mozer showed a lot of really impressive traits coming through. Very intelligent player. He has not yet been able to do that consistently in q cup but if he does end up finding his feet against adults he will be a special player.

I agree though, from q cup performances, he hasn’t done any bring to dislodge Walters and Smoothy and this stage. Definitely a good prospect for the future though.

 

[Manofoneway]

Mozer showed a lot of really impressive traits coming through. Very intelligent player. He has not yet been able to do that consistently in q cup but if he does end up finding his feet against adults he will be a special player.

I agree though, from q cup performances, he hasn’t done any bring to dislodge Walters and Smoothy and this stage. Definitely a good prospect for the future though.

Yes. I mean I hope he lives up to the expectations but let's not forget paix was once "cronk clone" and dearden an "Alfie" clone... worst thing anybody can do is put any pressure on him.

 

[Johnny92]

I'm yet to see anything from mozer to warrant selection over Bill, Smoothy or even Paix to be honest. Is everyone else watching something different? Or are you all masturbating over "smith clone" fox news headlines?

Definitely doesn't warrant selection over Smoothy and Billy currently.
But 9s a odd position to get a gauge of a player. Guys like Cook and Grant it's easy to see how good they are. Then you have Cam Smith where if you watch him you see nothing special or flashy but he's playing you like a game of chess, going by what people say Mozer falls into this category of player.
So coming into a Qcup team or a 20s rep team it'd imagine it's difficult to play this way without a bit of time to build combinations etc.
I haven't seen much of him but those who have say he's a special player so I'm trusting them on this one.

 

[McHunt]

Definitely doesn't warrant selection over Smoothy and Billy currently.
But 9s a odd position to get a gauge of a player. Guys like Cook and Grant it's easy to see how good they are. Then you have Cam Smith where if you watch him you see nothing special or flashy but he's playing you like a game of chess, going by what people say Mozer falls into this category of player.
So coming into a Qcup team or a 20s rep team it'd imagine it's difficult to play this way without a bit of time to build combinations etc.
I haven't seen much of him but those who have say he's a special player so I'm trusting them on this one.

We haven't seen him train against Billy and Tyson, so it's a bit hard to comment beyond what we've seen in the lower grades. His game management and style of attack, though, looks in a class above everyone else. I'm excited to see him get a decent shot against NRL opposition. That will almost certainly be against Manly in the second preseason trial.

Unless Kevvie sees some gaping flaws in Tyson's Grand Final performance - and the same goes for all the Grand Finalists - we should be trotting out all those players in Vegas, plus the replacements for Palasia, Flegler, Capewell and Farnworth.

 

[Manofoneway]

Anyone see this Cameron Buckowski kid play? He's built like a hooker and could be one to watch out for as well! Would be keen to see how he goes this year.

 

[1910]

I'm yet to see anything from mozer to warrant selection over Bill, Smoothy or even Paix to be honest. Is everyone else watching something different? Or are you all masturbating over "smith clone" fox news headlines?

He doesn't warrant selection over them yet.

The thing with Mozer and between Alf, Meninga, Colts, Cup, City, Queensland and Broncos i've seen him play more than 50 times is you're never going to be super impressed with stats.

He's more subtle than that, I've never made any predictions about his career, but he is smart and shows that- Souths v Easts final and his first Cup final he scores the try to give Souths a hope and then with 10 seconds to go steals the ball off Pulu to give Souths at least a chance. to score and win. No other Souths player was even thinking steal.

He's a very good student of the game, he knows that guys like Polotoni are the great hookers of Cup and Mozer goes out and scores two tries in the first nine minutes v the Bears. He was sensational.

He makes other players better too, Bayliss had his best ever Cup year, Te Kura is better with Mozer there, Sailor was better, Fergurson had a great year.

None of that is going to be written about or spoken about but in context it shows how he is going so far.

 

[1910]

Anyone see this Cameron Buckowski kid play? He's built like a hooker and could be one to watch out for as well! Would be keen to see how he goes this year.

He's not dissimilar in style to Mozer, problem with Bukowski is he doesn't play Alf so he plays Meninga and then you don't see him again unless you go watch schoolboy rugby- which I do not.

He tops Wynnum's tackle count every week, gives great crisp service and again is smart. Wynnum looked a million dollars in the Meninga finals for 20 minutes. He's the Queensland schoolboy hooker- not much more a 17 year old can do.

Kicks goals too and has a very good understanding with Black and Trappett.

He will play Meninga this year again and has been training with the NRL side but he's two months out of school. Meninga is extended this year but post Meninga I am unsure what he plays- Paix has gone to Wynnum.

 

[1910]

Gary Bukowski played 31 NRL games for the Magpies too, so Cameron has been in immersed in football like the Walker times three generations his whole life.

 

[Manofoneway]

Thanks for those updates 1910! Keen to see them both come through, wouldn't it be awesome if we had a Harry Grant/Brandon Smith type problem at the Broncos in 3 or 4 years time...

 

[McHunt]

Travis Meyn says Corey Oates is "set to start" on the left wing in Vegas, ahead of Deine Mariner, with Jesse Arthars expected on the right. But for the moment, Arthars is resting his ankle, with Mariner training in his place.

Corey Jensen:

“It’s really good to see him out there in the pre-season. He’s the same age as me so he’s not getting any younger. We find ways to get little niggles, but it’s good to see him on the paddock and training well too.”​

Corey Oates:

“I don’t want it to be my last year. You work so hard for so many years, I don’t want my decision to be anyone else’s. I want it to be my own. I don’t want it to be 2024. That means I feel like I’ve got another couple in me still. We’ll see how the year goes. Hopefully it’s a lot better than last year and more positive and the club still has belief in me.​

​

“I felt really good leading into the finals and wanted to keep pushing that at training. There’ll be nothing different this year. I’ll be trying to prove to myself that I’ve still got it and hopefully the coaches have the belief in me.”​

 

[BroncosFever]

Yes. I mean I hope he lives up to the expectations but let's not forget paix was once "cronk clone" and dearden an "Alfie" clone... worst thing anybody can do is put any pressure on him.

We'd have one of the great teams if even half of this media hype were true.

 

[McHunt]

Payne Haas on restricted training today due to a hamstring niggle.

 

[theshed]

Yes. I mean I hope he lives up to the expectations but let's not forget paix was once "cronk clone" and dearden an "Alfie" clone... worst thing anybody can do is put any pressure on him.

I don’t think anyone would be too upset about how Dearden has turned out. Croft being a Cronk clone was a bit premature though

 

[McHunt]

TC Robati has been charged with a second count of surprise sex on indictment. He maintains the complainant agreed to funny business with him in the Prince Consort dunnies, but she claims otherwise. He remains on bail until his hearing on Feb 13.

 

[YeahNahMate]

He doesn't warrant selection over them yet.

The thing with Mozer and between Alf, Meninga, Colts, Cup, City, Queensland and Broncos i've seen him play more than 50 times is you're never going to be super impressed with stats.

He's more subtle than that, I've never made any predictions about his career, but he is smart and shows that- Souths v Easts final and his first Cup final he scores the try to give Souths a hope and then with 10 seconds to go steals the ball off Pulu to give Souths at least a chance. to score and win. No other Souths player was even thinking steal.

He's a very good student of the game, he knows that guys like Polotoni are the great hookers of Cup and Mozer goes out and scores two tries in the first nine minutes v the Bears. He was sensational.

He makes other players better too, Bayliss had his best ever Cup year, Te Kura is better with Mozer there, Sailor was better, Fergurson had a great year.

None of that is going to be written about or spoken about but in context it shows how he is going so far.

If I'm not mistaken, wasn't Souths Logan struggling in 2022? They had K. Hunt come in as a coach, Sailor as fullback (and probably more movements), so I know it all doesn't just come down to Mozer.

But isn't that something that shouldn't be slept on? For a hooker to start in his first season of Q Cup and nearly take a team to the top of the table from near the bottom. You obviously have the most knowledge of all the lower grades so I'm curious about what you think of that.

With that being said, I don't think Mozer gets a shot unless Smoothy or Walters get injured, or he is absolutely carving up and simply cannot be ignored. Looking at 2023, we were pretty lucky to have no hookers injured all season in hindsight. So, unlike last year he'll probably get an opportunity due to injury at some point.

 

[Chewed]

Watch the tempo pick up when Mozer comes on, game just gets faster. It's great.

If we don't have a bench rotation to capitalise on that, then there's not much point to gassing the forwards. He needs some fresh, fast legs to come in with him. Maybe Haas plays 25-30 then the final 20. Bring an impact forward on, Te Kura or something and flood the middle.

Anyway that said, Mozer is BIG, maybe too big for a 9. He's a gun hooker but hes probably destined for 13.

 

[Footy Fanatic]

Watch the tempo pick up when Mozer comes on, game just gets faster. It's great.

If we don't have a bench rotation to capitalise on that, then there's not much point to gassing the forwards. He needs some fresh, fast legs to come in with him. Maybe Haas plays 25-30 then the final 20. Bring an impact forward on, Te Kura or something and flood the middle.

Anyway that said, Mozer is BIG, maybe too big for a 9. He's a gun hooker but hes probably destined for 13.

I wouldn't say he is too big for hooker. Pretty sure he is the same height as Cameron Smith.

 

[McHunt]

I wouldn't say he is too big for hooker. Pretty sure he is the same height as Cameron Smith.

He's pretty tall for a hooker:

Mozer: 184cm (6 ft)
Cam Smith: 185cm
Buderus: 185cm
Smoothy: 181cm
Walters, Robson, Cook, Brandon Smith: 180cm
Ben Hunt: 178cm
Grant: 177cm
Boxhead: 176cm
Ben Elias: 172cm
Mahoney: 172cm
Granville, Koroisau: 172cm