[2025 Trial] Broncos vs. Titans

McHunt said:
I thought the same, but I'd forgotten he's always been good, and sometimes even great, for about twenty minutes and then he goes into robot mode. If you recall back, the times he's looked good is when he did something 6-like out of hooker. But as the game went on you didn't see that again. His old man gave him more and more minutes last season and that really exposed him.

It's a bit of a conundrum: he's very ordinary at dummy half, lacking any of the creativity you occasionally see out of him at 6. But he doesn't have the concentration span to play 80 minutes in the halves.

Based on today's performance, I would expect round one to be: Paix at 9, Hunt at 6, Reynolds at 7 and Walters at 14. But it begs the question whether we'd be better with a different type of 14 if Billy can't bring any 6-like spark to the dummy half role.

We saw the contrast between the dummy halves today. Paix was a powerhouse. I did not expect that. Walters, Smoothy and Black, I don't know, none really did anything much beyond scoop and lob to first receiver. Paix was like a bulldog for the line.

Once Mozer returns I expect he'll go to 14, that's pretty simple. But when Mam returns one of Paix or Mozer will have to make way for Hunt. That will be another interesting contest because based on today, I think I'm favouring Paix.
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Early last year he had a couple of good games. One where he did show that creativity from dummy half. The game where he made a break and dummied a kick to set up a try or score himself.But like you point out Walters sr seemed desperate to keep him out there. Even to the point of playing him injured. I actually think Kev did his son a disservice by doing what he did which hurt his form for the remainder of the year.
 
So we have 7 injuries/suspensions already, second most behind Souths.

Also, why wasn’t Sandon Smith suspended at all?
 
Piakura started on the right, where I have always thought he has played better, and where I thought he should have changed to when our left side defence was an issue.

I wonder if he starting on the right is:
- indicating Maguire is look to start jack gos on the left
-maguire was giving him an opportunity to show what he could do on the right.

Hunt played well today. A bit more like that hosking role, happy to take regular hit ups, higher involvement and metres. If he can focus on just playing that role, he could be handy and Could make himself a 17 option.
 
NSW stables said:
Piakura started on the right, where I have always thought he has played better, and where I thought he should have changed to when our left side defence was an issue.

I wonder if he starting on the right is:
- indicating Maguire is look to start jack gos on the left
-maguire was giving him an opportunity to show what he could do on the right.

Hunt played well today. A bit more like that hosking role, happy to take regular hit ups, higher involvement and metres. If he can focus on just playing that role, he could be handy and Could make himself a 17 option.
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Riki actually played middle as well coming up. He captained NZ under 19s from lock.

I’ve been suggesting for a while that he’d make a good bench rotation where he spent time in the middle.
 
heartly87 said:
Early last year he had a couple of good games. One where he did show that creativity from dummy half. The game where he made a break and dummied a kick to set up a try or score himself.But like you point out Walters sr seemed desperate to keep him out there. Even to the point of playing him injured. I actually think Kev did his son a disservice by doing what he did which hurt his form for the remainder of the year.
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I think with Billy, it's mental rather than physical. He looks pretty fit to me, and he never avoids work. I think he burns out mentally fairly quickly. I'm not inside his head, I don't know, but he's a little bit more of a square peg in reality than he is on paper when you're trying to build a spine/bench.

I think he's probably our best bench option for round one, but I hope that's not the case a few weeks later.
 
Sproj said:
Interesting both Paix and Walters are takin turns at 9.
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I suppose it's telling that Madge didn't inject Madden into a dummy half swap. He mustn't be considering him as a bench option.

He used Black in the same role, but I'd be surprised if we see him again until he's played a bunch of Cup. Unless he's named next week, I guess.
 
McHunt said:
I suppose it's telling that Madge didn't inject Madden into a dummy half swap. He mustn't be considering him as a bench option.

He used Black in the same role, but I'd be surprised if we see him again until he's played a bunch of Cup. Unless he's named next week, I guess.
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Coby might get picked again next week... can't see Madge wanting to play Reynolds and/or Bhunt much at all.

Reynolds could miss the match altogether, but Bhunt might get some game time given the new combinations... if that's the case then it needs to be with Madden, because there's no point having Bhunt try to build new combos, but acting in the first receiver role at halfback when that will be Reynolds come round 1. Have the round 1 left side out there and feed them the ball to see how they go.

I think Billy may have jumped Rogers in the 5/8 depth chart, but expect him to get minutes at hooker instead of Smoothy... maybe the same split of minutes as this week 30/30/20 between Paix, Billy and Smoothy.

That would leave the question of how much game time they want to get into Rogers and Coby... but can see Coby getting minutes otherwise Madden is playing near the full game again... or maybe Billy is getting minutes at 7 to split with minutes at hooker.

Anyway team list Tuesday will give us the answers.
 
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