VOTE Darius Boyd vs Billy Slater

[tommy]

boys is good, but slater is the best.

boyd doesnt make long range breaks or tries like billy. yes defensively on his line boyd may be in front but every other aspect slater is still clearly miles ahead.

this will stir a few up, but i dont rate boyd in the top 3 attacking/running full backs of the game. he doesnt have a kick option either and majority of the time looks to offload instead of running the god dam ball back. while im at it, when he does get tackled, he screams at the ref and shakes his head like a sour 5yr old kid who just got told he cant have a kinder surprise.

This is my biggest problem with him too. Every time he recieves the kick we sacrifice at least 5-10m because he never wants to run it back himself.

 

[Thelmus]

Actually, it's no coincidence when Milf and Pearce went off at the same time, NSW exploded, 3 tries in ten minutes. We went to shit after Milf went off (not because he went off) but that's when QLD's defence tired and they couldn't finish off their tries.

I'd put that down to smith playing out of position in defence (and tired) and Morgan being vulnerable (how is a bloke who can play lock so weak in defence?), not to mention ordinary defensive efforts from the centres on both sides of the ruck. I can't remember qld forcing repeat sets out of NSW and that's usually how they grind them down (particularlyl a big guy like fafita). Thureson especially is good at it.

 

[Thelmus]

This is my biggest problem with him too. Every time he recieves the kick we sacrifice at least 5-10m because he never wants to run it back himself.

There's nothing wrong with Boyd at fullback although I do prefer slater as he is more dangerous individually with ball in hand. That said, I thought regardless, even if qld played slater they would have struggled the same. Lack of possession in the attacking part of the field, combined with Milford going at exactly the moment (last 20, and tired forwards) he was expected to excell, along with some poor defence meant we were always going to lose. If the situation came up again with Cronk and Milford playing, I'd be pushing for a conservative game that pushes NSW into their own half. using early tackle kicks to gain position and a group of forwards that could last the distance doing just that. Wallace should have been picked, and the utility should be able to play 2nd row/lock to maximise conditioning of forwards in an energy draining game. Myles, thaiday, lillyman need to play big minutes effectively or not at all. That's if they go in with a Milford type player and expect to use him to his maximum potential (it would have also helped cronks running (game).
As it was they tried a barge em up game and were defeated by superior NSW forwards. Its a lesson learned.

 

[Harry Sack]

boys is good, but slater is the best.

boyd doesnt make long range breaks or tries like billy. yes defensively on his line boyd may be in front but every other aspect slater is still clearly miles ahead.

this will stir a few up, but i dont rate boyd in the top 3 attacking/running full backs of the game. he doesnt have a kick option either and majority of the time looks to offload instead of running the god dam ball back. while im at it, when he does get tackled, he screams at the ref and shakes his head like a sour 5yr old kid who just got told he cant have a kinder surprise.

This is what annoys me about him more than anything else.

 

[Scorchie]

Those that want Slater are the same that thought Hodges should've been selected for Australia instead of Chambers.

 

[badyon]

They are both great players. But different skill sets.

The only way you can fit both is to have Slater at fullback and Boyd in 3/4. Slater in the 3/4 (wing) in Origin has been tried and was underwhelming. It's the last chance to see Slater, Thurston, Cronk and Smith together. I'd hate to pass it up.

We are so short on depth in the centres that Darbs at centre and Slater at fullback is a much stronger team than any other combo. Gagai and Morgan would be a turnstyle in the centres. Who else are you going to pick in the centres after ONeill goes?

To me, it's not about Slater v Boyd for no.1 . it's about what is the only sensible option for a back 5 - and that's Slater 1 and Boyd centres.

 

[ZTop]

They are both great players. But different skill sets.

The only way you can fit both is to have Slater at fullback and Boyd in 3/4. Slater in the 3/4 (wing) in Origin has been tried and was underwhelming. It's the last chance to see Slater, Thurston, Cronk and Smith together. I'd hate to pass it up.

We are so short on depth in the centres that Darbs at centre and Slater at fullback is a much stronger team than any other combo. Gagai and Morgan would be a turnstyle in the centres. Who else are you going to pick in the centres after ONeill goes?

To me, it's not about Slater v Boyd for no.1 . it's about what is the only sensible option for a back 5 - and that's Slater 1 and Boyd centres.

Gagai and Chambers

 

[Sproj]

I don't get why people want to play Boyd at centre but not Gagai. Gagai actually plays there regularly and it's origin, club defense for Newcastle of all teams means nothing, look how good Gagai has been in every rep game he's played thus far.

 

[KnToad]

If you watched the Storm game last night you just can't ignore Slater's form. He has been strong since his return and missing out on Origin seems to have pushed him up another gear.
You can talk permutations and the future til you're blue in the face. If Slater is in the Qld team it's a stronger team.
Full stop.

And ftr I hate the storm and I don't particularly like Slater either. When we play them I hate his guts coz I think he is a bit of a grub like the rest of his storm mates.
But when it comes to beating those fkn roaches especially after listening to the sickening bile coming out of their supporters and the NSW media since Wednesday night then nothing else matters but beating them at home in Origin II and putting them back in their place.

 

[holdzy]

If you watched the Storm game last night you just can't ignore Slater's form. He has been strong since his return and missing out on Origin seems to have pushed him up another gear.
You can talk permutations and the future til you're blue in the face. If Slater is in the Qld team it's a stronger team.
Full stop.

And ftr I hate the storm and I don't particularly like Slater either. When we play them I hate his guts coz I think he is a bit of a grub like the rest of his storm mates.
But when it comes to beating those fkn roaches especially after listening to the sickening bile coming out of their supporters and the NSW media since Wednesday night then nothing else matters but beating them at home in Origin II and putting them back in their place.

It was only the knights.

Point well made, though.

 

[broncsgoat]

Let's just see how Boyd responds tonight.

Slaters game last night was against the soon to be 3x consecutive wooden spooners.

 

[KnToad]

Let's just see how Boyd responds tonight.

Slaters game last night was against the soon to be 3x consecutive wooden spooners.

Yeh fair enough but you can only play the team
In front of you and he didn't sit on his backside and take it easy.
It is also on the end of a bunch of pretty impressive displays since his return.
I thought he would be a shadow of his former self when he came back. He wasnt exactly brilliant in his last season or so before his long injury layoff as it was but he has come back on fire and he's only played 10 games.
The guy is a champion player and seems to have a bug up his ass now to prove it after not being picked. He will be champing at the bit if he gets picked and he will drag the rest of the team along with him.

 

[broncsgoat]

Yeah mate for sure. No one expected billy to come back this well and it's a credit to him that's he's done it.

 

[QLD JANE]

So is Billy a must pick after what we saw from him and Boyd this weekend?
Give Billy one more crack I say!

 

[johnny plath]

So is Billy a must pick after what we saw from him and Boyd this weekend?
Give Billy one more crack I say!

I don't see him as a must pick just because he beat up on the knights. Its not really a fair comparison with boyd who backed up from origin against a tough roosters side. In fair dinkum stakes, its slaters defence that was raised as an issue by the qld selectors, and if thats the case he didn't help his cause with a lazy effort chasing a kick ingoal which led to a newcastle try.

 

[Foordy]

So is Billy a must pick after what we saw from him and Boyd this weekend?
Give Billy one more crack I say!

nope he still isn't a must pick...

all it will do is delay us in preparing our next generation from being ready to dominate the Blues.

time to move on from Slater, Myles and Lillyman. They've served us well, so i suggest they be invited to game three where they can received their proper farewell and thankyou from the QLD crowd

 

[Sproj]

Boyd'a last few games have been decidedly average, I don't want to go back to Slater but if Boyd's next game is also poor, Qld may have no choice.

 

[holdzy]

nope he still isn't a must pick...

all it will do is delay us in preparing our next generation from being ready to dominate the Blues.

time to move on from Slater, Myles and Lillyman. They've served us well, so i suggest they be invited to game three where they can received their proper farewell and thankyou from the QLD crowd

How does it delay it exactly?

Slater would only be taking Boyd's spot - and Boyd would still be in the team probably at the expense of O'Neill.

The team for the second game has to be picked on form.