You've named a hooker, fullback, half, and two injured guys as possible replacements.
1910 - I don't pretend to have anywhere near your experience in assessing the 5 players I mentioned, nor their current positions in the junior grades. And yes, I do know that some are injured or close to recovery, However I based my post on the Broncos NRL Team Profiles (please enlighten me - do these Profiles have any meaning, irrespective of where they might now be playing?)
Ash Taylor: Halfback, Five-eighth, Fullback
Kodi Nikorima : Halves, Fullback
Duncan Paia'Aua : Five-eighth
Cameron Cullen : Hooker, Halfback
Zac Strasser : Halves.
I make these points.
First, is it a true reflection of what any of these guys can do, or are capable of, playing in juniors compared to what they might be capable of, after the appropriate "induction" in NRL, playing with our NRL guys alongside them? To me, that is a telling question.
If you are ordinary in ordinary company, but you are assessed as having more than ordinary, then why keep them ordinary in an ordinary competition? Doesn't sound like much motivation to me when an opportunity to step a level presents itself.
Second, Ben Hunt and Macca were ... halves in juniors? And look what the Broncos did to them, especially Hunt. Maybe Macca might make a terrific 5/8?
What about trying Barba at 5/8?
Third, the 5 players I named look to me that they have the skills to be ball players and play makers with a kicking game, and where they are playing now, with players around them who aren't exactly top notch, means nothing.
What about some intensive coaching by Hook and his staff? Is that a pipe dream too?
So hypothetically, lets assume Strasser misses a few tackles but kicks across field, or grubbers, and Vidot or whoever score a try or 3? It mightn't happen, but then, Hoffman isn't doing it either.
Finally, I am saying that any of them (I really like what I have seen of Taylor and Cullen) ought to be given a shot if, and only if, Hoffman fails to make our left hand side anything other than mediocre as it looks to me it now is becoming.
If Hoffman fails to make that break he constantly strives to do without even looking to pass or offload, if he doesn't kick to Vidot who for mine could be a trying scoring machine in the air, if Hoffman continues to fail to organize any decent play down the left, and, because of that, causes us to lose a game because we can't score points consistently down the left hand side, then, what do we do?
Do we shrug our shoulders and say "Oh well, we'll just write off this season 'cos 2015 with Milford is our wet dream and that is what really matters? So we are prepared to concede 2014 as just a season where we don't care? We are happy to tread water and bitch about the refs?
Sorry. I can't stomach that. I can't stomach that particularly because on the form I have seen this year, I rate the Broncos as top 4 contenders, if only our left hand side and 5/8 in general WAS a real 5/8, which he bloody well isn't, and belongs on the wing, which is really, his ONLY position of worth in NRL.
