Is the Cowboys' squad really THAT good?

[Mister Wright]

Everyone keeps talking about how good the Cowboys' roster is and that it is premiership material. While there are some world class players in the side, they do lack ability in key positions.

Obviously they have Thurston, Scott & Tamou, although Tamou is out of form. While they have solid outside backs there is no real game breakers in the centres or wings. They will be better with Coote at the back, but they still struggle to find a consistent 5/8 & hooker. Their forward pack was much stronger last year with the Sims brothers and other than Tamaloulo (sp) they don't really have that much fire power there imo.

Anyway, what are your thoughts? Is the Cowboys' squad really THAT good?

 

[Ari Gold]

Never rated them as a favourite. Their spine is mediocre outside Thurston. Kostjaysn as a hooker? Morgan is over-rated IMO. Coote has been injured forever and Lui is ordinary.

With Tariq Sims gone too I don't know why they are or ever were supposed favourites.

 

[Morkel]

Yeah, they really badly need a decent #9. In hindsight losing Segs was massive, but at the time I didn't expect anyone would lose sleep over it. He looked like a sparky bench hooker, never expected him to be able to be an 80 minute (or close to it) player.

Also a game-breaking #2-5. Not all, just one or two in there. The ones they have now are the sort that teams like the Rabbitohs, Roosters, Dogs, Panthers etc use as cheap players to complement one or two stars. Solid, dependable, able to finish good work, but not able to create it. Besides JT, the Cowboys just don't have the backline stars (or the rubber salary cap).

They're the epitome of testing the argument on whether it's worthwhile spending whatever it takes to have the best player in the world, and compromising elsewhere.

 

[Morkel]

With Tariq Sims gone too I don't know why they are or ever were supposed favourites.

Massive fan of Sims but in truth he's never made it back to the form he showed pre leg breaks. Remember when an opposing player jokingly asked the refs to do something about him hitting too hard?

 

[Big Pete]

I really thought the Cowboys had turned a corner with Green and while they had a few challenges ahead of them, I thought their recruitment has been quite strong and they'd brought in the right mix of players.

Sure they lost the Sims brothers but they were sort of like mirages. Sure, they'd play well for passages of the season but usually when the going got tough, at least in Tariq's case, the tough would get suspended.

I saw they had challenges but they also had answers too. The spine not quite up to muster? Bring in Lachlan Coote who after years of bad luck finally puts it altogether and gives the Cows an edge they've sorely been lacking.

Mediocre service from hooker? They unearth the buy of the season in Granville.

But it just hasn't clicked for them quite yet.

I still expect them to make the finals but geez I can't see them doing more than pointing fingers and not accepting responsibility when they get bundled out after a disappointing performance.

And just quietly I've got to say that JT has been pretty ordinary so far. He should get better but he appears to have lost a bit in pace, his passing has been ordinary and he's really struggling to get involved. When he does get in there it just seems so rehersed that the defence can read it like a book.

But he's hardly alone. Tamou looks unhappy, Hannant is soft, Lowe tries really hard but isn't much of a threat, Cooper is inconsistent, Taumalolo is good but has faults which prevent him from being able to carry everyone and same goes for Scott who doesn't have 24 top-shelf games in him each season.

But if the blame should be directed at anyone it's the backs. I've said it before, but Linnett quite honestly isn't much of an upgrade on Reed in terms of what he offers, Feldt has too many mistakes in him to make up for the odd high point, O'Neil is arguably the worst player in the competition and is playing worse than Maranta while Wright and Winterstein are nothing more than solid players...

I posted over on their forum the other night just to point out a few things I saw in their NYC game and offer my sympathy for the other night. My suggestion moving forward was to dump the dead weight and try again. Essentially that meant dropping the likes of O'Neil, Kostjasyn and Hannant and bringing in the likes of Bowen (if Winterstein or Wright weren't available), King and Hoare or whoever is the next in line and start again. Once they get a bit of confidence they should be able to bounce back.

The problem is they have the likes of Melbourne, Manly & the Rabbitohs to face off against. It doesn't get much easier for them but then again I'm reminded of a clash they had against Melbourne at Dairy Farmers where they just crushed them and it seemed completely out of the blue.

It could happen again on Monday.

 

[Anonymous person]

Nope, was baffled when everyone was talking them up as top 4 certainties.

I thought their premiership window was 2-3 years ago, and they'd miss the 8 easily this year.

Ethan lowe could be something special though.

 

[Rally Towel]

Good yes, but not as good as some would have you believe.

As good as the forward pack looks on paper, it's really only Scott and Taumalolo providing any real grunt. Tamou is dead weight currently, can scarcely believe he was starting for the Roos not that long ago. Hannant continues to decline, and Cooper /Bolton don't give them a lot of go forward. They're missing the Sims brothers, particularly Ashton. For all the shit people hang on him, he was very effective for them last year.

They need Tanginoa to find his feet quickly and either Hannant or Tamou to pull their finger out. Otherwise they'll struggle to produce the space JT needs to spark their attack.

Regarding the spine, they've struggled to find the right mix to complement Thurston. I do think they have the makings of it now. Granville suits their style quite well, and Coote looked pretty good for his time off. Morgan should do alright in the halves too. They need to back this group, give them time to gel. Once they do, their attack should be more fluent and less predictable, which opens up options for JT. Punt Lui and Kostjasyn to reserves, never to be seen again.

Backline is reasonable, but they are missing a reliable veteran in Tate. All their first choice options are handy enough, but there's no one who can create something out of nothing, which again puts all the pressure on Thurston. They do have some options worth exploring in reserve grade.

TLDR :

- Squad not that good but more than capable with some adjustment.

- Forward pack under performing. Has to shed some dead wood and get some fringe players to stand up. Much like us

- Spine has been their most problematic area, but current group has potential. Back them.

- Backline serviceable, provided they make the most of the above.

 

[Splinter]

IF they make the finals this year it will only be to make up the numbers with further decline next year if their recruiting isnt top shelf

 

[1910]

Only four times has a team lost their first four matches and gone onto to play in the finals.

 

[Anonymous person]

What about after they lose their first 6, like the cowboys look likely of doing?

 

[Renegade]

They're overrated.

Scott and JT are on the decline as players

Tamou pretty much only had one good season

Taumololololololololololol can't do it all on his own.

Shit hooker, shit halves partner, not much penetration in their backline though I will say I rate Feldt as a player and would gladly have him at Brisbane.

A lot of gloss but dig deeper and they flatter to deceive.

 

[Morkel]

Feldt sums up NQ quite well. Potentially unstoppable when on song, but people seem to then overlook the poor defence and flipper hands. That's the team, on the surface they're not as erratic as the Warriors, but that's because NZ fluctuate from game to game whereas NQ fluctuate a few times a game.

 

[Anonymous person]

Feldts got enormous potential, can turn in an absolute pearler of a performance, but can just as easily (or maybe even easier) turn in an absolute shocker. I'd love to see him at a team like Souths under McGuire, I think he'd turn into an absolute gun.

He has shown more potential than Oates, Maranta, Reed, and Copley combined IMO. He destroyed teams in the 9s last year.

Feldt sums up NQ quite well. Potentially unstoppable when on song, but people seem to then overlook the poor defence and flipper hands. That's the team, on the surface they're not as erratic as the Warriors, but that's because NZ fluctuate from game to game whereas NQ fluctuate a few times a game.

completely agree with this.

On their day they're unstoppable, but more often than not they stop themselves.

 

[Je$ter]

Lot of dead weight in the team. Hannant is the worst buy of the year so far - terrible hands and barely puts a dent in the defensive line. Tamou is obviously not going to be the same player pre neck injury.

They'll still make the 8, but a lot of question marks on some of their top line players.

 

[mitch222]

Thursto should have signed with the broncos when he had the chance

 

[CaptainHook]

I still expect them to make the finals but geez I can't see them doing more than pointing fingers and not accepting responsibility when they get bundled out after a disappointing performance.

Super summary, [MENTION=1899]Big Pete[/MENTION] as usual. This point was the best and I'd take it a few steps forward.

I think the Cowboys do have a strong side and are capable of winning the comp but this point perfectly encapsulates why they won't, and probably never will, despite their talent and potential.

The Cowboys, as a club, have had some wonderful sides and honestly should have at least one trophy in the cabinet by now. I put it down to the culture of the place. It's a culture born out of coaches getting sacked and players skating by scott free. How many coaches have they had? Sheens, Murray, Henry - they all got shown the door. The players know they don't have to try their best and deliver so that's why they hardly ever do. They know deep down the coach will cop it long before they do.

Not convinced? Look at 2013. They go on a winning streak after Henry has been let go. You could almost see the players thinking "Holy crap - he's gone! I might have to step up or I could be next!" Suddenly the passes started sticking and tackles were being made. It's an absolute joke.

Signing rookie coaches doesn't help their cause either. Give Bennett or Bellamy three years with them and they'd be premiers.

I hope management realy gets behind Paul Green and backs him. He needs to crack down on some players.

 

[Dexter]

They have a good enough side , maybe overrated but IMO hooker is the spot they need to fix . Kostjaysen doesn't engage the markers and has no running game. Cam king could be the answer along with Granville . Tamou wants out by the way he's playing and JT has dropped off in pace a touch. It's a shame but it does look like they have missed their chance.

 

[Broncoman]

Well done to them on their win tonight coming from behind to beat the Storm is worth celebrating and JT showed some awesome composure with those conversions and field goals.

That said I think their is talent and potential in their roster but there is flaws that they don't fix or seem unable to do. It was a great win tonight but I feel Souths, Roosters and Penrith would've won that game well before extra time as they don't make that many mistakes in attacking position.

Their spine is ok on paper but not the best. Coote is to injury prone and a hit and miss (was ordinary tonight), Morgan is overrated and they don't have a consistent hooker but Granville did well tonight I thought. They rely to much on Thurston imo if you shut him down, limit his impact or if he has an off day their attack is screwed.

Losing Tariq Sims has taken some mongrel out of their forward pack and their best enforcer. Taumololo is a beast and one of the best forwards in the game and Scott one of the best front rowers but I personally think A.Fifita is overtaking him and Klemmer has the potential to be just as good as him if not better. Ethan Lowe is doing well but that's the last of their dangerous forwards. Cooper has dropped off and Tamou has dropped of worse than Cooper and is on the outer for NSW I heard.

They have talent but need to fix the flaws in their team to truly fulfill their potential. Controversy now, I think taking the captaincy of Thurston will help him as he won't need the extra responsibility of leading the team and takes that pressure of him. Give the captaincy solely to Matt Scott.