Pre-Season

[1910]

What tests? What’s this mean? Some players had to start a week earlier? who else got a week off?

Speed, weight- lots of testing is done and if you make those goals and you're important and old like Reynolds you can have a week off.

 

[tommy]

Speed, weight- lots of testing is done and if you make those goals and you're important and old like Reynolds you can have a week off.

Not meant to sound like an interrogation but which other players got a week off?

 

[theshed]

Not meant to sound like an interrogation but which other players got a week off?

I’ve heard Oloapu will be sitting next week out but I’m not sure how well he tested

 

[Sproj]

I’ve heard Oloapu will be sitting next week out but I’m not sure how well he tested

Some would say he was a bit of a chicken who didn’t want to get sandwich led at training, though this story might have some mayo.

 

[Morkel]

One thing I noticed about the Staggs compilation, is that almost all of his impact came when he squared up the defender, and instead of waiting for the defender to come to him or trying to evade them, he actually attached the defender himself, big fends and pushing them off balance so they couldn't make an effective tackle. He made Origin so I guess if teams did their homework, they would watch footage of the high profile players first and make plans. I haven't tortured myself by watching any replays, but it's possible teams noticed this, and those defending him were instructed to wait for him to come to them, and instead absorb the impact, and wrap him up, effectively letting Staggs initiate the tackle himself?

Like any player, after a couple of years, you need to keep adapting and changing it up to keep the opposition guessing. Staggs has never been a big metre eater, he's effectively an impact centre, and even at his best it wasn't the quantity but the quality of his plays that counted, it's up to the coaches to work with him on how he can use his strengths in different ways other than fend & push.

 

[McHunt]

Are we still expecting Steve Kearney to show up any day now?

 

[Big Del]

One thing I noticed about the Staggs compilation, is that almost all of his impact came when he squared up the defender, and instead of waiting for the defender to come to him or trying to evade them, he actually attached the defender himself, big fends and pushing them off balance so they couldn't make an effective tackle. He made Origin so I guess if teams did their homework, they would watch footage of the high profile players first and make plans. I haven't tortured myself by watching any replays, but it's possible teams noticed this, and those defending him were instructed to wait for him to come to them, and instead absorb the impact, and wrap him up, effectively letting Staggs initiate the tackle himself?

Like any player, after a couple of years, you need to keep adapting and changing it up to keep the opposition guessing. Staggs has never been a big metre eater, he's effectively an impact centre, and even at his best it wasn't the quantity but the quality of his plays that counted, it's up to the coaches to work with him on how he can use his strengths in different ways other than fend & push.

I was saying he is a one trick pony mid season .
Momirovski showed he had done his Kotoni drills thoroughly when they met up the 2nd time . He shut Staggs down completely .

 

[Swordfish]

Are we still expecting Steve Kearney to show up any day now?

 

[BroncosFever]

Not meant to sound like an interrogation but which other players got a week off?

Billy is getting 2 weeks off

 

[BroncosFever]

I was saying he is a one trick pony mid season .
Momirovski showed he had done his Kotoni drills thoroughly when they met up the 2nd time . He shut Staggs down completely .

That trick is something most other centres can't do, beat your opponent with sheer power and do it without being a second-rower playing out of position.

 

[Big Del]

I doubt he is going to set any try scoring records though .
Neither will the wingers outside him .
Like Morkel said he can be workshopped and shut down as in the Momirovski example I made ...

 

[McHunt]

Walters wants to rope in his mate Steve Renouf to mentor Kotoni.

Renouf:

“I’d love to work with Kotoni around his hole-running and running into space, maybe he wouldn’t get so busted. Kotoni doesn’t mind running over people and wanting contact. He reminds me of Justin Hodges. I previously pointed out to Hodgo that he’d have had fewer injuries and been more effective if he ran holes. Kotoni loves the contact too, but if you run thirty centimetres either side of the defender, you give yourself more space and are pushing through the line."​

​

“Kevin was the master of throwing the out-ball pass for me. Adam Reynolds can do the same thing for Kotoni.”​

Walters:

“Pearl was one of the great exponents of the out-ball so he knows what he is talking about and is most welcome to share his knowledge with Kotoni. It’s part of Kotoni’s artillery, but doing more of it will never go astray because Kotoni has good speed and a nice fend. They’re the same skills Steve had to make that play really special."​

​

“We also have Adam Reynolds who has a nice pass. Those two have had 20-odd games together, whereas me and Steve had upwards of 150 together, so I look forward to that relationship developing next year.”​

 

[McHunt]

So the big changes between 2022 - the worst end to a season ever - and 2023:

1. Reece Walsh returns. Full credit to the Warriors for gifting him to us.
2. Ditto Jesse Arthars.
3. With Turpin finally out of the way, the coach's son has first dibs on 9.
4. Goodbye Terry Matterson. Hello Lee Briers. Boxhead, we barely knew you.
5. Everyone got a year older.

Did I miss anything?

 

[Santa]

So the big changes between 2022 - the worst end to a season ever - and 2023:

1. Reece Walsh returns. Full credit to the Warriors for gifting him to us.
2. Ditto Jesse Arthars.
3. With Turpin finally out of the way, the coach's son has first dibs on 9.
4. Goodbye Terry Matterson. Hello Lee Briers. Boxhead, we barely knew you.
5. Everyone got a year older.

Did I miss anything?

6. Experience, more established combos and building of a huge improvement from the 2 years before that.

 

[tommy]

Edit: Pointless

 

[tommy]

Edit: Pointless

 

[Cult]

Edit: Pointless

 

[tommy]

Edit: Pointless