Round 20 Discussion

[Big Pete]

Wests Tigers vs. North Queensland Cowboys
Leichardt Oval, 1 August 2019
Kick Off: 7:50pm

1. Corey Thompson 2. Paul Momirovski 3. Moses Mbye 4. Esan Marsters 5. David Nofoaluma 6. Benji Marshall 7. Luke Brooks 8. Josh Aloiai 9. Robbie Farah 10. Oliver Clark 11. Luke Garner 12. Michael Chee-Kam 13. Ryan Matterson

Interchange: 14. Matthew Eisenhuth 15. Thomas Mikaele 16. Alex Twal 17. Chris Lawrence

Reserves: 18. Jacob Liddle 19. Tommy Talau 19. Chris McQueen 21. Josh Reynolds

1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Kyle Feldt 3. Coen Hess 4. Tom Opacic 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Michael Morgan 7. Jake Clifford 8. Josh McGuire 9. Jake Granville 10. Jordan McLean 11. Gavin Cooper 12. Shane Wright 13. Jason Taumalolo

Interchange: 14. John Asiata 15. Matthew Scott 16. Scott Bolton 17. Francis Molo

Reserves: 18. Corey Jensen 19. Tom Gilbert 20. Gideon Gela-Mosby 21. Reuben Cotter

Warriors vs. Canberra Raiders
Mt Smart Stadium, 2 August 2019
Kick Off: 6:00pm

1. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 2. Gerard Beale 3. Peta Hiku 4. Blake Ayshford 5. Ken Maumalo 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Blake Green 8. Agnatius Paasi 9. Issac Luke 10. Leeson Ah Mau 11. Adam Blair 12. Isaiah Papali’I 13. Jazz Tevaga

Interchange: 14. Lachlan Burr 15. Sam Lisone 16. Bunty Afoa 17. Chanel Harris-Tavita

Reserves: 18. Karl Lawton 19. Joshua Curran 20. Adam Pompey 22. Adam Keighran

1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Bailey Simonsson 3. Jarrod Croker 4. Michael Oldfield 5. Jordan Rapana 6. Jack Wighton 7. Aidan Sezer 8. Josh Papalii 9. Josh Hodgson 10. Iosia Soliola 11. John Bateman 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Joseph Tamine

Interchange: 14. Siliva Havili 15. Emre Guler 16. Corey Horsburgh 17. Dunamis Lui

Reserves: 18. Sam Williams 19. Hudson Young 20. Sebastian Kris 21. Royce Hunt

Brisbane Broncos vs. Melbourne Storm
Suncorp Stadium, 2 August 2019
Kick Off: 7:55pm

1. Anthony Milford 2. Corey Oates 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Alex Glenn 5. Jamayne Isaako 6. Darius Boyd 7. Jake Turpin 8. Matthew Lodge 9. Andrew McCullough 10. Payne Haas 11. David Fifita 12. Matt Gillett 13. Thomas Flegler

Interchange: 14. James Segeyaro 15. Joe Ofahengaue 16. Rhys Kennedy 17. Patrick Carrigan

Reserves: 18. Tom Dearden 19. Herbie Farnworth 20. Xavier Coates 21. Shaun Fensom

1. Jahrome Hughes 2. Suliasi Vunivalu 3. Will Chambers 4. Justin Olam 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Cameron Munster 7. Brodie Croft 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Cameron Smith 10. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 11. Felise Kaufusi 12. Kenneath Bromwich 13. Dale Finucane

Interchange: 14. Brandon Smith 15. Christian Welch 16. Joe Stimson 17. Ryan Papenhuyzen

Reserves: 18. Marion Seve 19. Tui Kamikamica 20. Tino Faasuamaleaui 21. Sandor Earl

Manly Sea Eagles vs. Newcastle Knights
Lottoland, 3 August 2019
Kick Off: 3:00pm

1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Jorge Taufua 3. Brad Parker 4. Moses Suli 5. Reuben Garrick 6. Dylan Walker 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Manase Fainu 10. Martin Taupau 11. Joel Thompson 12. Curtis Sironen 13. Jake Trbojevic

Interchange: 14. Lachlan Croker 15. Corey Waddell 16. Morgan Boyle 17. Taniela Paseka

Reserves: 18. Jack Gosiewski 19. Apisai Koroisau 20. Brendan Elliot 21. Lloyd Perrett

1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Shaun Kenny-Dowall 3. Hymel Hunt 4. Tautau Moga 5. Kurt Mann 6. Mason Lino 7. Mitchell Pearce 8. David Klemmer 9. Connor Watson 10. Daniel Saifiti 11. Lachlan Fitzgibbon 12. Mitchell Barnett 13. Tim Glasby

Interchange: 14. Jacob Saifiti 15. James Gavet 16. Sione Mata’utia 17. Aidan Guerra

Reserves: 18. Jamie Buhrer 19. Beau Fermor 20. Jirah Momoisea 21. Chris Randall

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs vs. Penrith Panthers
Bankwest Stadium, 3 August 2019
Kick Off: 5:30pm

1. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 2. Nick Meaney 3. Kerrod Holland 4. Will Hopoate 5. Reimis Smith 6. Jack Cogger 7. Lachlan Lewis 8. Aiden Tolman 9. Michael Lichaa 10. Dylan Napa 11. Josh Jackson 12. Corey Harawira-Naera 13. Adam Elliott

Interchange: 14. Jeremy Marshall-King 15. Renouf Toomaga 16. Danny Fualalo 17. Chris Smith

Reserves: 18. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 19. Brandon Wakeham 21. Jayden Okunbor 22. Ofahiki Ogden

1. Dylan Edwards 2. Josh Mansour 3. Dean Whare 4. Brent Naden 5. Brian To’o 6. James Maloney 7. Nathan Cleary 8. James Tamou 9. Mitchell Kenny 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Liam Martin 12. Frank Winterstein 13. Isaah Yeo

Interchange: 14. Wayde Egan 15. Jarome Luai 16. Moses Leota 17. Reagan Campbell-Gillard

Reserves: 18. Spencer Leniu 19. Jed Cartwright 20. Stephen Crichton 21. Hame Sele

Cronulla Sharks vs. South Sydney Rabbitohs
PointsBet Stadium, 3 August 2019
Kick Off: 7:35pm

1. Matt Moylan 2. Sosaia Feki 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Josh Dugan 5. Josh Morris 6. Shaun Johnson 7. Chad Townsend 8. Aaron Woods 9. Jayden Brailey 10. Matt Prior 11. Briton Nikora 12. Wade Graham 13. Paul Gallen

Interchange: 14. Kurt Capewell 15. Jack Williams 16. Andrew Fifita 17. Braden Uele

Reserves: 18. Billy Magoulias 19. Blayke Brailey 20. Ronaldo Mulitalo 21. Kyle Flanagan

1. Adam Doueihi 2. Dane Gagai 3. James Roberts 4. Braidon Burns 5. Campbell Graham 6. Cody Walker 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Tevita Tatola 9. Damien Cook 10. Thomas Burgess 11. John Sutton 12. Sam Burgess 13. Cameron Murray

Interchange: 14 Liam Knight 15. Mark Nicholls 16. Ethan Lowe 17. Kyle Turner

Reserves: 18. Connor Tracey 19. Corey Allan 20. Jaydn Su’A 21. Dean Britt

Sydney Roosters vs. Gold Coast Titans
Sydney Cricket Ground, 4 August 2019
Kick Off: 2:00pm

1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 3. Latrell Mitchell 4. Joseph Manu 5. Brett Morris 6. Luke Keary 7. Cooper Cronk 8. Isaac Liu 9. Sam Verrills 10. Zane Tetevano 11. Angus Crichton 12. Mitchell Aubusson 13. Victor Radley

Interchange: 14. Nat Butcher 15. Poasa Faamausili 16. Lindsay Collins 17. Sitili Tupouniua

Reserves: 18. Matt Ikuvalu 19. Drew Hutchinson 20. Lachlan Lam 21. Max Bailey

1. Michael Gordon 2. Anthony Don 3. Kallum Watkins 4. Brian Kelly 5. Phillip Sami 6. Tyrone Roberts 7. Ryley Jacks 8. Jarrod Wallace 9. Nathan Peats 10. Jack Stockwell 11. Kevin Proctor 12. Sam Stone 13. Jai Whitbread

Interchange: 14. Tyrone Peachey 15. Moeaki Fotuaika 16. Brenko Lee 17. Bryce Cartwright

Reserves: 18. Ashley Taylor 19. Mitch Rein 20. Will Matthews 21. Leilani Latu

St George Illawarra Dragons vs. Parramatta Eels
Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, 4 August 2019
Kick Off: 4:00pm

1. Corey Norman 2. Jason Saab 3. Euan Aitken 4. Timoteo Lafai 5. Zac Lomax 6. Gareth Widdop 7. Ben Hunt 8. Blake Lawrie 9. Cameron McInnes 10. Paul Vaughan 11. Tyson Frizell 12. Tariq Sims 13. James Graham

Interchange: 14. Jeremy Latimore 15. Korbin Sims 16. Patrick Kaufusi 17. Luciano Leilua

Reserves: 18. Tristan Sailor 19. Josh Kerr 20. Matthew Dufty 21. Mikaele Ravalawa

1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Maika Sivo 3. Michael Jennings 4. Waqa Blake 5. Brad Takairangi 6. Dylan Brown 7. Mitchell Moses 8. Kane Evans 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Manu Ma’u 13. Nathan Brown

Interchange: 14. Marata Niukore 15. Daniel Alvaro 16. David Gower 17. Tepai Moeroa

Reserves: 18. Josh Hoffman 19. Peni Terepo 20. Jaeman Salmon 21. Andrew Davey

 

[Sproj]

David Klemmer, they've cloned him!!! Imagine all the knee raises in that game. Hehe

 

[Big Pete]

Bringing it back old school for the run home to the finals. Six weeks to go in the regular season with 13 sides still a realistic chance of qualifying. That means that St. George Illawarra, Canterbury and the Gold Coast Titans have to fulfill the role of spoiler.

I actually think St George can provide a headache to the Eels, Sharks & Tigers in the run home to the finals. They actually get to play the Gold Coast twice who are basically on auto-pilot at the moment waiting for the announcement of their new coach so I wouldn't be surprised if they finished this period 4-2 with a feeling of what could have been.

Canterbury could be a headache if they tinker with their side. Ordinarily I wouldn't begrudge a coach taking a conservative approach to team selections, but with the season over I can't believe he's persisting with a lot of those selections. The season is over, it's time to start building towards 2020 and giving the club something to think about moving forward. If it was up to me, Nick Meaney, Kerrod Holland, Adam Elliott and Chris Smith would be on the chopping block. I wouldn't be opposed to adding others along the way but start there and build.

It seems like a real gut-check week for a lot of sides. You've got four matches where a Top 8 hopeful is taking on a Top 5 side where a win could really do wonders for the run home. I think all four 'underdogs' have a decent case for pulling off an upset and it'll be curious to see how those teams handle the occassion.

Tigers-Cowboys is one of those games that you could market as a sudden death finals qualifier. Personally I can't see either side making it, but it's the most 'even' game of the round. The return of Michael Morgan should provide a big boost to the Cowboys, mostly because he's their most potent playmaker but also because it allows Asiata to return to the middle where he's most effective. The Cowboys have really missed his creativity and energy around the ruck.

It's been an odd season for the Tigers. To their credit they didn't fall into a heap after the extradinary circumstances surrounding Cleary but in a lot of ways it feels like a stop-gap year. They've got a handful of players they can push on with, but it still seems like it will take at least another two years for the roster to be in any decent shape. I like a lot of their junior recruitment, but it'll take years to see what kind of dividend they'll receive from it.

Meanwhile 2019 has been a disaster for the Cowboys. The sooner they can welcome 2020 and address their structures and personnel the better. The one positive is that they'll have a pre-season to work on their combination with Drinkwater, Clifford, Morgan and Robson but I can't see their fans looking back on the past two years fondly.

 

[Big Pete]

David Klemmer, they've cloned him!!! Imagine all the knee raises in that game. Hehe

It's like when a singer flubbs his lines on television, you know it was all typed by hand.

Fixed and thank you.

 

[Big Pete]

The Jesse Ramien omission makes more sense now. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why he was dropped in favour of Kurt Mann but the fall out with Brown makes perfect sense.

There would be a few suitors for his signature. North Queensland, Parramatta, Penrith, St. George Illawarra and Warriors would all make sense for me and if the Knights are willing to pay a chunk of it, I'm sure Cronulla will make an enquiry as well.

It certainly raises the stakes of the Knights-Sea Eagles game. If this backfires on Brown, it could very well be the end of his tenure at the club.

 

[broncos4life]

The Jesse Ramien omission makes more sense now. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why he was dropped in favour of Kurt Mann but the fall out with Brown makes perfect sense.

There would be a few suitors for his signature. North Queensland, Parramatta, Penrith, St. George Illawarra and Warriors would all make sense for me and if the Knights are willing to pay a chunk of it, I'm sure Cronulla will make an enquiry as well.

It certainly raises the stakes of the Knights-Sea Eagles game. If this backfires on Brown, it could very well be the end of his tenure at the club.

Fingers crossed.

 

[Fozz]

Pretty much all of the Cowboys backline slipped over in that defensive effort.

 

[Dash]

Oh bunker, never change.

 

[Galah]

That’s a bad bad call

 

[GCBRONCO]

That’s a bad bad call

Horrible

 

[Morkel]

My SVRL team blew up at that call.

 

[GCBRONCO]

My SVRL team blew up at that call.

Your SVRL team got robbed mate

 

[Morkel]

Can’t blame the refs for that one. Drinkwater or Feldt, don’t care. Actually, Drinkwater to Feldt will get me 6 points. Do it.

 

[Morkel]

Refs doing their best to gift the Cows a try but they derp it up again.

 

[Galah]

That pass from benji was half a meter forward

 

[Maddy1to9]

Something tells me that against all odds, we will win today. Go the Broncos!

 

[GCBRONCO]

Raiders looking good, Nikorima looks to be in a lot of pain.

 

[Galah]

I genuinely hate this new rule now