PRE-GAME Round 25 - Bulldogs vs Broncos

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theshed said:
There’s an old coaching philosophy, one that Bennett preached too (as mentioned in his book ‘Don’t die with the music in you’).

Select your best players first and then worry about their positions second.

It looks like Seibold is a fan of that idea too. There’s no doubt that Turpin is a better player than SoS, the debate comes down to whether you subscribe to this approach or if you prefer to select players based on positions.

I guess we’ll see how it pans out.
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McCullough is not one of our best players and yet he is still selected in the starting side.
 
rnabokov said:
You are right, my mistake about the importance of this game in terms of the table. If we lose we will finish 8th barring the ludicrous possibility of a Sharks-Tigers draw.

Having said that, I still believe this is a super important game insofar as if we lose, for mine it will not do much for the teams confidence going into the finals where the pressure is a lot greater than for this game. A win against the Dogs is critical for our finals campaign such as it might be. A loss? Good grief, why bother.

Also, after 2 good games with SOS, further developing some decent combinations, the one with Fifita looking promising, we now end up with a new half, one who for mine doesn't inspire with playmaking skill.

I think it is a retrograde step.
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Leaving Macca at hooker is the retrograde step.
 
I was wondering how Turps get back into the side.....was hoping it wasn't at SoS expense....

Not a great vote of confidence in the young lad...he NEEDS to play and to develop his chemistry with the rest of the team...this isn't a great sign, and further perplexes me when you consider the young half we have let walk away this year..
 
Matchwinner Turpin back and people groaning, WTF?!
We would not be in this position if the bloke had not get over the stripe in the dying stages of the Cows and Sharks away games.
SOS had his shot but looked serviceable at best.
Since we are a shoo in for finals, maybe the coach should rest his 'experienced superstars' in Boyd and Macca and let SOS and Perese have a full game. The inexperience might unearth an actual game plan for once.
 
PNG Broncos fan88 said:
Matchwinner Turpin back and people groaning, WTF?!
We would not be in this position if the bloke had not get over the stripe in the dying stages of the Cows and Sharks away games.
SOS had his shot but looked serviceable at best.
Since we are a shoo in for finals, maybe the coach should rest his 'experienced superstars' in Boyd and Macca and let SOS and Perese have a full game. The inexperience might unearth an actual game plan for once.
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The fact Turps scored some great individual tries has nothing to do with him being at halfback for those games. They were 'cos of individual skill, which is great, same as Fifita, Haas and co. Thing is, that is insufficient to win games against the top sides, where a team needs a genuine half to mobilise the forwards and get the edges and outside backs running, none of which Turps has shown he can do consistently, if at all.

Games against the very best sides are never won solely due to the brilliance of individuals, but rather they rely on team effort, something we will discover in the not too distant future.
 
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PNG Broncos fan88 said:
Matchwinner Turpin back and people groaning, WTF?!
We would not be in this position if the bloke had not get over the stripe in the dying stages of the Cows and Sharks away games.
SOS had his shot but looked serviceable at best.
Since we are a shoo in for finals, maybe the coach should rest his 'experienced superstars' in Boyd and Macca and let SOS and Perese have a full game. The inexperience might unearth an actual game plan for once.
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No one is saying Turps shouldn't be in the side. We all agree he should be, but at hooker (or bench hooker).
 
What a weak decision. SOS has performed well enough. He gives us a bit more structure in terms of him knowing the position, his positional play in defence and knowing how to play like a halfback. Turpin doesn't offer any of that. He offers enthusiasm at 7, although he does compete well there, he is a worse half than Boyd is imo. Pick him at 9, pick him at 14 or don't pick him at all.
 
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Kyall said:
Perese has played his way into our top 17 and deserves a chance to impress before semis.
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He should only get a run on the wing imo. He will get destroyed if he is put under pressure at center in the NRL. Keeps things simple for him and he could do some real damage. Pity he plays predominantly on the left or i would drop him in for Issako in a heartbeat.
 
Do people think it was just a coincidence that we have had a much better structure (albeit still not good) and some steel on our right edge defence since Turpin's suspension?
We arguably could be 2/2 with SOS and Boyd as a halves combination and I still think defensively we would be exposed in the finals with Turpin defending 3 in. This position is critical as it dictates the line and movement (up, in or slide) of the outside backs. We were brutally exposed for 60 minutes straight with no answer against Melbourne on that edge and I don't believe Turpin would've made the two try saving tackles one on one that SOS made on Shaun Lane.
To be clear, this is not a post to criticise Turpin. He is by far and away the standout hooker at this club - but the overall team performance on the field dips with Turpin at 7 on both sides of the ball and intensifies our already struggling game management. Just look at the Cowboys game three weeks ago as a prime case study.
 
I find it a little hard to stomach that both the coach and the captain have highlighted how much better and more settled the team would be if we had a consistent halves pairing for a decent amount of time...

Then after the first chance we get to see an actual 7 in the team for a few games and we see some solid team performances in a row, we want to change things up again for a player who in my opinion has no real business playing in the halves.

Turpin needs to be in the team, but I don't think we're better off with him in the 7 and it seems that view is shared by many on here. Very interesting what Seibs must be seeing / thinking.
 
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