In saying that, isn’t much the halves can do when they aren’t being given a good platform to work off of. They are going to struggle. Our forward losses, people underestimate just how big of a loss they are and what losing them does to this side.
Agreed... and for me probably the most disappointing is Offa.
I can forgive Lodge, because he got a serious injury and clearly doesn't have the fitness as yet to pump out the minutes he was last year, but he is still trying to be an aggressor in the forwards... can't recall the timing of his injury and whether it was latish in the pre-season, but it is also the kind of injury that wouldn't allow much cardio during rehab (or much of anything really), so I think it will probably be a pretty slow year for Lodge, but we need him at the moment so he can't spend extra time getting the fitness back.
Haas is doing everything he can.. and so is Flegler and Carrigan, but they're all young and they need some backup.
Offa missed the first two games due to suspension from his 3rd or 4th mess up in about 2-3 years... so he should've come back raring to go. He has no injury to blame for any lack of fitness and yet he looks underdone.
I've always seen Offa as a liability in defence... and seeing the roosters try where Liu strolled through the middle I thought Haas looked a little slow, but noticed Offa was on the blind side and didn't come across from the inside to cover the gap in the middle. I can't recall what time of the game that came, but believe it was straight after half time.. so fatigue can't be blamed.
Realistically with Lodge underdone, Offa should be making a big push to start and be our reliable long minute prop until Lodge is back up to speed. Allowing Flegler to provide impact off the bench.
At the moment Offa is probably borderline with Kennedy in terms of who should be in the team