Wallace at hooker

[Kimlo]

I can't see Henjak doing it but it would good if he did IMO. I think Wallace should be our first choice 80 minute no.9 in 2011. I reckon he could go very well in that position and with Hunt at halfback we wouldn't lose much.

I don't think McCullough is our best option but he's handy for backup. So who else thinks Wallace should go hooker next year?

 

[m1c]

I can't see Henjak doing it but it would good if he did IMO. I think Wallace should be our first choice 80 minute no.9 in 2011. I reckon he could go very well in that position and with Hunt at halfback we wouldn't lose much.

I don't think McCullough is our best option but he's handy for backup. So who else thinks Wallace should go hooker next year?

I don't really know where to start.. so many things wrong with this. McCullough is by far and away our number 1 long term hooking option. I'm tipping Wallace will prove a lot of the doubters wrong next season. He was disappointing but I thought he was fairly solid this year considering he was playing busted for most of it.

You don't just forget how to play origin standard footy in under 12 months, there are obviously plenty of other factors that come into it.

 

[ningnangnong]

I agree that McCullough is definitely our long term solution at hooker, but he better start showing more if he wants to cement his place in the team. Other than the final few games, he was pretty dreadful this season.

Wallace needs to pull his finger out as well. I don't care if you're a massive fan of his or not, you can't deny he had a horrible season. He's much more capable than what he showed this year, so hopefully he'll improve. If not, I'd be saying goodbye. He could probably do a decent job at hooker, but I think we need to persevere with McCullough there for a while longer to see how he develops.

 

[mrslong]

McCullough is 20 years old.

He is awesome, give him time and he will be a future rep player.

 

[Coxy]

Yeah, need a third option. Wallace should play halfback to either prove he can cut it, or can't, and then be replaced by Hunt.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Wallace be an ideal bench utility. He can play halves hooker and backrow easily. We need hunt at halfback with lockyer for as long as possible

 

[Big Pete]

No, I don't think he should be given a go at hooker. With McCullough and Baptiste on board (with Cameron Cullen set to be another fine prospect) I don't see the point in strengthening a position we have A LOT of depth for.

Wallace can stay at half and if he fails to fire, or in a better case scenario he's out-gun let him go back to Sydney a year early. Hopefully he comes good and 2010 goes down as an off year due to injury...but I have my doubts.

 

[Anonymous person]

id be happy to dump wallace altogether before the season starts. hes not our long term halfback, hes just not good enough.

hes not a hooker either, lets not try and make him into one. wasnt everyone just bagging henjak for playing other players out of position, now youre saying he should do it with wallace?

 

[Nashy]

I think the Q-Cup feeders are all good for hookers aren't they?

 

[Coxy]

No, I don't think he should be given a go at hooker. With McCullough and Baptiste on board (with Cameron Cullen set to be another fine prospect) I don't see the point in strengthening a position we have A LOT of depth for.

Wallace can stay at half and if he fails to fire, or in a better case scenario he's out-gun let him go back to Sydney a year early. Hopefully he comes good and 2010 goes down as an off year due to injury...but I have my doubts.

The problem the Broncos and the NRL clubs in general have is there's no real outlet for second string players to "outgun" first graders. Let's face it, Q Cup, NSW Cup, Toyota Cup, all those second tier competitions are not in the same ballpark as NRL. They don't play the same tactics, structures, hell, even the same rules.

A player can dominate that level and then look completely useless in first grade.

So what's the option? Play a halfback off the bench and give him 20 minutes game time? Doesn't prove much. They either won't get into the rhythm of the game, or they'll rip apart a tired opposition. Make them start and will they last 80 minutes? Probably not.

If Wallace isn't up to snuff in 2011, or even just "average", there's no way you could say "Ben Hunt has outgunned him" even if he's scoring 4 tries and setting up 11 tries every game in Q Cup (OK, maybe you could).

I really hope the NRL Independent Commission has on its agenda creating a national 2nd tier competition of quality that's a GENUINE stepping stone to NRL. Frankly I'd consider something like a reserve grade competition with a cap on players over 23 or 25 able to compete (say 2 or 3). Still call it the Toyota Cup. Give some experienced guys a run, have the kids come through playing against a smattering of hardened footballers as well as up and comers.

It'd be a MUCH better platform on which to judge fringe players than the joke that the Toyota Cup is now. And with the powers that be discouraging single-club-affiliations with Q Cup, you can't even get a look at a number of your fringe players playing together week in, week out under similar structures and conditions to first grade.

This issue plus the salary cap is, IMO, the main reason the NRL competition standard is going backwards.

 

[Big Pete]

Absolutely agree Coxy.

My point on being óut-gunned' was more to do with the offseason, not have Hunt usurp him mid-season.

 

[Coxy]

Absolutely agree Coxy.

My point on being óut-gunned' was more to do with the offseason, not have Hunt usurp him mid-season.

True, but even then it's hard to judge, unless Henjak is going to have the faith to play Hunt at halfback for full 80 minutes in full blown trials.

Problem again is Wallace is spending most of the offseason recovering from shoulder surgery, so just like this year he's going to be short of training.

 

[Big Pete]

This is true.

Rephrase: Hopefully Hunt has a great offseason and comes out all guns blazing so we don't have to rely on Wallace.

 

[Coxy]

I'd like that!

 

[simmo77]

Yeah, need a third option. Wallace should play halfback to either prove he can cut it, or can't, and then be replaced by Hunt.

Third option would get my vote. Start the season at 7 and give him enough games to prove himself (playing for a new contract) and if he fails then bring Hunt in and give him the rest of the season.

 

[Kimlo]

McCullough is 20 years old.

He is awesome, give him time and he will be a future rep player.

I agree with that, I was a huge fan of him in 2009 but he was just so disappointing this year. If he can return to the form we know he has then I'll be all for him staying but if he's going to play like he did this year then I think it will be time to dump him.

The ideal scenario is they both fire up because Wallace and McCullough are extremely important to us being able to win the premiership next year.

 

[Flutterby]

id be happy to dump wallace altogether before the season starts. hes not our long term halfback, hes just not good enough.

hes not a hooker either, lets not try and make him into one. wasnt everyone just bagging henjak for playing other players out of position, now youre saying he should do it with wallace?

It's a rare thing, but I 100% agree with AP here.

 

[Black Philip]

The team next year should be something like this IMO

1. Hoffman
2. Yow Yeh
3. Inglis
4. Hodges
5. Kemp/Gagai
6. Lockyer
7. Hunt
8. Hannant
9. McCullough
10. Tronc
11. Thaiday
12. Parker
13. Gillett

14. Te'o
15. Glenn
16. Anderson
17. McGuire/Dodds/McGuire/Ahern

While this team takes the field, Wallace should be strapped to a rocket which has been fired into the sun.