Wayne Bennett has stuffed Brisbane for 2018

[Gaz]

Now a serious response Gaz. I am getting the strong feeling that if Dargan has continued good training form and then plays well in the trials that he may get a shot. That would be the logical approach.

That’s what fox sports are predicting. Be marvellous if it was that simple. My feeling is Bennett may have bought him in to cover Benji leaving. Granted there is the experience - inexperience thing. Time will tell.

 

[_wwong]

That’s what fox sports are predicting. Be marvellous if it was that simple. My feeling is Bennett may have bought him in to cover Benji leaving. Granted there is the experience - inexperience thing. Time will tell.

If dargan can do everything that ash Taylor can then Wayne bennett is a genius and a supreme haggler.

 

[Jedhead]

Yes agree. If Griffin had remembered Hunt was a gun halfback in his NYC side, in fact NYC half of the year, and give him the reins in that position sooner rather then later, perhaps things might have been different.

When Hunt dropped that kick off in the GF he became mentally tarnished from that moment. Unfortunately he was always going to have that in the back of his mind so long as he played for us. He had to take the St. George offer to rid himself of the gunshy attitude that was eating at him. That fateful day's result cost us dearly and has put a dent in Bennett's long term plans, but I have a feeling the younger recruits Bennett is amassing will see us shine in the not too distant future. Kodi will get first go and he will learn fast from Kevvie. Plus we won't lose him during origin.

 

[Foordy]

That’s what fox sports are predicting.

then you can be pretty confident it won't happen

 

[mitch222]

Pretty sure the same question has lingered over the squad for the past 4 years now, we dont have a half that is a game manager (people cried that Hunt wasnt either so him leaving hasnt really exposed us to this weakness) yet people still write us off when its a problem we have dealt with it for the past 4 years whilst still finishing comfortably inside the top 8 every year. For me, nothing really changes. Milf and Kodi have enough talent to carry us and are still young enough to develop more skills to add to their game. Its not like once you hit a certain age you stop learning all together in the NRL. Our biggest concern lies up front for me. Blair is a huge loss for me in regards to our defence. I hope to hell Lodge lives up to his big wraps because we are going to need him up the middle.

 

[Painin the Haas]

Pretty sure the same question has lingered over the squad for the past 4 years now, we dont have a half that is a game manager (people cried that Hunt wasnt either so him leaving hasnt really exposed us to this weakness) yet people still write us off when its a problem we have dealt with it for the past 4 years whilst still finishing comfortably inside the top 8 every year. For me, nothing really changes. Milf and Kodi have enough talent to carry us and are still young enough to develop more skills to add to their game. Its not like once you hit a certain age you stop learning all together in the NRL. Our biggest concern lies up front for me. Blair is a huge loss for me in regards to our defence. I hope to hell Lodge lives up to his big wraps because we are going to need him up the middle.

Yes we make the top 8 but we aren’t the team to beat nor do any of us feel comfortable that we can win in close games compared to the past when we were known to win them with Lockyer or Walters or langer guiding the team

Tagatese, lodge, haas, carrigan, Taueli, sims, offa, pangai the front row looks quite exciting and competitive in 2018.

Lodge is definitely the goods, on the field anyway. He was impressive when he was starting at the tigers and that hasn’t changed watching him at Redcliffe

 

[007]

What a ridiculous statement. Yes there are better runs of form within winning percentages but we didn't play the knights 13 times, we played about 10 different teams in a 16 team comp.

I love how people on here twist stats. Fact: we won 10/13 games with him at HB, subjective: we were lucky and he was a passenger. If we lost 10/13 games with him at HB then people would be justifiably calling for him to be chopped from first grade. Being in a winning team doesn't mean he has done a great job, but it does justify him retaining his position. Ever heard the expression "don't change a winning team"? It's quoted by coaches for a reason, particularly when it is such a critical position.

Winning doesn't make him a great HB as he could have been a passenger in all those games. But it certainly gives him some leeway when all we have is untested options. 10/13 even against the knights with no pre-season in the position certainly warrants an opportunity (8-10 games) to make the position his own

I think you missed my sarcasm. Winning XXX games doesnt not mean a player is successful or performing well.

 

[007]

Bottom line IMO is that our Halves combo is sub standard. I would comparative place us in 6th place based on our halves combo ability (with Milf and Kodi). While this is such - we will not be organised around a park and not be able to make critical decisions to control a game when the match is tight. Have you ever wondered why we had so many close games that we just couldn't win last year?.....

 

[M.B.88]

Anyone who quotes win rates as a stat has little clue about the game of football. if we won 10/13 games against Kinights, but also won 10/13 games against storm - tell me which would be the better stat?

But you don't play the same team 10 times a year.. your logic is flawed.

You play another 15 teams with different players, different structures and a **** tonne of other variables like travel, fitness, conditions on the day, time of year etc

So to win 10 from 13 as a starter against all the above variables means he was an integral part of getting the 2 points in the bag at rate of 76% in his first year as a halfback.

Show me Taylor's and Hunt's win percentage please

 

[M.B.88]

When Hunt dropped that kick off in the GF he became mentally tarnished from that moment. Unfortunately he was always going to have that in the back of his mind so long as he played for us. He had to take the St. George offer to rid himself of the gunshy attitude that was eating at him. That fateful day's result cost us dearly and has put a dent in Bennett's long term plans, but I have a feeling the younger recruits Bennett is amassing will see us shine in the not too distant future. Kodi will get first go and he will learn fast from Kevvie. Plus we won't lose him during origin.

Yes and no. Hunt is filthy he has to leave

 

[M.B.88]

I think you missed my sarcasm. Winning XXX games doesnt not mean a player is successful or performing well.

Means they did their job? They didn't lose the game for their team.. that's all you need to do!

 

[Foordy]

Means they did their job?

not necessarily ... in a couple of those games we were heading for a loss until Kodi got hooked

 

[Accept]

Dargan, obviously.

That's a big ask. Jumping from NYC to the most important position on the most high profile RL club in the world. WB would never be that stupid. I have little confidence in Kodi but more than I would in using a no name discard who may or may not be of NRL quality one day.

 

[Super Freak]

not necessarily ... in a couple of those games we were heading for a loss until Kodi got hooked

People don’t seem to realize the impact Milford had during that period.

My SVRL team was benefitting from his step up in form.

 

[Porthoz]

But you don't play the same team 10 times a year.. your logic is flawed.

You play another 15 teams with different players, different structures and a **** tonne of other variables like travel, fitness, conditions on the day, time of year etc

So to win 10 from 13 as a starter against all the above variables means he was an integral part of getting the 2 points in the bag at rate of 76% in his first year as a halfback.

Show me Taylor's and Hunt's win percentage please

All true and fine for most of the regular season, especially taking into account the squad as a whole, we will probably win most games with Kodi at 7.
If he or Milf don't develop a better game control and kicking game, it won't quite suffice against the top teams and in the finals, where you need all the strings in a bow.

 

[Browny]

**** this game management shit, lets go back to the 90s and just go all out attack.

 

[_wwong]

**** this game management shit, lets go back to the 90s and just go all out attack.

What about defence? And ball control?

 

[GCBRONCO]

**** this game management shit, lets go back to the 90s and just go all out attack.

Game management wasn't missing from the great teams of the 90's.......premiership winning sides like the Raiders, Panthers, Broncos, Sea Eagles, Bulldogs even the Knights had the necessary kicking and game management to win the critical games, but still be entertaining. Langer and Walters complimented themselves not from just individual ability, but from a kicking and management perspective, the same can't be said of Nikorima and Milford at present, if ever.

Last season was a perfect example of where wins can be misleading to how a side is actually traveling. Glaring issues defensively and in attack(countless times our attack in the oppositions half would be directionless and easily shutdown by the opposition because of poor communication and direction) were there and we were often guilty of letting sides back into the match and struggling to put them away pointing to that a quality side came to play we were in trouble, then comes along the Eels who come to play and we get blown off the field seconds into the game, hardly surprising.