really need to play their cards right the rooters,could be heading for a fall the next decade,fingers crossed
Halves
- Thread starter SeanT
- Start date
Like everyone else is with Brooks every week?
Ponga not working at 5/8 missing 10 tackles.
Red88_Tiger
Well-known member
Don’t worry he’ll get a late call up to Queensland and earn all hype and praise to keep the wolves at bay for a while
The trouble is the gap between the best halves and the rest is so big that every week they make the also rans look inept.
The whole competition is skinny when it comes to quality halves and most likely why Sheens will continue to persist with Brooks. There is nothing to suggest otherwise in any of his actions and messaging.
Cant see how our position on the table, coach, and our key players will be effective in recruiting to improve our position next year.
And again expect teams will be looking to pick up any of our players as spare parts who are looking for a chance to get off the losing merry go -round.
The whole competition is skinny when it comes to quality halves and most likely why Sheens will continue to persist with Brooks. There is nothing to suggest otherwise in any of his actions and messaging.
Cant see how our position on the table, coach, and our key players will be effective in recruiting to improve our position next year.
And again expect teams will be looking to pick up any of our players as spare parts who are looking for a chance to get off the losing merry go -round.
earl
Well-known member
Brooks is our best half by miles and has been for a while. He is creating plenty of points for us. The problem is getting someone to play alongside him in the halves.
Tucker
Well-known member
Seek help.
he is not as bad as what everyone thinks but to say he is going well and creating "plenty" is a big leap to make. He is our best half. He has created a few and blown plenty i would say.
It's worth noting the UK government has just recommended a mandatory stand down of TWENTY ONE DAYS minimum following a concussion. Right now it's being aimed at grass roots collision sports but once you create a legal precedent the rest will soon be forced to follow. The potential consequences are sobering. The pressure it will put on professional squads will be unbearable. Given the number of concussions we are seeing lately it's not unreasonable to believe we'd need to expand by up to a dozen players. Even more concerning is the days of players being able to circumvent concussion protocols for big games - especially finals - are now over. Which means you could conceivably lose three or four of the teams best players making playoffs a complete and utter lottery. Worse still - none of these measures will make any difference to the number of concussions players are suffering. Especially since each season they appear to be bigger, stronger, more explosive and far more likely to cause concussions. The game is up, I'm afraid. Collision sports will soon be legislated out of existence.
earl
Well-known member
This is not on the topic of our halves but I wonder how some sports will survive. I love MMA as well and I can't see how these sports can continue.
It's not about legislation either. It's about human being's brains being damaged.
Lot's of money in these sports though and people still want to participate.
liltiger
Well-known member
Top 30 will need to be turned into a top 50.
liltiger
Well-known member
If the players sign legal documentation when they start stating they understand the risks and absolve the clubs, game or players of any responsibility and they take full ownership of responsibility knowing the inherent risk involved, then legally everyone should be covered, but legislative I'm not too sure about.
Mma will be fine, fights can be held in other countries. Bigger sports like Nfl or league would need to sort something out. In saying that there's way too much money involved and it would be political suicide, so I can't see contact sports ever being banned.
The issue I have is with the lawyers and litigation, that's what will ruin everything, it's what's got the N.R.L petrified now. They need some form of consent from players that does not hold the N.R.L, players or clubs at fault if there is a serious body or brain injury.
hank37w
Well-known member
Yeah, Ponga can really stink it up at times.
Tiger-ferret
Well-known member
Giving more scope for the top clubs to hoard the best players. perhaps the best clubs will just loan other elite players for the finals…
They also got Ponga, Brailey , miller, Young , Gagai , Saifiti brothers , Frizell so calm down, Hastings is rubbish as are newcastle, with a far stronger roster who have been together for years. Bateman asked to have hastings moved on because he is a know idiot hence being pushed out of the NRL. Him and Brooks are both low level. He done nothing last year at the tigers we came dead last. Both of them should have been sacked to say Hastings would take us to the top 8 is laughable
Tiger Tarl
Well-known member
So obviously something has to happen with our halves. It seems we have the team around them, including a killer hooker and solid forwards but the organising/finishing is letting us down. Our 2023 stats show this.
So what are our options?
Someone like Moses or A. Reynolds would suddenly make us top 8, but halves like that are locked up and not going anywhere. 0% chance of happening.
Next up there are players like Hunt or Dodd. Both under contract till 2025 but with a slight chance of getting out of those contracts. Both would elevate us instantly. But still a very remote chance of happening.
Then there's the old and busted but experienced types, Pearce, Townsend, etc. Could do a job for 2 years but are they the right play? Would be expensive and risky with form and injury.
Or do we go the young guns not currently getting a shot like Walker, Trindall, Tracey, Taafe, etc. Not exactly proven but all would probably improve us. Even younger are blokes like Sandon Smith (Roosters), Thomas Weaver (Titans) but they're all lauded by their current clubs and under contract.
So what's the play? Look within? Laurie played well in the halves on the weekend. Do we try him (fullback to half seemed to work for Nicho Hynes). Isn't much of a talker and can he even organise us? Shift Api to half and bring Simpkin in at 9? Weakens one position to strengthen another...
So many questions but unfortunately not many answers...
So what are our options?
Someone like Moses or A. Reynolds would suddenly make us top 8, but halves like that are locked up and not going anywhere. 0% chance of happening.
Next up there are players like Hunt or Dodd. Both under contract till 2025 but with a slight chance of getting out of those contracts. Both would elevate us instantly. But still a very remote chance of happening.
Then there's the old and busted but experienced types, Pearce, Townsend, etc. Could do a job for 2 years but are they the right play? Would be expensive and risky with form and injury.
Or do we go the young guns not currently getting a shot like Walker, Trindall, Tracey, Taafe, etc. Not exactly proven but all would probably improve us. Even younger are blokes like Sandon Smith (Roosters), Thomas Weaver (Titans) but they're all lauded by their current clubs and under contract.
So what's the play? Look within? Laurie played well in the halves on the weekend. Do we try him (fullback to half seemed to work for Nicho Hynes). Isn't much of a talker and can he even organise us? Shift Api to half and bring Simpkin in at 9? Weakens one position to strengthen another...
So many questions but unfortunately not many answers...
king_sirro
Well-known member
I watched the first 20 minutes so not a great time frame to judge a halfback in a team that got whipped. But the way Hastings controlled Newcastles set that eventually lead to him setting up their try was outstanding and exactly what we are craving. Didn't see the rest of the game, but I imagine possession and momentum was all Parra so impossible for him to do anything, just like it was for Reynolds last night after 30 minutes.
It is a problem Earl because the best halves usually don't have a problem attracting players who want to play beside them.
hank37w
Well-known member
Except for Wests Tigers, we wouldn't be smart enough to adopt that sort of strategy in a game plan.
We would avoid him for fear of hurting him physically or mentally because we are too soft and too nice.
Reminds me of the game against Souffs a few years ago (2017 from memory) when Inglis was on one leg and for whatever reason he stayed on the field even though it was obvious from early on that he was in a bad way.
Did we target him as their weakest link? no way, we were scared we might hurt him, it was actually stated after the game by our captain that, "we looked after him."
From memory I think we let him score a try as well just to make him feel better.
Surprisingly that with that kind of thinking and lack of killer instinct, we actually won that game and everyone was surprised that Inglis played on.
Madge was their coach at the time and that probably didn't do anything to dispell the idea that Madge doesn't manage player injuries all that well.
Tucker
Well-known member
We’ll see SOO games being played by reserve graders….
Maybe the seasons will last 50 weeks with games played every second weekend?
It’s a huge issue in the realm of player welfare and could mean a freight train is bearing down on the sport itself.
