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Thought cow’s defended the break well there with players in the passing lane combined with fullback pressure on Luai making it hard to thread that ball to Bula. Luai probably did the smart thing. Maybe a chip ahead might have seen Bula reach the ball first possibly.

Overall I thought the whole squad performed really well - loved their general intent for most of the game. We did have some periods where the Cows ran through us and had us backpedaling off quick ptbs. This indicated that our first contact, line speed and wrestle in the ruck was softer than it...

I can see Deardon skipping across field drawing in 2 inside defenders with Drinkwater wrapping around killing us out wide. They will do it all day. Could get ugly for the 2 young fellas. Deardon and Drinkwater always have blinders against us.

Ok - just looked at the team announcement. So ignore my last post which was hoping Benj would go with Herbert.

I am not sure Big mac has the defensive experience to play centre at NRL level. Id be leaving him on the wing and bringing in Herbert. However i have a feeling Benj may play Mac at centre and lukeL on the wing as mentioned.

I watched the Bulldogs vs the Dragons from Las Vegas without any sound (no bullshit commentators or hype). What I saw was fairly average footy from both teams. What I think is the Bulldogs will finish well above the Dragons for exactly the reasons I gave.

Tough call for that strip penalty. Pretty average game really. Not much to excite the US audience. Bulldogs will be tough to beat - fast line speed in D and intent with the ball in hand, few mistakes. Dragons halves are poor, backs average. Forwards try hard but nothing special.

Thought Prestons timing and angled run made the try more than Galvins pass. A half decent ball player should be able to draw and pass - its the runners giving the option and hitting the gaps that make them look good. Preston is a quality gap runner.

Rubbish call. Kikau played for that escort.

I like Murray coming on 10 mins each side of halftime giving Api a break and lifting our D in the middle at a time when we are often vulnerable in games. I think Hunt needs to show something before he steps in ahead of Sione or Seyfarth in the 17 for the first few weeks. Don’t mind Skelton and...

My early tips are: Comp to be very close this season with little separating top 13-14 clubs from week to week. Hard to pick winners each week. Big improvers will be Souths although injuries could bring them undone. Manly, Dragons, warriors all to struggle.

AD is technically poor as a general play kicker. He does not time his kicks well and hence he strikes the ball badly most of the time and especially when under pressure. Madden on the other hand is far better at connecting foot to ball and thinks more about where he wants to put the ball. Pole...

I suppose only time will tell if he’s had time to reflect while he’s been out of the NRL. Hopefully he understands what is required if he wants to take full advantage of this last chance. Maybe it will be a mental challenge for him more than a physical one. Fingers crossed that he contributes...

Not sure of Herbert’s injury record but he looks pretty fit and strong judging by his training photos. His trial game wasn’t bad at all - some aggressive D and intent in A. Obviously Star will struggle at some stage and Benji now has an option with Herb if needed. It’s not an unreasonable move...

Before anything between AD and Jock can be assessed our pack needs to at a minimum hold their own against the opposition. If we get dominated and are on the back foot it won’t matter who our 7 is! I’ll be the first to admit my misjudgment of AD as a quality ball player if he can prove me wrong -...

I hope I am surprised but AD as the “batman” in our side concerns me. I can see a world where our line up looks like: 14 Latu 13 AD 7 Madden 6 Luai

Have always felt Jock was just not quite there in any aspect however I take my hat off to him today. He directed the team well, kicked well and made good decisions. If he can play like that at NRL level he’s going to be a handy backup half.

Yep - agree with all your points apart from Mason. Felt he tried hard but was mostly ineffective. Held the ball often but never beat a player. Seemed to smother the attack a lot for me. Thought Saukuru ran well and most of our middles played solidly- ran hard and tackled hard. Unfortunately as...

How cool is it for OZ to have 3 skiers out of the 8 in the final of men’s moguls! Then for Cooper Woods to win in it in that way…..unbelievable!! Seems like such a good and genuine bloke as well - very emotional to watch!

Thought we had 3 spots open in the 30 with Bird gone. Sione wasn’t included in that count? Assuming Bunty takes one. Should still have another left - correct? Maybe one to keep for a potential mid season opportunity (or for an upgrade if not).