@Gobbs said:
'depth' in key positions. In seasons gone past, Wests have lacked that half to step up and fill the shoes of the enigmatic Marshall and Sheens has relied upon a makeshift solution.
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@Gobbs said:
The Tigers now have two quality fullbacks who can both handle the weekly grind of First Grade, as well three specialist halves.
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@Gobbs said:
addition of Arana Taumata to the club's ranks in 2010 will only strength such depth.
My thoughts exactly….key word here is depth.
Can I add that if we look at the team 2 or 3 years ago, we had 'young guns' in there with the potential but without the experience. Now, a few years of first grade under their belt and many have fulfilled that potential and now also have experience. This translates to quality. I think the Wests Tigers finally have quality players in our backline instead of passengers.
1>>>>>> Moltzen looked terrific in the halves, however his stint there has helped him learn Benji's game and as a result he seems to pop up in support from fullback at the right times. The 6 and 1 combo we have is deadly at the moment. I think having Moltz as our back up half is a good idea because he plays in the team week-in week-out over bringing someone up every time we get an injury. Kind of like the arrangement Saints had with Hornby. My opinion is that whether Moltzen plays 1\. or 7., it doesn't weaken the team or weaken his effect on the game. I think it's more a matter of who you play at 1\. should Moltz play halfback or who you play at 7\. if Moltz plays fullback.
I think with Taumata coming next year, we'll see him in the No.7 jersey over Lui for sure, which brings me to my next point.
2>>>>>> Lui had a solid debut and his defence was outstanding considering he had the likes of Pistol Paul Gallen running at him all day. Given Sheens' record, I would say this is Lui's taste of 1st grade and Sheens will resist putting him in as a regular until he thinks he is ready or there are injuries. With that in mind, we also thought Gallant was going to take over from Hodgo and now look what's happened with Moltzen. His form could not be ignored and as a result is our No.1 choice for fullback. If Lui continues to carve up the NYC and then carries that form into the NSW cup then who knows??
3>>>>>> Benji's form has been terrific of late and I think that comes down to less pressure on the kid in 2 ways. Firstly, with Moltzen, Ayshford, Gallant and Ellis in form over this winning streak, the papers have had other players to write about and focus their attention on. Secondly, our attack is not solely focused and reliant upon some 'Marshall brilliance' or 'miracle flick pass' he is famous for. Benji can now pick his moments because the attacking weight of the team is not on his shoulders. I also think that mentally, Benji has finally gotten over his injuries and has carried on where he left off in 05'.
More importantly, we are not going side-to-side on every play, but rather carting it up the middle. We've only been able to do this because of our forwards. Ellis, Galloway and.......Big Skando! have given us terrific go forward....add Tuiaki in there too!
But as Gobbs said, we have plenty of depth now, and even more so next year. I reckon this is the nucleus of a really good team for the next few years.
Apologies for the long post :ugeek:
