happy_tiger
Well-known member
Vossy just said that they were no injuries from any games to report tonight from any 4 sides Another positive
prattenpark
New member
The telecrap match report says that Ayshford and Ellis both injured their ankles face stints on the sideline. :frowning:
I think our outside backs have been shown up for how really good they are with Lawrence out of the side. Nothing against Ayshford, his a solid player, but I think alot of people got overexcited by him at the end of last season.
Our attack has always been left side dominant. The amount of tries and breaks scored down the left has always been significantly higher on the left. Yet people still thought Ayshford was this world breaking centre.
Now without Lawrence in the side, we go left and we look unthreatening, we go right and we look like nothings on. Noone in our outside backs looks threatening at all.
Brown is no more than a very solid player who does little things right (defends, takes bomb, positions himself well), but he is again not a game breaker. A nice person to have to finish on the wing (if anything was ever created).
Blake Ayshford generally defends well, but theres no flare about him. I like him, and would try him elsewhere but long term I dont see him there. We need a centre who can run at the line at a bit of pace and look threatening.
Even with Lawrence back, we need another centre, another outside back. I think its cost us a bit already this year and last year. At the moment, we have nothing whatever side we go and are just relying on Benji/Robbie to pull somthing out etc. All good teams will put points on either side of the field, it changes ur whole side dynamic.
Our attack has always been left side dominant. The amount of tries and breaks scored down the left has always been significantly higher on the left. Yet people still thought Ayshford was this world breaking centre.
Now without Lawrence in the side, we go left and we look unthreatening, we go right and we look like nothings on. Noone in our outside backs looks threatening at all.
Brown is no more than a very solid player who does little things right (defends, takes bomb, positions himself well), but he is again not a game breaker. A nice person to have to finish on the wing (if anything was ever created).
Blake Ayshford generally defends well, but theres no flare about him. I like him, and would try him elsewhere but long term I dont see him there. We need a centre who can run at the line at a bit of pace and look threatening.
Even with Lawrence back, we need another centre, another outside back. I think its cost us a bit already this year and last year. At the moment, we have nothing whatever side we go and are just relying on Benji/Robbie to pull somthing out etc. All good teams will put points on either side of the field, it changes ur whole side dynamic.
GNR4LIFE
Well-known member
Ayshford is solid…put it this way he's x10 the footballer Dean Collis is
I agree Ayshford is a solid player but hardlly threatens the line in attack. Doesn't score many tries or sets them up.
I agree with need to find another centre to partner Lawrence.
Ayshford would make a perfect utility player off the bench. Capable of playing in the backs and forwards.
I agree with need to find another centre to partner Lawrence.
Ayshford would make a perfect utility player off the bench. Capable of playing in the backs and forwards.
Captain_Awesome
New member
2\. Utai
3\. Lawrence
4\. Tuqiri
5\. Ryan
3\. Lawrence
4\. Tuqiri
5\. Ryan
Bazzinator
New member
jake clarke will be a given a shot once he gets used to playing with men similar to hyland and mullaney in that regard. clarke has been training with the FG squad for the last 2 seasons so there is obviously big wraps on the kid
With the salary cap you can't have an entire 17 of dominant players.
We're lucky to have three players in our backline (Marshall, Lawrence, Tuqiri) who are amongst the top 5 players in their position. The rest of our backline varies between average and above average to good.
I believe our squad of backline players is stronger than most teams in the comp.
Unfortunately at the moment, two of our top 3 backs (and our first choice backup centre) are injured. This severly limits the strike power of our side. (Just as it would be if you took Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk out of the Storm backline, or removed Idris and Morris from the Bulldogs team)
Luckily for us Tuqiri should be returning from injury soon. This will improve our strike power. Hopefully, later in the season, Lawrence will come back fit, just as we're making a run for the finals.
But unless there's some junior players coming through who can star for our side and not get paid much, I don't think there's too many options at the moment. We simply can't fit Tuqiri, Marshall, Lawrence, Farah, Ellis, Galloway, Heighington, etc under the salary cap AND sign Adam Blair AND sign another star centre or winger.
The salary cap doesn't let you do it…
We're lucky to have three players in our backline (Marshall, Lawrence, Tuqiri) who are amongst the top 5 players in their position. The rest of our backline varies between average and above average to good.
I believe our squad of backline players is stronger than most teams in the comp.
Unfortunately at the moment, two of our top 3 backs (and our first choice backup centre) are injured. This severly limits the strike power of our side. (Just as it would be if you took Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk out of the Storm backline, or removed Idris and Morris from the Bulldogs team)
Luckily for us Tuqiri should be returning from injury soon. This will improve our strike power. Hopefully, later in the season, Lawrence will come back fit, just as we're making a run for the finals.
But unless there's some junior players coming through who can star for our side and not get paid much, I don't think there's too many options at the moment. We simply can't fit Tuqiri, Marshall, Lawrence, Farah, Ellis, Galloway, Heighington, etc under the salary cap AND sign Adam Blair AND sign another star centre or winger.
The salary cap doesn't let you do it…
AngryEmu
Member
As I mentioned in another thread I am worried about who will partner with Lote in the centres. The two guys we have at the moment don't seem to be creating much in attack and aside from Marshall throwing a cut out ball, I don't see Lote getting a lot of ball.
I dont think Tuquiri is a bad centre option. I see no reason why he couldnt do it. I mean theres two types of centre. Theres your flashy ones with the footwork etc and then theres your big strong runners which tuquiri I think could be and be quite well. We have plenty of wing options so dont see why it wouldnt work.
happy_tiger
Well-known member
How about our junior stocks Jake Clarke looked promising in NYC and is running around in reggies . Could he be the future centre if need be . Ayshford is a far better player when Lawrence is playing as defences concentrate the efforts on Lawrence At the moment he is learning what it is to be a marked man and is something he will need to develop if he wants to make the next step in the NRL Possibly second season syndrome with him ??
Yawn
Not many teams has 2 top class centres in the one team (the dragons perhaps with Cooper and Gasnier) but Hodges partners with Copely, Inglis partners with Farell, Dogs have Idris and Morris but are loosing Idris , so while we have Lawrence who is one of the top 5 in the game and Aysford we should be happy - Our problem at the moment is that we have 2 Australian test backs out of our backline and our best forward out
@boonboon said:
Hodges partners with Jack Reed.
