Don't love the change at fullback

E

Eddie

New member
I just think Thompson has been outstanding this year at fullback. He has saved so many tries through last minute efforts and failed to drop even one high ball. All these little things sometimes go unnoticed until maybe he is not there anymore. His positional play is really sound and he competes on every play. For me alongside Lawrence he has been our most consistent player.

I know Tui has has his fans on here however he has done next to nothing this year to convince me be is any where near as good an option at fullback as Corey has been. I understand we need to make some changes after 4 losses in 5 but I'm wondering if this could backfire.

Were a side that does need an injection of skill however I would still much prefer we compete on every play. Anyway lets see how it goes I have enjoyed the way Cleary has kept everyone on their toes this year in regards to selections. There isn doubt Lolihea has the ability to set up a try however its the other things in his game that worries me.

I can see this backfiring if Lolihea is not 100% fit. I dont think he is a fullback I tninkhe should more of an option for 6 or the bench if Benji and Reynolds continue to struggle . This is a season defining game for me for the squad so its an interesting trigger to pull now.
 
it might have more to do with the fact that we dont have an nrl quality winger outside of thompson

i think the team is better balanced with tui back. thompson is safer but offers nothing in the opposition 20\. stats arent everything but we're 3/3 with tui at 1 and 3/8 with thompson at 1\. tui is also a quality goal kicker. when we arent a high scoring team going from 4 to 6 is extremely important
 
My fear is all the clean up work Thompson does will become even more apparent this week if we are put under pressure. Hopefully Im wrong and Tui plays well and we win.
 
A fit and healthy Tui is a must for our team. However is he fit and is he 100% healthy? we will find out on sunday.

So far Cleary has been pretty spot on for mine with his selections. We didn’t look like scoring a try last week so hopefully Tui and fonau make a big difference.

Also agree this is a season defining game. To make semis we have to beat the teams below us, something we always struggle to do for some reason.
 
Didn't see that change coming. Not filled with confidence either, apart from improved goal kicking.
Thompson did drop one bomb. I think Broncos game, but yep he is safe as a bank.
If it were about wingers I would have thought MWZ would suffice. Although average he does try hard and has been safe cleaning up kicks.

I'm thinking it has something to do with a possible fullback signing. Cleary giving Tui another week or 2 in the top grade to prove himself and also how Thompson transitions back to the wing.

All in all, I trust Cleary knows what he's doing and he is sticking to his word about using the whole squad at different stages of the season.
 
@ said:
it might have more to do with the fact that we dont have an nrl quality winger outside of thompson

i think the team is better balanced with tui back. thompson is safer but offers nothing in the opposition 20\. stats arent everything but we're 3/3 with tui at 1 and 3/8 with thompson at 1\. tui is also a quality goal kicker. when we arent a high scoring team going from 4 to 6 is extremely important
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+1 to what he said.

Its that choice between Thompson at Fullback and putting an unreliable winger in or Thompson at Wing and knowing that side is secure.

Is Thompson a better Fullback? Maybe. Clearly Tui is a 5/8\. But Tui is still a good defender and helps keep our opposition score down. Add Thompson on the wing and he removes us leaking 20 points there.

There is no reason why our best back has to be a Fullback. Both Holmes and Mansour are better at being Wingers, they score and prevent more tries there. Everyone is pushing good wingers to fullback and their managers are seeing $$$, stuff it Two good wingers do more for a team then 1 good fullback.
 
Lolohea seems like a confidence player. Sometimes showing a bit of faith in guys like that can bring out their best. We have also had too many games where we just haven't shown enough threat in attack. Thompson is a good finisher and a good runner but he hasn't really shown much ability to create (outside of the assist against the Cows which was really just great support play and effort on his part). If he fires, Lolohea will help bring Marsters and Fonua into the game and that is where our points will come from.
 
I hope he proves me wrong. I just don’t like his style of play reminds me of Marshall on his bad days. Cleary may be seeing if he is worth persisting with or another Esl trade bait
 
Didn’t really rate Thompson originally but he seems to be a decent winger.
At fullback he offers absolutely nothing in attack.
The ball is in Tui’s hands now… perform or Cleary signs another fullback.
 
Thompson can feel hard done by, he's been very safe and has saved a few tries, he knows how to position himself well defensively. For Lolohea to be successful, he simply has to run more, no point in having him at fullback if he's just going to meander around back there, but I suspect Cleary is looking for that extra ballplaying option in the offensive line, so he needs to deliver here.
 
People questioning his fitness is as certain as the sun rising in the east. It’s getting pretty boring.
 
Tui will offer much more in attack and help us get into a winning position. His reading of the play worries me and i feel he’ll get caught out a couple of times but Thompson adds a lot to the wing position so hopefully it all balances out. At this stage it’s probably the strongest back 5 we can put out there.
 
@ said:
it might have more to do with the fact that we dont have an nrl quality winger outside of thompson

i think the team is better balanced with tui back. thompson is safer but offers nothing in the opposition 20\. stats arent everything but we're 3/3 with tui at 1 and 3/8 with thompson at 1\. tui is also a quality goal kicker. when we arent a high scoring team going from 4 to 6 is extremely important
Click to expand...

This pretty much sums it up, although I disagree with Thompson not offering anything in the opposition 20\. See the MWZ try at Leichhardt.

Thing is whilst Thompson is a better fullback than Lolohea we have a much better team with them both in the side.
 
Played more like a 5/8th than Fullback last week in ISP…was his most dangerous when Gamble went for a H.I.A and he moved into the front line...

No matter tho..he wont do much if our pack doesn't find it's mojo again..

For me Benji should be 'resting' with Lolohea @ 6 ..he went good there last year at times with our pop gun pack would be good to see him with Brooks behind this one...

If it's not working I guess they could switch it up with Thompson going to FB in defence...he talks a lot better than Lolohea..
 
This with all due respect for the players dropped who have made an important contribution this year is our best balanced line up this year.
We will win for sure.
 
@ said:
Played more like a 5/8th than Fullback last week in ISP…was his most dangerous when Gamble went for a H.I.A and he moved into the front line...

No matter tho..he wont do much if our pack doesn't find it's mojo again..

For me Benji should be 'resting' with Lolohea @ 6 ..he went good there last year at times with our pop gun pack would be good to see him with Brooks behind this one...

If it's not working I guess they could switch it up with Thompson going to FB in defence...he talks a lot better than Lolohea..
Click to expand...

Yeah, I like a Tui in the side and have been reasonably keen on the switching, having suggested so and wanting to see Cleary try it at the start of the season.
 
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