Marshall dropped

[avocadoontoast]

If we need someone to close out a game, Reynolds is the guy you want?

I think that's the key point. The problem with the halves combo is Brooks and Reynolds have problems closing out a game. It's what separate's Brooks from the elite halves in the comp and something he should have improved on after 7 or so seasons in the NRL. I don't rate Nathan Cleary as highly as others but one thing he does well is produce in clutch moments.

I agree that a half had to be dropped, but imo I think a Benji/Reynolds or Benji/Walters combination would have been better against the Raiders. Hope i'm wrong.

 

[Goldust]

All will be well. Reynolds will star in our victory over Canberra, but will be injured in the back end of the match. Benji will be back next week and our march to the 2020 premiership will continue.

This is the attitude right here!🔥

 

[JC99]

Total over reaction imho.

Jennings had to go (should never have been here in the first place).
Seyfarth would have been my other to go, Would have put Packer in.

Academic anyway, with that many changes it is now going to be very CLUNKY!

Why did Walters get bumped? Some strange ones there by Madge.

We need grant playing 80 that’s why. Would’ve preferred him at 6 over Reynolds though but maybe Madge wants that experience and wining mentality that Reynolds brings

Your suggesting Grant play 6....wow

I was referring to Walters as that’s who my post was in response to. Can understand the confusion

 

[Russell]

Total over reaction imho.

Jennings had to go (should never have been here in the first place).
Seyfarth would have been my other to go, Would have put Packer in.

Academic anyway, with that many changes it is now going to be very CLUNKY!

Why did Walters get bumped? Some strange ones there by Madge.

Probably wanted a stronger forward bench, coupled with the fact Walters didn't offer the spark against the GC that he should have (i.e. he had an ordinary game for the period he was on the field, they were waiting for his dashes from DH).

 

[JC99]

Benji has a great record against raiders when they were rubbish. How did he go against them since 2018? The exact same as the rest of our team, bad. The whole thing about him being 18-3 against them doesn’t change our chances against them at all it’s just a number.

 

[Russell]

Marshall has the best record against the Raiders on the Tigers...I remember in 2016-17 & 18 we lost by a remarkable amount of points to the Raiders and then Marshall returned from injury and we won by a try.
Interesting decision, let's hope it pays off.

As soon as I found out he had been dropped, I believed it to be a major tactical error. Benji and for that matter Moses always seemed to cause major problems for the Raiders.

I think you are correct Paws. Raiders are very structured and it is unorthodox players that cause the most trouble.

Teams that play a structured game are easy meat for them imo.

 

[TillLindemann]

Marshall has the best record against the Raiders on the Tigers...I remember in 2016-17 & 18 we lost by a remarkable amount of points to the Raiders and then Marshall returned from injury and we won by a try.
Interesting decision, let's hope it pays off.

As soon as I found out he had been dropped, I believed it to be a major tactical error. Benji and for that matter Moses always seemed to cause major problems for the Raiders.

I think you are correct Paws. Raiders are very structured and it is unorthodox players that cause the most trouble.

Teams that play a structured game are easy meat for them imo.

Reynolds can be pretty unorthodox, to be fair.

 

[pawsandclaws1]

Benji has a great record against raiders when they were rubbish. How did he go against them since 2018? The exact same as the rest of our team, bad. The whole thing about him being 18-3 against them doesn’t change our chances against them at all it’s just a number.

I strongly disagree with this statement. When you bring in an inferior player into a crucial position whose form really doesn't warrant the promotion, what outcome are you hoping for? The Raiders have been good for some time and by writing what you have you undersell both the Raiders and the achievements of one of our greatest ever players.

The message it sends to me is you can be an underperformer on huge money and get a call up to the NRL. What are we trying to achieve?

 

[Tiger5150]

If we need someone to close out a game, Reynolds is the guy you want?

I think that's the key point. The problem with the halves combo is Brooks and Reynolds have problems closing out a game. It's what separate's Brooks from the elite halves in the comp and something he should have improved on after 7 or so seasons in the NRL. I don't rate Nathan Cleary as highly as others but one thing he does well is produce in clutch moments.

***I agree that a half had to be dropped,*** but imo I think a Benji/Reynolds or Benji/Walters combination would have been better against the Raiders. Hope i'm wrong.

Yeah Im not so sure about this part. I agree that our halves played badly enough to be dropped, but you only drop a player if you have a better player to replace them with. Brooks and Benji on a bad day are still superior to Reynolds on a good day. Additionally I think Brooks played well against Dragons and Sharks.

 

[avocadoontoast]

If we need someone to close out a game, Reynolds is the guy you want?

I think that's the key point. The problem with the halves combo is Brooks and Reynolds have problems closing out a game. It's what separate's Brooks from the elite halves in the comp and something he should have improved on after 7 or so seasons in the NRL. I don't rate Nathan Cleary as highly as others but one thing he does well is produce in clutch moments.

***I agree that a half had to be dropped,*** but imo I think a Benji/Reynolds or Benji/Walters combination would have been better against the Raiders. Hope i'm wrong.

Yeah Im not so sure about this part. I agree that our halves played badly enough to be dropped, but you only drop a player if you have a better player to replace them with. Brooks and Benji on a bad day are still superior to Reynolds on a good day. Additionally I think Brooks played well against Dragons and Sharks.

I see your point, but neither half stood up and took control when they needed to. It was a very poorly managed game.

 

[TheDaBoss]

Can we plead the Fifth?

 

[JC99]

Benji has a great record against raiders when they were rubbish. How did he go against them since 2018? The exact same as the rest of our team, bad. The whole thing about him being 18-3 against them doesn’t change our chances against them at all it’s just a number.

I strongly disagree with this statement. When you bring in an inferior player into a crucial position whose form really doesn't warrant the promotion, what outcome are you hoping for? The Raiders have been good for some time and by writing what you have you undersell both the Raiders and the achievements of one of our greatest ever players.

The message it sends to me is you can be an underperformer on huge money and get a call up to the NRL. What are we trying to achieve?

You can’t disagree with a a fact... having Benji in the team since 2018 hasn’t changed how we do against them, we still get flogged by them routinely. Marshall has a good record against them but that doesn’t change anything at all.

The point is that Madge is showing he’s willing to drop anyone who isn’t performing - even Benji. He’s directly led to 6 tries being scored against us (according to Fox sports) which is more than anyone in the comp. I don’t think Reynolds is better than Benji but I think we needed a shake up and Madge needed to show everyone that mediocrity is not acceptable.

 

[pawsandclaws1]

Benji has a great record against raiders when they were rubbish. How did he go against them since 2018? The exact same as the rest of our team, bad. The whole thing about him being 18-3 against them doesn’t change our chances against them at all it’s just a number.

I strongly disagree with this statement. When you bring in an inferior player into a crucial position whose form really doesn't warrant the promotion, what outcome are you hoping for? The Raiders have been good for some time and by writing what you have you undersell both the Raiders and the achievements of one of our greatest ever players.

The message it sends to me is you can be an underperformer on huge money and get a call up to the NRL. What are we trying to achieve?

You can’t disagree with a a fact... having Benji in the team since 2018 hasn’t changed how we do against them, we still get flogged by them routinely. Marshall has a good record against them but that doesn’t change anything at all.

The point is that Madge is showing he’s willing to drop anyone who isn’t performing - even Benji. He’s directly led to 6 tries being scored against us (according to Fox sports) which is more than anyone in the comp. I don’t think Reynolds is better than Benji but I think we needed a shake up and Madge needed to show everyone that mediocrity is not acceptable.

Marshall and Brooks are both superior to Reynolds on any give day, even if playing poorly. Benji's dropping to me appears a gross overreaction to a disappointing loss. Change for the sake of change Is not going to achieve a lot. Benji does play well against the Raiders and we will miss him.

Now that the change has been made, I expect Maguire to be consistent for the remainder of the season.

 

[Tiger5150]

If we need someone to close out a game, Reynolds is the guy you want?

I think that's the key point. The problem with the halves combo is Brooks and Reynolds have problems closing out a game. It's what separate's Brooks from the elite halves in the comp and something he should have improved on after 7 or so seasons in the NRL. I don't rate Nathan Cleary as highly as others but one thing he does well is produce in clutch moments.

***I agree that a half had to be dropped,*** but imo I think a Benji/Reynolds or Benji/Walters combination would have been better against the Raiders. Hope i'm wrong.

Yeah Im not so sure about this part. I agree that our halves played badly enough to be dropped, but you only drop a player if you have a better player to replace them with. Brooks and Benji on a bad day are still superior to Reynolds on a good day. Additionally I think Brooks played well against Dragons and Sharks.

I see your point, but neither half stood up and took control when they needed to. It was a very poorly managed game.

Agreed. Who is better than them to replace them? IMO not Reynolds. Maybe, just maybe, but probably not Walters.

This really looks to me to be signalling by Maguire, sending the team a message, but that is tricky to reverse.

 

[TrueTiger]

If we need someone to close out a game, Reynolds is the guy you want?

I think that's the key point. The problem with the halves combo is Brooks and Reynolds have problems closing out a game. It's what separate's Brooks from the elite halves in the comp and something he should have improved on after 7 or so seasons in the NRL. I don't rate Nathan Cleary as highly as others but one thing he does well is produce in clutch moments.

***I agree that a half had to be dropped,*** but imo I think a Benji/Reynolds or Benji/Walters combination would have been better against the Raiders. Hope i'm wrong.

Yeah Im not so sure about this part. I agree that our halves played badly enough to be dropped, but you only drop a player if you have a better player to replace them with. Brooks and Benji on a bad day are still superior to Reynolds on a good day. Additionally I think Brooks played well against Dragons and Sharks.

I have to partly agree and partly disagree with you Tiger5150,when JR was fit and uninjured he reached origin level and did well..we cant say he is better or worse than Benji because the games he did play for us I think he got 3 MOM awards and did play some very good football..Im all for Madge cracking the whip because a lot of our players have become complacent over the years and got away with it..Benji has been a fantastic stalwart for this club,but he is not immune to being dropped just because he is Benji..
Its about time we had someone in the coaches box who will call a spade a spade and make the hard decisions..
Many a fan and member of this forum has said over the years that we are not professional enough on and off the field...
Well now we have someone who does want to make this a professional outfit and is making the tough calls...he has my support especially that JR is still in our squad and should be called upon when needed,now seems that time and its up to him to perform HOW Madge sees fit...remember at the presso after the GC game Madge said they stuck to the gameplan for the first 15mins then went away from it,lets see how they respond this week....

 

[TrueTiger]

If we need someone to close out a game, Reynolds is the guy you want?

I think that's the key point. The problem with the halves combo is Brooks and Reynolds have problems closing out a game. It's what separate's Brooks from the elite halves in the comp and something he should have improved on after 7 or so seasons in the NRL. I don't rate Nathan Cleary as highly as others but one thing he does well is produce in clutch moments.

***I agree that a half had to be dropped,*** but imo I think a Benji/Reynolds or Benji/Walters combination would have been better against the Raiders. Hope i'm wrong.

Yeah Im not so sure about this part. I agree that our halves played badly enough to be dropped, but you only drop a player if you have a better player to replace them with. Brooks and Benji on a bad day are still superior to Reynolds on a good day. Additionally I think Brooks played well against Dragons and Sharks.

I see your point, but neither half stood up and took control when they needed to. It was a very poorly managed game.

This is what really pees me off,both our halves are quality players,Brooks was Dally M half of the year and has been touted by many as the best up and coming half and even being compared to Joey Johns..
Benji has been brilliant for WTs and represented NZ on numerous occasions..
However the 2 of them don't seem to be able to communicate or be on the same page during our games,they have trained and played together long enough to be able to control games and close them out.
Maybe Madge has seen something some of us haven't or he has decided enough is enough and its time to shake the tree...not sure how it will pan out but something had to be done..

 

[851]

@851 You must be happy.

Yes mate I am, Brooks now has to finally stand up and we will be cooking with gas

851 I love you mate, but you and I will have one foot in the grave before Brooks ever stands up. He had years to stand up before Benji ever came back.

I feel you are probably right, but I would like to see Brooks have an extended run without Benji. And for the record I was against re-signing Brooks from the get go

 

[JC99]

Benji has a great record against raiders when they were rubbish. How did he go against them since 2018? The exact same as the rest of our team, bad. The whole thing about him being 18-3 against them doesn’t change our chances against them at all it’s just a number.

I strongly disagree with this statement. When you bring in an inferior player into a crucial position whose form really doesn't warrant the promotion, what outcome are you hoping for? The Raiders have been good for some time and by writing what you have you undersell both the Raiders and the achievements of one of our greatest ever players.

The message it sends to me is you can be an underperformer on huge money and get a call up to the NRL. What are we trying to achieve?

You can’t disagree with a a fact... having Benji in the team since 2018 hasn’t changed how we do against them, we still get flogged by them routinely. Marshall has a good record against them but that doesn’t change anything at all.

The point is that Madge is showing he’s willing to drop anyone who isn’t performing - even Benji. He’s directly led to 6 tries being scored against us (according to Fox sports) which is more than anyone in the comp. I don’t think Reynolds is better than Benji but I think we needed a shake up and Madge needed to show everyone that mediocrity is not acceptable.

Marshall and Brooks are both superior to Reynolds on any give day, even if playing poorly. Benji's dropping to me appears a gross overreaction to a disappointing loss. Change for the sake of change Is not going to achieve a lot. Benji does play well against the Raiders and we will miss him.

Now that the change has been made, I expect Maguire to be consistent for the remainder of the season.

It’s not just about the one loss though.... it’s about years of inconsistency from the club and former coaches have never had the balls to do something about it. Madge is finally putting these guys on notice.

 

[851]

Benji has a great record against raiders when they were rubbish. How did he go against them since 2018? The exact same as the rest of our team, bad. The whole thing about him being 18-3 against them doesn’t change our chances against them at all it’s just a number.

I strongly disagree with this statement. When you bring in an inferior player into a crucial position whose form really doesn't warrant the promotion, what outcome are you hoping for? The Raiders have been good for some time and by writing what you have you undersell both the Raiders and the achievements of one of our greatest ever players.

The message it sends to me is you can be an underperformer on huge money and get a call up to the NRL. What are we trying to achieve?

How has Grubs form been ordinary, he hasn’t played for a couple of months like everyone else who wasn’t in the 17. As for the message it sends, wow how wrong are you, Grub has played second fiddle to Benji the whole time he has been at the club, played plenty of reggies, Benji has never played reggies for us. And the money call is a joke, we have had highly paid players not getting picked for 2 years now. So you love BenjiI I get that, but he never was and at 35 never will be a strong leader and game manager. I don’t know about you but I am sick of our halves not being able to close out a game, we needed this to happen,Brooks is very lucky Walters didn’t take his spot too

 

[Tiger5150]

Benji has a great record against raiders when they were rubbish. How did he go against them since 2018? The exact same as the rest of our team, bad. The whole thing about him being 18-3 against them doesn’t change our chances against them at all it’s just a number.

I strongly disagree with this statement. When you bring in an inferior player into a crucial position whose form really doesn't warrant the promotion, what outcome are you hoping for? The Raiders have been good for some time and by writing what you have you undersell both the Raiders and the achievements of one of our greatest ever players.

The message it sends to me is you can be an underperformer on huge money and get a call up to the NRL. What are we trying to achieve?

>. So you love BenjiI I get that, but he never was and ***at 35 never will be a strong leader and game manager.*** I don’t know about you but I am sick of our halves not being able to close out a game, we needed this to happen,Brooks is very lucky Walters didn’t take his spot too

Do you think Reynolds will be a strong leader and game manager? I dont think he ever has been even at his SOO peak.