Official Team Annuonced

[Tigermama]

Anasta is easy to bash and yes his form hasn't been there, but do we think potter is a blind man who can't see this? If this is the best thing for the future of Luke Brooks for the next ten years then so be it, you need to have a plan for the future not just next week.

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Yeh I'm with you DB. I really think potter knows what he is doing.
And for some reason I don't even think Anasta is that bad! I still think he must be doing what he has been told to do for the team, otherwise he wouldn't keep getting

As for the 'no drop' clause: not sure if that was even a serious question?! That would be ridiculous…

The 'no drop ' clause was'nt a question but a thought. As far fetched as it might seem ,I think alot of 'ridiculous' demands are made by player managers behind closed doors during contract negotiations. Nothing would surprise me as it was Sheens signing. Need i say more….

 

[NT_Tiger]

CB quote re Anasta; "He offers nothing to this team." I have to disagree CB. He offers imagination. Imagine what Tigers would be like with a competent 5/8.

Per pHyR3 above, I've seen and heard Farah and Brooks expressing support for Anasta but I can't see what it's for. Whatever it is, it must be good. By my thinking he would have taken up the slack, guiding the team while Farah was injured and doing Origin duty. I didn't see any evidence of that. Baffled.

 

[innsaneink]

You'd have to think dropping a high profile, ex rep, current media personality player would not be good for prospective future sponsors…and even current ones....maybe thats where the reluctance comes from

I dunno...Im as baffled as everyone else

Pick & stick

 

[Tigermama]

Anasta is easy to bash and yes his form hasn't been there, but do we think potter is a blind man who can't see this? If this is the best thing for the future of Luke Brooks for the next ten years then so be it, you need to have a plan for the future not just next week.

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By pairing him with halves partner who is non-existent in both attack and defence? How is that healthy for his development. The bloke is useless. May as well have a brick out there with a #6 painted on it.

so what youre saying is that unless someone can lead by example, they are useless at teaching young halves.

wonder why we need coaches then….

i'm going to take the high praise of Robbie Farah and Luke Brooks over the past few months as well as continual selection by the coach to mean he IS very influential in his talk on the field over people on forums and facebook bagging him.

Although I wouldnt mind an Austin Brooks pairing with Moses on the bench (if he's physically ready which i dont know) haha

His "experience" and "leadership" has been exemplary when Farah has been out too hasn't it? When did his experience and leadership come to the fore then when we were getting pansted by the Titans or Souths? What does Brooks get out of him? Apart from learning how to hoist two or three completely ineffective mid-field bombs per game and shut your whole right side out of the attack I'd say he's picked up sweet FA from him. If the intention was for Brooks to learn how to direct a side without any support from his halves partner it's been a resounding success.

He is non-existent in with the pill, virtually non-existent in defence, allegedly undermines the club he plays for and can't lead the side when he's handed the captaincy. The only game we've won this year under his stewardship was the Parra game where Sandow left his kicking boots at home.

He offers **nothing** to this team.

As much as I hate Easts, they had the foresight to see they were essentially playing with 12 men on the pitch whenever he was selected and subsequently turfed him. I'm not one for wholesale changes either, but we will see instantaneous improvement when we give him the hook or he retires (the latter looking like the more likely.)

Well said Cultured Bogan,i agree with you 100 per cent.Great post :slight_smile:

 

[pHyR3]

Yea i agree that he should probably be dropped, i'm just trying to play devil's advocate.

Apparently his talk is extremely valuable :/

 

[GNR4LIFE]

A world of good that letter did eh?

 

[DonnyBrasco]

It's not for form which is obvious, so unless someone asked potter and he said why, all we can be is lounge chair critics. I have a man crush on Austin, but if it's not best for the team then so be it.
Potter has to live and die by his selections, he doesn't have the Teflon sheens coating, so if why on earth would he try to sabotage his future?

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[happy_tiger]

CB there is probably a reason Anasta doesn't seem like he is doing anything

Think back a few weeks when either Potter or Anasta said they Brooks takes over from tackle 4

Usually what position of the field are you in when you start your set ??

I'd say 80-90 % of the time you are starting a set between your own 15-30 metre line trying to get some field position to set for a kick

So would it be correct to assume that in that situation if you are playing structured footy you are hitting up from dummy half or one out with your backs doing some grunt work for the first few tackles ??

So by the time we get to tackle 4 Anasta might if he was lucky touch the ball once

Maybe Anasta is solely there to help us have controlled sets where we aren't trying to play side to side to get into field position (taking big risks ) and keep us in the grind and have high completion rates ??

Maybe Anasta is doing exactly what Potter wants him to do ??

 

[stevied]

Well, there it is - the team I predicted, not the one I suggested. One that is conservative and unimaginative and one that will not help us compete against the stronger sides when things get serious at the end of the season. I agree with the notion of putting a wise, experienced head next to a rookie but this is only if the wise head is contributing, taking a load off and leading by example. None of this is happening which is why Anasta should be dropped. At the very least, Moses should have replaced him. While several changes to a team can be disruptive, dropping Anasta, Lawrence and Galloway would have sent a message. Fine could have been tried at centre and Tapau promoted to the starting side to provide much needed go forward. As I said before big Keithy only trudges the ball up and doesn't bend the line or play the ball quickly while Marty does. What better time to experiment than against a weak Canberra side? Also, are people really convinced that Austin has the ability to set up the play as a good five eighth should? He appears to be more of a runner. As inexperienced as he is, Moses would most likely be a better option when passing, kicking or running quickly. I agree that Simona and Nofualuma are being starved of opportunities.

 

[NT_Tiger]

I back Potter in his approach to Tigers direction and development so, sitting here on the sidelines, I have to accept he is choosing Anasta for good reasons. I just can't see any apparent results on the paddock. Happy's on field assessment makes sense and is probably as close to an explanation as I'll get, and per Ink, I can see that dropping Anasta so soon after losing Marshall could impact on sponsorships. As an armchair expert and shouter at inanimate objects (televisions) I find that Anasta's name has replaced Marshall's when I'm cheering the team forward.

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

CB there is probably a reason Anasta doesn't seem like he is doing anything

Think back a few weeks when either Potter or Anasta said they Brooks takes over from tackle 4

Usually what position of the field are you in when you start your set ??

I'd say 80-90 % of the time you are starting a set between your own 15-30 metre line trying to get some field position to set for a kick

So would it be correct to assume that in that situation if you are playing structured footy you are hitting up from dummy half or one out with your backs doing some grunt work for the first few tackles ??

So by the time we get to tackle 4 Anasta might if he was lucky touch the ball once

Maybe Anasta is solely there to help us have controlled sets where we aren't trying to play side to side to get into field position (taking big risks ) and keep us in the grind and have high completion rates ??

Maybe Anasta is doing exactly what Potter wants him to do ??

There is a reason why he seems like he's doing nothing Happy. He IS doing nothing!

I appreciate your explanation and it would make sense except that the ball is being moved wide to the left early in the tackle count as evidenced by Lawrence being bundled out over the sideline about a dozen times on the first/second tackle this year. He doesn't go looking for it and when he does have it, there's no intent.

Re: high completion game, he adds nothing to this either. When was the last game he regularly kicked for field position? By this logic, he is out there to whisper in Brooks ear for 80 mins! Don't we have trainers running water for three-quarters of the game who could do the same thing without taking up a jersey number and for half the salary? Stick Skando in the #6 and get him to do the same thing, at least he's good for a dozen hit-ups and two dozen tackles which is about three times better output than Anasta.

 

[pHyR3]

Well, there it is - the team I predicted, not the one I suggested. One that is conservative and unimaginative and one that will not help us compete against the stronger sides when things get serious at the end of the season.

Unable to compete with the better teams but somehow thrashed the titans by 30+, hammered Souths and the Eagles too?

 

[stevied]

I said when things get serious pHyR3\. The Titans didn't turn up and Souths were not playing like they are now.

 

[pHyR3]

So you mean during finals?

i dont see that as super important this year, making the 8 is good enough for me. I dont expect us to make the GF or anything.

still a lot of improvement left over the next couple of years

 

[stevied]

I mean in the lead up and during the finals. At the start of the year, the Titans, Rabbitohs and Eagles were not prepared for our onslaught but when the whips are cracking they WILL be. If we're going to be competitive and if we're going to develop across the park, changes need to be made in the backs, mainly at 6, so that we have more variety to our attack and more penetration. I do agree that this is mainly a year of development, and our table position is a surprise, but I still maintain we should try and better the overall team…..for the future and for now!

 

[Russell]

I mean in the lead up and during the finals. At the start of the year, the Titans, Rabbitohs and Eagles were not prepared for our onslaught but when the whips are cracking they WILL be. If we're going to be competitive and if we're going to develop across the park, changes need to be made in the backs, mainly at 6, so that we have more variety to our attack and more penetration. I do agree that this is mainly a year of development, and our table position is a surprise, but I still maintain we should try and better the overall team…..for the future and for now!

Understand what you are saying Stevied.
That is exactly what Potter is doing - bettering the team for the future.
It would seem from some of the comments that a lot of posters do not want this - they want to win now, make the 4 and go on and win the GF.
Ain't gonna happen for awhile but Potter will make it happen.

 

[greatodensraven]

Any injury updates? Would love to see Gavet make a sneaky return tomorrow night!

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[alexaki]

Any injury updates? Would love to see Gavet make a sneaky return tomorrow night!

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If anyone is returning tomorrow night its Halatau..Gavet is 1-2 weeks away(still)

 

[stevied]

Why wait Russell, especially when there are certain first graders who don't deserve to hold their place? What I'm saying is that by trying Moses and Fine, we are taking steps in a forward direction. By persisting with Anasta, Lawrence and to a lesser extent Keithy, the team is stagnating. I've made suggestions for team changes for a few reasons, all of which are listed below. Of course, the Tigers aren't going to win the comp. We're talking about development here and by experimenting you are;
1\. Building for the future 2.Rewarding form 3\. Making the team more competitive 4.Taking a load of Brooks 5\. Sending the correct message.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

 

[grahamr]

OH NO !!!!!!!

I"m with you.

My jaw dropped 2 feet when i saw the team anouncement…HOW does Lawrence keep holding his spot, surely we must have better centres in our squad...........if not whats wrong with buying........

Kristin Anu from the bulldogs
Morgan from Parramatta
etc; etc; there are a lot of better centres playing nsw cup !!!