LIVE GAME Preseason Challenge v Canterbury

Live Game Discussion
Iron Fist said:
Is Turuva ready? Luai? Most likely won't risk them given their January ailments.

Bula, Skelton, Doueihi, To'a, Staines. I'd say that's how they start on Friday.

Naden probably comes off the bench in the second half with Mason, Craig/Saukuru, Faataape, Lobb.
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Think Bula still has that shoulder issue there was talk he may not be ready for 1st round, Turuva and Luai short stints if any.
 
Rock Hopper Steve said:
Really liked Naden's effort the other night mate think I would rest him and play him in the 1st round after proving form, he would be feeling it after that performance in a tough game next trial is too close at most just a short stint.
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I think there is a discussion each season about Naden. He can rise for a game like the Indigenous v Maori but the week to week grind of the NRL is a challenge. The discipline and decision making required in the NRL is a high bar to meet, some players can do it while others can't.
 
Iron Fist said:
Is Turuva ready? Luai? Most likely won't risk them given their January ailments.

Bula, Skelton, Doueihi, To'a, Staines. I'd say that's how they start on Friday.

Naden probably comes off the bench in the second half with Mason, Craig/Saukuru, Faataape, Lobb.
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yeah I tend to agree. I'm not sure if we'll see Luai...knowing us, he might get named and then withdrawn last minute 😅.
 
pawsandclaws1 said:
I think there is a discussion each season about Naden. He can rise for a game like the Indigenous v Maori but the week to week grind of the NRL is a challenge. The discipline and decision making required in the NRL is a high bar to meet, some players can do it while others can't.
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Hoping this is the year he gets it together, Luai may help if he can get in his head, but yeah it's now or never for him but waiting for the next trial to see who else puts his hand up we may have no choice but to pick him if he stands out, can't ignore the better form.
 
Vicious said:
I thought Galvin looked great, very sharp and even more confident than last season which is a great sign.
I must of watched something different in the first half as all I saw was our forwards getting rag dolled and looking like deers in headlights, therefore our dominant playmaker had no option other than to become more heavily involved and try and prompt players to come onto the ball.
If he had not done that, we would have looked much worse.
Under the circumstances with no time or space to play due to the lack of impact from our forwards, it was a miracle he was able to create the attacking opportunities that he did, possibly thanks to Skelton for being our Lone Ranger in making impactful runs.
Had our forwards had a go and been more like they were early in the second half, Galvin would have run riot and brought Latu into the game with him.
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You aren’t correct in your assessment. Galvin did some good work from long range, but was poor in the red zone. The forwards did have a go, they were outmuscled as per usual.
47 touches for 1 linebreak assist and 1 forced dropout is not a good enough return.
 
Vicious said:
Latu’s strength is his sharp and powerful running game.
To allow him opportunities to demonstrate this it requires good go forward and quick play the balls from his team mates, so he’s playing on the front foot, that barely happened while he was on the field, not his fault on my opinion.
In saying that he too looked a lot sharper, stronger and more confident than last season, I can only see a big season coming from him once his team mates do their job.
The more I think about it, the more I think he should also be a starting left centre option if Olam doesn’t get on the park.
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No. Just no.
We need him to become the gun half he has always promised to be. Playing centre or riding the pine for fill in hooker/lock interchanges are poor options to develop him.
He needs to play KOE and learn his trade.
 
Tucker said:
No. Just no.
We need him to become the gun half he has always promised to be. Playing centre or riding the pine for fill in hooker/lock interchanges are poor options to develop him.
He needs to play KOE and learn his trade.
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He is not a controlling halfback, never has been.
He is a dynamic ball runner who needs others to create time and space for him to play.
We are wasting our time and his if trying tn turn him into an on ball controlling halfback, but could reap big rewards if we allow him to play to his strengths which could initially be done by playing him at left centre.
Lock is also a possibility, but we don’t want him making 40 tackles while still so young, we want him making as few tackles as possible to allow his dynamic running game to flourish.
Laurie Daley and Brad Fittler were both young 5/8 prodigy’s who started their NRL career off playing in the centres, before moving back into 5/8 a few years down the track, I can’t see why Latu could not follow their path ?
 
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Tucker said:
You aren’t correct in your assessment. Galvin did some good work from long range, but was poor in the red zone. The forwards did have a go, they were outmuscled as per usual.
47 touches for 1 linebreak assist and 1 forced dropout is not a good enough return.
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When in the red zone halves need their forwards and ball runners at least threaten to make line busts, make good post cotact metres and get quick play the balls if not scoring tries.
When that is not happening the defence gets up on them very quickly and gives them no time to play which was 💯 the case in the first 40mins of the trial against the Bulldogs,
Our forwards got monstered and shat themselves, it must have been noted and a rev up given by Benji at halftime as granted they started running the ball a lot harder in the 2nd half, against inferior opposition.
 
batboy said:
He said gun half!!
Why does everyone forget they're collectively called halves

One half of Halves is Half.
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Or we could start calling them wholes

How did the whole go on the weekend

They are old wholes

They are young wholes

The are tight wholes

They are lose wholes

We need new wholes

Ha ha ha
 
Vicious said:
He is not a controlling halfback, never has been.
He is a dynamic ball runner who needs others to create time and space for him to play.
We are wasting our time and his if trying tn turn him into an on ball controlling halfback, but could reap big rewards if we allow him to play to his strengths which could initially be done by playing him at left centre.
Lock is also a possibility, but we don’t want him making 40 tackles while still so young, we want him making as few tackles as possible to allow his dynamic running game to flourish.
Laurie Daley and Brad Fittler were both young 5/8 prodigy’s who started their NRL career off playing in the centres, before moving back into 5/8 a few years down the track, I can’t see why Latu could not follow their path ?
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Daley and Fittler played light years ago. They were also big boys.
You put him at lock or on an edge in this day and age where every decision is micromanaged to the 'enth degree and hell be targetted by ruthless coaches and elite players.
He is not just a ball runner. He didnt get to show his ballplaying the other day because his halves partner totally ball hogged. I suspect had Galvin sat out yesterday, we may have won.
 
Tucker said:
Daley and Fittler played light years ago. They were also big boys.
You put him at lock or on an edge in this day and age where every decision is micromanaged to the 'enth degree and hell be targetted by ruthless coaches and elite players.
He is not just a ball runner. He didnt get to show his ballplaying the other day because his halves partner totally ball hogged. I suspect had Galvin sat out yesterday, we may have won.
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I remember the days not so long ago when there were many times we could not find a halve willing to be our first receiver and our attack was diabolical because of it.
The first 8 rounds of 2023 spring to mind.
I will take a ball hog first receiver over that crap every day of the week and twice on Sundays.
 
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On the Six Tackles with Gus podcast, Gus was asked,

How do you think the Tigers went yesterday?

"Tigers were good, physicality and fitness, a lot of young fellas, they looked a lot fitter this year.
Lachlan Galvin played the first half, he was pretty hard to handle, but he showed he's come back really well (dunno if this was in reference to PM XIII performance?), he'll learn a lot from playing with Luai, I think that's gonna be a very formidable combination and I think the Wests Tigers are going to have a very very good year from what I saw."
 
Vicious said:
I remember the days not so long ago when there were many times we could not find a halve willing to be our first receiver and our attack was diabolical because of it.
The first 8 rounds of 2023 spring to mind.
I will take a ball hog first receiver over that crap every day of the week and twice on Sundays.
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The big concern is you don't want Galvin taking quality ball from Luai
 
NZTiger said:
On the Six Tackles with Gus podcast, Gus was asked,

How do you think the Tigers went yesterday?

"Tigers were good, physicality and fitness, a lot of young fellas, they looked a lot fitter this year.
Lachlan Galvin played the first half, he was pretty hard to handle, but he showed he's come back really well (dunno if this was in reference to PM XIII performance?), he'll learn a lot from playing with Luai, I think that's gonna be a very formidable combination and I think the Wests Tigers are going to have a very very good year from what I saw."
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Is that back on already?
 
If that is the plan and they can pull that off and make it as successful as it is at the Panthers, then I will be happy with that as well. 🤣
 
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