The Luai dilemma...

[Sco77y]

I feel the team may begin to falter without Luai’s presence. Despite his individual talent (which would probably continue to make more of an impact the longer he spends playing in the team) he also brings motivation and accountability into the team.

We’re still high on energy, especially off the back of some tough wins, but these two elements would eventually be missed without him on the field for an extended period and we may then find ourselves slowly drifting down the ladder.

 

[hank37w]

1 Bula
2 Makasini
3 May
4 AD
5 Turuva / Tavana
6 Luai
7 Madden
8 May
9 Api
10 Pole
11 Samuela
12 KPP
13 Twal

14 Latu
15 Hunt
16 Sione
17 Seyfarth

I think that’s our best 17 hands down at the moment. A lot of in-form players and AD will enjoy running in the space Madden and Luai can create. Hopefully we get to see them all on the pitch shortly.

To me Doueihi could be very dangerous at centre but he needs to learn when to pass the ball, do it with accuracy and stop running his outside man out of space.

If he can do that then right centre can be his spot provided he doesn't leak with his defence, but I believe he has improved in that area and can get even better.

 

[The Chad]

What happens when Latu starts to put pressure for a starting role?

Then Benji has a Luai/Doueihi/Latu/Twal/May/To'a/Turuva/Lualili'i/Tavana/Skelton/Pole/Hunt/Seyfarth dilemma.

Being an NRL coach must suck.

Lucky he has Madden though. Irreplaceable! 😛

 

[Rock Hopper Steve]

That is the question that should have been explored during the trials - isn't that what they are for?

We can't be sure that the combination will be better than AD and Luai until we throw it out on the park. I understand Benji's desire to stick with a winning combination given the off season effort put into AD at 7 so there is a strong case to perservere with it. There will come a time when AD is out, so Jock will get an opportunity to state his case.

Unfortunatley, the cracks in AD's skill set as a 6/7 are already on show. His passing game is below average for the positions and despite hearing so much about his high footy IQ we haven't seen too much of it on display.

If his footy IQ is so high I do not understand how his edge gets choked under defensive pressure when he is at 6 or 7. A high IQ player uses the momentum of the defence to overcome the situation: shift quickly to the edges (quick hands); kick in behind the line to counter the threat and keep them honest; pass short or over the top; vary depth to create time and space and a bigger gap behind their defensive line to provide even more kick space; or use decoy runners and pass around them to fix the defender and create the gap. That is just off the top of my head and is not the limit of how that style of defence can be overcome. I know that is very easy to write and more difficult to do; but that is for a team that plays systems - we aren't that type of team.

Benji talks about game plan and patience - so there is an argument that AD is trusting the plan. But, Benii is even bigger on players "expressing themselves". This means using their brain and making opportunities just as much as it means taking them as they present. Is Jock able to overcome this pressure better? I guess we need to wait and see given how we are travelling.

But for me the AD to 13 should have been bedded in over the off season and a change there could well disrupt a forward pack that is firing on all cylinders.

I am not saying that Jock is a better all round player than AD - just that they are very different players. Should Jock prove to be better for the team at 7 than AD is when combined with Luai a move to cente is probably the best risk/reward situation for the team.

When he set up those 2 tries against the Wahs the breaks he made were in the centre corridor anyway so if Jock keeps playing as well as he is Adam will probably end up there.

Really don't like it when he runs and cramps the outside men and is a sitting duck for the defense, if he likes the centre channel, move him there if he stinks up the attack too much.

The move there would allow him, Luai, Jock and Latu all to fit in the team, should always aim to have your best players in the side.

 

[The Chad]

I'm just worried if Attard starts playing really well he'll get discussed as replacing Bula, giving us all a Bula Dilemma to go with it.

 

[Rock Hopper Steve]

I'm just worried if Attard starts playing really well he'll get discussed as replacing Bula, giving us all a Bula Dilemma to go with it.

That boy is 2 years away for mine, a lot of filling out to do, too far down the track to start thinking of that.

 

[The Chad]

That boy is 2 years away for mine, a lot of filling out to do, too far down the track to start thinking of that.

I'm just preparing for future dilemmas so they don't creep up on us. lol

 

[Rock Hopper Steve]

I'm just preparing for future dilemmas so they don't creep up on us. lol

I get it, following the Tigers tends to turn you into a worry wart.

 

[The Chad]

I get it, following the Tigers tends to turn you into a worry wart.

As this thread has proven.

This is why we don't have nice things. We can't just enjoy them. It has to be a problem.

Damn it! We have too many options!

 

[SeanT]

Sure.

Why is everyone convincing themselves that we will lose with Luai back?

Really? We need him especially for defence and leadership. His attack was better in that first game I thought. Still needs to do less sideways running though. He's a good 6 with a game managing halfback.

 

[Telltails]

As this thread has proven.

This is why we don't have nice things. We can't just enjoy them. It has to be a problem.

Damn it! We have too many options!

Its good to agree on something Chad. Its not a problem it's a bonus.

 

[EllisFan]

lol this thread is dumb. The halves will be luai and AD . Madden has a great kicking game . No running game , and no penetration . Also he’s a target in defence . He is the perfect back up half , only because we can move AD to his more natural five eighth spot . He’s absolutely the perfect squad guy . And ultimately Latu will get the reps in front of him .
He’ll drop back down to KOE cup . Get those boys going , come up for the odd cameo / injury replacement , and will be a key part of this team if it has real intentions of making a dent in the nrl season . He will not be starting over AD nor would he be starting over Latu . But he’s a hell of a player , and apparently a great bloke . A plus recruitment .

He is literally playing half ahead of AD, as of two games ago. So while you may think it’s dumb, it’s an interesting conundrum.

 

[EllisFan]

To me Doueihi could be very dangerous at centre but he needs to learn when to pass the ball, do it with accuracy and stop running his outside man out of space.

If he can do that then right centre can be his spot provided he doesn't leak with his defence, but I believe he has improved in that area and can get even better.

Agree. I think a centre who doesn’t pass is much more acceptable than a playmaker who doesn’t pass.

 

[Jolls]

He is literally playing half ahead of AD, as of two games ago. So while you may think it’s dumb, it’s an interesting conundrum.

I think AD is stil the front runner at this point in time based on the work that has been put into developing the combo over the off season; but what Benji has shown in proting Tino is that he will do what is best for the team. It doesn't matter what his decison is he will have a couple of hard conversations in the next week or so (if he hasn't already started).

Benji is all about tema first so I suspect the halves conundrum will be discussed among the coaching staff but also with the leadership group, of which AD is a key component. I would love to be a fly on the wall in that discussion. If team first is what it is all about we may find the leadership group, inlcuding AD come up with a solution.

Instead of discussing Brandan Wakeham this is such a great position to be in for a change!

 

[EllisFan]

I think AD is stil the front runner at this point in time based on the work that has been put into developing the combo over the off season; but what Benji has shown in proting Tino is that he will do what is best for the team. It doesn't matter what his decison is he will have a couple of hard conversations in the next week or so (if he hasn't already started).

Benji is all about tema first so I suspect the halves conundrum will be discussed among the coaching staff but also with the leadership group, of which AD is a key component. I would love to be a fly on the wall in that discussion. If team first is what it is all about we may find the leadership group, inlcuding AD come up with a solution.

Instead of discussing Brandan Wakeham this is such a great position to be in for a change!

100% mate.

I get the decision if he sticks with AD based on the pre-season. There’s also probably still a couple more weeks of exposure to Madden’s form. Which could still dip.

If you were picking a team on form now though, they’d have to both be in our 13.

 

[Flippedy]

Great problem to have with Luai, Madden and Doueihi. I don’t care who they choose, we will lose nothing there. I just want Taylan May back in the centres ASAP. How long until he’s back?

 

[EllisFan]

Great problem to have with Luai, Madden and Doueihi. I don’t care who they choose, we will lose nothing there. I just want Taylan May back in the centres ASAP. How long until he’s back?

Hope we keep winning so Benji doesn’t need to rush him back. The time in the centres will do both the guys there now a lot of good.