G
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Okie dokie, I managed to watch all three grades today and will give a run down on each:
Holden Cup:
My my Payten has a difficult job ahead of him. Not for the lack of talent, but too much. He ran two squads as all would know, with an even mix of last year's NYC team and the newbies stepping up from SG Ball and Keebra Park.
Biggest things that I noticed were:
We look to be light on in the front row department once again. Payten ran with two front rowers barely weighing more than 90kg while the Eels trotted out a couple of units weighing at least 115kg. Nathan Brown will be handy but I'm not sure who will partner him. Possibly Kyle Lovett but the two biggest units at Payten's disposal - Richard Ene and Paula Fangaloka, barely got any game time. Dallas Graham wasn't bad…
Different story with the backrow and Payten has a plethora of talent here, along with some decent size to boot. Andrew Vela looked solid after a long layoff with injury, while Salesi Funaki, Daniel Rakvin and Shane Lalogafau all look solid and more than capable. Brendan Santi was good and looked to be the fittest bloke out there, tackling everything.
Kurtis Rowe should have the fullback spot sewn up and was good today. Wingers and centres look to be a bit more difficult to choose from. Nathan Milone and Leva Li would probably be my first choice centres based on today. Both boys are reasonably built and looked good. We don't have any genuine speedsters on the wings from what I saw which is a bit of a shame.
Half and five eighth will be interesting. Mitchell Moses will eventually find his way into the 6 jersey. Not sure who will nail the halfback spot. Luke Brooks would have been my first choice, but he looks destined to play State Cup unless there's a reversal leading into round 1\. Manaia Rudolph or Billy Kitt look to be the other options but it will be interesting to see what squad Payten rolls with next week against the Chooks.
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State Cup:
Wests Tigers started slowly I thought, turning over cheap ball early on before they slowly found their groove and proceeded to dominate the first half as they looked the stronger and sharper of the two sides. Luke Brooks looked to organise play well and had a good kicking game. The forwards were pretty good as a unit and Tedesco got more involved as the half went, popping up all over the place in support.
Mr T ended up on the wing but didn't get to touch the ball until about the 28th minute or something ridiculous like that. You could just see him waiting out there, watching...buggered if Wenty kicked the ball anywhere near him. BMM was hot and cold. Came up with a couple of handling errors, but also looked pretty fit and mobile and certainly strong. Barged his way over from one powerful run and will probably be coming off the bench in FG if I had to guess right now.
The second half saw a host of the Tigers top players come off, and the spring in their step faded while Wenty started to claw their way back. They looked the more energetic side in the second half but the Tigers somehow managed to hold on despite looking like they would be overrun. Overall it was rusty, but I think they'll be in for a good season. David Nofoaluma was probably the best player out there. Took plenty of stopping and wouldn't look out of place in FG if injuries strike.
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First Grade:
Ok, so it was only a trial, but the Tigers looked to be a far more cohesive unit than the Eels. The Eels were unlucky not to score 3 first half tries. They caught Ayshford and Utai short twice, and Koroibete once in the first half, but forward passes and knock ons let them down. It was the story of their night really, each time they looked to set something up, the ball went to ground and the Tigers made them pay.
The Tigers on the other hand looked pretty handy. Discipline looked good, defence at times was excellent, kicking game was ok and the overall attack was good for a trial match, although it faded noticeably when Marshall and Farah left the field.
I'll run through most of the players (some only played cameo roles late in the game):
1\. Moltzen - Ran the ball back straight which was good to see, although didn't have much of an opportunity otherwise. Moved to 6 once Benji came off and might be a handy backup here, although I suspect young Sirro might have something to say when he returns. I see no reason why he won't start at fullback in round 1.
2\. Koroibete - Exciting is the best way to put it. Bloody strong and quick and looks set to build on last year. Scored a cracker of a try from a well placed downtown kick from Benji which bounced perfectly for him, and Mullaney, despite being no slouch couldn't go with Koro as he scored under the sticks. Could have had 2 tries if he could have reeled in a well placed grubber from Anasta. Needs to be careful with his defensive positioning.
3\. Lawrence - Didn't do much in the first half, ran from dummyhalf a couple of times and looked sharp, but otherwise wasn't noticed. Evidently did enough to satisfy Potter as Reddy played the second 40.
4\. Ayshford - Got caught out in defence twice, and needs to be careful here because despite being a good mover, he's not an outright speedster as we found out after he got run down from making an intercept. Looked ok overall though.
5\. Utai - Same as last year, runs as hard as he can and takes a lot of stopping. Dropped one bomb but otherwise solid.
6\. Marshall - Toyed with the Eels and looked a class above when he decided to inject himself on occasion. The move back to 6 looks a good one and he came up with some nice touches...the downtown kick for Koro, an excellent cut out pass for Utai to score, even managed to put big Keithy into a massive hole. Came off after 50 minutes and his speed looked fine out there for anyone doubting he's slowed down a lot.
7\. Miller - Busy organising game and did his fair share of general kicking. I liked the look of him and he should develop into a good 7 with time and patience. Came up with a great cover tackle down the sideline too.
19\. Buchanan - Got through plenty of work although I didn't think he put much of a dent in the Eels line. He's fit though and he'll be one to watch as the season goes, as I think he'll definitely improve. Needs to work on his leg drive, but this will come over the next couple of years. He's only a baby as far as front rowers go but looks to be a decent signing. Looked good in defence.
9\. Farah - Nothing bad to say and he looked fine out there, played well within himself and that's fine by me at this stage.
10\. Galloway - Looks a bit bigger up top than last year and played some decent minutes. Strong game overall.
11\. Anasta - Looked handy on the left edge and bagged a double. I think he'll keep Fulton out of the starting side at this stage.
12\. Pettyourne - Not a big looking fellow at all, but geez he hit hard in defence early on and really whacked some of the Eels. Looks to be a good signing.
13\. Blair - Busy and came up with some good defence early on. Made a few hitups without any real impact, but his involvement rate looked fine to me and I think he's in for a better season than last year.
14\. Iosefa - Still came up with a few misses in D when he rushed out of the line. I think Joel Luani has the potential to put enough pressure on Iosefa to become Farah's backup this year.
15\. BMM - His hands let him down a couple of times but otherwise he looked strong. Got completely mixed up with Bodene Thompson in one run and looked to have seriously hurt himself, but then bounced back up. He looks fitter than last year and showed good leg speed.
16\. Thompson - Bigger than Pettybourne but still doesn't look particularly big out on the field. Strong bugger though and played front row with decent effect. Made decent metres up the middle of the field, and whereas Buchanan (who was decent) got stopped in his tracks a few times, Bodene would continue to surge forward with 2 or 3 players hanging off him. He looks to be another promising signing given how little football he's played over the last 12 months as he will surely improve.
Big Ava - Didn't get a lot of game time due to copping a high shot and playing the ball backwards because he was wearing his balls as earrings, so he was promptly taken off, which was a shame because he looks promising.
Tedesco - Scored a try but didn't field a lot of kick returns. He looks to have come back well from his knee reco though and showed good footwork, speed and strength and his support play is first class. He'll play FG this year for sure, just a question of when.
Mr T - Replaced Utai on the right wing and got a couple of hitups. The big fella takes some putting down, but didn't receive any ball on the end of backline plays. Physically he's a weapon and looks fitter than last year. Can play in the forwards or backs so he's got some utility value which could come in handy.
Nofoaluma - Got a brief run towards the end and I don't think FG is beyond him at all given how he played in the State Cup side. Kind of like Utai but a bit taller and quicker. Has an uncanny knack for breaking tackles.
A couple of other players got brief stints, but nothing to really comment on here.
Saw a few of the injured Tigers...Groat is wearing a moonboot, Woods looked fit and surprisingly lean, or at least he did to Ink and I, but we were looking from the upper grandstand and looks can be deceiving. Woods stated he will be right for round 1, so everyone relax. Gavet, Fulton and Tuqiri were also there. Didn't notice young Sirro at all.
Also, Matt Bell didn't play. Don't know why so I'm not sure whether he picked up an injury or otherwise.
The Tigers will get a tougher test against bogey team the Roosters next Saturday. They'll be a physically big side once again so it will be interesting to see how the bulked up Tigers handle them.
Hope the rundown gives people some idea on how we went last night. If I had to pick a top 3:
3 points - Marshall
2 points - Galloway
1 point - Pettybourne
There were no duds out there though :stuck_out_tongue:
Oh, and on a sidenote, Erin Molan, the blond sports reporter from channel 9 was there...Damn 😱pen_mouth: She was in fine, fine form :wink:
Holden Cup:
My my Payten has a difficult job ahead of him. Not for the lack of talent, but too much. He ran two squads as all would know, with an even mix of last year's NYC team and the newbies stepping up from SG Ball and Keebra Park.
Biggest things that I noticed were:
We look to be light on in the front row department once again. Payten ran with two front rowers barely weighing more than 90kg while the Eels trotted out a couple of units weighing at least 115kg. Nathan Brown will be handy but I'm not sure who will partner him. Possibly Kyle Lovett but the two biggest units at Payten's disposal - Richard Ene and Paula Fangaloka, barely got any game time. Dallas Graham wasn't bad…
Different story with the backrow and Payten has a plethora of talent here, along with some decent size to boot. Andrew Vela looked solid after a long layoff with injury, while Salesi Funaki, Daniel Rakvin and Shane Lalogafau all look solid and more than capable. Brendan Santi was good and looked to be the fittest bloke out there, tackling everything.
Kurtis Rowe should have the fullback spot sewn up and was good today. Wingers and centres look to be a bit more difficult to choose from. Nathan Milone and Leva Li would probably be my first choice centres based on today. Both boys are reasonably built and looked good. We don't have any genuine speedsters on the wings from what I saw which is a bit of a shame.
Half and five eighth will be interesting. Mitchell Moses will eventually find his way into the 6 jersey. Not sure who will nail the halfback spot. Luke Brooks would have been my first choice, but he looks destined to play State Cup unless there's a reversal leading into round 1\. Manaia Rudolph or Billy Kitt look to be the other options but it will be interesting to see what squad Payten rolls with next week against the Chooks.
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State Cup:
Wests Tigers started slowly I thought, turning over cheap ball early on before they slowly found their groove and proceeded to dominate the first half as they looked the stronger and sharper of the two sides. Luke Brooks looked to organise play well and had a good kicking game. The forwards were pretty good as a unit and Tedesco got more involved as the half went, popping up all over the place in support.
Mr T ended up on the wing but didn't get to touch the ball until about the 28th minute or something ridiculous like that. You could just see him waiting out there, watching...buggered if Wenty kicked the ball anywhere near him. BMM was hot and cold. Came up with a couple of handling errors, but also looked pretty fit and mobile and certainly strong. Barged his way over from one powerful run and will probably be coming off the bench in FG if I had to guess right now.
The second half saw a host of the Tigers top players come off, and the spring in their step faded while Wenty started to claw their way back. They looked the more energetic side in the second half but the Tigers somehow managed to hold on despite looking like they would be overrun. Overall it was rusty, but I think they'll be in for a good season. David Nofoaluma was probably the best player out there. Took plenty of stopping and wouldn't look out of place in FG if injuries strike.
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First Grade:
Ok, so it was only a trial, but the Tigers looked to be a far more cohesive unit than the Eels. The Eels were unlucky not to score 3 first half tries. They caught Ayshford and Utai short twice, and Koroibete once in the first half, but forward passes and knock ons let them down. It was the story of their night really, each time they looked to set something up, the ball went to ground and the Tigers made them pay.
The Tigers on the other hand looked pretty handy. Discipline looked good, defence at times was excellent, kicking game was ok and the overall attack was good for a trial match, although it faded noticeably when Marshall and Farah left the field.
I'll run through most of the players (some only played cameo roles late in the game):
1\. Moltzen - Ran the ball back straight which was good to see, although didn't have much of an opportunity otherwise. Moved to 6 once Benji came off and might be a handy backup here, although I suspect young Sirro might have something to say when he returns. I see no reason why he won't start at fullback in round 1.
2\. Koroibete - Exciting is the best way to put it. Bloody strong and quick and looks set to build on last year. Scored a cracker of a try from a well placed downtown kick from Benji which bounced perfectly for him, and Mullaney, despite being no slouch couldn't go with Koro as he scored under the sticks. Could have had 2 tries if he could have reeled in a well placed grubber from Anasta. Needs to be careful with his defensive positioning.
3\. Lawrence - Didn't do much in the first half, ran from dummyhalf a couple of times and looked sharp, but otherwise wasn't noticed. Evidently did enough to satisfy Potter as Reddy played the second 40.
4\. Ayshford - Got caught out in defence twice, and needs to be careful here because despite being a good mover, he's not an outright speedster as we found out after he got run down from making an intercept. Looked ok overall though.
5\. Utai - Same as last year, runs as hard as he can and takes a lot of stopping. Dropped one bomb but otherwise solid.
6\. Marshall - Toyed with the Eels and looked a class above when he decided to inject himself on occasion. The move back to 6 looks a good one and he came up with some nice touches...the downtown kick for Koro, an excellent cut out pass for Utai to score, even managed to put big Keithy into a massive hole. Came off after 50 minutes and his speed looked fine out there for anyone doubting he's slowed down a lot.
7\. Miller - Busy organising game and did his fair share of general kicking. I liked the look of him and he should develop into a good 7 with time and patience. Came up with a great cover tackle down the sideline too.
19\. Buchanan - Got through plenty of work although I didn't think he put much of a dent in the Eels line. He's fit though and he'll be one to watch as the season goes, as I think he'll definitely improve. Needs to work on his leg drive, but this will come over the next couple of years. He's only a baby as far as front rowers go but looks to be a decent signing. Looked good in defence.
9\. Farah - Nothing bad to say and he looked fine out there, played well within himself and that's fine by me at this stage.
10\. Galloway - Looks a bit bigger up top than last year and played some decent minutes. Strong game overall.
11\. Anasta - Looked handy on the left edge and bagged a double. I think he'll keep Fulton out of the starting side at this stage.
12\. Pettyourne - Not a big looking fellow at all, but geez he hit hard in defence early on and really whacked some of the Eels. Looks to be a good signing.
13\. Blair - Busy and came up with some good defence early on. Made a few hitups without any real impact, but his involvement rate looked fine to me and I think he's in for a better season than last year.
14\. Iosefa - Still came up with a few misses in D when he rushed out of the line. I think Joel Luani has the potential to put enough pressure on Iosefa to become Farah's backup this year.
15\. BMM - His hands let him down a couple of times but otherwise he looked strong. Got completely mixed up with Bodene Thompson in one run and looked to have seriously hurt himself, but then bounced back up. He looks fitter than last year and showed good leg speed.
16\. Thompson - Bigger than Pettybourne but still doesn't look particularly big out on the field. Strong bugger though and played front row with decent effect. Made decent metres up the middle of the field, and whereas Buchanan (who was decent) got stopped in his tracks a few times, Bodene would continue to surge forward with 2 or 3 players hanging off him. He looks to be another promising signing given how little football he's played over the last 12 months as he will surely improve.
Big Ava - Didn't get a lot of game time due to copping a high shot and playing the ball backwards because he was wearing his balls as earrings, so he was promptly taken off, which was a shame because he looks promising.
Tedesco - Scored a try but didn't field a lot of kick returns. He looks to have come back well from his knee reco though and showed good footwork, speed and strength and his support play is first class. He'll play FG this year for sure, just a question of when.
Mr T - Replaced Utai on the right wing and got a couple of hitups. The big fella takes some putting down, but didn't receive any ball on the end of backline plays. Physically he's a weapon and looks fitter than last year. Can play in the forwards or backs so he's got some utility value which could come in handy.
Nofoaluma - Got a brief run towards the end and I don't think FG is beyond him at all given how he played in the State Cup side. Kind of like Utai but a bit taller and quicker. Has an uncanny knack for breaking tackles.
A couple of other players got brief stints, but nothing to really comment on here.
Saw a few of the injured Tigers...Groat is wearing a moonboot, Woods looked fit and surprisingly lean, or at least he did to Ink and I, but we were looking from the upper grandstand and looks can be deceiving. Woods stated he will be right for round 1, so everyone relax. Gavet, Fulton and Tuqiri were also there. Didn't notice young Sirro at all.
Also, Matt Bell didn't play. Don't know why so I'm not sure whether he picked up an injury or otherwise.
The Tigers will get a tougher test against bogey team the Roosters next Saturday. They'll be a physically big side once again so it will be interesting to see how the bulked up Tigers handle them.
Hope the rundown gives people some idea on how we went last night. If I had to pick a top 3:
3 points - Marshall
2 points - Galloway
1 point - Pettybourne
There were no duds out there though :stuck_out_tongue:
Oh, and on a sidenote, Erin Molan, the blond sports reporter from channel 9 was there...Damn 😱pen_mouth: She was in fine, fine form :wink:
